Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer
The Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer is 27" tall by 24" wide by 22" deep, and, at 205 lbs, heavier than any other subwoofer I've auditioned. Its massive, rectangular enclosure is finished in a cherry veneer, with a top-panel inlay of tempered glass laid over black felt. The rigid cabinet is multiply braced and made of 30mm-thick MDF. Two downward-firing 10" woofers, sourced from UK manufacturer Volt, are loaded with what REL calls a "Super Acoustic Resistive Matrix" (ARM), a folded transmission line ending in a downward-firing port, that provides bass response down to 9Hz. The enclosure is raised from the floor by four brass feet.
The Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer has one input channel. While the subwoofer can be driven by line-level signals, either via one of a pair of RCA jacks with different sensitivities, labeled "0dB" and "+12dB," or via a balanced XLR jack, the setup instructions strongly recommend that the owner feed the Studio III from the output terminals of the power amplifier that drives the main speakers. This is via gas-tight Neutrik Speakon connectors, one unbalanced for use with conventional amplifiers, the other balanced for use with amplifiers having a bridged output stage. The high input impedance (100k ohms) of the Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer's input prevents it from loading the amplifier.
On the left of the Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer is a column of three rotary controls. The top one, High Level, controls the volume of the signal entering either of the Speakon connectors from the main amplifier terminals. The middle knob controls the volume of the line-level inputs from the two RCA jacks. The bottom knob, Mode, controls phase and the option of switching the Studio III between standard sub-bass operation and using both sub-bass and wider-range subwoofer operation, depending on the processor and the source material. (In Mode 2, for example, the main speakers are set to Full-Range and drive the Studio III's high-level input, while the surround processor's line-level LFE signal is taken to the low-level input. This allows the Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer both to extend the main speakers' bass response and handle a film soundtrack's sub-bass sound effects.)
On the right of these three are two more knobs on the Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer, which together tune the low-pass filter in 24 half-tone steps between 22 and 96Hz. The bottom control, labeled Coarse, controls the low-pass filter in four steps (A, B, C, D), from 22 to 96Hz. Above that is the Fine control, which provides six steps between each pair of Coarse positions.
Rel Studio III Active Subwoofer Specification:
- System Type ARM loaded cabinet with ABC® semi-tone variable bass filter. 110 litre.
- Lower Frequency Response (in room -6dB): 9Hz
- Amplifier Input impedance High level 100 kohm
- Gain Control Range Low level 10 kohm 80dB
- Drive unit impedance 8 ohm
- Mains input voltage 115 V 50/60 Hz or 230 V 50/60 Hz, subject to country
- Dimensions WxHxD mm (inches) incl. feet and rear panel controls 685x617x567 (26.99 x 24.31 x 22.34)
- Weight Kg (lbs) 93 (205.03)
- Finishes: black oak light oak rosenut
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