REL subs--Strata III or Storm III ??


I am in the market for a sub to add to my music only system.I gather from most of the things I have read that the REL storm III is clearly preferred over the StrataIII. However, given size considerations I would prefer the smaller Strata unless doing so is giving up too much in sound quality. I would like opinions on this dilemna. My system is Krell KAV line of electronics and B&W 804 speakers. Thanks for all help. Don
dtittle
The Storm is not that much bigger. It is the same width and depth; and only 4 inches higher. It weighs 15 lbs more. The extra 50 watts of power are worth it in my opinion. That and the design lets it go lower. You could read the HiFi Choice Magazine reviews online of both. They also preferred the Storm between the two. They liked them both overall. (So do I).
I didn't like my Strata II. It didn't seem to go low enough, and the sound was pretty boomy. I wound up trading it in used to the dealer. I guess the Storm III is better, reading the reviews. I recommend you try listening to both, at home if possible.
I have a Storm III sub, which I auditioned against several other ST series subs, including Stadium and Strata. The tough part was the speakers it had to 'mesh' with - Martin Logans. Electrostatics are very fast, and subs tend to have a hard time working well with them. I just kept coming back to the Storm as my favorite. It literally disappeared as a separate sound source. It also had excellent depth and smoothness on top of it's speed.

Of course YMMV, as you have very different speakers to work with. The bestest recommendation is to hear them each setup with your speakers in the SAME environment and physical orientation so you get a real comparison.
Just a comment; a Stratus II only has a 60 watt amp, and has a different internal design than the Stratus III, which other than the name is a totally differenct sub.
I also use the Storm III with ML speakers - a great match!
You would be hard pressed to do better w/o spending a lot
more money.
Each step up the REL line is a pretty big jump in quality, so go with the biggest one you can get away with. I had a Storm III and changed to a Stadium III - BIG improvement! I have heard that the Stentor is better still, but haven't heard it in my system.
I had the same dilemma and had a chance to compare StormIII with StrataIII A to B - big difference, to be short with Storm sound is much more natural. I ended up with Storm
and vary happy with it.
I have two Strata III, I prefer the bass from closed boxes, and two subs are better for imaging and should outperform one Storm...