Ok, so here goes... This is just a short take for now but I have spent enough time comparing Rbh r55ti vs Fluance signature to give my impressions. I'll have a full write up with pictures etc when I finish all tests with other speakers.
Setup: Denon x3200, Fluance SS on main zone, Rbh r55ti on zone 2.
Test disk playing on Samsung j5900 with a variety of songs I know very, very well. Used a pink noise wav file from test cd to calibrate volumes between zones, very happy with results from trusty analog radio shack spl meter, c weighted, set to slow, calibrated to normal listening volume from listening position at 65db.
Rbh: (Price Paid: $700 delivered)
The words that best describe Rbh r55ti's to me are smooth and warm (and looks wise, beautiful). The very first impression I had when unpacking is that the wife would really like these with the nice finish and cherrywood look... Anyways what we care about most is the sound. My take is that I think they may be just a bit to warm, but I would take that of a tad bright any day. On tracks like sufjan Stevens "Chicago" the horns have a rounded off sound to the notes that make them feel pleasing to the ear but at the same time not exactly perfectly accurate. I could see long listening sessions with these being very enjoyable therefore. As far as soundstage I find these to be quite good and the instruments and vocals I could really get a sense of the positioning of instruments. This is one of the best aspects of these speakers to me. I also found these to do a good job disappearing into the soundstage, I would not say they were transparent, but for this price range very good. As for bass, there is not much there, but what there is Sounds nice and crisp. You are going to want a seperate sub to pair with these so take that into consideration price wise. The one thing that I really noticed was how cohesive sounding these speakers were, they seemed to never have dips between woofers/mids/tweeters, the transition was see else's and never did I hear any oddities in the sound. Not sure if I'm explaining this well enough, but it sounded like *A* speaker, not a box of drivers... I'd say chalk that up to good crossovers and well matched drivers and crossover points. If these speakers were a car I'd say a Lexus LS 400, well engineered, smooth, refined, reliable, but not overly exciting or an enthusiasts car, but it gets the job done with aplomb. Overall I would recommend these speakers wholeheartedly, just know what your ears like.
Fluance SS: ( Price paid: $980 (for home theater system, $750 for just fronts))
The words that come to mind for Fluance are beefy, industrial, reserved, bright and uneven. The first thing you will notice when you get these speakers is that they are huge and they really fit better in at least a medium to large size room. Having a said that they are still quite attractive and for the shear amount of hardware you get it's a hell of a deal. Of special note are the isolation feet included they are like mini-grenades that weigh at least a pound each - they really anchor these beasts. Sound wise, They were the most perplexing of the speakers to my ear as they had a few distinct characteristics that really jumped out at me when compared to rbh's. The first is that they are simply much more on the bright side. Horns, guitars, pretty much everything I threw at them they are just brighter than I'm used too. Some may like this, but I was fatigued after an hour or so sessions. As far as bass, this is a strong suit as it really has the bass, but in my listening space, which simply I feel is too small due to speaker depth, was overly boomy and bloated without pulling the speakers around 3 feet from untreated wall. Unlike Rbh's soundstage the fluance's did not have as much separation for me in the same room. Decent, but they seemed more like point sources than the rbh's. In a similar vein therefore they were not as transparent either. Also, unlike the rbh's the one glaring observation I had is that there was a characteristic that I can only describe as hollow. I feel, and it's purely speculative on my part, like there is a gap between mids and subs somewhere as it really felt like two different speakers (bookshelf and sub) and the crossover between them was not quite dialed in. If this speaker was a car I'd go with the Hummer, big, beefy, brutish and great for thumping things. Overall I think for everything you get at this price it's worth a trail especially if you have a large enough room as it wants to play loud. I have a feeling this speaker may really improve with a stronger amplifier and maybe bi-amped, I'll try that in my media room with my ATI 2007 setup downstairs next.
Overall:
Given a relatively small space 13x16, the Rbh is the winner in this contest for my ears and what I like. I don't like to say one speaker is definitely better or worse then another as everyone has their opinion. In fact my wife much prefers the fluance's so much I may end up keeping them for our larger bedroom 17x20. Anyways, to me these speakers really speak to two different groups of people... If you like warm, smooth and refined go with the rbh's if you want brighter and sharper sound with some nice deep base (without additional sub) the fluance's are a great bargain.
Just my two cents given this setup, room, songs, and my ears.
