RBH Sound Part Two

The Testing Area

Part of the reason why RBH Sound speakers excel in performance is because of their exhaustive design and listening process as well as analytical testing and verification. While their other lines are tested in their remote facility we did manage to get a glimpse at what is done with their premier Signature Series line of products.

In their assembly area resides computers hosting diagnostic and measurement software such as L M S, M LS and Leap to do driver diagnostics, and frequency & impedance sweeps. To the above right we see a line of their venerable 6" aluminum drivers and crossovers getting ready to be installed into product.

Here we see a Signature 1010-SEP subwoofer cabinet being assembled and stuffed with insulation. To the right is a finished Signature 661-SE cabinet waiting to be stuffed with insulation, drivers and crossover components. Note the ample amount of baffling and bracing and ¾" HDF front baffle. As you can see RBH Sound cuts no corners in their cabinet design (something they have been known for since back in the M cIntosh days). Great cabinets, drivers and crossovers all add up to excellent loudspeaker design which is one of the reasons Signature Series products grace many of our reference systems.

Introducing New Loudspeaker Products from RBH Sound

It always amazes me just how diversified RBH Sound's product lines are. From their entry level CT speakers to their flagship Signature Series, they almost always have a product to fit every conceivable application whether a box speaker or custom in-wall equivalent. Perhaps what sets them apart from most manufacturers is their ability to customize, design and tool products in a variety of form factors and finishes to satisfy a broad market. They really listen to their dealers and professional installers which is evident from products such as CinemaSITE and the following new on-wall product - the WM24.

The WM -24 wall-mounted speakers contain dual 4" active and dual 4" passive aluminum drivers and a 1" silk dome tweeter. They are sold separately and include wall-mount brackets and black and silver fabric grilles. The W M -24 measures 24"H x 7.125" W x 3.75" D and each weigh 9.5 pounds. M SRP is $449/ea. The W M -24s are available for immediate order.

For more information on the new WM-24, check out this the press release or our review.

Want inwalls? RBH Sound has added two more products to their very extensive line up. The MC-6DB and MC-83.

Technical Specifications

MC-6DB

• Bi-polar/Di-polar switchable tweeters

• -3dB/0dB/+3dB adjustable tweeter level

• -3dB/0dB/+3dB adjustable woofer level

The MC-6DB (pictured right) is the di/bi-polar in-wall with 6 inch aluminum woofer and tweeters.

MC-83

• Currently RBH's only 3-way in-wall loudspeaker

• -3dB/0dB/+3dB adjustable tweeter level

• -3dB/0dB/+3dB adjustable midrange level

The MC-83 (pictured right) is a full range 3 way in-wall loudspeaker featuring an 8 inch aluminum cone woofer and one aluminum midrange and tweeter.

There are also some very impressive new box standing speaker designs in the works, based off the W M product, which should be debuting next year at CES. Based on my listening experience, these are hot items to keep on your radar screen if you are looking for a high performance, high value narrow foot print loudspeaker system to cosmetically appease the spouse, your golden ears and/or wallet.

Introducing New Loudspeaker Products from Status Acoustics

Status Acoustics represents the ultra high end of RBH Sound. Their products have set the benchmark in performance at Audioholics with such models as the Decimo ( 61-LSE/SER RBH Sound equivalent but with normal HDF cabinets), and Atlas (1266-LSE/SER RBH Sound equivalent but with normal HDF cabinets). In fact we are so enamored with the performance and value of RBH Sound products upgraded with Status Acoustics drivers that we featured them in our $25K Recommended Home Theater Systems section of our site and they also constitute several of our primary reference systems .

Because of the enormous complexity and expense of manufacturing Status Acoustics products such as the Titus, and Atlas, RBH Sound was forced to discontinue this product line for some time until other manufacturing means would surface to produce this level or product more easily and cost effectively. Alas, 3 years later it has finally happened. However, this time the Status Acoustics design team, lead by Shane Rich , has taken it up a few notches with their new (still unnamed) Status Acoustics flagship tower.

In the tradition of their former flagship Titus loudspeaker system its successor is big and heavy, but not nearly as imposing. It has a very narrow baffle up at top with a big bottom which sports five (yes, 5) 10" high excursion aluminum subwoofers. The cabinet shape reminds me of an electric guitar which Shane and Alan both admit would look neat with thin silver vertical metal strips from top to bottom to serve as a grill cover guised as guitar strings.

This is an early prototype design of the new Status Acoustics flagship tower. The wires on the back access the outboard crossover which of course production models will either have integrated into the design, or utilize as separate outboard devices. The rear port opening is big enough to house an additional 10" driver. Now that's a port! All 10" subwoofer drivers are active but according to Shane he will provision for passive rear woofers for variable tuning of system bass response to better cope with room placement issues. The midrange/tweeter driver array is considered to be a truncated line array, similar to that of the RBH Sound T-2 System, but with all of the midrange drivers in a straight vertical arrangement and the tweeter array to the outer edge of the mids rather than inner like the T-2 system.

Status Acoustics Tower Preliminary Specifications

Speaker Efficiency: 94-95dB SPL @ 1 meter (subject to change); padded the mid/tweeter by 4dB to match bass level

Impedance: 4 ohm (nom)

Recommended Power: 15watts - 1000 watts rms

Cabinet M aterial & Construction: M DF wrapped around an acrylic polymer (1/2" thick)

Weight: 400lbs+

As I learned during my review of the RBH Sound T-2 system, a truncated line array has some distinct benefits over traditional 3 way designs such as:

• Extended dynamic range
• Improved dispersion characteristics.
• Maintains intimate feeling of traditional 2 way designs but with dynamics of a conventional line array.

Once hearing a speaker system like this one, it is very difficult going back to conventional designs. In comparison, they seem lifeless or unnatural. After spending nearly two years with the T-2 system, I simply cannot have a conventional 3 way design loudspeaker as a permanent fixture in my primary reference system.

Some of the benefits of the new Status Acoustics Tower over the RBH Sound T-2 System include:

• More cone area (5 high excursion 10" subwoofers as opposed to 2 10" subwoofers) for increased dynamic range, lower distortion, and lower frequency extension.
• M ore cone area for truncated line array (6 mids and tweeters as opposed to 4 mids and 3 tweeters in the T-2 system).
• Improved driver quality of mids and tweeters. The phase plug midranges are similar to the ones found in the older Status Acoustics lines while the tweeters are the very newest phase plug drivers from Vifa featuring a neodymium vented magnet for improved power handling and dynamics.

Editorial Note on Phase Plug Drivers

Hi quality aluminum cone midrange driver with phase plug. Using aluminum for the cone provides significant audible benefits because of the superior stiffness to weight ratio over conventional paper or plastic cones. As a result, the driver acts more like an ideal piston thus reducing tendencies of break up distortion and dynamic compression due to cone flexing. The phase plug essentially eliminates the need for a dust cap, which in turn, reduces cone mass, permitting extended frequency response. It allows more airflow through the motor structure, which improves cooling and thus increases power handling. A Phase plug also helps to reduce on-axis beaming by dispersing higher frequencies that the cone is producing.

Note : Beware, many loudspeaker manufacturers use a quasi phase plug which looks like a phase plug for marketing purposes, but does not physically separate from the cone of the driver. These "so called" phase plugs can do more harm than good as they provide an inconsistent surface area and they also increase mass of the cone yielding poorer frequency response and linearity.

As you can see in the pics of the subwoofers above, the new Status sub driver has over twice the motor structure and throw of the original 10" aluminum RBH subwoofer which can be found in many of the Signature Series products such as the 1010-SEP subwoofer, 1044-SE towers. The old driver was certainly no slouch, but in a no-compromise design such as that of the new Status Acoustics series, it was time to create a dedicated driver that could live up to its name. Imagine five of these drivers in each enclosure!

Granted, the " more is better " approach usually doesn't guarantee better quality, but in this case, after my short listening sessions, it appeared to apply here with flying colors.

This is the prototype crossover system to be used in the Status Acoustics tower. Note all inductors are air core (meaning no saturation) and only high grade polypropylene capacitors are used throughout the design. Roger told me he big black capacitor seen in this pic costs more than an entire crossover assembly from a 1266-SE! When I asked Roger about how he could spare such expense in parts, he said " this is a no compromise loudspeaker design. We have spared no expense at using the best materials on the market currently available." Roger reminded me about the old days of M cIntosh when they too shared similar philosophies of designing the absolute best in audio, more so for the art or expression of the field rather than for turning a profit with cookie cutter designs that were easier and less costly to manufacturer.