setting-up rel strater-3

REL subwoofers have to be the easiest subwoofers to set up. Just follow the manual and you can't go wrong. No one here can give you advice because your room has a great deal of influence on bass.

Look at the Sumico web site for detailed instructions. They recommend the soundtrack from "Sneakers"; I got a copy used on Amazon.

The Sumiko website just shows the owner's manuals. The problem with using one recording, like Sneakers, is you optimize your system for that one recording. I recommend always using a variety of recordings and find the setting that works well with a variety of music. Otherwise you will shrink your music collection to a handful of recordings.

No, if you get the best location for bass it will be the best for all records. What "Sneakers" does is offer a repeated bass note so you can move the sub till it is in the best location, this takes at least 2 people. One or more to move the sub and at least one to listen to the change. You are not evaluating the music, just the bass performance. The Sumiko site use to offer longer and shorter set up guides that are very helpful in setting up all subs. Any recording with a repeated low frequency note can be used but "Sneakers" was the one they recommended.

I'm with Rrog on that. I have a Rel R328 with my B&Ws and love It. My setting is at 70Hz.

The instructions are still on the Sumico web site under "REL set up made simple".
Here is the first page:

REL Set-Up Made Simple

RELs are not traditional subwoofers, but true sub-bass systems. A REL is designed to augment the performance of “full range” speaker systems, to provide linear response down to below 12 Hz (Studio III, -6 dB down at 9 Hz). Therefore, for the moment, set aside everything you’ve been taught about subwoofers and how they are integrated into a stereo or theater system. RELs set-up and position differently than other subwoofers. A REL will take advantage of physics and room acoustics to provide deep pressurization as no other sub-woofer can. It’s important that you bring to the set-up process a willingness to do things a little differently in order to obtain these superior results. The end result of your labors will be an utterly seamless integration of true deep bass to a sound system, regardless of the main speaker’s low bass capability.

Two Things Before You Begin

It is helpful to know that you will almost always connect the REL to the input on the rear panel labeled “Hi Level.” This connection is made using the supplied 34’ 10” (10 meters) cable, the bare leads of which connect to the speaker output terminals of the power amplifier. The easy and foolproof connection at the REL is done with a Neutrik Speakon connector. The purpose of connecting to the speaker output terminals is one of the unique secrets of REL’s success. By connecting to the high level input on the REL from the amplifier, you build forward the sonic signature of your main system, including the tonal balance and timing cues of the entire electronics chain. In this way, the REL is fed the exact signal that is fed to the main speakers.

When possible, the REL should be placed in one of the corners behind the speakers. Remember, we are dealing with true LOW bass pressurization with RELs, not the mid-bass that most competitors settle for. Low bass pressurization below 40Hz is best derived from corner placement, where the most linear and efficient low bass can be produced.

Basic set-up should take no more than ten to fifteen minutes to accomplish once connected.

Connecting
High-level connection, using the enclosed cable with the Neutrik Speakon connector, is always the first choice. By connecting to the amplifier’s speaker outputs the sonic signature of the entire amplification chain is folded into the signal for the sub, thereby keeping timing and timbre cues consistent. In other words, the signal sent to the REL is exactly the same signal sent to the speakers, allowing for seamless integration. This connection can be made without affecting the performance of the amplifier because the sub’s amplifier input impedance is 100,000 ohms. This scheme also avoids adding any detrimental effects by not interposing any additional electronics into the amplification chain.
The standard high level hook up procedure is: attach the red wire to the amplifier’s right positive speaker output terminal; attach the yellow wire to the amplifier’s left positive speaker output terminal; attach the black wire to which ever of the amplifier’s ground output terminals is convenient; plug the Speakon connector into the sub’s high level input.

Moving the sub around without first moving your seat for overall flattest bass in the room will make it unlikely to ever get the most natural bass.

Moving the subs around IS very important, but only when you determine where the standing waves are least problematic in the room and you locate your seat there if possible.

You can probably do all of this with their recommended recording.

The most useful information from all this is experimentation...move 'em around. And moving your listening spot is silly, unless it's in a really weird place (like your head is resting against the back wall, or you're sitting on a pile a broken glass)...my REL is in a corner behind a speaker and it sounds great from my specific "dialed in" (the gear, not my couch) listening spot and not great anywhere else (standing waves, room frequency nodes, blockage by my huge personal bodyguards, etc.) because that's the way bass is, and that's OK by me.