The T-2 System really sold itself over a relatively short period of time. At first I felt it was a bit bright in my room but after a rather long break in period (50 hours or so) my perspective changed. The top end does have slightly more energy and frequency extension than my reference system (see Figure 5 ), but how the two speakers play differently into the room is what really tells the whole story.

The 1266-LSE's are more limited in dynamic range due to less radiating cone area. In the same breath, the wide array of the T-2 System allows for much higher driver radiation and energy into the room, and to some degree making it more reactive to overly active rooms. What I originally mistook as "bright", was less compressed and had a more open, unforced soundstage which was second to none in my experience.

A large, heavy, expensive, and somewhat complex to set-up speaker system may not be for every audiophile. But the rewards of the T-2 System to the true music lover are limitless. It has a personality that grows on you. After experiencing it, switching back to a conventional cone loudspeaker design seems somewhat small. I think the most important aspect to consider when comparing the imaging characteristics of the T-2 System against conventional cone designs is which sounds more natural. Which one reproduces the soundstage of a concert hall or studio environment in your room in a more realistic manner and which one reproduces the most convincing image across the full width of the soundstage? While I realize the answer to this is subjective, I feel most of us are accustomed to hearing a more "spot lit" image than is really natural. The sound radiation pattern of most conventional speaker designs dictates an image where the majority of the sound comes from a center point between the speakers. Since this is where the image sounds most palpable and realistic, we often condition ourselves to some degree to accept this as good imaging. An experiment that can demonstrate this concept is to have someone stand between your speakers and talk, sing or play acoustic guitar (these are examples of sources that are usually recorded with a microphone in close proximity). Next pull out a few recordings of vocals or guitar and compare the difference. The recordings will usually sound more focused. Go to a concert hall and listen to the same type of material live and you will find there are even less definable directional cues to the music you are listening to. Of course all the specifics of what makes for good imaging and sound staging can be debated at length. While I originally preferred a delineated or more focused image and soundstage, I was surprised how my perception changed after listening to the T-2 System for a while and then switching back to my reference speakers. I would categorize the T-2 System as being open and spacious like a great ESL, but without the narrow sweet spot or common compression problems many ESL designs tend to exhibit at high volumes. It certainly has another advantage over most ESL designs - a more controlled and resistive impedance (see Figure 1) allowing for a more forgiving amplifier and considerably less power requirement.

Integrating the T System into one's home theater system must be done with great care. The T-1 satellite module weighs nearly 100lbs, and thus the installer must ensure that the shelf or mounting for it when used for center channel duties is heavily reinforced to support its weight. I had to install metal bracing brackets under the shelf of my entertainment center to eliminate a bowing effect I noticed almost immediately. Calibrating the T-2 System requires time, patience, and preferably an audio analyzer or at least an SPL meter and test disc such as Avia or the like. When contemplating an investment of this magnitude, you may wish to call on the services of your local authorized dealer, if not for anything other then avoiding hauling big heavy boxes into your home.

The RBH Sound T-2 Signature System garners my respect as the most innovative, best sounding loudspeaker I have had the pleasure of reviewing and demoing at CES 2004 . For the ultimate bass nut, RBH Sound also offers a T-3 version of this system, which stacks another T-2 Bass module on each T-1 satellite for a whopping (8) 10" subwoofer and standing nearly 8ft tall, tipping the scales at 280lbs! If you are serious about audio, and can live with a speaker system this grand, you owe it to yourself to arrange an audition of a Signature T System at a local authorized RBH Sound dealer.

At this time, due to the high performance of the RBH Sound T-2 Signature System, two of our Reference Systems will be getting an upgrade. Our third reference system formerly comprised of the fabulous Axiom Audio Epic 80 System will be upgraded to one of our original LSE Signature RBH Sound systems.