REL Stadium III on test

Yet it is not in the least bit subtle and gives the <strong>REL</strong> considerably more appeal than you
would expect an extra octave or two in the bass to produce.
The bass does of course help matters considerably, it adds a foundation to the sound
that gives the rest of the range something to work from, something solid. This seems to
apply regardless of the bass content of the music. There is a tendency to think that only
your Prodigy and Grace Jones albums will sound a lot better with a decent sub but the
<strong>Stadium</strong> <strong>III</strong> boosts everything you play. The more familiar and well loved the album the
more exciting the result, even albums like Jeff Beck's Wired, which is clearly fantastic
yet can sound compressed, takes on a whole new sense of purpose and solidity with this
sub.
All this is achieved without you thinking wow there's loads of bass, in other words you
are not skewing the balance of your system, the main speakers sound the same but
better. And if you turn the sub off you don't think where has the bass gone, you think
why is the sound small and relatively flat. You can set it up so that it goes boom and
everyone knows there's a sub in the room - which can be fun I'll grant you - but for long
term musical satisfaction an integrated sound is the way forward, the approach that's
going to reveal more of the music and the venue it's played in.
Verdict
The <strong>REL</strong> <strong>Stadium</strong> <strong>III</strong> is much more than a way to hear more bass, it's a way of
hearing more of the music and enjoying a truly three dimensional soundstage.
Once you've tried it there's no turning back.