Has Rel fallen out of favor with audiophiles?


I own a Rel Storm 3. which I've had for 10 yrs or so. My new hardwood floor has really opened things up, especially in the bass area. much more pronounced bass and excellent sound stage.  I was planning on upgrading my sub after completing the floor. My Rel Storm 3 is pushing at its max to keep up in a 5k+ cu ft  room. Ten yrs ago the Storm 3 was one of the best on the market. It integrates very wall into the 2 channel system. Now, there is SVS, Rhythmic, PSA  etc which have much better specs than the Rels for less $$$. But the question for me is whether they actually integrate with the main speakers as well as the Rel? I use mine  for music 95% of the time. Music doesn't need to plumb the 16hz range as much as HT does. And most of the reviews seem to come from HT sources, IE AVS forum and the various HT magazines. From what I can tell, then Rhythmic seems to cater to the audiophile more than HT. But how about a sealed  SVS ?. And will they both integrate as well as the Rel with the high level speakon input? 

So, for audipophiles, do you sacrifice the ultra low hz for the good integration of the Rel? Or do you go with then SVS, Rhythmic, etc with their lower octave output? IOW, do the integrate as well?
Thanks for your help

arte
128x128artemus_5
artemus_5

No- REL has not fallen out w/ audiophiles. To my ears, it is the best sub in the marketplace. There is a model, budget or not, for everyone. You would be hard-pressed to discover a more musical subwoofer. Easy integration as well.
Happy Listening!
More good feedback m-db. Thank you. I also find that my RELs effect the imaging/soundstage but in a positive way in my room/setup and agree that they are fussy about placement and setup. The SR Tesla REL-spec Hi-level cable was a big improvement over the stock REL cable - tighter, more defined bass, better bass tonality & air, and better soundstage impact. The stock cable is muddy sounding in comparison.

Dave
dlcockrum
in my room/setup and agree that they are fussy about placement and setup
Interesting. Having only one Rel Storm 3, I found the corner to be the absolute best placement for the sub. . IMO, that is the beauty of the Rel. easy placement and integration with the mains. The  Rhythmiks scare me a bit with all the fine tuning adjustments,. They remind me of the time I put a graphic equalizer in my system. I spent all my time tuning vs listening. My Rel is basically set it and forget it.
I guess it depends what speakers they are paired with. Given that many audiophile speakers struggle above 95 db and distort and compress heavily then REL actually will integrate much better than other subs.

The distortion and compression have given them an excellent reputation for integrating well. Of course a large JL sub may outperform many audiophile speakers creating a distinct lack of integration as the JL clean dynamics stick out like a sore thumb at higher SPL