Reviews
So Happy!
"After being an audiophile since 1973 I have owned many subs and never was satisfied with any! I never could get one to integrate correctly and they all sounded bloated. I thought try it one more time so I did. This REL blended into my system seamlessly in about 30 minutes of adjustment. The plight of this sub is not to give you black eyes but to bring up the bottom end to enhance full range possibilities. Very nice build, fair prices, great sound. Don’t blow money on other brands. Just get a REL!"
— Larry S. (5/5)
2nd Rel ht1003 Subwoofer
"One year ago I bought my first Rel ht1003 Subwoofer and I loved it I own a few different ported subwoofers and I thought they was okay at best and I tried this one and I finally heard what bass should be then I finally went ahead and got a 2nd Rel ht1003 Subwoofer and I expect it to be even better but I have to say this even pass my expectations I do movies and music evenly and I love it plus I want to say this help the next person I have a Marantz Cinema 70s and I was told to keep the subwoofer trim level on negative 5 to negative 11 I did that until Rel acoustics said to put it on zero or very close it will sound better and they was right it is far far better than I had it"
— Josh P. (5/5)
What the Rel!!!! Wow!!!
"Man let me tell you!!!!! The BASS that this gem puts out is fantastic!!!! Not muddy or boomy. Tight bass too! It is also designer friendly!!! I like the glossy top but you have to wipe down with a micro cloth. I am satisfied with my Rel sub!!!"
— Paul D. (5/5)
9-Month update
"This is just an update. I bought this ht10 in 9 months ago and I want to give a little update on this product. Don't hesitate to buy it. This is an amazing subwoofer. I have mine turned on 24/7. I don't use the switch to let it go to sleep because I was told that they prefer to leave it on so that's what I did. If you use it daily, mine gets used television and music at least 14 hours a day between me and my family and not once if I've been disappointed. I've got it in a living room that is 20 ft by 25 ft and it fills the room very nicely. Music sounds just beautiful I've owned six subwoofers from four different companies and yes they were fairly decent. But I was never really crazy about a subwoofer especially from music until I got this subwoofer. Now I just can't hear music without a Rel Subwoofer and movies this Little 10-in can really pack a punch. I mean it can't punch like they're predators or they're 12 in. But for a 35 lb 10-in they pack a punch I'll say this. I have it set at 80 DB at reference level for my movies while my speakers are at 75 DB and for music I have it set for 73 DB and it's never bottomed out. It's never gave me trouble. It moves with precision and adjust. Never lose shape. Never lets me down. I highly highly recommend the subwoofer"
— Josh (5/5)
Excellent Subwoofer
"I’ve owned a few subwoofers, the most recent being a Velodyne that gave up the ghost after 17 years. This sub sounds incredible. It is a clear, clean sound, and it improves the music / movie environment without overpowering it. I was looking for a clean sound, that wasn’t too boomy, or overwhelming, and this hits the mark perfectly. It has the qualities of an additional speaker that hits the lowest frequencies. It has more volume than needed, and I’m running it under 50% total volume / gain. I’m hearing tones and sounds I didn’t know existed at lower frequencies. If you’re looking for clean sound that improves the music / movie environment, and isn’t boomy, you will be hard pressed to find something better."
— G L. (5/5)
A most huggable bass
"I bought this little/big smashing Hammer to pair with a couple of wonderful Acoustic energy AE500s, what a beautiful combo this is. My house is smaller than average and when the music is turned up fairly loud it fills everything with clear clean sound, when I place the back of my hand on a door way down the corridor I can feel the bass vibrations. I had the sub sitting directly on the bare wooden floor and not only would it go for a walk but it would also send vibrations up my desk and legs, this was kind of annoying so I placed several square pieces of carpet underneath, the problem was solved and now the vibes just travel delightfully through the air as they should. I have never owned a subwoofer before and buying this perfectly made REL lets me know that I could never live without one now, music and movies take my appreciation and expectations to a full aural experience. Go REL."
— Mam (5/5)
The Rel 1003 MkII, much like an audio submarine!
"I bought this latest REL sub about a year ago, just before Christmas and thank goodness that I did, as I deeply (see what I did there?) enjoyed the last holiday season! I had already been enjoying my Rel T5 since 2014 and had been watching new and old Rel videos to make up my mind about which one to get! I almost went for a 1205 MkII. But thanks to John's comments about how the 1003 MkII is so similar now to the 1205 and just about twice as loud as the previous 1003 model, (plus the fact that my living room really isn't big enough for a 1205, though I could have just squeezed one in if I moved the sofa over here and put the bar and Christmas tree over there!) I'm so glad that I finally settled on the Rel 1003 MkII, because, while the T5 is still admirably performing 'depth plumbing' duties in the right corner, the new 1003 is taking the strain and descending way down into the depths of the audio abyss, we're talking Mariana Trench like depths, over in the left corner! I'm not 100% sure that it's set up totally perfectly, but man! I've never heard anything go so deep as this baby! My music is bigger and the room is much fuller, with audio presence and joy! I've just seen your blog 'Rel vs. no Rel'. Well I'm on your side with this one, as how can anyone live without a Rel? How did we all survive without bass back in the early days of music (like the 1960's?) :) But this throws up a new question, I'm totally satisfied with my room-filling bass now, but how on this good Earth can a sub go even deeper than this? You have so many bigger, deeper models and I just cannot imagine how much further down a sub can go? I know my neighbours don't even want me to consider this question, so I'd better leave it for now, but maybe in the future? If we get a bigger house? But no, enough now. I'm happy and that's all that matters! You don't have enough stars though, I gave it five, but really you should get seven for this model. So well done John and co. You've done it again!"
— Gilbert (5/5)
tight arse bass
"Test driving this sealed box sub as a replacement for a direct competitor subwoofer that has developed a bad rattling noise within fhe first year of ownership. This 1003 has the tight bass i like with both my movies and music. it hits hard and gets off the note when it needs to. no sounding like a 1995 S10 minitruck with a cheap band pass box baning down the street. The sound is there. when it needs to move air to feel the alien land after jumping in Quiet Place, it shakes, hits and moves on. when Darth Vader imposes the force on an empirieal officer that screwed up in The Empire Strikes Back or Star Wars, it sustains and you feel as well as hear the force. Only wish REL would offer a trigger on option, and a mat black finish. Otherwise. . . . . NICE, NiCE, Nice! Best of last four subs I have owned or tried. Made the final purchase from a local dealer today."
— Cr (5/5)
Fantastic !
"First of all I would like to thank you for the quality of your product ! I am a sound technician and I can say the sound that delivers the REL 1003 is stunning ! Very low, very precise, hyper fast. It’s very discrete also. I like the fact that you don’t "hear" it. The quality and the price are amazing. By the way, I wanted to tell you that it sounds better with LFE without main because the frequencies aren’t added with my speakers. I had some phase issues with the main mode on. I don’t know if it’s clear (it would have been easier in French ^^) The only drawback to me is that, despite the fact it is heavy, it moves when placed on the floor. I put some silicone dampeners under the sub and it solved the problem. Thank you !"
— Eric (5/5)
Amazing sub. Amazing value.
"Beware of preconceived notions. My view of Rel was that is was an Elite brand that did in fact make amazing subs, but that you also paid a premium for the name. Well, I was right about the former but wrong about the latter. The value this sub represents is simply astonishing. My Home Theater listening room is 20L x 13W x 8H. Half of one side of the room is open, out to another room. So it's a fairly decent sized area that needs to be pressurized. Most sub companies, including Rel, are generous with "in-home listening trial periods". So I had this HT 1003 MKll, and another well known brands sub in my living room at the same time for a while to compare. The other sub is physically larger, has a 13 inch driver and an amp rated at more than twice the power compared to the 1003. The other sub is also rated to go a little lower in frequency. My test material was 1) Music that I know to have very deep, as well as quick, demanding bass. 2) The opening scene of Blade Runner 2049 (on disc with DTS-HD Master Audio). 3) The 18 wheeler explosion scene in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (also on disc). At loud but sane and tolerable listening levels both subs sounded phenomenal. There was literally no discernible difference between the 1003 and the other brands larger and more powerful sub. Let's be honest, when pushed to extremes the other larger sub would most likely begin to strut it's stuff. But at the area volume that I'm trying to fill and at the medium to high volume levels I'm comfortable with, I was simply blown away by both of these subs. And on those movie scenes I mentioned, both subs easily had the walls shaking without the subs themselves becoming unruly or stressed. So why is the other brand's sub all repackaged up in its box and ready to go back? Because the Rel HT 1003 MKll is plain and simple an unbeatable value. I hope Rel doesn't read this - but this sub is in a performance category that defies it's retail price. If my use case sounds familiar and similar to yours, this is the sub you should get. I'm extremely impressed with this thing- Highly Recommend."
— Tom L. (5/5)
![[year] Year warranty](http://rel.net/cdn/shop/files/warranty_4fd16f12-8316-41a6-a888-8e0bf410edd9.svg?v=1749718598){kind=small}
