All five of these speakers have a slightly soft, warm bass response. A pair of original, mint JBL L-100s, Acoustat 2+2s were the vintage contingent. The Heretic A612, Tannoy Prestige Autograph Minis and Harbeth Compact 7 were excellent modern speakers with a more vintage feel. Try the opening of Rickie Lee Jones’ “Easy Money,” (from her self-titled album) and the opening of Bachman Turner Overdrive’s “Not Fragile” (from Not Fragile).įive speakers were auditioned with the Classic 98, all with fantastic results. When it’s right, you get more low frequency energy, but the sub calls no attention to itself. Experiment with the crossover frequency set slightly lower than you might think, with the gain slightly higher, and repeat the process to perfection. Go back and forth, over and under the sweet spot until you have it where the subwoofer is no longer feeling like a separate speaker element. When you find the optimum position for your Classic 98 and have the initial settings where you want them, have a friend dial the level control all the way down, play your favorite bass heavy track, and slowly bring the level up. 40 watts per channel of tube power is all you need to enjoy this system. Good as all the combinations were, these tiny Tannoys and the Classic 98 are as good as it gets together. The cabinets are finished in a lovely matte finish and compliment the Tannoy’s perfectly. The result is purer and more refined, retaining some of the rounder, gentler qualities of that era, yet steers clear of being dark and muddy.” As you unpack the Classic 98, its build quality is instantly apparent. It looks very vintage when you flip the Classic 98 over, but Hunter is quick to mention, “We know a lot more about paper than we did 25 years ago.
#So much fun vinyl me please driver
The Classic 98 uses a hot pressed paper coned, 10-inch driver with a cotton center cap. If you recall, the original Stratas were big boxes. REL has adapted the look of their first subwoofers, with a luxurious satin walnut finish to a contemporary size. When placed into a semi vintage system, the Strata III was a bit too warm. Hunter tells me that they laid down the initial priorities to build a “new old stock REL of his dreams, that is just vintage enough in sound and styling – a little softer and more romantic (but still with the room filling bass you expect from REL) than current models.” Though he still has a REL Strata III on hand for reference, it didn’t quite keep pace with his memories.
Tasteful modifications and improvements While high performance rubber may upset the balance of your semi vintage car or motorcycle, there is always a level of tasteful, subtle modifications that can yield a vehicle outperforming the original enough to be more engaging, yet does not defy the character of the initial design brief, or upset the balance so much that you spend a ton of money and lose your way. However, when it comes to older speakers like his KEF Ref 101s or original Wilson Watts, my Acoustats and original JBL-L100s, the fast, tight bass of a modern subwoofer doesn’t quite integrate as it should.
REL’s John Hunter shares my love of slightly vintage/current classic audio, and we both have way too much of this gear in our respective collections, which have only grown over the last few years of semi-confinement. And a big thanks to Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio for sending a PrimaLuna EVO 100 integrated amp and a pair of Tannoys to round out the picture. I did some serious listening with a number of different speakers to confirm this. With its down firing 10-inch woofer in the tradition of earlier REL subs and walnut finish, it is the perfect sonic as well as aesthetic companion for your favorite classic speakers, British mini monitors, or even a set of high-sensitivity single (or coaxial) driver speakers. Putting a set of Michelin Cup 2’s on your vintage sports car will yield the same results – that much grip is not always the best thing. Whether you want to use a subwoofer with a vintage pair of speakers, or just prefer your sub to deliver a bit more tonal saturation in the upper mid bass, the fastest, most transparent subwoofer may not make for the combination you desire.
Bass response is like any other aspect of audio – we all have our preferences. Considering how much speakers have evolved over the years, few can even make this claim, yet deliver the performance to back it up.
Whether you have a single, pair or a six-pack, you can count on REL to deliver solid, defined bass response with prodigious output, mating invisibly with the main speakers. REL has achieved a well-deserved reputation for making some of the (if not the) world’s highest performing subwoofers.
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