Thanks for watching the video and dont forget to check out my reviews for the Wharfedale Super Linton speakers and the QYAD 33 and 303 as that will help complete the picture for this review too. Thanks
I love the 99's . I heard a pair with a pair of Polk R700's and was so impressed . I heard warmth from the polks and the 99' added to it . Classical music ,and classic rock was very cool ,but I enjoyed them with all genres . Im so glad I was able to hear them together to reaffirming what I was contemplating on buying. I will order them in February for my birthday once mt pair oc REL T9x's and SEBO Felix vacuum are paid for . 👍🎉
Great sequence of videos, Terry; The Supers, The Quads and The Rel…classic brands and future classic bits of kit! I think I have now got somewhere I am happy with for my Super Linton’s. It has involved going back to my Willsenton R8 to tame the upper octaves of trumpet and saxophone, which were too piercing with my other amp. But the Willsenton drives the supers very well and it always struggled a bit with the 85s. So all good.
Remember they need some time for that part of their sound to settle down too, at first it really stands out as I was saying in the Super video but yeah thank you
@ it’s got to be said that in combination with the R8 I am now falling in love with these speakers! That little bit of warmth combined with the great sound staging and decent punch that amp has is just a great combination for me. VERY happy.
Great video, I’ve a pair of mono blocks running with a pair of BK-200 subs. They do exactly as you described to the music, wouldn’t be without them. Thanks for the video.
Great video. Many years ago I owned a REL Storm, and it helped flesh out the soundstage. I could demonstrate that to friends by turning the REL off and on. The extra bass was just a bonus.
Always enjoyable. Thank you Only regret after owning a strata III was it dying after many years of great service to be followed by a T9x. The T9 does the job but I was gutted when the classic range launched as what I really wanted was the quality wood look. Not the black box mehh......timing is everything.
Many people comment about how much adding a subwoofer helps voices coming alive and the mid range improvement in general. Many people also say that adding two subwoofers is almost twice as good. So now the difficult question becomes would it be better to get two 98’s or one 99. I think the answer is if you have small monitors and want to cross them over higher let’s say at 110 Hz then it would be better to go for 98’s. But if you have larger speakers and crossing over at for example 70 Hz then you might as well just go for one big one. What do you think?
two is better than one for the reason I mentioned in the video more bass sources help to improve how the bass behaves in the room - generally speaking. 110hz is a very high crossover so bass is directional at that point so you would want a sub positioned near each speaker in that instance and you would also need to know the sub will play that high as I didn't test that to know for sure, there might be a roll off at freq that high. Check with REL directly
13:10 To get a warmer voice sound you could try placing the speakers 6" closer to the back wall, and you might get the sound you want without turning on the tone controls on. My NAD C356 sounds leaps&bounds better with the tone controls off (chalk&cheese). 😂
Yes moving back will increase the bass some but not that much and it would make the sound stage worse. To get anything like the bass as from the REL I would have to corner load the speakers and then I would totally kill the sound stage I get as I have had that setup before. Not all tone controls are created equal it depends on how they are implemented analogue or digital too.
6:36 Time alignment - can you please elaborate on how you achieved time alignment, i.e. the hookup / setup (as well as with Phase if you care to). Thank you.
I do it by ear, I listen and move the subwoofer forwards or backwards or sometimes side ways if I have two of them until the bass locks in with the main speakers. I have spent so many hours doing this with digital delay controls for system calibrations I think have trained my ear for what to listen for. Not intentionally just by spending so much time doing it. The same with phase, listen to it both ways 0 or 180 and normally one way sounds broken compared to the other. That is good enough for me when the rest is right. I used to measure this and check and check and measure again that didn't get me anywhere further on so I dont do that anymore.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem - Great, Thank you. What in this particular setup is providing the Digital Delay Control that is being used to ultimately align the Subs to the Main speakers by ear? -OR- are you saying that there isn't any Digital Delay Control in this particular setup, as you simply used placement and the Sub's Phase control to then optimize the setup by ear? Thanks again.
yes no digital controls at all, the subwoofer is fed a signal straight from the amplifier with a low pass built into the sub. So everything stays analogue so that means physically moving the sub for the time alignment. You would think this doesn't work well, but it does seem to I because really the sub becomes an extra extension to the speaker so your just setting up the same as you would a speaker in terms of placement
Thinking about buying the 98 or 99 I have a pair of pmc twenty 24 in the narrow part of an L shaped room. Do you think it will work well with transmission line speakers?
I dont think it makes any difference what the speakers they so long as you set the rel up correctly it will benefit in the same way. Especially with small PMC speakers as they are quite bass lean speakers
I have my single 99. I bought from REL directly because they have a 60 day free return policy. I went for the 99 and it did take more than 30 days for me to get them dialed in. I'm glad I had the extra time. If I couldn't get the 99 integrated in my room, I was going to try the 98. Don't have to now. I also use it for home theater using the .1 LFE input and your description is spot on. It definitely goes low on movies and that also sounds great (startling sometimes).
That is 9 GIK Gotham diffusors that I painted white and put up as a 3x3 grid. Given the complexity of the design painting it white was a challenge. All my acoustic treatment is from GIK
A single Rel classic 99 or two t7x which one give you more control and balance sound ? Which one is more suitable for HE full range single driver speaker ?
Two subs will in 99% of cases allow you more control in the setup and easier to balance the sound in the room. However it depends on your room size and speakers too
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Excellent review, Terry. I am in the exact same situation. With a $2K USD budget. Do I purchase two T7X's or a single Classic 99. I have an open floorplan with the living room, kitchen and dining room. The combined room size is about 1,000 sq. ft. with 12' ft ceilings. My speakers are T+A Criterion TCD 210S connected to an Accuphase E-4000.
It possibly was around 70- 80 Hz yes, my meaning is I see a lot of people think they should only cross a subwoofer over below what their speakers are doing for bass extensions, based on the spec sheet. I think that is a mistake. The higher you go with the crossover the more you have to pay attention for time alignment too so that is something to think about as well
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I got you, but lets say the speakers goes down to 50hz at -6db, if the sub crossover is set to 80Hz, don't you get overlapping above 50Hz? How we deal with this? If we turn down the gain It will lower the output not only above 50Hz and its not an option.
Overlapping is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you end up with a linear response. Use room curve measurements to confidently dial in all those variables.
@ I love ur reviews very honest and on point many years at richersounds has turned me into a av nut and ur reviews help in future purchases or even little tweaks
@@PursuitPerfectSystem For stereo listening one needs two speakers. Now add ONE subwoofer (so not two) to the system and it still sounds the same but for the low frequencies. (one would expect two subwoofers)
Bass below a certain frequency is produced mono anyway so one subwoofer can be fine, however generally with monoblock amplifiers it would be advised to use two subwoofers. That is why I said in the video one was very good, however two would have been better and allowed me to do more. I only had one so I couldn't talk about two anymore than that
Thanks for watching the video and dont forget to check out my reviews for the Wharfedale Super Linton speakers and the QYAD 33 and 303 as that will help complete the picture for this review too. Thanks
Very happy owner of the Rel Classic 98 here. Wouldn’t be without it in my system 👍😊
I love the 99's . I heard a pair with a pair of Polk R700's and was so impressed . I heard warmth from the polks and the 99' added to it . Classical music ,and classic rock was very cool ,but I enjoyed them with all genres . Im so glad I was able to hear them together to reaffirming what I was contemplating on buying. I will order them in February for my birthday once mt pair oc REL T9x's and SEBO Felix vacuum are paid for . 👍🎉
Great sequence of videos, Terry; The Supers, The Quads and The Rel…classic brands and future classic bits of kit! I think I have now got somewhere I am happy with for my Super Linton’s. It has involved going back to my Willsenton R8 to tame the upper octaves of trumpet and saxophone, which were too piercing with my other amp. But the Willsenton drives the supers very well and it always struggled a bit with the 85s. So all good.
Remember they need some time for that part of their sound to settle down too, at first it really stands out as I was saying in the Super video but yeah thank you
@ it’s got to be said that in combination with the R8 I am now falling in love with these speakers! That little bit of warmth combined with the great sound staging and decent punch that amp has is just a great combination for me. VERY happy.
Great video, I’ve a pair of mono blocks running with a pair of BK-200 subs. They do exactly as you described to the music, wouldn’t be without them. Thanks for the video.
Great video. Many years ago I owned a REL Storm, and it helped flesh out the soundstage. I could demonstrate that to friends by turning the REL off and on. The extra bass was just a bonus.
Totem had a sub called Storm also.
I like my 2 Rel t5xs they blend flawlessly
How big is your room, i am going to buy 2 rel subs for a 14 sq meters.
Always enjoyable. Thank you
Only regret after owning a strata III was it dying after many years of great service to be followed by a T9x. The T9 does the job but I was gutted when the classic range launched as what I really wanted was the quality wood look. Not the black box mehh......timing is everything.
Does the down firing sub have an advantage our disadvantage when firing on a hard surface like wood floors or on a carpet surface?
When it comes to rel you know you're guaranteed quality bass
Many people comment about how much adding a subwoofer helps voices coming alive and the mid range improvement in general. Many people also say that adding two subwoofers is almost twice as good. So now the difficult question becomes would it be better to get two 98’s or one 99. I think the answer is if you have small monitors and want to cross them over higher let’s say at 110 Hz then it would be better to go for 98’s. But if you have larger speakers and crossing over at for example 70 Hz then you might as well just go for one big one. What do you think?
two is better than one for the reason I mentioned in the video more bass sources help to improve how the bass behaves in the room - generally speaking. 110hz is a very high crossover so bass is directional at that point so you would want a sub positioned near each speaker in that instance and you would also need to know the sub will play that high as I didn't test that to know for sure, there might be a roll off at freq that high. Check with REL directly
Not a cheap sub and down firing sealed is not all that common. But I know this configuration can work very well.
Thanks for sharing
13:10 To get a warmer voice sound you could try placing the speakers 6" closer to the back wall, and you might get the sound you want without turning on the tone controls on. My NAD C356 sounds leaps&bounds better with the tone controls off (chalk&cheese). 😂
Yes moving back will increase the bass some but not that much and it would make the sound stage worse. To get anything like the bass as from the REL I would have to corner load the speakers and then I would totally kill the sound stage I get as I have had that setup before.
Not all tone controls are created equal it depends on how they are implemented analogue or digital too.
Good comment 👍🏽
I have a similar experience.
6:36 Time alignment - can you please elaborate on how you achieved time alignment, i.e. the hookup / setup (as well as with Phase if you care to). Thank you.
I do it by ear, I listen and move the subwoofer forwards or backwards or sometimes side ways if I have two of them until the bass locks in with the main speakers. I have spent so many hours doing this with digital delay controls for system calibrations I think have trained my ear for what to listen for. Not intentionally just by spending so much time doing it.
The same with phase, listen to it both ways 0 or 180 and normally one way sounds broken compared to the other. That is good enough for me when the rest is right.
I used to measure this and check and check and measure again that didn't get me anywhere further on so I dont do that anymore.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem - Great, Thank you. What in this particular setup is providing the Digital Delay Control that is being used to ultimately align the Subs to the Main speakers by ear? -OR- are you saying that there isn't any Digital Delay Control in this particular setup, as you simply used placement and the Sub's Phase control to then optimize the setup by ear? Thanks again.
yes no digital controls at all, the subwoofer is fed a signal straight from the amplifier with a low pass built into the sub. So everything stays analogue so that means physically moving the sub for the time alignment. You would think this doesn't work well, but it does seem to I because really the sub becomes an extra extension to the speaker so your just setting up the same as you would a speaker in terms of placement
Oh great, Thanks!
@@PursuitPerfectSystemI Are you saying that you won't go beyond 0/180 degrees phase setting?
Nothing beats my FUNK Audio. I don’t love the front grill mounts, they should be built into the cabinet.
Thinking about buying the 98 or 99 I have a pair of pmc twenty 24 in the narrow part of an L shaped room. Do you think it will work well with transmission line speakers?
I dont think it makes any difference what the speakers they so long as you set the rel up correctly it will benefit in the same way. Especially with small PMC speakers as they are quite bass lean speakers
I have my single 99. I bought from REL directly because they have a 60 day free return policy. I went for the 99 and it did take more than 30 days for me to get them dialed in. I'm glad I had the extra time. If I couldn't get the 99 integrated in my room, I was going to try the 98. Don't have to now. I also use it for home theater using the .1 LFE input and your description is spot on. It definitely goes low on movies and that also sounds great (startling sometimes).
Off topic question, where did you get that big white diffuser at the front of the room?
That is 9 GIK Gotham diffusors that I painted white and put up as a 3x3 grid. Given the complexity of the design painting it white was a challenge.
All my acoustic treatment is from GIK
This one's supposed to be a new Storm model, right?
A single Rel classic 99 or two t7x which one give you more control and balance sound ? Which one is more suitable for HE full range single driver speaker ?
Two subs will in 99% of cases allow you more control in the setup and easier to balance the sound in the room. However it depends on your room size and speakers too
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Excellent review, Terry. I am in the exact same situation. With a $2K USD budget. Do I purchase two T7X's or a single Classic 99. I have an open floorplan with the living room, kitchen and dining room. The combined room size is about 1,000 sq. ft. with 12' ft ceilings. My speakers are T+A Criterion TCD 210S connected to an Accuphase E-4000.
What do u mean by high crossover? 80? More?
It possibly was around 70- 80 Hz yes, my meaning is I see a lot of people think they should only cross a subwoofer over below what their speakers are doing for bass extensions, based on the spec sheet. I think that is a mistake. The higher you go with the crossover the more you have to pay attention for time alignment too so that is something to think about as well
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I got you, but lets say the speakers goes down to 50hz at -6db, if the sub crossover is set to 80Hz, don't you get overlapping above 50Hz? How we deal with this? If we turn down the gain It will lower the output not only above 50Hz and its not an option.
Overlapping is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you end up with a linear response. Use room curve measurements to confidently dial in all those variables.
Again another Stella review .... remember to smash the like people 🎉
Thank you very much
@ I love ur reviews very honest and on point many years at richersounds has turned me into a av nut and ur reviews help in future purchases or even little tweaks
Way better performance in 2025 for that money.
When one reviews a subwoofer it might be useful for the customer to inform them how low frequency sounds behave.
Just a suggestion
Comment noted, sorry can you confirm what you mean here please?
that is exactly what he does, just an observation.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem For stereo listening one needs two speakers. Now add ONE subwoofer (so not two)
to the system and it still sounds the same but for the low frequencies. (one would expect two
subwoofers)
Bass below a certain frequency is produced mono anyway so one subwoofer can be fine, however generally with monoblock amplifiers it would be advised to use two subwoofers. That is why I said in the video one was very good, however two would have been better and allowed me to do more. I only had one so I couldn't talk about two anymore than that
Hmm, a lot of money for a sub without equalisation.
Or just buy a JBL Partybox , very good bass and sounds amazing
With one package , no separate amp , dac etc
Not enough lights on that model
noob lol
@@pkal244 lol