Сабвуферы — Rel Acoustics No.32

The No.32 is the larger of the two Reference Series subwoofers from REL Acoustics, positioned above the No.31, and REL presents it as the result of three decades of its own research into subwoofer design. Its curvilinear cabinet traces a shape first used on the original Gibraltar more than ten years earlier. The US list price is USD 10,000, and the UK price has been GBP 9,999.

Key specs that matter

A single 15 inch (380 mm) driver fires forward from a closed box. The cone and its inverted centre cap are both carbon fibre, and the suspension allows 100 mm of travel fore and aft. A NextGen 7 Class D amplifier delivers 1,000 W RMS, and REL quotes extension to 15 Hz at -6 dB. The cabinet measures 743 x 540 x 816 mm and weighs 85 kg, finished in a high-gloss black built up from 12 coats.

Engineering and use context

On the driver, the carbon fibre centre cap is overlaid on the primary cone surface, a construction REL uses to raise stiffness and self-damping so that resonances are reduced while moving mass stays low. The amplifier has a new limiter with a much wider envelope than before, intended to allow the widest possible dynamic swings before protection acts. Dual parametric equalisers keep the response flat below 20 Hz, and when set above the crossover point they can reduce resonances caused by the room. The rear backing plate is more than 12 mm thick and contoured to the inner surface of the enclosure, which forms a very strong structure. Inset steel handles are triple-plated, and the badge combines carbon fibre with a polished cast alloy piece finished in three plating layers. The cabinet shape allows vertical line array stacking, normally three units high and up to five in unusually tall rooms, with crossover and gain set separately on each unit.

Pairing

REL's High Level input uses a Neutrik Speakon plug on the supplied 9 m lead, taking signal from the main amplifier's speaker outputs. Low Level stereo inputs come on RCA and XLR, and the LFE input is also offered on RCA and XLR for an AV processor. A Speakon high-level output, an LFE XLR output and a line XLR output pass the signal on to further subwoofers in a pair or array. The Reference Remote has three knobs for crossover, the .1/LFE level and the High and Low Level inputs. Wireless use is possible with the optional AirShip II system.

Alternatives

The REL No.31 is the smaller Reference Series subwoofer, using a 12 inch carbon fibre driver with a 900 W Class D amplifier and reaching 17 Hz.