REL HT1003 MKII – The Intro.

I would like to say thank you to Synergy Audio the distributors for REL in Australia. They were kind enough to lend me the new REL HT1003 MKII for review no questions asked for a few weeks so I could put the new subwoofer through its paces.

In this review we will be burning in the new HT1003 MKII powered subwoofer; turning up the volume with a few Movies and TV shows to see how the HT1003 performs its duties in the Home Theater space and then last but not least listening to a few tunes so we can hear the HT sing albeit with a very bass-baritone voice.

I’ll dive into my thoughts on the HT and compare it with the T/x series with an overview why you would choose one over the other and finish with a quick Q&A.

Happy Snaps To Make You Smile

The Process

I paired the HT1003 MKii with our updated audiophile reference system that now includes the MoFi Sourcepoint 8’s, more on those beauties in another post.

The HT was set up in our loungeroom positioned in between the Sourcepoint 8’s where you would place a center channel speaker. The reason for this placement is 3 fold:

1 – Timing between higher and lower frequencies as they reach your ear
2 – Proximity to my Sony ES power amps 😉
3 – It sounds the best in that center position
— yes I did try other spots in the room with a 15m LFE cable.

The HT1003 needed an initial burn in so like all good soldiers we followed orders I mean instructions as per the REL website ‘Breaking In Your Subwoofer: Essential Tips for Optimal Sound Quality‘. I’ll be straight up, the REL website provides excellent resources on how to connect, place and get the most out of your new toys with documentation, blogs and videos all there to make integration as easy as possible for many different use case scenarios. Other manufacturers could take a leaf out of REL’s book on this one.

I really find this part of the process quiet enjoyable; it’s a bit like being a kid at Xmas time with a new toy. Setting up is very much part of that journey of discovery which as a whole adds to the overall enjoyment of the final outcome being listening bliss, so for all of you who are DIY installers take your time and enjoy the journey.

Getting The Show On The Road

I thought we could add to the burn in process without needing to leave the house (if you’re not sure what I’m referring to please read ‘breaking in your sub linked above’) by watching some movies with loads of ground shaking special effects to aid in teasing out lots of movement from the 10″ driver.

Initial burn in was done over a few days with Movies, TV and music we then took our time during the next few weeks with multiple sessions really getting the full benefit of the burn in through increased volume. By about day 5 I needed to reduce the gain of the 1003 and re test the frequency response as the difference was night and day compared day 1.

I believe I re tested the HT on 3 occasions during its visit. Day 1 after setup, day 5 when the gain felt like it was too much and on the second last day the HT was with us just to make sure it didn’t need another adjustment.

– Movies watched
These 3 movies have loads of explosions, fight scenes special effects:

— Top Gun – Maverick (twice to help burn in – haha ok, ok, ok  once with the Missus and again for myself)
— Batman – The Dark Knight
— Batman – The Dark Knight Rises

– TV Shows
Lots of low frequency rumbling for special effects from ships in space, rocket launchers etc.

— The Expanse (On Amazon) I think we are watching this for the 4th time now; it has to be one of the best written TV series I’ve come across in a log time.

Even after the 1st round of Top Gun Maverick we already started hearing an increase in SPL and the HT1003 reached lower than initial measurements according HouseCurve.

Check out the little demo video of the HT1003 MKII playing a small sample of ‘Hedegaard – INFERNO’ and keep your eyes on the driver excursion – simply said WOW! – she really kicks for a 10″ sub.

By the time the breaking in was done I needed to turn the gain down on the HT there was a good 10 Db increase approx from initial start up.

– Songs listened to help break in the HT1003
yea some of these are girlie tracks I don’t care, they deliver lots of bass punch and sound great! The others are dance tracks, all the music can be found on Qobuz:

— Mary J. Blige – Family Affair (Album Version)
— Toni Braxton – He Wasn’t Man Enough (Album Version)
— Hedegaard – INFERNO
— B.B.E. – Flash (Club Mix; Remaster)

You can find the playlist on Qobuz ‘REL HT1003 MKII Playlist‘

There was plenty of other music played over the 3 weeks but not all dig deep enough to really work the HT in the same way a Movie with FX does. The Sourcepoint 8’s frequency response in the lower range digs down to about 40 Hz which is respectable and this is where we had the cross over set on the HT at approx 55Hz so we had a small overlap between the pair.

I measured by ear vs pulling out the tools, based on the HouseCurve results this worked well for our setup. Looking at the image below we can see the Sourcepoints peaking at about 50Hz and starting to roll off, the HT picks up the slack and takes over the rest of the way all the way down to 25 Hz in our measurements; officially the HT goes as low as 24 Hz.

REL HT1003 MKII + Sourcepoint 8’s in our room response

Performance Specs

It’s a REL subwoofer, these things are made to perform. I’ve taken the next section directly from the REL website – “The HT1003 has a “10 in. (250mm) long-throw, CarbonGlas™ cone structure, inverted carbon fibre centre cap, steel chassis” – what does all that mean?

Long throw means it has more travel in the driver, why?
Because the sub needs to dig deeper and as a result the cone needs reinforcement for strength so it can play for longer periods of time with the reduced potential of damage. What’s that song by Striking Man – “ The lower you go the more you show, you know” that reference is for the dance music freaks you know who you are 🙂 Well my point is the lower and louder you go the more stress is put on a driver so it needs to be stronger.

I won’t go as far as saying the HT1003 is indestructible; I’m sure a well placed accidental kick from your kids directly to the driver, or cat being hurled at it for whatever reason will probably cause some damage but with that said it’s really well built!

Fun Facts Q&A

We’ll KISS this one – Keep IT Simple Successful and try to answer as many questions that I would ask to make an informed decision as though I were the one going to purchase a sub.

Is it loud enough? – Yes with 300W of Class D Power it’s going to be more than enough for many small – medium sized rooms in performing HT and music duties. I would still seriously consider getting 2 x HT1003 but that’s another discussion for another time/post.

Does it go deep enough? – Yes it surpasses the bass reach of our T7x’s making it excellent for movies digging deep to punch out those lows that you really need for Home Theater.

Will it play music? – Hell Yes! – why do I even mention this you may be thinking, of course it should be able to play music, well this Q/A is specifically centered around the distinction between HT and T/x series of subs, the T/x are specifically designed for music listening 1st and have Class A/B amplification none of the T/x dig as deep not even the T/9x only going as deep as 27 Hz.

The HT series are specifically designed to dig deep for Home Theater hence why they are called HT. When you choose an HT sub it’s for HT 1st music 2nd and vice versa with the T/x.

In another post I’ll dive into the other differences specifically point by point between the HT and T/x series in more detail. Let’s just say the above info should be enough to make an informed decision to choose one over the other.

What Connections does it have? – The ability to daisy chain LFE connections means you can easily plug the HT1003 into your system without needing a dedicated sub out port. By feeding the RCA’s from the pre-amp to the HT and loop back to your power amps it’s a no brainier, this will work for a single or dual subs.

Additionally if your pre-amp has a dedicated sub out you can run that directly to the LFE connection and thanks for coming.

Anything else I may need to know? The HT has the standard
– Phase inversion switch
– Stand By mode
– 110/ 220 v switch

Looks The Part

Compared to the next tier models in the T/x range the HT can hold its own in the looks department. Looks can be subjective yes it’s a box at the end of the day but you can see real effort has been put into the HT1003 MKII presentation.

Looking at the top plate this looks like the same 5 coats of paint they use for the T/x series; it’s a nice touch adding a high end finish to the HT1003.

Sides are a textured veneer, not sure on the material but it’s nice to the touch and looks right at home.

There are nice touches with the REL logo printed onto the feet and top plate lifting the finish with just that little extra attention to detail.

How does it compare to the T/x series? Well our own T7x have the same 5 layers of paint all around, embossed plaque with REL logo on top and laser etching on the feet. If you’re looking for a showpiece that performs and have a little extra cash to splash the T/x series is a nice upgrade in the looks department and if you’re focused on music rather than HT, but is the T7x worth the upgrade? Well it depends on how you’ve answered the previous questions and I’ll leave the decision to your sensible preferences and budget.

Service and support

A quick note on the service and support side of things. Personally I haven’t had the need to reach out to REL for support due to being a bit of a tech head (ok maybe a lot of a tech head), but I have heard 1st hand from many others that REL’s customer service and support are second to none which is something many brands today lose out on. They have a 60 day return policy no questions asked as part of the ‘REL Customer Promise‘ policy that exceeds the ACCC consumer guarantee here in Oz. It’s nice to see a company who still takes service and support seriously and pride themselves on customer satisfaction, hats off to you REL and thank you!

This means you can purchase a REL product and trial it in your home/business to make sure it’s doing everything it says on the box and if not satisfied return in 60 days for a refund.

Check out the above link for more detailed info about the ‘REL Customer Promise’.

Prices

The HT1003 MKII sells for a respectable $1,499 AUD RRP

What you get for the price is an excellent performing 10″ subwoofer that will dig as low as your Home Theatre can dish out and is a great fit for small – medium sized rooms.

The fit and finish is excellent, support and in home 60 day risk free period is second to none.

the old adage still rings true you get what you pay for and it couldn’t be more true here.

If your interested in the HT1003 get in touch using the form below or call our 1800 number.

Let’s have a coffee and talk subs.

Outtro

If you’re into HiFi, looking to setup or install a system reach out to me for a chat. vAudio Architect specialize in custom installation services and supply of HiFi/ Audio Video for both domestic and commercial use.

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Happy sound hunting!

Gerardo