2. speakers
  3. 177084-3610

Single REL T/9x vs S/510 in Small Room

Currently I have a PMC TLE1 sub in the main system. It sounds rather decent when matched to the main speakers. The integration is quite seamless. I’m not sure if a higher grade sub will bring more to the table.

Question. Has anyone experienced a noticeable or staggering difference when swapping different grade of subs in a small room, as in a one to one swap. Not single to dual sub swaps.

The next question. Is there a noticeable difference between the REL T/9X and S/510 when used in a small room of say 10’ x 17’. Or any other sub comparison for that matter.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

ryder
ryder OP
1,690 posts
 

Thanks Arafiq. That’s good to know. It’s a single S510 for me unfortunately since I don’t have the space and funds for a second one. I’m sure 2 will be better but I’m very pleased with the performance of the single REL so far, no complaints

fernski
9 posts
 

I have two s/510’s and spent the time fine tuning through the high level connection per REL’s philosophy once dialed in (it will take time) it was the most significant bang for buck upgrade I have ever made to my system.  Once you have the speakers and the amplification sorted this should be the next investment.  Don’t wasted thousands on power conditioners, interconnects etc. once you have decent quality cables (few hundred bucks) the diminishing returns are massive use that money on a single or pair of REL’s.  Its not just base the impact on soundstage and imaging is material.

I’m not going to suggest REL make the only good subs but I will say don’t buy subs off speaker co’s just like you wouldn’t buy speakers off a company that specializes in subs.  A sub is a different animal and different type of speaker that requires different R&D.  Go REL, JL Audio etc.  I’m going off script here a bit but needed to get that off my chest……

ackerdo
14 posts
 

Qualitatively, my three REL subs have failed after a few years of ownership, so quality is no longer an attribute associated with price. I bought an R then a T and then an S version and they all had failing parts. Quality engineering at REL may not exist in their design or manufacturing.

Just get the T/9x and use the remaining funds for other components or music purchases. No one at my house has noticed a difference between the T, R, or S performance. 

More to discover