Home Cinema Choice has a history steeped in prestige. It was the first dedicated home cinema magazine to launch on the UK market, and has always devoted acres of editorial space to the finest kit available. Throughout the magazine’s ten-year history, REL has featured prominently, and overwhelmingly with flying colours, collecting no fewer than six ‘subwoofer of the year’ awards (see Awards section). The latest REL to be acclaimed is the Stampede. Self-confessed bass nut Adam Rayner has supplied the verdict in the January 2005 issue: ‘…it’s nothing less than a pocket bomb…Sitting in the next room I can feel the structure-borne bass coming up the shaft of my typing chair…’ Home Cinema Choice January 2005
STAMPEDE WINS WHAT HI FI? SOUND AND VISION AWARD
Once again a REL sub-bass system has been honoured with an award by the review team at What Hi Fi? Sound and Vision magazine. At the recent ceremony, the superb Stampede system took the prize for ‘Best Subwoofer’ in the critical price-range of £300-£600: the entry level for those demanding premium bass quality. In its Awards 2004 issue, the magazine reports that ‘…a gong is the only possible outcome for the stunning Stampede’, adding that ‘as is so often the case in our awards, REL has delivered the best subwoofer you can at this price level.’
What Hi Fi Sound & Vision Awards 2004 issue
STAMPEDE WINS HI FI CHOICE AWARD
In the space of a month, the Stampede sub-bass system has received three best product awards. The latest accolade comes from the experts at Hi Fi Choice magazine. They’ve decided that under £1,000, there’s no better subwoofer than the Stampede. The December 2004 issue of the magazine has this to say: ‘New from REL this year are the Stampede and Strata 5, a pair of affordable subs that come complete with electronic controls, remote handsets and blue LED displays. Most importantly they deliver sonically, coupling considerable bass muscle with musicality all too rare in the subwoofer world. Of the two, it’s the lower priced Stampede that marginally earns itself our Gold Award on value for money grounds –its built-in 100 watt amp and 20cm driver making tuneful bass with satisfying aplomb.’
Hi Fi Choice December 2004 issue
STAMPEDE WINS WHAT VIDEO & WIDESCREEN TV AWARD
In an increasingly crowded market for subwoofers, populated by many inexpensive oriental designs, it’s reassuring to know that REL’s signature performance and build quality can still be relied on to emerge as the finest available. Formulated and perfected in the UK, REL’s unique character, as expressed by the Stampede sub-bass system, has been celebrated by the experts at What Video and Widescreen TV magazine. In anointing the Stampede as their ‘favourite sub of the year’ the editorial team said that ‘the performance of this compact little woofer lives up to everything we’ve come to expect from a REL. It has absolutely no problem integrating seamlessly with home cinema and hi-fi speaker packages and was able to plumb the murkiest depths without a hint of distortion.’
What Video & Widescreen TV Awards 2005, December 2004 issue.
STAMPEDE SHOWS 'BEST BUY' CLASS IN DVD REVIEW
The UK's top-selling DVD magazine, 'DVD Review', has reserved its highest
praise for the compact 'Stampede' sub-bass system, reporting that: 'Few
subwoofers at this price point are good enough to work well with a music
disc as well as a DVD, but the Stampede is an exception. The control it
has over bottom-end sounds is so precise that it sets a new standard at
the price. This provides a strong sense of reinforcement to music and
movie soundtracks, but is especially noticeable with movies.' The magazine
concludes that the Stampede is 'a great subwoofer at a great price, and
it's easy to use too.'
DVD Review issue 68
STAMPEDE SHOWS RIVALS THE DOOR AT WHAT HI FI? SOUND AND VISION MAGAZINE
In a group test of subwoofers in What Hi Fi?’s October issue, REL’s Stampede system emerged victorious against competition from Lucid and Pioneer. Claiming the honours in the critical price range between £300 and £600, the Stampede was applauded for its ‘thorough, easy-to-understand’ set-up and its ability to ‘uncover the subtlest and deepest of low frequencies either on a CD or DVD’. The test-winning REL gave ‘a flawless performance’ leaving ‘little room for criticism’ and the test concluded that ‘there could well be a stampede of people rushing out to buy this – it’s a real REL beauty’.
Test Winner What Hi Fi? S&V October 2004
T3’s TURN TO PRAISE THE STAMPEDE
In technology magazine T3’s August issue, the Stampede proved yet
again that big, tuneful bass needn’t come from big subwoofers alone.
The diminutive Stampede’s size-belying performance inspired the
magazine to apply one of its rare ‘Gold Award’ gongs to this
winning sub-bass system. T3 reported that ‘this compact subwoofer
from Welsh audio wizard REL is guaranteed to add weight to movies and
also packs a powerful punch when listening to music in stereo. Its proportions
make it the ideal replacement for the smaller, plastic subs that often
come with home cinema systems, and its comprehensive controls and helpful
LCD make integrating it with the rest of your speakers a breeze. It compares
favourably to other 100W offerings, and - considering its big yet controlled
sound – it’s a high-end bargain.’
T3, August 2004
STAMPEDE WOWS ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA MAGAZINE
Leading specialist AV magazine Essential Home Cinema was emphatic in its praise of REL’s new sub-bass star. Awarding a ‘Best Buy’ flag in issue 34 it reported that, ‘Despite the changes in controls, the Stampede acts like all REL subs, impeccably. If you question spending £550 on a sub, then listen to the Stampede for the answer’. And that just about says it all!
Stampede, Essential Home Cinema 34
STAMPEDE THUNDERS THROUGH WHAT HOME CINEMA MAGAZINE
Once again REL has proved its value against cheaper substitutes with a faultless performance in leading specialist A/V magazine ‘What Home Cinema’. The magazine’s experienced writers have listened to many subs, and know about sub-bass, so it’s easy for them to identify a gem. The magazine deftly summarises the REL Stampede’s qualities by concluding that ‘ the sound is different from the boom of some subwoofers – there’s real power behind it. And this makes home cinema sound more like the real thing. Even already impressive soundtracks like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ are reborn, with more control and authority…the Stampede isn’t overtly obvious in the bass it provides to back up movie sound - it just seems to make the sound bigger and better. But when depth is needed, such as for a huge explosion, wow! And that is why you should beat a path to REL’s door. Form an orderly Stampede.’
Best Buy, What Home Cinema, August 2004
