Rel Strata III or Storm III owners...


Is it used for music or movie? what % for each?

What speakers are used with it?

How was the integration for stereo/music?
(I'm hearing subwoofer integration is really really hard, and seldom really works)

Why did you decided to add the sub? instead of getting bigger full range speakers.

How do you like it?
eandylee
Eandylee, the REL makes a very good product. I occasionally use a Strata III with my Stax F81 electrostats with good results. To answer your question, I use that combination because I also have a pair (actually, two) of full-range speakers, but mainly because there is nothing I have heard that would make me give up the midrange magic and sound staging of my Stax. However, sometimes their very limited bottom end is too hard to take, so I augment it with the REL. Integration is good, but not perfect by any means. Keep in mind that integration with electrostats is going to be problematic under the best of circumstances; but it is possible to get integration at an acceptable (for me) level. Additionally, the sound staging is further improved by the addition of the sub.

Having said all that, a few things to keep in mind:

-In my case the best results (by far) are achieved using the high-level inputs.
-I don't know what SPL's you expect, but don't expect miracles. There are other subs with much superior power handling.
-The quality of the bass is very good, but I still find it to be a little on the
soft side. Keep in mind that I use it with electrostats.
-In spite of what even Sumiko will tell you, one can improve the quality of the sub's sound by using a good power cord, and better cable instead of the flimsy supplied connecting cable; particularly the power cord.
can anybody point me to the thread that contained an exhaustive discussion of the setup for a rel strata iii? Thanks
Either one is perhaps the easiest SW to blend with speakers for music; I have never tried HT. I listened at length with most of B&W Nautilus line but also Quads ESL-63s, ATC SCM12.
I just put the new Velodyne DD-15 in my system. The setup is quite easy and number of presets make it the sub. to beat. AWESOME is all I can say about this baby! .5 % distortion.

Tim
I've mated my Strata IIIs with a set of Vienna Mozart, Waltz and Maestro. The system is dedicated HT so the reason for subs was obvious. The integration seems natural for HT, a little overwhelming for the little music played on the system. I might try one with my stereo set-up.
Gotta tell you that I often think my HT is over-engineered. Could be wrong here but I'm not convinced that critical listening is done during viewing (as compared to 2 channel). I may well have been satisfied with speakers geared to HT - like Def Tech.
I use a REL Stadium III sub and it integrates very well wth my Sonus Faber Concertos. It is used with a mcIntosh MHT-100 HT receiver with excellent results. As an organ enthusiast and student, the low registers are very inportant to me. The REL reproduces them with ease, yet is quick on sound tracks and transients. I bought it for HT impact, and two channel, and SACD multi-channel listening. I also drive a pair of Totem Mani-2s in a second system--, they do not need a sub.

Regards,

patrick