Put REL’s Carbon Special (£3,299) subwoofer into a compliment of several surround, or a single pair of hi-fi speakers, and those in the know will tell you what you’ll hear is an organic sound. What you won’t hear is a disparate sound with the subwoofer meandering away doing its own thing whilst the other speakers do theirs.

It’s well known that over the years REL has established an enviable reputation for building subs that have fast, taut, deep bass and that are designed to work in concert with every type of speaker. With this kind of historic pedigree, the Carbon Special has to be a ripper of a new model to justify its “special’’ appellation. 

The way which REL’s designers went about engineering the Carbon Special was always bound to result in a deeply, impressive model. REL reportedly unshackled its designers, who were allowed access to all of the brand’s inventory of parts to create a model that, in a sense, wouldn’t typically exist in prevailing market conditions. 

After a pile of innovative tinkering, the team came up with model that has “legendary” status stamped all over it.

The roll call of premium parts used in the Carbon Special like the third-generation Black Widow 12-inch driver which has a 4-inch excursion, and a new bespoke CSP passive driver with its 50 per cent longer stroke, set an enviable standard. Adding a NEXTGen 5 amplifier rated at 1000 watts adds another dimension of design excellence.

To build a filter network good enough to work with the NextGen 5 amplifier and provide a high degree of transparency to the sound at both ends of the spectrum, REL conjured up an all-new CS PerfectFilter which is a custom-designed version of the brands latest evolution of in-house filters.

The Carbon Special also stands out from the REL S5 models thanks to a deeper cabinet and a finish that speaks of its “Special” place in the brand’s range. Even a cursory look at the Carbon Special shows a subtle sprinkling of carbon fibre details along with chrome and polished stainless steel accents.

This combination of carbon, lacquer, chrome and steel give the formidable Carbon Special Limited Edition model an air of exclusivity. In a way, this is an accurate description because the manufacturing techniques required to craft each of these subwoofers ensures production will, indeed, be limited.

The styling suggests a subwoofer with bundles of poise, elegance, confidence, sophistication and intent of purpose. And that purpose? To work seamlessly with other speakers and provide a sound populated by deep, natural bass. A task at which, as we said at the start of this capsule, REL excels.

The REL Carbon Special Limited Edition will be available in October and will sell for £3,299 RRP.

For more information visit REL Acoustics