Features

Classic 98 Powered Sub: The REL Classic 98 powered sub features a pulp-on-paper cone woofer housed in an acoustic suspension (sealed) enclosure and powered by a built-in 300W Class D Amplifier that delivers dynamic, room-filing bass for your multichannel home theater system or 2ch stereo setup.

• 10" Pulp-on-Paper Cone Woofer: The Classic 98 houses a front-firing 10" long-stroke woofer crafted from a combination of pulp and paper, that ensures exceptional self-damping and dynamic range. Hot-pressed, lightweight paper forms the outer 2/3 of the cone, while the inner cap is a premium air-dried paper that stiffens the driver. Plus, a natural butyl surround gives the woofer linear flexibility and dependable strength.
• 300W Class D Amplifier: The down-firing 10" woofer is powered by a built-in 300W Class D amplifier featuring REL's PerfectFilter & Limitless Limiter for efficient, extended bass response down to 27Hz that you can hear and feel.
• Acoustic Suspension Enclosure: The 10" woofer is housed in an acoustic suspension (sealed) enclosure for tight, accurate sounding bass. The subwoofer enclosure features 32mm (1.25") thick cabinet walls and internal bracing to prevent unwanted vibration that can lead to bass distortion. The cabinet is finished in a beautiful walnut veneer for a classic look that blends in with practically any room decor.

Protection Circuitry: The REL Classic 98 powered subwoofer offers Set-Safe & Thermal Overload protection to protect the built-in amplifier and woofer.

• Set-Safe Protection: REL's Set-Safe protection circuitry constantly and instantaneously monitors the output from the built-in power amplifier and is totally transparent in operation until required. This means it has absolutely no effect on the sound quality of the powered sub until an overload is detected. Ordinarily an overload would cause the power amplifier to go into clipping with loss of control over the woofer which can cause damage to the powered sub. Instead Set-Safe detects the point of incipient clipping and gently soft-clips the waveform of the signal to ensure actual clipping does not occur.
• Thermal Overload: If the Classic 98 powered sub is deliberately over-driven, a Thermal Overload device will sense the temperature rise and cut the output (without clipping); recovery time is approximately five minutes. If this happens, it is a warning that the subwoofer is being over-driven and the volume level control should be reduced to a safer level.

Rear-Panel Controls: Level, Crossover, and Phase controls can be found on the rear-panel of the Serie Classic 98 powered subwoofer.

• Level: There are separate level controls labeled "Hi/Low Level" & ".1/LFE Level". The "Hi/Low Level" control allows you to adjust the output level of the Neutrik Speakon and mono-RCA inputs, while the ".1/LFE Level" control only adjust the LFE RCA input. This allows you to seamlessly blend the volume output of the REL Classic 98 powered subwoofer with the volume output of your system's loudspeakers, regardless of connection type.
• Crossover: The built-in low pass crossover can be set between 30 and 120Hz. The low pass crossover filters out any frequencies above the set frequency (30-120Hz) and only allows frequencies below the set frequency (30-120Hz) to reach the subwoofer. This allows you to blend the bass output of the REL powered sub with the bass output of your speakers. The crossover is only available on the Neutrik Speakon input and mono-RCA input (not available on LFE input).
• Phase: The Phase switch has two settings - 0 and 180 degrees. The Phase switch is used to set the REL Classic 98 powered sub in phase with your home theater speakers. The powered subwoofer should work in harmony with your other speakers, reinforcing bass, not canceling it out. In other words, the woofer in the powered sub and the drivers in your speakers should move forward at the same time and move backward at the same time. When this happens, the results is an increase in bass output. Whichever Phase switch position (0 or 180) results in the loudest and fullest bass, is the correct position.

Line-Level & High-Level Inputs: The Classic 98 powered sub has three separate input options to facilitate use with both two-channel stereo systems and home theater surround system. You can choose between a high-level Neutrik Speakon input, a low-level mono-RCA input, or low-level LFE (Low Frequency Effect) input.

• LFE (Low Frequency Effect) Input: The LFE input consists of a mono-RCA jack. If you have an AV receiver or AV preamp/processor with an LFE output, you can connect your receiver or preamp/processor to the REL Classic 98 powered subwoofer's LFE input using a single mono-RCA subwoofer cable (sold separately - see Accessories Tab). The LFE input of the Classic 98 bypasses the subwoofer's built-in crossover and utilizes the bass management settings in your AV receiver or preamp/processor.
• Mono-RCA Input: The Classic 98 powered subwoofer also features a low-level mono-RCA input that can be connected to the subwoofer preout or stereo preout of your stereo receiver, integrated amplifier, or preamplifier. You'll need a RCA cable and in some cases a mono-to-stereo RCA adapter (all sold separately).
• Neutrik Speakon Input: The high-level Neutrik Speakon input is designed to accept the 2ch stereo audio signal from the speaker terminals of a stereo receiver and integrated amplifier. This has the advantage of ensuring that the Classic 98 subwoofer receives exactly the same signal as the main speakers, which means that the character of the bass from the main system is carried forward into the powered sub. This connection is made using the supplied 32' Neutrik Speakon cable with the Speakon connector plugging into the Classic 98 powered sub and the three bare-wire leads connecting to the speaker output terminals of your receiver or amplifier. . Please see the included Operating Instruction on how to specifically connect the Neutrik Speakon cable to your receiver or amplifier.

Optional Wireless Connectivity: The REL HT-Air MKII wireless kit (sold separately) allows you to wirelessly send the subwoofer/LFE audio signal from your AV receiver or preamplifier/processor to the REL Classic 98 powered subwoofer without having to run wires between the AV receiver/preamplifier and subwoofer. The HT-Air MKII wireless kit consists of a 5.8GHz wireless transmitter and receiver that plug into the subwoofer/LFE output of your AV receiver or preamp/processor and the stereo RCA/LFE input of the Classic 98 powered sub via RCA cables. The transmitter and receiver will both require AC power and each come with an AC power adapter that will need to be plugged into an AC wall outlet.

Placement Options: The correct placement of the Classic 98 powered sub can drastically enhance its performance and improve your listening experience. Every room is different, in terms of size, material used in constructions, and reflectivity. These factors make up the acoustics qualities of your room. As bass sound is being played through the REL powered sub, low frequency waves travel throughout the room bouncing of materials and the walls. The distance and angle of the powered sub to the wall can greatly impact the way these low frequency waves travel around the room and reach your ear.

• Ideal positioning is located in one of two front corners nearest the location of the TV and front speakers. Corner positioning reinforces deep bass and produces more efficiency, output for a given volume setting. From the corner, turn the subwoofer inward toward the center of the room pointing directly or almost directly at the prime listening location.
• If no front corner location is available due to room layout or windows, place the subwoofer in any front location in close proximity to screen and main front speakers. This location will result in less deep bass than the corner option, but will still keep the your speakers and the subwoofer integrated and closely tied together. Expect less bass output and less deep bass compared to corner placement, but overall sound will still be well achieved.

Auto On/Off: The REL Classic 98 powered sub offers Auto On/Off Sensing. When an audio signal is detected, the powered sub will turn on. When an audio signal is absent for about 30 minutes, the powered sub will turn off and go into standby mode so less power is consumed. If you prefer, you can also choose to manually turn the powered subwoofer on and off.

Detachable AC Power Cord: The REL Classic 98 powered sub comes with a detachable 6' AC power cord (IEC 3-prong) that will plug into the back of the subwoofer and into an AC power outlet or surge protector/line-conditioner (sold separately - see Accessories Tab).