The incredible excursion of the 12” pure carbon fibre driver allows it to play as loud as its larger stablemate. Yet, the No.31 possesses the tactility, nimbleness, and attack that only the greatest subwoofers have ever been able to deliver. Also, its sonic signature works in modestly-scaled rooms and with a vast range of fine speakers. The driver is accelerated by a specially wound 3” voice coil driven by a 13-pound magnetic structure; even near its limits, the voice coil remains solidly inside the gap. It is this visceral power, coupled with great delicacy and nuance, that is No.31’s signature.
Take control of your No.31 by grasping the REL Reference Remote Control. Immediately, you will be struck by the perfect fit in your palm, the result of careful thought and numerous generations of trial-and-error fittings during prototype development. The second reaction to it is the awareness of its mass, which conveys its quality, permanence, and immutability. It tells you, “I am a thing of substance, of quality. Pay attention, what you do next matters.” If you have owned a REL in the past (and fully 90% of Rel Reference owners are), all the familiar controls are right at hand, exactly where you’d want them. High (or low if using active speakers) level gain sits comfortably to the right side, the crossover rests in the middle, and .1/LFE gain is off to the left.
Below are three lovely metal toggle switches handle the critical setup functions. The remote’s on/off switch is at the bottom. It is both as out of the way as possible and remains on once turned on and in use during setup without being accidentally turned off. In the middle sits the phase control. This is used only initially to determine the correct 0 or 180 degrees of phase. Additionally, the top access to the Dual Parametric EQ-marked with A and B—permits the flattest, deepest bass and, at the other end of the bass frequencies, the fine-tuning of crossover behavior. This gives you the perfect blending of subwoofer to main speakers and any vestiges of room-generated boom and resonance can be gently trimmed away.
REL’s Reference Remote reminds you of the perfect butler—always immaculate, indispensable when called upon, then quietly set aside until a future time when perhaps additions or further improvements to one’s system further require its services.
Specifications
TYPE
Closed box, front-firing driver
ACTIVE DRIVER SIZE & MATERIAL
12 in. (300mm), 2.5 in. (96.5mm) long throw, carbon fibre cone with inverted carbon fibre center cap
PASSIVE RADIATOR SIZE & MATERIAL
N/A
LOW FREQUENCY EXTENTION
17Hz at -6 dB
INPUT CONNECTORS
High Level Neutrik Speakon, Low Level stereo RCA and XLR, LFE RCA, LFE XLR
OUTPUT CONNECTORS
High Level Neutrik Speakon, LFE XLR, Line XLR
POWER OUTPUT
900 watts (RMS)
WIRELESS CAPABILITY
Yes - REL Airship II system [required] sold separately
FULLY ELECTRONIC SET SAFE
Yes
MAINS INPUT VOLTAGE
220-240 volts, 110-120 volts for certain markets
FUSES
7 Amp semi delay 230 volts operation, 15 Amp semi delay 115 volts operation
W X H X D
25 1/8 x 17 x 21 1/2 in (638 x 435 x 72 mm)
NET WEIGHT
114.5 lbs (52kg), shipping weight - 156 lbs (71kg)