I hope you enjoy this review, its hard to review products like this, especially when you like them as much as I did :)

It's incredible just how much a pair of RELs can add to a hifi system. Particularly in terms of realism and dynamics .

I'm a massive advocate for Rel Subs In my opinion there isn't anything better for musical engagement, dynamics and speaker integration they make your system richer in every way 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

So good to see more and more audiophiles & reviewers appreciating the exponential benefits of bass...finally!

This is an awesome review you have presented, and your confidence and rationale for endorsing The No.31 is obviously experiential in basis and shine through brilliantly! You really make clear as words could explain what the effects of the 31’s are, and I am sure listening is another realm altogether. Thank you Terry.

Very thoughtful thorough and enjoyable review. Thanks Terry. We have a pair of Carbon Specials so we hear you loud and clear👍😎

I added a REL S/510 to my Focal Kanta 2 speakers. Made an amazing difference in the presentation. I can say I really wish I had the remote controller to help adjust and set up the Sub. That being said, I’m a strong proponent of Subs in pretty much any situation.

Great descriptive review. Your detailed descriptions are much appreciated. I'm pleased they aid musicality rather than lean on the side of an analytical sound.

Dear Terrace 😊 Our wonderful "deep" love, respect & gratitude we have 4u seems to coincide with these two bad boys you've got shacked up! Thank you 🙏 4 this review & hard work 👍 I think 🤔 you might b hard pushed to find this effect again soon 🙄 REL's seem n look incredible

Beautiful subs Terry, quite large for items that are the smaller range 😄. Thank you for allowing us to dream man ...

Excellent review as always! Thank you. Even though I have a pair of REL S812’s in my rig, you ALMOST convinced me to go out and buy a pair of 31’s 😂. Good job. Cheers 🍻

Excellent review Terry! Love that remote bass controller. However I wish REL subs didn’t have that garish branding all over it.

I understand what you’re saying by how it makes all the instruments sound better even the higher frequencies. I have the G1 Marc two and I know it’s not up to the standards but it does a similar thing. I’m sure these subwoofers do it even much better. Nice review!

I'd have picked up a pair ages ago if I had the space for them. But right now the REL SX-212 is optimal for me and absolutely turned me into an advocate for the brand.

Yes Terry it was so easy to relate with your opinion. Just before I stumbled your video had a couple of hours of listening to my system made of Hegel 190 Harbeth p3esr coupled with Rel t7x and my room of 6×4×3 was filled with impressive sound pressure given the miniscule size of the speakers. My sofa was literally vibrating.and I assume the merits were mainly to the sub. And my Rel is only 8 inch and 200w.

Hey Terry, great review... I just gave the new Sub Focus album a run out on my stereo pair of REL Carbon Specials and rear Tx9 (invested in recently after your S/510 review)... wow, its a gem of a album to really get the subs going a bit! I didn't have enough room for the No.31's.... but the Carbon's are bloody amazing in my smallish room, same great 12" BlackWidow driver as the 31's I think!

Oh my lord ..some great systems there .. think I can only fit one 510 Rel in my listening room..to replace my existing 15 yo Rel.. Btw You are good Sir definitely the best audio reviewer I’ve ever heard or read in my 30 plus years of being an ‘enthusiast’

Great review Terry, I like your personality and presentation and I've been watching your videos for a very long time from Australia. Keep up the great videos and I'll keep watching, CHEERS.

Great job Terry, I was waiting for this review since a while. I'm sorry for the dull question, but is not clear to me if you have also used DIRAC in your systems, and it it's so, how ? I mean, what Dirac capable electronics did you used in your audio chain ? Thanks as usual for share your valuable impressions.

Very nice presentation! I had to make do with a pair of Carbon specials. Took me months to find the right position but well worth it. Hope you keep those 31's

I’ve never heard you as excited on any other piece of gear…beeg 👍🏽

Sub focus has been smashing it recently, some incredible mixes on KZfaq with dimension, 1991, Wilkinson, etc. Worth playing on a good system, they bang.

I love these reviews! So much thoughtful information and descriptions! Let me throw out here a word that occured to me when you were trying to describe the difference in the sound when you using those subs. Were you looking for the word "Effortless"?

What is really interesting - that on 18:05 REL and SF's woofers are out of phase. you can see it even better on 0.5x speed. Great video!

An extra 14.000 £ put into your system, will almost always give you a better, more intriguing hifi experience, the question is always, where are the money best spent?

subwoofer are the life of hifi :) and i sure appreciate the quality of these REL no.31 brings. but i also want to see what happens when you stack cheaper smaller subwoofers and add dsp to get the deep extension. there are smaller sealed subwoofers that is three times smaller and are only focused on sound quality, then you do not need large woofer excursion to get the low bass.

Enjoyed your video. I miss your Home Theater system and your conversations around AV. Will you ever go back to that format?

NOW That's the remote that should have been in the CHORD DAVE box !

isnt that why we are all addicted to changing and upgrading our systems. to the mind they sound " normal" after a while.its only when you take something away that you realise how good it sounded. if we could always stick to this way of thinking, then maybe we wouldn't spend so much money on changing things all the time.. having said that ,ive just recieved my new svs pb 4000 yesterday. thats to match up with its big brother the svs pb 16! maybe were just addicted..lol

JL Audio Fathoms doesnt have high-level connection, but has DSP features. Are they better? Also in speakers there is crossover but with high-level connection subwoofer and main speakers bass driver tries to play same frequencies. Am I wrong? I love REL quality, I had T9.

Man!! I got a pair of S10’s and I love them. I don’t have the room for a pair of them… But am itching to see if 1 of these is better than 2 S510s

Green Mac tubes had me laughing, save your sign language for deaf audiophiles🤣🙈.

Thanks for the review! I share your view on subwoofers, Rel or not. I have dual xtz 12 flankink my 803d and i wouldent have it any other way!

I heard these at the Bristol show 👌🏻

What do you think about a six pack rel s510 line array in comparison? Especially in a small or not so big room. It is in a similar price range. Thank you very much that you answer so many questions! Time is money and you spend a lot of time!

Batten the hatches Tel..... John H ain't gettin'em back.... Lol Astonishing and no.32 even moreso.

Need 4 more of these in a 6pack 😅

Just bought the S812,’s to run with my Serafinos with Devialet Pro 1000.

Carbon Specials are no lacky 20.7s, Rel carbon specials Coda Ts v3 800w@4ohm JLA cr-1 active crossover 😊

Hi Terry, a great video and very interesting. Does this prove when Monitor Audio claim that you have no need for a sub with their Silver 500 series they are telling lies?

Great review and question is it best to spend 70% on speakers then 30% on subwoofer or 100% on speakers?

i have my focal sopra 2 set a 46hz crossover and the sound is incredible thats the s812 pair

When you get back from Denver you should stream Playing Robots into Heaven by James Blake. This will be awesome with these subs. Perhaps just play it anyway while on your travels. Enjoy

YES, REL the best subs for sure.

How would you compare these to JL fathom f112v2?? Real world experience in same room/situations would be ideal to make it a fair comparison! I previously had JL v1 10” and want to get 12s and the much better DARO v2 OR these 😊

Amati is a piece of art...

quit shocking to see those great speakers so close to side wall and the subs in the center... Very surprising setup for this high class gear...

Common, you know you need 6!! 🥳

Great review. Is there a rule as to how big you should go with sub-woofers if you own bookshelf speakers?

Thanks!

have you seen the footprint of the svs 16? its like having a small washing machine in the listening room.and the 4000 isnt much smaller either..

How did the Carbon Special stack up, pun intended :O)

I wonder how the old rel Studio would compare to these new subs.

How does it compare to JL Audio Gotham?

Are you going to buy a pair???? I am wondering after experiencing something like that if it is too hard to let go?

Best LF you've experienced in your room. 12"(350mm), 900w sealed, ... to which element do you ascribe the most significance? Integration with the room's transfer function, and blending into the mains, in my opinion are separate. It sounds like you nailed it! Of course! Your Kung-fu is good.

Im after a REL sub thats as good as HT1205 for lfe and as good as t9x for music. Any recommendations?

Hi Do you set your speakers to large ,when using the high level cable ,so the rel subwoofers are receiving a full range signal, as this is what rel recommends, although most speakers are not capable of going full range , just recently, I sent rel a question regarding this ,and explained I’m using miller & kreisel s150 for my front left-right-centre , as they go down to 70hz , and tbh I was quite surprised, when the reply was , it’s ok to run them full range as long as I wasn’t over doing it. What are your thoughts?

On testing how high is crossover do you use? With sonus faber

SO TERRY ,YOU RELISH THE RELS…😂💚💚💚

so what you are saying is you like something big and chunky, and you know, solid, in your hands?

For being touted as REL's "SMALL Flagship Subwoofer", with their particular and unusual form factor and quite large size they will be difficult to (ideally) place in smaller rooms (as you found), and are space hogs compared to similar price/performance competition. Too bad you can't orient them upright 90° so they take up much less floor space. In addition, I don't find them particularly aesthetically appealing, either, but that's just my opinion and preference. Piano Black Gloss Lacquer is so 1980's to 2000's. 😊 Terry, in my experiments and measurements over many years with all types of subwoofers, I've found there to be better room integration and improved transfer function & efficiency with less cancellations when the subwoofer driver faces the WALL, and not into the room...at least with sealed alignments. As shown in your review, with their placement, and because bass frequencies radiate equally in all directions, imagine the initial wave front and propagation from the subwoofer cone wrapping back around and behind the enclosure and to the front wall boundary behind them, and then reflecting from that front wall boundary forward to the front baffle and subwoofer diaphragm again. Dependent on the distance from the driver diaphragm to the wall or boundary/boundaries, this will cause a severe cancelation(s) at particular frequencies, essentially causing erratic response via comb filtering. This will be even more detrimental if that particular cancelation frequency falls within the crossover region, as it will be difficult to achieve a smooth and natural transition from the mains to the subwoofer. However, if you face the subwoofer cone closer and towards the front wall or boundaries, due to the much shorter distance, any such cancelations will be higher in frequency and essentially out-of-band or not even present due to the crossover. You will also achieve better in-room transfer function or "boundary loading" which improves efficiency and lowers distortion. Have you tried this with any of your subwoofers?

Always been a firm believer that any system can benefit from a pair of subs that are set up CORRECTLY. that being said I don't like the newer rels look at all. The traditional older ones looked so much more classier in a hifi system. They look cheap these days

It's simple. Do they sound good *to you?* If so, bingo.

so they've gone from using a 15" driver to 12 " driver ...that sounds strange ?

17hz at -6dB Seems a bit too bass light for a several thousand dollar subwoofer. A Genelec 7380 is cheaper and doesn't roll off as quick, plus it has room correction, all for thousands less. What is the appeal of REL subwoofers considering there are much better output and specific use case woofers at that price? This doesn't seem to fit any particular niche well.

Those are subs you build a room around. Gorgeous! Great review Terry. Thanks!