Art S

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Audio Port (Kansas)

Summary:
I had originally bought the Stadium III, but after a couple of weeks I felt there was room for improvement. Yes the Stadium is a fine sub, but for whatever reason I couldn't seem to get satisfied with its sound. Guess I've been spolied by my old Entec's.(?) Since I was waiting for a replacement anyway, (the cherry Stadium I had had a small dent on one of the corners - surprising that it got past REL's QC dept.), I decided instead to take the leap and pony up the shekels for the Stentor III. Well, to my ears the Stentor was a vast improvement over the Stadium. The Stentor seemed completely effortless, totally whole, and accurate, without drawing attention to itself. Once you've tuned in the correct x-over point to match your particular satellite speakers, you're on your way to audio nirvana. I'm not kidding! With the Stentor in the chain, the soundstage opens up in all dimensions, including height and depth perception. The effect is utterly amazing. I can now hear everything that is on a recording that most systems will only hint at. What's more: I have yet to find a recording of the subterranean kind that taxes the Stent's output or extention ability. For me, this is THE Subwoofer. The worst thing about owning a Stentor III is you never want to stop listening. (And your neighbors will revile you!)

Strengths:
~ Does everything a sub is supposed to do, and nothing it's not.

Weaknesses:
~ Expensive. I'm not sure why great bass reproduction, even at this level, should have to cost over $4000. ~ In musical terms, I can't find any. Only way to better this sub is to: 1. buy 2 of them which may help to load the room better and acheive "stereo" lows or, 2. get the Studio III or, 3. rent Tony Levin for the night or, 4. acquire a surplus howitzer.

Similar Products Used:
ADS, B&W, Entec, JBL, REL, Sunfire, Vandersteen, Velodyne, others.

Price Paid:  $5000.00 from Harvey Electronics

Summary:
This is about the Rel Stentor 3, which arrived in my home within the last week. High pass filter I have set to 27 Hz. Big improvement versus the stadium 3 which I auditoned at home with the same equipment for 2 weeks. This is not at all a subtle improvement. Far far cleaner base. Able to really keep up with my guarneris which are quite fast and detailed. Integrates perfectly and improves the sound in all frequencies, markedly more so than the Stadium 3. Really disappears in my room. Surprisingly more so than the Stadium 3, which was quite good in that dimension. My whole set up is more "musical." Worth the extra money? At the level of equipment I have, absolutely yes. While there is the law of diminising returns in hifi, this exceeded my expectaions. $1800 more is an amount I have spent for less overall improvement. I can't imagine a much better sub out there. Certainly in this price range. Rest of my system: Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage Plinius SA250 IV (upgraded) Classe Omega Pre-amp II Muse Thalia 9 API Ultra 115 with cable upgrade Cardas Golden Reference speaker cables and XLR interconnects Shunyata Taipain and Black Momba v2, and Kimber PK10 Palladium power cords

Strengths:
Extremely clean base which disappears easily in my room and integrates perfectly with my speakers. Fit and finish are excellent.

Weaknesses:
Price: of course, we all want this stuff to cost less... Advertising: Super ARM lodaing of the Stentor 3 versus ARM loading of the Stadium 3 is not at all explained by rel and appears rhetorrical. To me anyway. (Sound-wise, it isn't.)

Similar Products Used:
Rel Stadium 3 loaner auditioned for 2 weeks at home. Auditioned other rels and martin logan legacy in store.

Price Paid:  $5000.00 from Sounds Like Music

Summary:
This sub has exceeded any expectation I had when I was making my decision on purchasing a new sub. I originally purchased the Sunfire TruSub and thought I really had achieved ultimate bass for my HT. How wrong I was - the REL Stentor III gives me everything and more than I expected from a sub. After listening to the Sunfire I felt like I had taken a beating. Unlike the Stentor III, it makes its presence known but in a much more subtle way - although, when my wife came running in telling me her dresser mirror was vibrating off the wall its subtleties were felt throughout the house. When researching the REL line, I did take a good look at the Stadium but felt the Stentor III really gave me the "bang" for the buck I was looking for. Some may think the price is steep but, a true audiophile will pay for perfection, which is what you get with the REL Stentor III.

Strengths:
The REL Stentor III has many strengths - the least of which is the quality of workmanship and beauty of design. I chose the natural cherry to go with my B&W 802's (fronts) and 805's (rears) and the dark glass top ties in perfectly with my Pioneer Elite Pro 720. This may not seem like a strength to some audiophiles but, when you have to convince your wife to center your whole decorating scheme around an HT system this really helps.

Weaknesses:
Finding the perfect spot for the sub was difficult due to the weight but, now that I have the placement set up I don't need to worry about moving it again. The weight is not really a weakness because, without it the sub would not be as solid as it is.

Similar Products Used:
None to compare

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
OH MY GOD!!! This is an incredible subwoofer... I've owned several subs and done hours of listening in stereo stores over the years, but none have compared to this sub. The great thing about it is that it can take on any character you want it to--adjust it downward for an extremely musical sound that blends very well for stereo music on electrostatic speakers and crank it up for those explosions in home theater applications. This sub is very musical--not the generic sounding boom that comes out of cheaper subs. It is well worth the price difference--I will never switch to another sub, unless it is to upgrade to a higher REL model! My only issue is that since purchasing it, there is a crack starting to form in the wall behind the sub. Can't really blame REL for that, can I?

Strengths:
Great sounding musical subwoofer. Capable of more bass than any rational person could enjoy.

Weaknesses:
I may have to have some structural work done on my house.

Price Paid:  $2800.00 from Magnolia hifi

Summary:
Since I use my audio system for HT also, I wanted a great sub for movies and it had to be very musical as well. All I can say is: this sub rocks. Because my sub out from my preamp is a bit boomy and my speakers are hard to blend with a sub, I appreciate the flexibility of the high level inputs. I also got this guy for a great price.

On movies, I have had items move across tables in the house. On music, I've seen water in my fish tank move. In spite of the massive power and presence, this is one of the most musical subs that I've ever owned. Hat's off to REL on this one.

My system:
Sony TAN ES A/V preamp
B & K 7250 amp
Dahlquist DQ 10's
REL Stetnor II sub
Vienna Acoustics Theatro center
Vienna Acoustics Waltz surrounds
Audioquest granite speaker cables
MC Interlink interconnects
Sony DVP ES DVD/CD/SACD player
Revox turntable (remember vinyl?)

Strengths:
Shake the house bass on movies but very musical on wide range of material

Weaknesses:
size, weight, maybe I need a bigger room/house for this one? the bass makes my pets nervous.

Similar Products Used:
Several M&K models, JBL, Polk, REL Storm