All Things Subwoofer: a Chat with David Schultz of REL Acoustics

We’re still buzzing over all the great guests we hosted during our Grand Opening. David Schultz of REL Acoustics chatted with us about their subwoofers: specifically, how they will transform your music system, extending bass reach, clarity, and impact. At the same time, the subwoofer can increase the sound stage and sense of space. How ‘s that? David explains it all!

 

The 212/SE subwoofer was the featured REL Acoustics product at our Grand Opening. According to David, “the active woofers throw the waves out front, one passive woofer distributes bass across the floor, and the other passive on the upper back side sends the waves up the wall and across the ceiling, so it fills the room and you get rid of those room anomalies. Bass waves are very long, so when you get a lot of things going on sound-wise in a room, it can be difficult. The 212/SE takes care of that.”

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                            REL 212/SE Dual 12″ Subwoofer

What’s the set up? At the event, the 212/SE was paired with Magnipan 3.7i speakers, a tough and fast product. David says that with this pairing, you’re “increasing the total balance of your loudspeakers. You want subwoofers to blend in in so they sound like they are part of the speakers you’re using. You could even transform your system with inexpensive speakers and use these subwoofers, and it’ll sound like $10-$20,000 speakers.”

 

And it’s NOT all about that bass. David feels that “with subwoofers, it’s about opening up the soundstage and putting more air around the instruments and the vocals, giving you that sense of space you normally can’t get. It’s important to have that in a system. When I do a demo and take the subs out, the whole thing collapses in terms of the sound staging and sense of space. Recording venues each have a sound all their own. That’s what the subwoofers will reproduce for your system.”

 

Interesting fact: unlike speakers, subwoofers can go down to 20-16 Hz. Why go below 20 Hz (which is the audible range?) It gives you the harmonics that fill in and go beyond that audible range, and it gives you a visceral impact. David says it is “like you’re listening to a church organ. You feel it; the bass waves create emotion and impact, drawing you in.”

 

Does David recommend sub woofers with home theater? “Absolutely! We hook up our subs to supplement the speaker and enhance articulation, which creates a sense of realism. We can shake your chair.”

 

With a product like subwoofers, it’s important to have them set up properly and placed properly with your speakers. Dealers like HiFi Buys are the only ones that can do that. As David explains, “they’re sold in pairs for music systems; there’s a left and a right just like speakers, so you want them to be set up correctly to get the best results.”

 

We asked David what he thought of the new showroom. He was impressed with the way Alan has set the store up with rooms set at certain price levels, and with living spaces. “It’s one of the better showrooms; Alan made sure the spaces were constructed properly with no loss of sound. I’m also impressed with the museum with items and equipment from the 60’s.”

 

Selecting the correct model is essential for transparent integration in your system. Our staff has been trained to find the exact position for the subwoofer and the proper calibration techniques to feather in the correct tonal balance under the loudspeakers. We’ve got the experience and expertise to make the magic we all want in our systems. REL Acoustics invites you to come in and get the experience and magic at HiFi Buys!

chris

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