News & Updates

The deep voice on the other end of the telephone growled, resonant with a unique mix of Australian and German accents. It was Joe Reidiger, a celebrated audio distributor, calling from Australia. “I am going to tell you about the most remarkable product, something that transforms every audio system we’ve ever tried it in,” he said. That was my introduction to REL in early 1994. From its inception, REL Acoustics has been driven by a singular purpose: to deliver uncompromised audio excellence. Founded by Richard Edmund Lord (the "R-E-L" of REL), this remarkable journey began with dissatisfaction. Frustrated by the subwoofer offerings of the day, Richard built his own. What began as a mammoth, custom-built design integrated into a bay window quickly became a phenomenon. Celebrated by audiophiles, it was dubbed the best-sounding subwoofer they had ever heard.  Today, REL’s commitment to redefining the possibilities of audio continues, pairing innovation with artistry to craft the world's most reliable, high-performing subwoofers.  Revolutionizing Audio from the Start Richard’s first groundbreaking contribution, the High-Level Input, revolutionized the industry. Unlike conventional subwoofers that rely on preamp signals, REL’s High-Level Input connects directly to the main amplifier’s speaker outputs. This ensures that REL subwoofers seamlessly blend with speakers, delivering sound as cohesive and natural as the original recording. It’s like hearing music with open eyes and ears—no corrections required. This innovation became the cornerstone of REL’s legacy and remains a defining feature today. Another practical breakthrough followed soon after: the addition of a dedicated .1/LFE input with its own gain control. This feature allowed a single subwoofer to handle music and theater sound effortlessly, eliminating the need for cumbersome manual adjustments. While other subwoofer makers instructed users to “turn it up for theater and down for music,” REL’s elegant solution provided seamless integration for both experiences, embodying its ethos of simple yet transformative engineering. The early 2000s saw another milestone with the launch of the Britannia range. This forward-firing design combined substantial power with sleek cabinets, appealing to a broader audience and setting the stage for future innovations. Elevating Every Listener’s Experience  Our focus has always been on how the entirety of a system integrates, not just the bass. Early models like the Strata 2 and Stadium set the stage for REL’s reputation, delivering solutions that were as innovative as they were musical. Audiophile Alex Peters once described replacing his traditional subwoofer with a REL as “unlocking hidden dimensions of my music collection. Suddenly, it felt like I was sitting in the concert hall, surrounded by sound.” This is the REL difference—precision engineering that doesn’t just deliver bass but completes the audio experience. The R-Series, introduced in 2005, embraced modern Class D amplification. Compact yet powerful, these designs paired beautifully with piano black lacquer finishes, showcasing REL’s ability to blend performance with elegance. This range laid the foundation for today’s Serie S models, which continue to push the boundaries of design and capability. The G-1, launched in 2010, marked a pivotal moment. With its stackable design, it introduced the concept of line arrays to the consumer market, igniting a passion for systems that deliver unprecedented scale and depth. It also brought faster crossover filters with an impulse response of just 4 milliseconds, ensuring crystal-clear sound and dynamic performance—a hallmark of REL’s Reference designs. Pioneering New Standards in Bass Performance REL’s evolution reads like a roadmap for industry innovation. From the Britannia range’s powerful forward-firing designs to the Mid-Century Modern-inspired T-Series introduced in 2007, REL consistently balanced style and substance. These models featured simplified crossovers and innovative cabinet designs, paving the way for today’s Serie T/x. Technical breakthroughs like the PerfectFilter™ and LimitLess™ limiters, introduced in the 2015-2020 era, brought unprecedented control and clarity to subwoofer technology. These advancements allowed REL to deliver powerful deep bass without sacrificing precision. Imagine the thrill of an action film where explosions feel visceral yet never overpowering. Or a live jazz recording where the bassline breathes life into the performance, grounding every note. That’s the promise of REL—subwoofers that integrate seamlessly into your life and your soundscape. REL’s driver designs have continually evolved, with innovations like reducing moving mass by 20%, resulting in faster and more dynamic transients. This meticulous engineering ensures that REL subwoofers respond with unmatched speed and precision, capturing every nuance of the music or cinematic experience. The No.25, released in 2016, introduced groundbreaking innovations like dual parametric EQ. It addressed common room acoustic challenges, allowing users to elevate bass performance below 30 Hz while taming upper bass boom. This model also set off the 6-pack phenomenon, where customers discovered the joys of stereo pairs and expanded to full line arrays, enhancing their listening experience step by step. Always Looking Ahead Our commitment to innovation extends far beyond what the eye can see. Even components as subtle as internal insulation and capacitor design are scrutinized to ensure every REL subwoofer exceeds expectations. The No.31 and No.32, launched in 2022, epitomize this philosophy, combining tonal color depth, dynamic precision, and unmatched reliability. What’s next? As we explore new forms of subwoofers and uncharted directions, one promise remains: REL will never stop being curious. We’re here to surprise and delight, blending performance with beauty in ways the industry has yet to imagine. The REL Commitment At REL Acoustics, we don’t just build subwoofers. We build experiences. Experiences that redefine how you listen to music, immerse yourself in cinema, and connect with sound. Our journey is guided by the same principle that started it all: if it doesn’t exist, we’ll create it…and we’ll create it better. Here’s to sound without limits. Thank you for joining us on this extraordinary journey. Best, J

“Sudden Blue-Green Theory™” may soon displace Unexpected Red Theory—if recent reactions to our lovely new French Racing Blue™ and bold Green with Envy™ are any indication. Sudden Blue-Green Theory holds that when you get the hues of blue and green exactly, precisely right, it’s possible to stop traffic. Or at the very least, force your retinas to screech to a full and complete stop—to take in the beauty that a perfect blue and a not-so-subtle, intensely green tone can deliver. These wildly vibrant colors—red, orange, yellow, and now blue and green—are a thrill for those of us who work hand in glove with the talented painters we trust to bring our visions to life. At every show we attend, people come right up to us to share their personal favorite and how happy it makes them to see these colors, which makes us happy. So, there you go—the circle of life, expressed through color. While sonic performance will always be REL’s first and highest priority, we’re also committed to leading the industry toward the idea that designing audio equipment of surpassing beauty enriches the experience that much more. REL has long been known for building great-sounding, exquisitely wrought powered subwoofers. In many cases, we offer them in both Piano Black lacquer and High Gloss White. Lately, we’ve added a lovely soft Dove Grey to the T/9 range—it looks perfectly at home in interiors that favor calm, muted tone And now, back to our racing car–inspired T/9x SEs. Consumers from every walk of life—and nearly every income strata—have evolved their preferences. People want their homes to reflect their individuality. In a complex, sometimes confusing world, we crave spaces that are truly ours. Deeply personal spaces where the only thing that matters is that you love everything within it. Every object you place in your home should look beautiful (to you), feel good to the touch, serve a purpose, and, where possible, bring multiple levels of joy. You need look no further than Dyson. A lowly vacuum becomes… art. Why? Does it suck up dust better than any other? Almost certainly not. But it works well and looks entirely unique doing it. Its owners feel a little spark of joy every time they take it out of the closet. Same with their $400 hair dryer. Great tools are their own reward. Using them creates appreciation. So, why not your subwoofer? For some, black is all they’ve ever known, and that’s fine. But not everyone wants to fade into the background. For those who do value gorgeously crafted, immaculately finished lacquer paint—accents of genuine carbon fiber, details you can see and feel—we want to offer you that choice. It’s why we place the bezel surrounding the triple-chrome-plated badge on top of the painted surface. We want those who appreciate materials to know that, yes, it’s real carbon fiber. You can see the warp and weft in the edges. So next time you’re considering something to bring into your home, think about how many senses it should satisfy. Of course, the ears are critical when it comes to a component like a REL. But the eyes and the touch matter, too. Try this: gently run the back of your forefinger (never your fingertip—oils!) along the paint. It feels soft, supple—almost as though it’s still wet. That’s a museum-quality finish. Personally? I’m all in. I’m on the hunt for a room to build a super-cool, retro, Kubrick-meets-the-late-‘60s system—using an old British Nytek pre-tuner and a Lecson power amp that looks like a miniature exhaust stack from a nuclear reactor. It’ll sound cool. But more importantly? It’ll look amazing. And that’s the point. Enjoy life to the fullest. Use all your senses. Breathe it in deep—and don’t release that air too quickly. We’re here to enjoy everything life has to offer. Sound. Color. Light. Texture.We’re working hard to bring it all to you.   by John Hunter, Head Designer at REL Acoustics

"I know REL subwoofers so well by now the 99 only took me about 10 minutes to setup and be very happy with how it was integrated. I listened across a very wide variety of music including modern electronic heavy hitting bass, female vocals, folk music and modern jazz-ish stuff, audiophile stuff, some drum and bass and a real mixture for several days occasionally unplugging the REL to remind myself of what it was doing." Read the Full Review.

It’s fun and easy to look back at the past 35 years. REL has been almost exclusively responsible for elevating the rising consciousness in audiophile circles that ultra-high-quality subwoofers make an enormous improvement in the quality of high-end 2-channel systems. Some reviewers have gone on record saying, “if If you’re not using a REL Line Array, you’re simply not hearing your system.” We only state that hearing music Full Range is as natural as—well, life.We take in sounds throughout our entire lives in “Full Range.” We just don’t realize it. But when we listen to most systems—and they’re not full range—something’s missing. Indeed. A Brief History: So, if the past was all about rejuvenating the notion of a High-Level Connection to a subwoofer (What—you thought it was a good idea to listen to a flawed connection that sends a different signal to your subwoofer than the one being sent to your speakers?), or our Theatre Reference Connection system that uniquely enables a single subwoofer to properly restore the full, rich timbres of speech, the spatially natural recreation of space and the ultra-dynamics of special effects (LFE) bass in movies... Or perhaps you’re one of the lucky ones who daily enjoys the speed and openness, not to mention the shattering dynamics, that our Reference Filter Boards deliver in our No.31 and No.32 models? These, and more, are part of what makes REL both great and unique.We think about bass from the perspective of musicians—what live music sounds like, either on stage or near it. A Glimpse Into the Future: What, then, does the future hold?Let’s start with what it likely won’t hold: 1. Heavier-than-air gases inside our cabinets.Nope. It was a technique I’d filed away for years but ultimately had to discard.Back in my retail days, I auditioned (and passed on) a pair of speakers designed by Mike Wright of Dayton-Wright. He was a brilliant man who built rare electrostatic speakers—and hit on the idea of using a heavier-than-air gas called sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) to enhance the bass output of a small box speaker. Think helium (a lighter-than-air gas makes your voice pitch higher). SF6 does the opposite—deepening pitch and enhancing bass. He even figured out how to trap the gas inside what looked like a normal, sock-covered black box. But SF6 is now listed as a gas that aggressively destroys our atmosphere. And while I love the idea of a subwoofer the size of a T/9x making bass like an S/812...I like the idea of breathing even more. As should you. 2. The rotary-blade-driven subwoofer.Yes, really. Not all subwoofers use conventional drivers. It’s possible to use alternative methods—and they can work. But... the challenges. The cabinet had to be enormous. Air-sealing the edges of the blades at the exit vent? Difficult. Then there was rise time—how fast it could respond to fast transients, especially in home theater. Let’s just say you could measure it with a sundial. Deep bass? Yes.Fast? It was not. Back to Our Glimpse of the Future: Where might the future take us? First off, I’d love to revisit a concept we tried 15 years ago. It was at least a decade ahead of its time: a pure planar form that floats just off the surface of a wall—and puts the room to work creating remarkable bass. Imagine a 4” thick (110mm) cabinet capable of reaching into the lower 30Hz range with active drivers (and into the mid-20s with passive ones), mounted on a wall—or sitting near one on the floor. Something that looks sleek and modern—but hits like a sledgehammer. Open floor plan rooms can be a challenge. With few wall boundaries and large cabinets scattered around, it can kill the aesthetic of a beautiful, open space. But…what if you didn’t have to sacrifice looks for sound? What if you could have your cake and eat it, too? That’s the idea—and we hope to bring it to life in the not-so-distant future. I’ve been using a small version for a couple of years as my center-channel sub in a high-performance HT/3D system, and I’ve never heard a better center sub. Plus, it looks so cool mounted just below our 11’ (133”/3.35M) screen and center channel speaker. A sleek black form that floats on the wall and rocks the room. Naturally, we’d have to offer it in gloss white too. Ultimate Theatre: I’d like to challenge myself to produce an infra-bass generator for state-of-the-art theater applications. Not a conventional subwoofer—but one that handles only bass below 20Hz. Physics demands far more power (we’re talking 1500–2400 watts) and either a very large driver surface (30–50 inches / 762mm–1270mm), or some creative combination of compact cabinet volume and multiple drivers. Probably dual 18” drivers. And no, they won’t be cheap. But home theater keeps evolving, thanks to brilliant minds like Trinnov (France) and newcomers like Acurus (USA), who are building 32–36 channel processors that unlock stunning 3D theatrical experiences never before possible. They’re Called Reference for a Reason: We will, of course, continue evolving our Reference systems—and our (increasingly) near-Reference models like Serie S—to take advantage of new materials and higher-wattage amps. Right now, I can’t think of a way to improve the No.31 or No.32... but eventually, we’ll discover something that moves the needle. And when we do, we’ll test it, refine it, and bring it to life. But not anytime soon. These models are the foundation of our future, and they allow us to push innovation into our more affordable ranges. And that’s not just talk. The T/9x SE already uses a carbon fiber center cap derived from one of our Reference models. It’s clearly an upgrade over the standard T/9x. Turns out, chasing the state of the art is good for everyone. Sometimes the Future Looks Like the Past: I really like what we’ve done with the Mid-Century Modern Classic models. Both the Classic 99 and Classic 98 have been solid hits, embraced for their performance and style. I’m actively thinking about how to evolve this idea of honoring design trends we all love. That doesn’t necessarily mean bigger, pricier RELs in walnut that play louder and deeper, though that’s not off the table. We’ll continue studying emerging trends to see if the ‘60s and ‘70s have anything worth embracing. After all, Mid-Century Modern spans from the 1930s to the early ‘60s. And yes—we’ll look at design trends from the ‘90s too. Signing off for now... One thing is certain: the future looks brighter than our glittering past. Everyone involved in product development wakes up every day thinking of new ways to make RELs perform better, look better, and become easier to use. Ultimately, we aim to serve you…your space, your music, your life…better than anyone else.