New RBH Impression Series Bookshelves Look Interesting.

[zieglj01]

They have caught my eye -- looks like RBH put some work in them, and look better built -- they even have an upper level offering.

R-5 Bookshelf
https://rbhsound.com/r5.php

R-5E Bookshelf
https://rbhsound.com/r5e.php

 

[bradymartin]

i have the previous towers and center.
i bought the upgraded tweeters from brian $35 each (the tweeters they use on the new R-5) a few weeks ago.

they are more alive and forward.

biggest difference i notice is at low volumes. dialogue easy to understand.

if you have the previous version of the impression series and like them except for the laid back tweeter. id highly recommend upgrading to the new tweeters.
i was going to sell the speakers but thought for a little more than a benjamin i should try the upgrade first. glad i did.

unscrew tweeter, and disconnect red and black.
screw on new tweeters and connect red and black.
that was it.

no change to crossovers.
4 minutes tops per tweeter.

 

[KEW]

i have the previous towers and center.
i bought the upgraded tweeters from brian $35 each (the tweeters they use on the new R-5) a few weeks ago.

they are more alive and forward.

biggest difference i notice is at low volumes. dialogue easy to understand.

if you have the previous version of the impression series and like them except for the laid back tweeter. id highly recommend upgrading to the new tweeters.
i was going to sell the speakers but thought for a little more than a benjamin i should try the upgrade first. glad i did.

unscrew tweeter, and disconnect red and black.
screw on new tweeters and connect red and black.
that was it.

no change to crossovers.
4 minutes tops per tweeter.

Nice!
I have heard the Impression towers and while they were very pleasant speakers, they were too laid-back for my preferences. Nice to see they addressed this with their new revision!

 

[stereojunkie]

I am interested on hearing impressions of the new series. I need a center channel to pair with a set of Ascend Sierra 1's and the Impression Series might do the trick. I am constrained with my space and can only have a center that is less than 8.5" deep.

 

[massacre]

The tweets you bought were they the fabric or the silk for 35.00? thanks

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

R-55 Elite Tower link is borken on the RBH site, but if you're curious here's the actual page:
https://rbhsound.com/r55e.php
https://rbhsound.com/img/products/r55e/mz-small/r55e-page.png

 

[j_garcia]

Also noticed the 515 and 515E LCRs. Curious about the aluminum vs poly mid & fabric tweeter option and why they went to the length of offering both for the whole line.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Also noticed the 515 and 515E LCRs. Curious about the aluminum vs poly mid & fabric tweeter option and why they went to the length of offering both for the whole line.

I'm gonna go on the limb here, but I am guessing they sound a bit different [/rimshot]

 

[j_garcia]

I'm gonna go on the limb here, but I am guessing they sound a bit different [/rimshot]

No doubt, just can't think of a time I've seen one line with two options like this released at the same time.

 

[shadyJ]

No doubt, just can't think of a time I've seen one line with two options like this released at the same time.

The preview article that audioholics just ran on the new Impression speakers explains that a bit.

 

[KEW]

The preview article that audioholics just ran on the new Impression speakers explains that a bit.

According to this article, the Elit series tweeter is nano-silk, yet it looks metallic!
Looking at the photos, I would definitely assume metal tweeters.
How did they end up with this finish? Is this some type of coating they applied to the silk?
What is "nano silk"?
I found references to it on a (fishing) Fly Tying website which says it is a Gel Spun Polyester, but plastics don't typically pass for a shiny metal without some sort of coating.

 

[shadyJ]

Nano-silk is just a kind of micro-fibre, so it could have been dyed, I am guessing. I can ask RBH when I talk to them next. Audioholics will be doing a review of the R5 and R-515, by the way, and I have them in house. It won't occur soon though, there is a bunch of other speakers I have to get out of the way first.

 

[KEW]

Nano-silk is just a kind of micro-fibre, so it could have been dyed, I am guessing. I can ask RBH when I talk to them next. Audioholics will be doing a review of the R5 and R-515, by the way, and I have them in house. It won't occur soon though, there is a bunch of other speakers I have to get out of the way first.

I don't know if it is appropriate, but can you let us know what the upcoming speaker reviews are (I assume the speakers you need to get out of teh way are review units).
It seems like AH might want to have a published list of upcoming reviews to stir and maintain interest!?

 

[shadyJ]

I don't know if it is appropriate, but can you let us know what the upcoming speaker reviews are (I assume the speakers you need to get out of teh way are review units).
It seems like AH might want to have a published list of upcoming reviews to stir and maintain interest!?

There are some that I want to keep as a surprise, but I will share a few. We will be doing a series of reviews that covers very inexpensive speakers. In this roundup, we will look at the Dayton MK402s, Monoprice 65RT Ribbon speakers, Monoprice Select 4" 2-way, the Polk T15, and Dayton B452-AIR speakers. All of these speakers are $70 or less per pair at retail. We will also be incorporating a couple corresponding centers in the reviews for these, the Dayton C452-AIR and Dayton MK442 center. The MK442 center was just announced today, by the way, so this is a brand spanking new product. After that, we will tackle the RBH speakers. All of these speakers will be given the full spin-o-rama treatment, so they will all have a very deep measurement set. There are also some other really cool speakers on the slate that I am excited about, but I am keeping those a surprise for now!

Regarding subs, there will be a combo review of the Monoprice Monolith THX 10" Select and 12" THX Ultra. We will probably be getting the 15" THX Ultra sometime in the summer too. There will be some others, but not everything is 100% confirmed at the moment, so I don't want to say anything about those.

About your idea for a published list of reviews, that is not a bad idea. One problem is that sometimes we plan for a review that doesn't end up happening, for variety of reasons, so it might not be good to get people's hopes up for a review of a product that doesn't occur. It would be aggravating for someone who is really looking forward to an in-depth review of a product to wait a long while and then get hit with the news that review is not going to happen. Also sometimes these reviews take a long time to create after they have been arranged initially, so that wait could also be trying on some people's patience. But publishing a list of upcoming reviews would be Gene's decision anyway.

 

[KEW]

All of these speakers will be given the full spin-o-rama treatment...

Wow!
Cool!
Are you using this term a little loosely, or do you have access to Harmon Labs, or did you (or someone) DIY a spin-o-rama?

 

[shadyJ]

Wow!
Cool!
Are you using this term a little loosely, or do you have access to Harmon Labs, or did you (or someone) DIY a spin-o-rama?

Not using the term loosely. I use a DIY spin-o-rama device, you can see it in some of my past bookshelf reviews, such as this image from this page.

 

[KEW]

Not using the term loosely. I use a DIY spin-o-rama device, you can see it in some of my past bookshelf reviews, such as this image from this page.

Ah, I had seen it, but skimmed over the description, also, guess I was partially thinking of Harmon's speaker swapping system for A-B'ing speakers against each other, which obviously is not needed for a normal review (DOH!).
I shouldn't post when I am in a rush!

 

[shadyJ]

Ah, I had seen it, but skimmed over the description, also, guess I was partially thinking of Harmon's speaker swapping system for A-B'ing speakers against each other, which obviously is not needed for a normal review (DOH!).
I shouldn't post when I am in a rush!

Yeah, you are thinking of Harman's shuffler. The 'spin-o-rama' is where responses at every 10 degree angle on the vertical and horizontal axis are turned into curves that have predictive value. It has been adopted by the consumer electronics association as their measurement standard, the CTA-2034 standard. There is some good info about it on this page, in particular this image. It is explained in depth in Floyd Tool's latest edition of Sound Reproduction, the third edition.

 

[Ernie Schmuntz]

They have caught my eye -- looks like RBH put some work in them, and look better built -- they even have an upper level offering.

R-5 Bookshelf
https://rbhsound.com/r5.php

R-5E Bookshelf
https://rbhsound.com/r5e.php

Not just interesting. I have been listening to the R5e for about a month (pays to live close to their facilities). It has one of the finest tweeters I have heard. Overall, the best bookshelf I have ever owned. They have an amazing sound stage. I own their reference grade speakers in my main theater room, but this is my choice for two channel music. They hit a home run.

 

[zieglj01]

Not just interesting. I have been listening to the R5e for about a month (pays to live close to their facilities). It has one of the finest tweeters I have heard. Overall, the best bookshelf I have ever owned. They have an amazing sound stage. I own their reference grade speakers in my main theater room, but this is my choice for two channel music. They hit a home run.

Good report -- I would like to hear a pair soon