How REL’s T/9x SE Uses Carbon Fibre For Max Acceleration

With the T/9x Special Editions, REL Acoustics have taken impressive performance even further. Much like the Carbon Special do for Serie S, these SE models add performance enhancements, including the introduction of carbon fibre into their drivers, resulting in scintillating performance with relatively modest price increases.

A brief review of the differences between one of REL’s best sellers of all time, the T/9x, and the T/9x SE is in order. In addition to the SE models being offered in several high-performance colours derived from noteworthy high-performance supercars, they've added a performance enhancer. To achieve the visual effect and punch these models deserve, they tinkered with the colour formulas just a touch, specifically to deliver the proper effect when used on such small surface areas.

Compare a T/9x top panel with a modern supercar. A T/9x SE has roughly 1.3 cubic feet of paintable surface. Contrast that with a Lambo, or a McLaren-sized vehicle where we’re talking about 90-110 square feet of painted surface (8-9 sq.M). The way paint refracts light and announces its intensity doesn’t translate linearly, which means that REL have to work with the paint formulas and the underlying primer.

Sure, the insanely gorgeous paint might catch your eye, but it’s the audible improvement over standard T/9x that will make you reach for your wallet. 

The secret sauce in the SE is the development of a special pure carbon fibre centre cap smack in the middle of the driver that ties all the shear vectors together and won’t let go. When a driver is under tremendous stress, as when asking a relatively small driver to make deep bass or to play exceptionally loud, there are lines of force that seek to stretch and tear the cone apart. The aluminium centre cap REL use in their standard 9x does a fine job at a very reasonable cost. But it’s significantly improved by the all carbon fibre center cap and it does so while shedding 10 grams of moving mass. Doesn’t sound like much? Imagine if you lost 15% of your body weight, how much quicker could you accelerate, or change direction, or, or, or…? Significantly, is the honest answer. Also, carbon fibre does a far superior job of eliminating the internal resonances and colorations that can creep into a paper cone. So, the benefits are in two complementary areas; one removes weight while the other ties the centre of the cone together into a tougher, more resilient whole…all while making the driver itself quieter.

All in all, the T/9x SE range is emerging as one of the coolest high-performance models REL Acoustics ever launched... and... they’re wonderful fun to look at.

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