Reference No.36 and No.35 form a new Reference collection built around a single purpose: to reveal more of what a great audio system can do. They share the same standard of speed, authority, precision, and integration, yet they are not simply two sizes of the same subwoofer. Each is proportioned for a different scale of room, loudspeaker, and listening ambition. No.36 is the ultimate expression of REL Reference, created for systems that demand the greatest physical scale and control. No.35 brings Reference performance to a more accommodating form, preserving exceptional speed and authority while fitting naturally into a wider range of rooms. Together, they allow the system and the space to determine the right expression of Reference.
Contents:
- The New Generation of Reference
- Reference No.36
- Reference No.35
- Reference Cabinet
- Reference Stereo Pair and Line Array
- How to Choose your Reference
- Experience a Reference Sound Demonstration
One Reference Standard in Two Forms
The distinction between No.36 and No.35 begins with application, not hierarchy. Both are designed to disappear into the performance rather than announce themselves as separate sources of bass. Both are intended to restore the lowest foundations of music and film while improving the qualities listeners often associate with the main loudspeakers: openness through the midrange, natural dynamics, spatial scale, and the sense of air surrounding instruments and voices. This is the central Reference principle. Low frequencies are not an isolated effect added beneath the system. They are part of the structure that allows the entire presentation to feel complete.
That shared objective leads to a family resemblance in engineering and behavior. Pure Carbon Fibre driver technology combines low moving mass with the stiffness required to remain controlled under demanding conditions. High-current amplification supplies the reserves needed for sudden dynamic events without sacrificing fine gradations of texture.
Dual Parametric EQ provides precise tools for managing the interaction between subwoofer and room, while REL's High Level Connection allows the Reference system to receive the same signal and timing character that reaches the main loudspeakers. AirShip Direct compatibility and the Reference Remote add flexibility without changing the fundamental goal: integration must serve the listening experience.
The result is a collection in which the two models speak the same acoustic language. The decision is not between a complete Reference experience and a reduced one. It is a question of which model can load the room correctly, match the scale of the loudspeakers, preserve headroom at the listener's preferred level, and support the way the system may grow over time.
Reference No.35 & No.36
Reference No.36
No.36 is designed for the world's most ambitious two-channel systems, reference-level theaters, and large or acoustically demanding rooms. Its 15-inch Pure Carbon Fibre Reference driver is powered by a 1,000-watt RMS Class AB/D amplifier, giving it the displacement, current delivery, and control required to reproduce immense events without allowing their scale to become slow or indistinct. Low-frequency extension reaches to minus 6 dB at 15 Hz, but extension alone does not define the product.
The greater achievement is the ability to move from nearly imperceptible ambient information to full dynamic impact while maintaining composure, pitch definition, and the timing needed to remain connected to the loudspeakers.
This balance matters because output can be seductive. A large subwoofer can impress quickly, yet Reference performance demands more than force. The driver, amplifier, enclosure, filtering, and room interface must remain balanced as a system. No.36 is built to deliver absolute authority with complete control, allowing the listener to experience both the physical scale of a recording and the smallest cues that define its space. Its dimensions also preserve continuity with earlier 15-inch Reference models, supporting established Reference Line Array systems and providing a natural path forward for long-standing Reference owners.
Reference No.36
Reference No.35
No.35 approaches the same Reference objective from a different proportion. Its newly developed 12-inch Pure Carbon Fibre driver uses a finer 12K weave for increased strength and improved self-damping. A new cast-aluminium frame, revised suspension, and surround provide an additional 12 mm of travel in each direction compared with the No.31 driver. These changes allow a 12-inch system to generate remarkable scale while retaining the quickness, precision, and nuanced behavior that make it suitable for the finest music systems.
Power comes from a 900-watt Class AB/D amplifier supported by a substantial 19.5-pound toroidal transformer. The architecture combines the current reserves associated with a traditional Class A/B design with the speed and efficiency of a Class D output stage. No.35 is approximately 20 percent more compact than No.36, making it particularly compelling for medium to large listening rooms, refined living spaces, and systems where Reference performance is required without the physical presence of the largest model. More accommodating does not mean modest. No.35 is designed to produce extraordinary speed and effortless scale, with sufficient authority to transform both music and theater systems when matched correctly to the room.
Reference No.35
A Shared Approach to Cabinet and Control
Reference cabinetry is part of the acoustic system rather than a decorative shell placed around it. The curvilinear forms continue a design lineage inspired by classic wooden runabouts, where continuous surfaces, structural integrity, and craftsmanship create an object that is both functional and enduring.
Internal bracing, driver support, enclosure geometry, and damping are developed together so that energy is directed into the room as intended instead of being stored and released by the cabinet. Twelve coats of hand-rubbed lacquer complete a finish whose depth and permanence reflect the engineering within. Adjustable feet allow the cabinet to be raised or lowered for precise leveling and stable placement in the room.
Control extends beyond the physical construction. Dual Parametric EQ is designed for focused correction of room behavior rather than wholesale alteration of the signal. Used properly, it helps reduce the influence of dominant room modes while preserving the speed and character of the system.
REL's High Level Connection remains central because it allows the subwoofer to follow the tonal balance and timing signature of the main amplifier. Low-level and LFE connections support theater and advanced system configurations, while AirShip Direct compatibility makes wireless placement possible when the room requires it.
The Reference Remote allows adjustments to be made from the listening position, where their musical effect can be judged accurately.
Reference Remote
Single Stereo Pair and Reference Line Array
The Reference collection is designed to scale with the system. A single No.36 or No.35 can provide a complete low-frequency foundation when the model, room, and placement are properly matched.
A stereo pair can improve channel symmetry, spatial consistency, and the way low-frequency energy is distributed through the room, while also increasing headroom and reducing the workload required from each unit.
At the highest level, a Reference Line Array uses vertically stacked subwoofers to create a wave launch of exceptional scale and effortlessness. The array is not simply a strategy for producing more output. When carefully installed, it can expand dynamic freedom, improve the continuity between low frequencies and the loudspeakers, and preserve clarity even as the system reproduces the largest musical and cinematic events.
Reference No.36 Stereo Pair
Choosing Between No.36 and No.35
Model selection should begin with the room and the complete system. Room volume, construction, listening distance, loudspeaker capability, placement options, and preferred playback level all affect the correct choice.
No.36 is suited to the largest rooms and systems where maximum scale, extension, and dynamic headroom are essential. No.35 is designed for listeners who require genuine Reference performance in a form that integrates more easily into medium to large spaces.
In some rooms, a stereo pair of No.35 may be more appropriate than a single larger unit because the pair can support symmetry, room loading, and future system development. In others, No.36 provides the necessary foundation and reserve from the outset.
Experience the Collection as a System
Specifications establish capability, but they cannot fully describe integration. The most revealing demonstration is not a sequence of exaggerated bass effects. It is hearing how the entire system changes when Reference is correctly installed: the soundstage opens, instruments occupy more convincing space, dynamics become less constrained, and the tonal foundation feels complete without drawing attention away from the performance. The subwoofer can be unmistakably present in the experience while remaining impossible to separate from the loudspeakers.
That is why the final decision should be made through listening. An authorized REL Reference dealer can demonstrate the differences between the models, evaluate the room and loudspeakers, and explain whether a single unit, stereo pair, or Reference Line Array best serves the system. No.36 and No.35 offer two ways to reach the same destination: a system with greater scale, deeper dimensionality, more natural dynamics, and a stronger connection to everything you listen to.
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