Rel Subwoofer questions and help

I’ve owned a pair of REL T/9x and now have a pair of Arendal 17231S.

What I now know is adjustable phase vs. 2 position is a huge benefit, amongst the many other EQ settings available with Arendal, and an app is great to dial things in from any position in the room. 

I’m also impressed with the value proposition (Arendal only sells direct to consumer) and the customer service before and after the sale was absolutely stellar.    

Whatever you get, if you have variable phase, dial each sub in as follows:

-reverse the polarity of your mains

-play a test tone at the desired low pass frequency (LPF)

-adjust phase from the main listening position and set it where the test tone is the quietest, for each sub. 

-dont forget to put the speaker cables back to correct polarity

-if you change the LPF start over

Set gain/level so you hear/feel the bass but cannot hear localized bass. The system should sound like all the bass is coming from the mains even if you are sitting next to the subs.

If you do consider Arendal, vented might be better than sealed for surround sound or go for a pair 1723 2Vs if you have the budget.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Unmatched REL subs work fine, and I've been using them for decades. Currently my main system uses a new Classic 99 with an old Q150e...superb results, and the simple phase adjustment also works like it should.

I do have 1 small sub in my small home theater, 5.1, just for dinosaur stomps, big soundtracks, btw, anybody familiar with the movie ’Domino’. Love that soundtrack.

Adjusting my manual controls, on the back, is a PITA, because of where I put it. I sit right next to it, when balanced properly, I don’t know it’s there, but, sometimes ...

I need to yank it out of there to get to these controls

I would want remote volume control, even after initial setup, whether 2 channel, or video surround.

do any have remote controlled crossover points?

PS.

I enjoyed my REL T/9x paired side-by-side with Harbeth 30.2 XD. For that application (simple bass extension) variable phase wasn't necessary.

In my current application, I needed to deal with nulls and asymmetry in a listening space that opened up into a large open plan living space, as well as pressurize that space, which meant placing the subs behind the main listening position. 

In this case variable phase adjustment & multi-band EQ was absolutely necessary.     

@elliottbnewcombjr yes, see my post above.
 I am sure there are others.