For REL setup experts

[audioguy3107]

I've had a pair of Britannia B2s for several years and finally got an opportunity to secure a pair of 212SE for my 2 channel room . I'll get some pics up when I have everything cleaned up but here's a question I've longed to ask but never got around to really experimenting.

Most everyone knows that the Neutrik speakon connection is the preferred method according to the engineers at REL and I have no doubt they have done their homework. My problem (and this goes back to a Storm I used to have as well as the Britannias and now the 212SEs)......I get practically NO volume using the speakon connection. I've tried literally everything, it's not a room setup issue.....as soon as I use the line level inputs or the LFE input, they immediately come to life and I have to turn them way down. Now enter the 212SEs.....these things are huge and I was worried that I may cause structural damage if I didn't have them dialed in properly. It turns out the same thing....using the Neutrik connection I get practically no volume......I have the volume turned up about 5 or 6 clicks away from max and still it was very low and you could feel/see the cones barely moving. No volume problems with the low level inputs. At this point I have to wonder if it has something to do with the MC 402 amplifier since this is the only amp I've ever had with all 3 REL models.

I'm familiar with all of the hookup controversy but am sure that I'm hooking them up properly as the MC 402 is a differential balanced amplifier and that's specifically noted in the manual. The 212SE manual even warns that you may have to disconnect either the yellow or red lead in case the output was too high to dial it back a bit. Well that's certainly not the issue in my case.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with the autoformer or some design issue with the dual differential design of these McIntosh amplifiers? It seems like the RELs are not seeing enough signal out of the amplifiers outputs to drive the subs. Has anyone run into this or am I overlooking something very simple?

- Buck