REL - HT/1003 MKII Subwoofer - Black

Everybody will tell you about the sound, which is fantastic, but I want to mention the finish. My first impression was 10/10 and remains that way months later. The gloss top is a mirror. The carbon driver is so cool. Even the feet are a statement. How about the sound? This thing blows the old Klipsch RP sub it replaces out of the water. It blends so well with music with my Klipsch Chorus II speakers. With movies it hits way harder than you'd expect from such a small beast, especially considering it's way undersized for my room. But hit it does, and LOW. I definitely plan on adding a second soon, and most likely upgrading to the 12" so I can have even more of this awesome sub.

A 10” subwoofer that sounds like a 12” in my room no joke. This sub hits hard and blends perfectly with my Paradigm Monitor speakers. Bass is punchy and accurate, but not afraid to unleash those long low notes when needed. Build quality is very solid and the top lacquer with the hand-painted REL logo seals the deal. I was torn between SVS and REL, which I assume many can and will be. At the end of the day I went with a company who only sells subs, that’s it, no loud speakers. With bass being their priority it was an easy decision, they have perfected it, even in a home theater application. This 10” also sounds phenomenal with music, having no issues keeping up with the quickest of notes. If u have a small to medium room, this sub will be more than enough for most. For large rooms, I’d recommend just pulling the trigger on the HT Predator 15. REL nicknames this 10” MKII “the Hammer” for obvious reasons, don’t hesitate buying this over anything else in its $ bracket.

This is a great subwoofer for music, specifically I am using it to play vinyl. Being a sealed, high-power subwoofer it is not as loud as a ported one, but is able to produce low frequencies accurately without sounding muddy. It is not the loudest subwoofer, but that is not the point. It fills my room with accurate bass, and is extreme overkill for a single listener (who ever asked for less horsepower, right?) The sub looks great with the grille on or off, has a very nice finish / brushed look on the sides and the top is a glossy hand-painted finish. The control knobs, switches/ports are high quality and well laid out. I am using this with a Pro-Ject Debut Pro turntable, the Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Phono Preamplifier, Klipsch R-51PM powered speakers (Klipsch Fives upgrade pending.) It is extremely well matched with the sub overpowering the main speakers at anything above ~60% subwoofer volume. It's amazing to hear the subwoofer blend in with the mains and fill in the bottom end accurately. I expect this sub to hang with upgraded speakers/amps in the future and not need to be upgraded, which is a consideration for my spending more on it. Super fast delivery from bestbuy,com, well packaged and in perfect condition when it arrived. Final thought - this is billed as a home-theatre sub; do not be afraid to use it for music, it is great for that - there are a few reviews online that reinforce this.

This subwoofer delivers in every way I was informed it would and more! Over the past few months I've used the sub for 50% 2ch music and 50% home theater. Experiencing this subwoofer has completely changed my perception of bass. The bass is tight and concussive while maintaining fantastic texture and detail in subtle changes note to note. This sub flawlessly integrates with my Sonus Faber Lumina 2 speakers. It is worth mentioning the sub took 2 weeks to fully break in before reaching full output. I've attached a photo next to my fathers white unit for those trying to choose a color. I've had the pleasure of listening to RELs T9x subs and have to say this HT line is closer in performance to the T9x than it is to any other brands ported or sealed subs. Its that fast, while achieving more impact and output than the T9x. Its an incredible sub that performs like the brand would suggest. Fast, accurate, textured, and flawlessly integrated into music !

I was looking for a relatively small subwoofer that packed a big punch and was good for both movies and music in a small theater room. The REL-HT/1003 fit the cost/size/performance balance just right.