REL Acoustics

REL Acoustics make subwoofers. That singular focus — no amplifiers, no loudspeakers, no headphones, nothing to dilute the engineering effort — is what has made REL the reference point for subwoofer design among serious hi-fi and home cinema enthusiasts worldwide. Every REL is built around a single conviction: that a subwoofer should not simply add bass, but should complete a loudspeaker system in a way that transforms what it is capable of.

The approach REL take is different from the home cinema subwoofer norm. Rather than connecting via LFE alone, REL recommend connecting their subwoofers at high level — directly from the speaker terminals of the amplifier, so the subwoofer sees exactly the same signal the main loudspeakers receive. The result is a subwoofer that integrates with the timing and character of the system rather than sitting beneath it as a separate event. It is a philosophy that takes more care to set up correctly, and rewards that care with a coherence that LFE-only connections rarely achieve.

The range at Martins Hi-Fi spans the full width of what REL produce. The T/x Series — from the T/Zero MK3 through to the T/9x — are compact, affordable subwoofers that bring REL's integration philosophy to smaller rooms and more modest systems. The S Series scales that up significantly: the S/812 and S/850 are genuinely full-range subwoofers capable of extending the performance of serious hi-fi systems. The Carbon Special and No.31 represent REL's reference engineering — subwoofers built without constraint, for systems and rooms where nothing less will do. The Planar Series, PL-1 and PL-2, are designed specifically to partner with planar and electrostatic loudspeakers, with a speed and articulation matched to the demands of those drivers.

We stock the full REL range at our Norwich showroom, and our team can advise on model selection, placement, and setup for both stereo and home cinema applications. Come in and hear what a properly integrated REL subwoofer does for a system you thought you already knew.

Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.