Audioholics On-Spot Location: RBH Sound - p3

Status Acoustics Listening Experience

My moment of audio nirvana happened when I was first introduced to the Status Acoustics Decimos so many years ago. It was then that I discovered how good high end audio could sound. Because I was so enamored with these speakers, I suggested that RBH Sound implement Status Acoustics drivers into their Signature Series lineup to bring this sound quality to a more affordable reality of passionate audiophiles, and thus the LSE/SER series was born. As good as these speakers were, I couldn't help but wonder how much better they would be in a Status level cabinet. Imagine my enthusiasm at finally hearing a full range Status Acoustics speaker system, especially since this was a completely new model built off of the philosophy of the Signature T-2 system I treasure so much!

The Status Acoustics Tower wasn't quite ready for prime time as clearly indicated by the pics. In fact, Shane was assembling and troubleshooting them while I was there. One tower was loaded with stock Signature bass woofers while the other had the new high excursion Status driver. Despite the crossover wasn't tweaked to compensate for the higher impedance Status driver, it didn't detract me from wanting to take a quick listen nonetheless.

We initially ran the Status Acoustics Towers on a Denon AVR-3802 receiver. That's right, we started off on mid level gear to see, or more importantly hear, how well they could be driven on inexpensive electronics. I wasn't expecting much, especially since I held the misconception of - big high end tower speaker with many drivers equates to impossible load for a receiver to drive. M y misconceptions were instantly shattered when I felt the walls shaking in Shane's 30 ft x 17 ft test room. I could not believe the bass response and could only conclude he must have snuck in a few SA M 400s to power the bass sections. To my surprise, the only device the speaker cables were connected to was the Denon receiver. How could this be?

Shane showed me a very flat impedance profile (almost resistive) and benign electrical phase response and I soon realized that combined with a high sensitivity and gobs of piston area equates to a speaker system that doesn't require a Mack truck to drive. Of course, with its multi-driver configuration and usage of high quality driver and crossover components, it will happily accept any He-Man power amplifier on the market. Just for fun we connected a power meter to the receiver outputs where we measured about 6Vp (about 12 watts) when driving the speakers to 90+ dB 15ft away. Talk about efficiency. Tube lovers rejoice*, here is an ultra high-end loudspeaker system that can be powered by almost any esoteric amplifier you wish to throw at it.

*Disclaimer: I don't condone using tube amplifiers for audio applications.

We proceeded to connect one of the Acurus A200s (again another modest amplifier) Shane had on hand to take things up a level in performance.

We began with a CD I like to travel with from Marillion called Holidays in Eden . "Splintering Heart" quickly filled the room with sound but because of the amount of compression in this recording, and the limitless dynamics of this speaker system, you could really hear how dull and lifeless it sounded. M uch like my experience when listening to it at home on my reference system, these speakers really brought out the worst in this recording, though I was a bit surprised to hear revealing background details I don't recall during prior listening sessions on other systems. Our M arillion listening session didn't last long since both Shane and myself were eager to hear well-recorded, dynamic recordings to get a better understanding of the capabilities of this loudspeaker system.

Artist: Brian Bromberg
Title: Tribute to Jaco

• Come On, Come Over (vocal version)
• Continuum
• Teen Town (acoustic bass version)
• A Remark You Made
• Portrait of Tracy
• Three Views of a Secret
• The Chicken
• Tears
• Slang (ish)
• Come On, Come Over (instrumental version)
• Teen Town (piccolo bass version)

I was so impressed with this disc when I heard it on the T-2 System at CES last year that I was anxious to hear it on this new super system. We skipped over to track #9 "Slang" where the Brian 's bass guitar just erupted. The presence was huge. You really felt like Brian was in the room slamming away at the bass. I really can't comprehend how one man can make all of these sounds with a bass but he was certainly doing it, and the Status towers as well as myself were loving every minute of it.

We continued with a drum demo disc from Chesky which absolutely knocked my socks off at the sound of the first snare hit. The transient response was amazing. I heard no compression whatsoever, only effortless and natural sound just as expected from a drum kit. The cymbal crashes and decay were surreal. I never heard a loudspeaker system produce them so convincingly.

We spent a good deal of time (too much actually) listening to a variety of acoustic guitar from the likes of Angel Romero and vocal tracks from more singers than I'd care to remember, that I almost lost sight of why I was at the RBH Sound facility to begin with. I was here to conduct an On Location Interview of the company, not to formally review a product! With that in mind, I ended my listening session with high expectations for this product and hopes it will soon grace my reference system for a formal review. Though, I couldn't help to think through the logistics of hoisting a 7 foot, 400+ pound speaker up a flight of steps to my listening lab. Any volunteers?

Expect a full blown demo at CES this January. Product release date and retail pricing is still T.B.D. though, rough ballpark pricing is around $50k/pair depending on configuration and finish options such as a completely acrylic cabinet finish and upgraded midrange cone material to Beryllium. Beryllium comes with a high cost addition due to its complex manufacturing process but it has advantages over Aluminum such as decreased mass, significantly less pronounced break up mode, and smoother roll off characteristics.

Closing Comments

Spending a few short days with RBH Sound really reinforced my respect and admiration for the company. It is obvious their passion for audio has captured the essence of what it is to be an Audioholic. Their no compromise design philosophy is what this industry should be all about. In my opinion, too many once respected companies from a couple of decades ago seemed to have lost track of this. While some companies depend on hype, inflated pricing and " the emperors new clothes " to sell and market their products, this is not the case with this company. This is most evident by their unfamiliarity by a great bulk of home theater enthusiasts, or full blown ads in every other page of the home theater publications, despite the fact they have been around for over 25 years. One statement Roger said to me that is left an indelible impression is " We are living in an era where truth has become a marketable commodity " - we couldn't agree more. It's obvious that Roger Hassing still operates the company with the same mantra as when it was started. Just like we learned so many years ago, " the difference is quality " is a high ideal RBH Sound still holds close to them today, perhaps more so with the rebirth of Status Acoustics products. When I asked Roger what their plans were going forward, he replied "to continue on track, enjoy what we are doing, and hope our efforts are noticed by the buying public."

I hold the highest respect for the engineering staff headed by Shane Rich whom I have found to be one of the most talented, yet humble and open-minded loudspeaker designers in this industry. If it weren't for his passion of designing loudspeakers for a living we would have attempted to assimilate him into our collective staff long ago. However, there is always hope for the future as everyone eventually retires. I will patiently wait for that day! Until then, I will continue to enjoy reviewing the masterful products which he and his design team have demonstrated an unswerving ability to manufacturer.

Local Sights and Impressions

This being my first trip to Utah I wasn't sure what to expect other than dry air and hot summer days. In addition to that, I found so many other points of interest that really left a lasting impression on me.

The Conference Center which incidentally sports many ceiling mounted RBH speakers suspended on a long thin pole. The application here is target sound at key display areas.

The Most Amazing Conference Venue which seats over 20,000 people. Imagine the sound system and acoustics planning that went into this!