Setting up stereo Rel subwoofers….


I want to do the sub crawl to set up the 1st sub, then do the second. My question is: do I connect the 1st sub to both channels? Or do their recommended twisting of 2 wires together and connecting it to one side? Thanks

davegh

Showing 3 responses by fastfreight

First, are you using high level inputs?  If so easy to connect the R to the Right amp inputs and the Left to the Left amp inputs using high level wiring, which I recommend.  As said, this is all on the REL website.  Different amps (class D) require different wiring.  For my class A/B Audionet amps, I use the Red and Black to the inputs on the amps and float the yellow wire.  For the crawl testing of only one sub (maybe this is what you are asking) I don't think it matters much and I would just connect it to one side as this will be the final wiring.

Hi @jastralfu 

If he sets it up the way REL states like I posted above, the subs won’t need to be moved, the only thing he may have to do is adjust the subs volume down slightly.

REL will have you moving the sub around during set up if you only have a single unit, to take advantage of boundary reinforcement because of the lesser output.

I did not find this to be true in my basement.  With two Rel Carbon Specials just inside my main floor standing speakers, I got significant boom from right behind me (I have a wall around my utility closet right behind my couch).   For me, moving the subs well outside my speakers into the corners of the room, asymmetrically pointed, the room nodes smoothed out a lot and the booming decreased.  I also added bass corner traps in various corners of the room which also helps.  Now people can not even locate my subs, but they add significantly to air pressure and soundstage of my floor standers, running full range.  To allow me to have flexibility on placement, I run my subs with REL's wireless system which is fast and seamless.  Of course I still go through the adjustments of phase, frequency adjustment and volume.  It is set and forget.  For demonstration it is easy to click the wireless senders on and off.

Hello @doni ,

My REL Carbon Limiteds came with the REL Longbow Wireless Receivers built in.  Here is from REL's product description page:

Finally, you can connect to the Carbon wirelessly, using REL’s Longbow transmitter, featuring the same functionality and inputs as the ones on the rear panel of the Carbon. This eliminates the long cables from amplifier to subwoofer and has a range of about 45 feet. You can read the full definition of the Longbow system here, but suffice to say it’s the easiest bit of hardware we’ve ever used. Two switches, and you’re done.

As we’ve mentioned in other REL articles, switching back and forth between the Longbow and wired connections reveals no difference in the character of our reference system’s LF performance. The receiver is built into the Carbon, but you will need a transmitter, which has a cost of $300. The Longbow can control up to four separate REL’s in mono mode, but if you want to run a pair in discrete stereo mode, you will need two Longbow transmitters.

The Longbows work great, and placement becomes imaginative instead  of limited.  I tried so hard and long to put my subs just inboard of my main speakers, and went through two brands of subs because of the boom.  Now they are way outside of my main speakers, actually along the sidewalls.  Take a peek at my system photo...those are my amps inboard of my speakers and the subs are out of view.

BTW, you can add REL wireless to most of their subs, they have a few systems, model dependent.