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I am home demoing a REL T5 for music only in our living room system, which is both 2 channel and HT/MCH. We have a fairly large living room area within an open floor plan condominium, so it's effectively a very large space. We do not need the REL to do .1 duty, as we have a huge Paradigm Servo 15 for movies which is great for that application. For movies or music, we run our main speakers, Dynaudio Focus 160s, at full range. The T5 is hooked up to the High Level Inputs using the Neutrik Speakon connection, so its job is to simply provide a low end extension/foundation for the Focus 160s.I am quite amazed at how well this tiny little box with an 8 inch down firing driver is performing in our open space. Once it is dialed in, it does what it should do. That is, it seemingly vanishes until turned off, which is when you realize what it was doing. With it on, the Dynaudios, which are good bass performers for stand mounted speakers, just sound bigger and fuller, the imaging improves, and, when called for, the bass is nice and deep.
It's simply astounding to me that this little cube seems so significantly deeper, tighter and faster than an old REL Q150S I tried to use, which was much harder to dial in as well.
But I can't help feeling like the T7, with its bigger enclosure, more powerful amp and added 10 inch passive radiator, would be more appropriate still for such a large area. Both get very good reviews in the pro press as well as by users, but I've yet to hear from anyone who has actually compared the two in the same system. Unfortunately, my dealer who is permitting this very extended home audition only has the Tzero and T5 to demo, and yet he's been fantastic and I want to stay loyal to him on this project, so I'm not sure I'll be able to compare the T5 to one of its larger siblings.
I'm also curious about the T9, but I've yet to read any reviews of it, professional or otherwise. Also, the price of the T9 gets it up against the new S/2, which I assume would be a step up with its higher quality drivers and enclosure. Anyone heard either of those two as well, preferably in their own systems?
(Edits were to fix typos and some confusing, sleep depravation-induced, sentence drafting - I even had to edit this parenthetical - sigh.)
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 08/23/14 08/23/14 08/23/14Follow Ups:
I am going to go with two T7s and no Paradigm.Like the T5, the T7 also has a downward firing 8 inch woofer, but adds a forward firing 10 inch passive radiator, is moderately bigger, and has a 200 watt amp (compared to the T5s 125 watt amp).
I'm getting two for the reasons you guys raised, and am going up to the T7 because it will be much stronger than the T5 for HT/.1 LFE channel use.
My dealer is a big fan of the dual connection - Hi Level Speakon for all sources and also the Low Level LFE connection for .1 channel sources only. Essentially two subwoofers in one (and I already run my Dynaudios at full range even for HT). And from what I've read, the T7 should be as fast and easy to integrate as the T5, and probably better in both respects actually.
So, I must say good bye to my Paradigm Servo 15 after 12 years of service. I'll miss the building shaking bass once or twice a month, but I trust the RELs will acquit themselves well enough in that regard and should blend seamlessly with my Dynaudios for music.
I'll post anew once i have them hooked up and they settle in.
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 08/26/14
Congrats on the T7s. If you get them in white, they'll visually fade to gray in the background. Or, if it makes your wife happy, she can place some objects on top of the T7s.
But do let us know when you get them. Give us a rundown of setup and burn-in.
-Lummy The Loch Monster
Eunha would have preferred to just keep the Paradigm and either use one REL or not have any additional sub for music only, but she knows that I love music and movies, and that the whole audiophile thing also involves a passion for the gear and "getting it right". And actually, she loves music herself, has even more demanding ears, and appreciates high quality, so it wasn't too hard to get her to sign-off on the plan, so long as it at least included selling the Paradigm.Thanks for asking, and I will definitely report back once the T7s are hooked up and optimally dialed in, which will be after they have had a chance to break in.
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 08/27/14
Looking forward to your break-in period w/ the REL.
First off, your thoughts are very helpful, and it's a rare thing these days when 3 knowledgable "lifer" Inmates all give consistent advice! I'll talk to my dealer and see what he can do on price, if anything. There are not expensive subs, but I'm doing other stuff with him and the estimated final costs are addicting up a bit. Also, my wife might balk at two both because of pricing and because she's not thrilled at the idea of two subs, let alone three.So, what do you think of this option: I get two T7s and then sell the Paradigm? Then I have two subs for music for all the reasons you give, and likely still enough output for movies. My wife is happy for aesthetic reasons (though there's that cost issue).
I could do that because REL subs can be hooked up with both the High Level Speakon connection for music and the LFE sub connection simultaneously, and my Krell Foundation has two LFE sub outs, so I wouldn't even need a splitter. I'm sure the two T7s with 8 inch active drivers and 10 inch passive radiators, would NOT put out what the Paradigm's 15 inch driver does for movies, but I bet they'd still be more than acceptable for movies (whereas I don't think 2 T5s would do movies justice).
There's the pricing issue, of course, as well as the open question about whether the T7s are as easy to dial in and as fast and taut as the T5s. I only know that both get great reviews, including for music.
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 08/24/14
JoshT-
REL's strongest attribute is certainly Music. Subwoofer(s) like M&K, Paradigm, Velodyne...etc., are excellent for h/t applications. If you are happy w/ your h/t sub, then keep it. I am excited that you have found your 'music' sub. You will not be disappointed. Keep us posted on your buying decision.
She said something like, "You mean we'd have three subwoofers? No way. Absolutely not. You're just trying to show off how many speakers we have!" Etc. And she's pretty awesome, and has been very cool about a bunch of recent upgrades, so I'm inclined to give on this. For now anyway!
Hmmm. Brings be back to wondering whether I should try a T7, T9 or even S/2. The integration has truly not been an issue with the T5, like it was with the Q150E, and the bass response is nice and even throughout the listening area - I think our room is just good that way.
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Two subs are always better.
And, try using both of them along with the big sub for HT.
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
JoshT -
the REL sub is the best on the market. These are the most musical and easiest to massage into any ss or tube(d) system. You are making the right choice here. The 8" is more than pleasing. Try 2 of these subs to determine the overall presentation of your gear, in your listening space.
The only reason to step up to a 10" or 12" model would be if you favor a preponderance of Bass from your music. Keep me posted on this matter.
But I'd like to strongly recommend trying a second T5 in your room so you have the perspective of how two smaller subwoofers can sound more natural than one larger sub.
Peaks and nulls, if you hear them with a single sub, are almost inaudiable with two.
Best wishes, Craig
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