The big REL sub bass system in this gang of four is from its Britannia range. Conceived before the Lord of Bass (that’s Richard Lord, to most people – Ed) sold up to Sumiko, and developed right through the process of changing parent companies, the B1 is an important product for the new REL owners.

The T3 may be the baby of the entry level REL range of subwoofers but it has all the key features of its range mates, with the exception of a little less internal volume, and a tad less horsepower

Like cars, subwoofers come in a variety of flavours, from cheap and utilitarian all the way up to huge and very expensive. This sub-bass system (you don't simply call RELs 'woofers') is definitely in the posh-yet-compact Porsche bracket

For its latest budget T series subwoofer, REL pushes the design envelope. Instead of a reflex port, or a sealed enclosure to tailor the bass, REL chooses a downwards firing main driver in conjunction with a forward facing passive unit

REL has bounced back from its takeover by the US Sumiko group with a wholesale revamp of its various ranges, the largest and most ambitious of which has yet to reach our shores

Sumiko is the company that bought REL a little while back, and even though this subwoofer series has development history going back three years - with many attempts at designing the components before Sumiko was happy - this may well be the first real post- 'golden goose' REL.

The R-305, replacing the Q-201 but capable of 12dB extra acoustic output, is the second of three R-series models. The 19kg R-305 is a true compact, with a near cubic form factor and a footprint of a little over one square foot