REL S5 SHO under way, exciting...

I received the S/5 SHO, unpacked and placed it, and got it dialed in using the old standby: Ballad of the Runaway Horse from Jennifer Warnes’ Famous Blue Raincoat. The sub is seamlessly integrated and does not draw attention to itself, and the depth of all aspects of the music is increased in a completely natural way. Then I played the live version of Joan of Arc. Oh my. Not only is the midrange and Jennifer’s voice richer and the bass much deeper than from my Harbeths alone, the soundstage and sense of the concert hall was mesmerizing. I was transported to another place. You really can’t ask for more than that.
 
Moby said:
I received the S/5 SHO, unpacked and placed it, and got it dialed in using the old standby: Ballad of the Runaway Horse from Jennifer Warnes’ Famous Blue Raincoat. The sub is seamlessly integrated and does not draw attention to itself, and the depth of all aspects of the music is increased in a completely natural way. Then I played the live version of Joan of Arc. Oh my. Not only is the midrange and Jennifer’s voice richer and the bass much deeper than from my Harbeths alone, the soundstage and sense of the concert hall was mesmerizing. I was transported to another place. You really can’t ask for more than that.
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A properly set up sub can certainly do wonders. Congrats!

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Moby said:
I received the S/5 SHO, unpacked and placed it, and got it dialed in using the old standby: Ballad of the Runaway Horse from Jennifer Warnes’ Famous Blue Raincoat. The sub is seamlessly integrated and does not draw attention to itself, and the depth of all aspects of the music is increased in a completely natural way. Then I played the live version of Joan of Arc. Oh my. Not only is the midrange and Jennifer’s voice richer and the bass much deeper than from my Harbeths alone, the soundstage and sense of the concert hall was mesmerizing. I was transported to another place. You really can’t ask for more than that.
Click to expand...

Very nice Moby, great decision. It’s a superb sub.


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Curious where do you guys have your subwoofer placed ? Per REL, are they near the corner or are they close to the speakers ? is there any tips to determine their initial placement ?
 
I have an odd L shaped room where I sit fairly close to the speakers - 7 or 8 feet on the diagonal to each. There is really no corner to place the sub in - there is a fireplace on a diagonal where the corner would be. So you work with what you’ve got, and I put the sub next to and parallel to my left speaker, a few inches from the base of the fireplace (which is gas and raised about 3 feet off the floor). So it probably violates every rule of sub placement, but it sounds great anyway. :dunno:
 
Moby said:
I have an odd L shaped room where I sit fairly close to the speakers - 7 or 8 feet on the diagonal to each. There is really no corner to place the sub in - there is a fireplace on a diagonal where the corner would be. So you work with what you’ve got, and I put the sub next to and parallel to my left speaker, a few inches from the base of the fireplace (which is gas and raised about 3 feet off the floor). So it probably violates every rule of sub placement, but it sounds great anyway. :dunno:
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Thanks. As long as it sounds good to your ears, that's the only thing that matters :-) I bought a pair of S/5 couple of months back and still experimenting with the placement and tuning. Between, if you got a single sub, you really need to get a pair.
 
I thought about a second sub but due to the odd shape of the room and the placement of furniture the placement of the second sub would be even worse than the first. I’m going to live with things as they are for a while and will only experiment with a second sub if absolutely necessary. I honestly don’t think it will be necessary and, as I said, it sounds great now as is.
 
Devg said:
Curious where do you guys have your subwoofer placed ? Per REL, are they near the corner or are they close to the speakers ? is there any tips to determine their initial placement ?
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In their manual REL are offering placement quidance.


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For mine as a quick place & then adjust,... I always put my subs inside the speaker in a new room.
 
Devg said:
Thanks. As long as it sounds good to your ears, that's the only thing that matters :-) I bought a pair of S/5 couple of months back and still experimenting with the placement and tuning. Between, if you got a single sub, you really need to get a pair.
Click to expand...

I just spent 2 hours streaming Tidal (HiFi, not MQA) and I've got to say, with all due respect, that with my system in my room the one S/5 is great and the idea that I need a pair is nonsense. Among other artists, I listened to Bettye Lavette, Mavis Staples, Mark Knopfler, Steve Earle and Guy Clark - all of them live. The sense of place, of being there, and the soundstage was astounding. The room was well pressurized and the bass and kick drum were taught and impactful. Clark's solo miked acoustic guitar on "Dublin Blues" was astonishing. Yeah, it sounds good to my ears and, since I listen to and play live music a lot, I'd argue that my ears are pretty damn good. So cheers to the S/5 and the rest of my system, I'm extremely happy. :celebrate008_2:
 
Thats great. Congrats!!!!!

If you ever get a chance tho - listen to 2 subs in your system. Again - it's not about the bass level. Just as you found adding 1 sub did, to the soundstage, depth, mids you will find the same with 2 - one for each channel.



Moby said:
I just spent 2 hours streaming Tidal (HiFi, not MQA) and I've got to say, with all due respect, that with my system in my room the one S/5 is great and the idea that I need a pair is nonsense. Among other artists, I listened to Bettye Lavette, Mavis Staples, Mark Knopfler, Steve Earle and Guy Clark - all of them live. The sense of place, of being there, and the soundstage was astounding. The room was well pressurized and the bass and kick drum were taught and impactful. Clark's solo miked acoustic guitar on "Dublin Blues" was astonishing. Yeah, it sounds good to my ears and, since I listen to and play live music a lot, I'd argue that my ears are pretty damn good. So cheers to the S/5 and the rest of my system, I'm extremely happy. :celebrate008_2:
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I’ve swapped out the original 10 meter cable that came with the REL with a 4 meter Kimber Kable REL CU Subwoofer Cable and could immediately notice the difference - deeper more powerful bass, faster response, better integration. Now some of this may be due to a shorter cable run and better soldered connectors at the amp end, but I’m sure some of this is due to the cable itself. The difference was so noticeable that I will recalibrate the subwoofer tomorrow by first adjusting the crossover on the REL and then, if necessary, adjusting the volume pot on the REL. I know some might put this down to a placebo effect but all I know is that there is an improvement and it’s not subtle.
 
Here's my system with the REL S/5 SHO incorporated:
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Moby said:
Here's my system with the REL S/5 SHO incorporated:
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Is it just me or two speakers aren’t placed symmetrically?
Nice system, BTW. It looks like somewhere I just want to sit and relax with a book while listening to music.
 
You’re correct, the speakers aren’t placed symmetrically - I spent hours adjusting them for distance from the front wall, distance from each other, and toe-in to lock the soundstage and bass in from the prime listening position on the couch. I have an odd L shaped room (which is another component to deal with in the system) so the seemingly odd set up is in part an adjustment for that.
 
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