The RBH Signature speaker system is not for everyone. If you are not a critical music lover or home theater aficionado and you are simply looking for a speaker system to provide sound then this is NOT your product. Like fine wine or precious jewelry, these speakers need to be cherished, respected and appreciated. Careful attention must be taken in choosing the right electronics, system layout and room - not because these speakers are finicky, but because they are so good that they deserve nothing but the best to show off their true potential.

The star performer of this review has to go to the 44-SE's. Until I heard these speakers for multi-channel music and movies, I was not fully convinced they would be a viable alternative to direct radiator designs. I surprised myself when I discovered my preference towards them to conventional designs in almost every listening scenario, especially movies. Though they didn't have quite the focus of say a 41-SE, their ability to envelop the listener, especially in all seats, was clearly superior. They made movie watching far more enjoyable. I loved the reactions my wife and family members portrayed when they were caught off guard by a surround effect emanating from them that they thought sounded too real and expansive to be part of the movie. The only Achilles heal to this speaker is you have to follow proper placement guidelines for them to perform optimally. In situations where you cannot seat the listeners at null or 2-3 feet in front of the speakers, use a pair of direct radiators instead such as the Signature 41-SE's .

The 61-SE/R/LSE to this day remains my all time favorite bookshelf speaker system, second only to the more expensive Status Acoustics Decimo's which are only better due to the cabinetry and lower profile baffle. The 61-SE/R retains most of the magical ability to disappear into the room that the Decimos exhibit and makes for an intoxicating experience when placed in a small to medium sized room with controlled acoustics. If I were setting up a high end two-channel bedroom system, this would be my speaker of choice, regardless of price. However if you have plans to do a full scale theater in a large (3000cu ft) living room, you may wish to opt for 661-SE/R's for all three front channels. Though the 661-SE/R don't quite disappear like the 61-SE/R's do, they throw off a much larger soundstage and are far more dynamic making them the better choice to fill large listening venues with clean and concise sound.

The 661-SE/R is a great center channel speaker any way you look at it. It delivers excellent vocal tonality with little to no coloration and serves up plenty of dynamics, while avoiding the oil can effect of many center channels that utilize a single 5.25" midrange and dual bass drivers. It also makes for a stellar stereo speaker pair when placed vertically.

This system is meant for the music lover at heart that also enjoys watching movies. Treat them well and they will serve you well. Because of the moderate efficiency of the 61-SE/R's and the low impedance of the 661-SE/R and 44-SE's, we recommend using a meaty amplifier or at the very minimum a solid $1k and over A/V receiver.

This has been one of the most enjoyable surround systems I have assembled in quite a while. It served equally well for critical music listening, movie watching and entertaining at parties. In the weeks I have had this system online, I lost count at how many people, including industry folks, who commented on the excellent sound, fit and finish of the RBH products. The combination of performance, build quality and excellent service all add up to a company and product line easy for us to recommend to our readers without hesitation.

Our only warning is that these speakers have the ability to raise your expectations of sound quality and may invoke audio elitism of anyone who owns them. If you find yourself fall victim to this side effect, do your best to control your impulses and inner monologue when visiting a friend or family members home who isn't fortunate or wise enough to have an RBH Signature speaker system gracing their system.