REL PLANAR PL-1 BLACK Planar PL-1

Operang Instrucons for the

Planar

S u b-Ba ss

System

Cauon Marking Explanaon

The lightning ash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the

user to the presence of un-insulated dangerous voltage within the product’s enclosure that may

be of sucient magnitude to constute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamaon point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence

4 Follow all instrucons.

5 Do not use this apparatus near water.

6 Clean only with automove polish and micro ber cloth.

7 Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instrucons.

8 Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or other apparatus (including

ampliers) that produce heat.

9 Do not defeat the safety purpose of the grounding-type plug. A grounding type plug has two blades and

a third grounding prong. The third prong is provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not t into

your outlet, consult and electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10 Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched parcularly at plugs, convenience receptacles,

14 Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged

in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen

into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rail or moisture, does not operate normally, or

has been dropped.

15 Minimum distances 10cm around the apparatus for sucient venlaon.

Important Safety Instrucons

16 The venlaon should not be impeded by covering the venlaon openings with items, such as newspapers,

table-cloths, curtains, etc.

17 No naked ame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.

18 Aenon should be drawn to the environmental aspects of baery disposal.

19 The use of apparatus in moderate climates.

shall be placed on apparatus.

The mains plus is used as disconnect device. The mains plug of the apparatus should not be obstructed OR

should be easily accessed during intended use. To be completely disconnected from the power input, the

mains plug of the apparatus shall me disconnected from the mains.

An appliance with a protecve earth terminal should be connected to a mains outlet with a protecve

earth connecon.

Design Safety

These apparatus are supplied with a detachable mains cord. For 230V operaon an 4A fuse is ed in

the socket of the Planar PL-2 and a 2.5A fuse is ed in the socket of the Planar PL-1, for 120V operaon

a 8A fuse is ed for the Planar PL-2 and a 5A fuse is ed for the Planar PL-1. Should the fuse need to be

Aenon Explicaon Marquage

L’éclair avec le symbole de pointe de èche dans un triangle équilatéral est desné à alerter

l’ ulisateur de la présence de non isolée tension dangereuse à l’intérieur de l’enceinte du

produit qui peut être d’une ampleur susante pour constuer un risque d’électrocuon pour

4 Suivez toutes les instrucons.

5 Ne pas uliser cet appareil près de l’eau.

6 Neoyez seulement avec du vernis automobile et ssu microbre.

7 Installer conformément aux instrucons du fabricant.

8 Ne pas installer près de sources de chaleur telles que des radiateurs, registres de chaleur, poêles ou autres

appareils (y compris les amplicateurs) qui produisent de la chaleur.

9 Ne pas contourner le disposif de sécurité de la prise de terre. Une che de terre a deux lames et une

ne rentre pas dans votre prise, consultez un électricien pour le remplacement de la prise obsolète.

10 Protégez le cordon d’alimentaon ne soit piéné ou pincé, en parculier au niveau des ches, des prises

14 Conez toute réparaon à un personnel qualié. Une réparaon est nécessaire lorsque l’appareil a été

endommagé de quelque façon que ce cordon d’alimentaon ou la che est endommagé, du liquide a

été renversé ou des objets sont tombés dans l’appareil, l’appareil a été exposé à rail ou à l’humidité, ne

fonconne pas normalement, ou a été échappé.

Informaons Importantes Relaves a la Securite

15 10cm distance minimale autour de l’appareil pour une aéraon susante.

16 Il convient que l’aéraon ne soit pas gênée par l’obstrucon des ouvertures d’aéraon par des objets tels

que journaux, nappes, rideaux, etc.

17 Il convient de ne pas placer sur l’appareil de sources de ammes nues, telles que des bougies allumées.

18 Il convient d’arer l’aenon sur les problèmes d’environnement dus à la mise au déchet des piles.

19 Si l’appareil est desné à être ulisé sous un climat tempéré.

l’alimentaon électrique, le cordon d’alimentaon de l’appareil doit me débranché.

Un appareil avec une borne de terre doit être branché sur une prise de courant en étant relié à la terre.

Aenon: Tout changement ou modicaon non expressément approuvés par la pare responsable de la

conformité pourraient annuler l’autorité de l’ulisateur à uliser cet équipement.

Sécurité Design

Ces appareils sont fournis avec un cordon secteur détachable. Pour le fonconnement en 230V, un fusible

de 4A est installé dans la prise du Planar PL-2 et un fusible de 2.5A dans la prise du Planar PL-1, pour un

fonconnement en 120V, un fusible de 8A est installé pour le Planar PL-2 et un fusible de 5A pour le Planar

PL-1. Si le fusible doit être remplacé, ulisez un fusible de même calibre approuvé selon les normes ASTA ou

BSI 362. Ne pas uliser sans le couvercle de fusible en place. Des couvre-fusibles de rechange sont

pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protecon against

harmful interference in a residenal installaon.

This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in

accordance with the instrucons, may cause harmful interference to radio communicaons. However,

there is no guarantee that the interference will not occur in a parcular installaon. If this equipment

does cause harmful interference to radio or television recepon, which can be determined by turning the

equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference by one or more of the

following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

Increase the separaon between the equipment and receiver.

Failure to install the restraint may result in injury or damage.

FCC STATEMENT

underpins the main front speakers. The main front speakers should be set to the ‘large’ or full range if

Posion 180 / HIGH-LEVEL, LOW-LEVEL or LFE: 180 degrees phase

PHASE SELECTION AFFECTS BOTH HIGH-LEVEL AND LOW-LEVEL INPUTS

CROSSOVER is always engaged for HIGH-LEVEL INPUT. The .1/LFE signal does not pass through the crossover circuit.

Making Connecons

It is helpful to know that you will almost always connect the REL to the input on the rear panel labeled

HIGH-LEVEL INPUT. This connecon is made to the REL AirShip Direct™ transmier using the supplied 4.9’

(1.5 meter) cable, the bare leads of which connect to the speaker output terminals of the power amplier.

The easy and foolproof connecon at the REL is done with a Neutrik SpeakOn connector. The purpose of

connecng to the speaker output terminals is one of the unique secrets of REL’s success. By connecng to

the high-level input on the REL from the amplier, you build forward the sonic signature of your main system,

including the tonal balance and ming cues of the enre electronics chain. In this way, the REL is fed the

exact signal that is fed to the main speakers.

aach the black wire to whichever of the amplier’s chassis ground screws or bolts is convenient; plug

the SpeakOn connector into the Sub-Bass System’s HIGH-LEVEL INPUT.

• For dierenal (i.e. fully balanced) stereo ampliers using one REL, simply use the standard connecng

procedure for dierenal ampliers.

When connecng RELs to Mono Bloc ampliers (2) RELs, one for each amplier, must be used. Connect

the black wire of each REL to chassis ground screws or bolts of the corresponding amplier channel; twist

together the red and yellow wires of each REL separately and connect each pair to the posive speaker

terminal of the corresponding amplier channel. In some instances, this will result in exceponally high gain

(output) from the RELs. If it seems simply too high in gain, please remove either the red or yellow wire from

the twisted pair. This will reduce output by half and restore a natural dynamic.

If connecng a single REL as a dedicated centre channel sub, twist together the red and yellow wires and

connect these paired wires (red/yellow paired together) to the posive centre channel amplier terminal.

Connect the black wire to a ground lug or chassis screw on the amplier.

If connecng a REL as a dedicated rear channel sub, connect the yellow wire to the le rear posive speaker

terminal; connect the red wire to the right rear posive speaker terminal, connect the black wire to a

ground lug or chassis screw. If the amplier is of balanced dierenal design, please follow the instrucons

in the secon above labeled Dierenal Connecon.

jacks of the REL and the le and right channel outputs of your preamplier.

When connecng to a home cinema system where a .1/LFE channel output is present, connect a single

phono or XLR cable between the sub output of the processor/receiver and the .1/LFE input jack on the

AirShip Direct™ wireless transmier.

REL Theatre Reference™ Home Cinema Applicaons

For home theatre systems, once the standard set-up for two-channel outlined above is complete, the LFE

greatly increased dynamics in the mid-bass range, no bass bloat, and a greater degree of space and ming

from the special audio eects.

HIGH-LEVEL CABLE), unpack the Planar subwoofer and place on a clean sheet or towel to protect nish.

Each Planar comes pre-paired with its REL AirShip Direct™ transmier box. If the units need to be re-paired,

or you would like to add more Planar subs to the system, there are a few easy steps to follow.

REL Planar wireless Sub-Bass Systems come paired to a single transmier out of the box. In the event that

the sub and transmier becomes un-paired, the owner must follow the procedure below to repair.

1 Make sure that the transmier’s AC to DC wall plug supply is connected to an AC outlet, and that the

barrel connector is connected to the transmier. A white LED on the control panel of the transmier will

indicate the unit is on by blinking in the standby paern which is one ash per second.

2 Make sure that the sub is plugged into an AC outlet using the supplied AC cable and that the sub is turned

on. Power switch is located on the rear panel.

transmier look for a new sub. Note that the LED ash paern will change to two blinks per second.

5 At this point the sub and transmier should nd each other and pair together. This will be indicated by

the white LEDs on both the transmier and control panel staying constantly on (no ashing).

The REL Planar wireless sub bass system can pair up to four subwoofers using one transmier. To pair more

than one sub to a single transmier, follow the instrucons above and repeat for each subwoofer added.

Pairing

1 Follow the pairing instrucons above for the rst system.

4 Turn the transmier on for the rst system back on.

Each Planar will come out of the box independently paired to its own AirShip Direct™ transmier and will

not have issues with “cross talk.” However, if there is a problem, re-pairing each Planar for independent

operaon should eliminate cross talk.

Planar, it is me to choose a locaon and dial in Planar for your specic room. This secon will help guide you

in selecng the best locaon and choosing the basic sengs for Planar, but will not discuss installaon. The

installaon process will be discussed in detail in the next secon.

Before You Begin

1 Planar is unlike any other REL Sub-Bass System and therefore requires special consideraons for

placement. Planar is designed to be mounted on the wall and will take advantage of the enre wall

to help generate deep bass pressurizaon.

wood or metal (typically aluminum). Usually there is a sheet of pre-manufactured building material, oen

referred to as sheetrock or gypsum rock, layered over the top of studs.

4 If you do not know where the studs in your wall are located use a “studnder” (an inexpensive electronic

tool that uses electronic pulses to locate denser objects, like studs, behind the sheetrock).

5 If your wall is constructed out of a dierent material that does not use sheetrock and studs, see the next

secon in the manual Seng Up Your REL Planar Sub-Bass System, steps number 5 and 6 (page 25) for

more details. You may have a wider selecon of locaons for installaon.

6 Next we will discuss selecng the best locaon and proper sengs for Planar. Remember, Planar Sub-Bass

Systems MUST be mounted to studs for 3 of the bolts and please use the supplied metal augur-shaped

wall anchor so you will need to nd the best sounding locaon that coincides with two (2) wall studs.

REL Set-Up Made Simple

Seng Up Your REL Planar Sub-Bass System

Part I will discuss how to select the best locaon for Planar:

Always set the Planar on a clean sheet or towel to protect the nish.

1 Preparing to Mount your Planar for wall mounng: This means that your rst order of business is to

good bass performance at your primary listening posion.

Start by bolng top bracket cabinet and boom bracket cabinet to the rear of your Planar using supplied

screws from package A. Take care to ne tune posioning to ensure they are as parallel with cabinet top as

possible. Having these brackets installed allows you to approximate the correct distance from the wall your

Planar will sit when installed and therefore allow for more accurate listening results.

Then connect the power cable to the unit and turn it on because you will need to listen while posioning.

If you are using the wireless connecon, the transmier will have to be connected to the system and paired

with the unit. If hard wiring, these connecons will need to be made to the back of the cabinet.

2 Posioning: The goal of this step is to pick the

best wall to posion Planar on a Planar Cart or

when mounng on a wall. If you already know

which wall you want to install the Planar on, move

to step 3. As you experiment with dierent wall

choices, try to hold Planar so that the boom of

the unit is 10 to 12in. (25 to 30 cm) o the ground.

This will provide an approximate locaon (we will

review le/right and up/down exact placement

next) and allow you to judge the merits of each

posion. Remember, while you may have several

allows for the most linear true low bass wave launch, creates the best sense of pressurizing the room, and

creates the best sense of keeping me and tempo with the music.

Side Wall Mounng: Side wall mounng works well also, just not quite as well as front wall mounng.

Nevertheless, quite high levels of performance are available from the side wall locaon, as long as the

subwoofer is located in the range between the front corner and the speaker locaon. In some instances,

it may be ne to place the Planar slightly in front of the main speaker (towards the listener), but moving

it too far along the side wall will result in the listener’s ability to locate it, reducing the seamless integrave

abilies inherent to the REL design.

If you are sll unsure about which wall to choose and have several opons with possible stud locaons

A Flat head screw M6 thread, 4mm hex drive,

B Flat head wood screw Size 8, 1-¾in. length (X3)

C Self drilling #9 drywall anchor with at head

wood screw Size 9, 1-¼in. length

D Socket cap screw M3 thread, 2.5mm hex drive,

5mm hex driver

Required (not supplied)

Philips screwdriver

3 Determine placement of the Planar. See the REL

Setup Made Simple secon of this manual.

4 Locate nearest studs to opmum placement.

19 The t will be snug. Draw the cabinet into

21 Install Grille.

back up slowly to the point where you have achieved a subtle balance, i.e. the point at which you can hear

the REL even with the main speakers playing. Now, bring the crossover point up unl it is obviously too high;

at this point bring it down to the appropriate lower seng. For all intents and purposes, this is the correct

crossover point. Once this stage has been reached, subtle changes to level and crossover can be made to

Solid Wall Mounng

Before beginning the installaon process, read the

REL Setup Made Simple secon for instrucons

about how to select the best locaon for Planar.

funcon properly. Two people are recommended

Boom Bracket cabinet (short cabinet bracket)

D Socket cap screw M3 thread, 2.5mm hex drive,

Gasket long

Required (not supplied)

5 Next hold Top Wall bracket to the wall below

the mark from the top bracket.

6 Level the bracket against the wall and mark the

screw hole locaons.

7 Drill a pilot hole for each screw hole using the

8 Drill hole for anchors using the drill / driver and

9 Put glue on masonry anchors before installing.

Do not omit the use of this gasket.

13 With top wall bracket in place, use the supplied

wall mount template to locate the holes for

the boom bracket. This template should

14 Drill a pilot hole for the two screw holes using

the drill / diver and 3/16in. drill bit.

15 Drill hole for anchors using the drill / driver

and 5/16in. drill bit.

16 Put glue on masonry anchors before installing.

17 Push masonry anchor into wall and drive ush

18 Place short gasket on the back side of Boom

19 Screw boom bracket to wall using screws.

Now that the Planar Sub-Bass System is mounted to the wall, it is me to revisit the sengs to really dial in the system.

Crossover and Level Sengs: To determine the crossover point, take the volume of the REL (using the

HI LEVEL control) all the way down, and put the CROSSOVER to 25 Hz. At this point bring the REL’s volume

When used in a freestanding posion, it may p if subjected to sucient force.

REL strongly recommends installing the included an-p restraint in all freestanding applicaons, especially

Installing the An-Tip Restraint

The An-Tip Restraint is comprised of a wall tether

block that will mount onto the back of your Planar

Sub-Bass System’s cabinet, hardware that will

screw into your wall, and a tether that will anchor

these pieces together. For safe operaon when

Planar is used in a freestanding posion, install the

included an-p restraint as follows:

1 Secure the wall tether block to the subwoofer’s

wall. Each anchor uses two screws for securing

to the wall. We recommend marking the screw

locaons with a pencil, drilling pilot holes using

in the metal anchors.

the tether block is installed onto the subwoofer,

you can use the two supplied cables for securing

each anchor on the block to the corresponding

anchor on your wall.