RBH WM-24, WM-30, FM-45 Listening Tests

Listening was done in a room measuring approximately 12’ x 20’ x9’, open at one end, with the FPD and all speakers located at the opposite end. At the head end of the equipment chain was a Toshiba HD-A20, lent for the occasion. The sub used was a Velodyne DD-18, all managed/amplified by a Denon AVR-3806. The RBH products were cabled to the Denon via 10AWG speaker cable. (Note, the measurments showing below are taken solely of the RBH products and do not include the subs contribution). Measurements were taken using LinearXs LMS and SpectraPlus 5.

CD: The Mavericks What a Crying Shame (ASIN: B000002OR0)
Originally a Florida band, the Mavericks have long established themselves as a C&W band definitely not part of that genre’s Top 40 scene. Fans love ‘em and their unique sound that’s sort of described as a mix of honky-tonk, country pop, folk and good old R&R. At the heart of that sound is Raul Malo’s tenor voice. It was for that voice this CD was chosen. Lesser systems seem to have a hard time reproducing that tenor with any sort of authentic quality, typically making Raul sound (as my youngest daughter once described it) like he’s “singing out the bottom of a barrel”. No such problems here with either the WM-24s, WM-30 or the FM-45s. They all handled the task with finesse, easily conveying the rich nuances of Malo’s voice, especially on tracks such as the Roy Orbison tribute I Should Have Been True.The Orb would be proud.

On more sonically complex tracks, such as the Maverick’s cover of Springsteen’s “All That Heaven Will Allow”, nothing was lost, in terms of overall sonic quality, by the WM-24s and WM-30 as the volume was pushed upward. In large part, this is a testament to the quality of the drivers and the design context within which they work. How so? Lesser systems tend to collapse the overall sonic presentation into a glary, annoying mess as the volume gets pushed upward. This happens, in large part,because of the increasing distortion components present in the various driver’s acoustical output. Better quality drivers tend to

exhibit better control of this unwanted component and that’s certainly the case with the WM-24, the WM-30 & the FM-45. This is not to say these systems don’t have their limits in terms of how much electrical they can absorb; they do. However, RBH has done thier homework and have packed the WM-24, WM-30 and FM-45 with individual driver arrays capable of delivering clean sound at levels where other lesser systems of similar design & build would have have long since given up hope. In a word, these systems sound clean.

Truth is, there isn’t a bad track on the CD and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the entire disk several times over as the RBHs were put through there paces. Tonally, the FM-45s tended to present themselves with a slightly hotter high end than either the WM-24s or WM-30 (as the measurements show) when listened to directly on-axis. However slight this difference tends to be in practice, it diminishes when the FM-45s are listened to off-axis. Also noteworthy is the WM-24s, WM-30s and FM-45s ability to keep images anchored rock-solid stable across the soundstage and the seemless LCR pans across the viewing field: there were none of the annoying shifts in tonal character all too often experience with lesser systems as an image moves from point to point across the soundstage.Here, the WM-24s were set up as the L & R speakers, the WM-30 as the center channel, with the whole rig augmented by a subwoofer.

DVD: Texas Tornadoes Live From Austin, Texas (ASIN:B000B9EYK2)
If you’ve spent any time at all out in the southwest, you’ve likely heard these guys somewhere at sometime or another. They are or were (two members, Baldemar Huerta, better known as Freddy Fender, and Doug Sahm have since passed away) a TexMex supergroup and the Live From Austin, Texas DVD is considered a must-have by the band’s fan base. Not surprising when you consider some critics figure the Texas Tornados’ performance captured on this DVD was one of the finest ever delivered at Austin City Limits. (In 2005 The Rolling Stone reviewed the CD and awarded it 4 out 5 stars, 1 short of a classic). Fun to watch and fun to listen to, the DVD - and the RBHs - had the place rocking in no time.

It was obvious the original speakers supplied with the FPD (what a joke!) couldn’t hope to match the RBHs in terms of either sonic accuracy or power handling. Now this was an upgrade fit for an audioholic! For this part of the listening session I set the FM-45s as the front L & R channels, the WM-30 as the center channel and the WM-24s as side surrounds.

The WM-24s, WM-30 and FM-45s ability to play loud and clean - to a degree that only well-designed systems packed with well-designed drivers can do - was effectively showcased by the DVD. Drivers that can play loud and keep their linear & nonlinear distortion components well under control typically excel when playing back well recorded concert material. Material such as this (that hasn’t been over-compressed) is a real pleasure to listen to when played back through the WM-24s, WM-30 or FM-45. With their ability to authentically reproduce the dynamics of a live music event, they successfully convey to an impressive degree a sense of the “liveness” of the live event.

Recommendations

In terms of performance, to get the best out of WM-24s, WM-30s and/or FM-45s experimentation with placement is highly recommended. Use of a good quality speaker cable, 12 AWG or larger, is recommended. If you’re not using banana plugs, you might find the binding posts on the WM-24s & WM-30s difficult to work, owing to tight quarters in the immediate vicinity.

If your interest is solely with the FM-45s, consider biamping the speakers, even if they’re to be used for 2-channel listening. The RBH SA-200 amplifier (200 Wpc, 4-ohms driven) is an obvious choice for the job.

Biamping the FM-45s with an SA-200 improved the overall sonic presentation, especially noticeable with material that hadn’t had the life compressed out of it, an all too common occurrence these days. Biamp the FM-45s and run them with a separate subwoofer, if you’ve got one handy, and you’ll likely end up feeling compelled to go on one of those post-equipment upgrade musical safaris where you rediscover the sonic attributes of all your favorite CDs and DVDs.

If you plan on wall mounting WM-24s or WM-30s and are unsure of your carpentry or masonry skills, seek out the services of a competent professional. Better safe than sorry. As an alternate, the WM-24s and WM-30s can be stand mounted.