RBH Sound Impression 85-1 Floor-Standing Loudspeaker Review

AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
What are your thoughts on running them in say< 2.1? LEF/+mains in a 5.1/5.2 surround. assuming one isn't using a Yamaha AVR that has say, one DSP set to on? in 2 channel set with Sub use. (Extra Bass) set to on. assuming.
When I had the Revel Salon2 (XO frequencies 150Hz, 575Hz, 2.3kHz), I set my Salon2 to SMALL and XO in my Denon to 150Hz. They sounded great.

When I had the KEF Reference 201/2 (XO frequencies 145Hz, 2.5kHz) I set my KEF to SMALL and XO in my Denon to 150Hz. They sounded great.

When you had your $2K/pair RBH R-55E (XO 120Hz, 3kHz) and dedicated Sub, didn’t you set them up as Small in your Yamaha AVR?

Editorial Note by Shane Rich: Regarding Bass Crossover
I’m personally not a fan of a crossover point on the woofer that high, even if it is a 2nd order filter as long as the midrange drivers support lower frequency response (which is the case for the R-55E). There is there is still too much midrange energy from the woofers that negatively affects the imaging. I chose to implement a 1st order filter on the R-55E bass drivers at 120Hz.
Response by Steve Feinstein (Reviewer):
RBH has a valid point about the first-order woofer slope. 120Hz at 6 dB/oct means the woofer is only down 6dB at 240Hz and still only 12dB down at 480Hz--yes, the woofers will still have some audible output well into the midrange. Plus, 1st-order slopes preserve coherent phase, so there is no potentially distracting phase shift right in the heart of the sensitive vocal region of the midrange.
 
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Bobby Bass

Bobby Bass

Audioholic General
They look like excellent low cost speakers for the right sized room. I had towers with a powered sub and a passive radiator on one side of each Tower They sounded excellent until one of the amps quit. I Like that these are passive so no amp to worry about.
 
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Tankini

Senior Audioholic
When I had the Revel Salon2 (XO frequencies 150Hz, 575Hz, 2.3kHz), I set my Salon2 to SMALL and XO in my Denon to 150Hz. They sounded great.

When I had the KEF Reference 201/2 (XO frequencies 145Hz, 2.5kHz) I set my KEF to SMALL and XO in my Denon to 150Hz. They sounded great.

When you had your $2K/pair RBH R-55E (XO 120Hz, 3kHz) and dedicated Sub, didn’t you set them up as Small in your Yamaha AVR?

Andrew, that would be a Big Fat Nooo!!! Lol. Me being me, I'm a BassAholic!!:D I set (Sub) PEQ (manual). Trimmed that cheap 12" sub to my liking. And Full Range set 2.1 with (Extra Bass) in YAPO> settings to "ON" :D.
Only use that setting for 2.1 music (Critical listening) with Volume set depending on my mood, sometimes reference :D level. But then Neighbors start coming out their house. And PoPo comes driving by real slow the first pass by. Second time PoPo passes by with lights on, than I lower volume down to -25dbs.:) Now to Answer your question, for movie surround I'll use those settings in your post as a starting point in a 5.1.So yes Sir! Towers are dialed in on settings to small. plus I'll take Yamaha A4A out of manual set in PEQ to what Yamaha ARC set to (Flat) when I ran Auto Set with the supplied ("Mic+ stand) that Yamaha supplied with the Aventage. I call it my boomerang stand.;)

Edit @AcuDefTechGuy those Elite towers, R-55E are a very Special RBH tower, give them room to Breathe for the lack of a better word. One will understand the full meaning of why RBH will not stamp a unworthy speaker won't stamp the RBH name badge on the grills. That's the only pair of RBH towers I've ever owned. I can only imagine what your RBH towers sound like. Gene has Flagship RBH towers. To use an analogy of RBH speakers, think high Octane fuel for Pro Funny car 1/4 mile drag. High performance high quality sound with ungodly amount of bass accuracy and clarity. If you ever been to a drag race, you know how loud it can get well that's RBH speaker's, and still sound great at reference levels. :)
 
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AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Andrew, that would be a Big Fat Nooo!!! Lol. Me being me, I'm a BassAholic!!:D I set (Sub) PEQ (manual). Trimmed that cheap 12" sub to my liking. And Full Range set 2.1 with (Extra Bass) in YAPO> settings to "ON" :D.
Only use that setting for 2.1 music (Critical listening) with Volume set depending on my mood, sometimes reference :D level. But then Neighbors start coming out their house. And PoPo comes driving by real slow the first pass by. Second time PoPo passes by with lights on, than I lower volume down to -25dbs.:) Now to Answer your question, for movie surround I'll use those settings in your post as a starting point in a 5.1.So yes Sir! Towers are dialed in on settings to small. plus I'll take Yamaha A4A out of manual set in PEQ to what Yamaha ARC set to (Flat) when I ran Auto Set with the supplied ("Mic+ stand) that Yamaha supplied with the Aventage. I call it my boomerang stand.;)

Edit @AcuDefTechGuy those Elite towers, R-55E are a very Special RBH tower, give them room to Breathe for the lack of a better word. One will understand the full meaning of why RBH will not stamp a unworthy speaker won't stamp the RBH name badge on the grills. That's the only pair of RBH towers I've ever owned. I can only imagine what your RBH towers sound like. Gene has Flagship RBH towers. To use an analogy of RBH speakers, think high Octane fuel for Pro Funny car 1/4 mile drag. High performance high quality sound with ungodly amount of bass accuracy and clarity. If you ever been to a drag race, you know how loud it can get well that's RBH speaker's, and still sound great at reference levels. :)
Oh, so in 2CH mode, you can set the Yamaha front speakers to LARGE + EXTRA BASS and still get LFE output (2.1CH)?

But for 5.1CH+ modes, you need to set speakers to SMALL to get LFE.
 
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Tankini

Senior Audioholic
Oh, so in 2CH mode, you can set the Yamaha front speakers to LARGE + EXTRA BASS and still get LFE output (2.1CH)?

But for 5.1CH+ modes, you need to set speakers to SMALL to get LFE.
From my understanding, 2.1 (Extra Bass)set to on in 2.0 Yamaha calls that setting (Extra Bass) :rolleyes: filtered at 120Hz? According to Gene & PENG. I never called into Yamaha CS, who knows what one will get speaking to a first Yamaha CS rep. I do not believe LFE is out putted using 2.0 than activating (Extra Bass) in the setting 2.0 without activating .1Sub will not receive a low pass signal. But I believe you know that already. Assuming;) since in your dedicated HT room with those, what 12-12" passive subs you have.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
From my understanding, 2.1 (Extra Bass)set to on in 2.0 Yamaha calls that setting (Extra Bass) :rolleyes: filtered at 120Hz? According to Gene & PENG. I never called into Yamaha CS, who knows what one will get speaking to a first Yamaha CS rep. I do not believe LFE is out putted using 2.0 than activating (Extra Bass) in the setting 2.0 without activating .1Sub will not receive a low pass signal. But I believe you know that already. Assuming;) since in your dedicated HT room with those, what 12-12" passive subs you have.
Well, I have always set all my speakers (Salon2, B&W 802D2, Linkwitz Orion 3.2.1, RBH, etc.) to small.

For Denon/Marantz, I could always get Sub/LFE output whether I set my speakers to Small or Large or even use Pure Direct mode. This is one of the best things about Denon/Marantz.

I did experiment on my Yamaha using Extra Bass. I recall getting extra bass, but can’t recall the exact conditions (Small vs Large). I do know I couldn’t get Extra Bass or LFE in Pure Direct mode. Not a big deal for my HT system since I always set my speakers to small.
 
panteragstk

panteragstk

Audioholic Warlord
I'd be curious to see how different the ribbon version of this speaker is.
 
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Tankini

Senior Audioholic
Dang man sorry to hear that. Hey ride it out put back money after you get past this in a year flip the polks and buy these speakers!!!!!
I do believe my days of chasing the audio ghost are nearing its end. My age, my life's choices have come knocking me into a reality check. Much more important issues have come upon my plate. There's this ole saying, when life comes knocking one must put aside the things that can weigh a person down. As much as I've enjoyed my time spent with audio/video, ole father time has come knocking. Medicines, doctors, specialist are the utmost important factor in my life as of now. Everyone believes in more time, when in fact time waits for no one.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
@AcuDefTechGuy So is >your sister-in-law still the BOSS?! LOL. YOU BEING A rx<SHOULDNT LOWER YOUR Standing at the table of family.:D She a KAREN!!!!!!!!. Cardiologist she's never first. :D Not very nice either.
She was never the boss. She has always been the loser black sheep. And now that her parents have moved to California to get away from her, she is no longer at our table at all. :D
 
F

Fira

Audiophyte
The thread reviews RBH Sound Impression 85-1 floor-standing speakers, focusing on design choices like its bass performance and crossover frequencies. Some users criticize its technical design, suggesting a lack of balance in frequency response and bass quality. Others praise the soundstage and affordability for a U.S.-made speaker. The debate highlights diverse listening preferences and how technical specifications translate to real-world performance.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
The thread reviews RBH Sound Impression 85-1 floor-standing speakers, focusing on design choices like its bass performance and crossover frequencies. Some users criticize its technical design, suggesting a lack of balance in frequency response and bass quality. Others praise the soundstage and affordability for a U.S.-made speaker. The debate highlights diverse listening preferences and how technical specifications translate to real-world performance.
was this written by ChatGTP?
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
was this written by ChatGTP?
I am thinking this is a new thing. Bots that use AI to make a comment that is vaguely on subject to seem legitimate, and the spam and/or security breaches come later. I have seen a few weird posts like this. The problem is that this is a Nexus 5 model, so while it can make subject matter appropriate comments, it doesn't know how to make seemingly appropriate or relavant contributions. I fear the Nexus 6 models will not suffer these flaws, and the only way to discern the next gen AI from humans will be fine discrepancies in prose that only intelligent native speakers will identify.

And god help us all when the Nexus 7 models come online...
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
was this written by ChatGTP?
I think a lot of these come from Russia. We have had a few of these bots lately I think. So I ask them "How the weather is in Moscow?"
 
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Tankini

Senior Audioholic
I think a lot of these come from Russia. We have had a few of these bots lately I think. So I ask them "How the weather is in Moscow?"
Ooh now you went and done it! KGB got you on a list for sure ;). "How the weather is in Moscow" I didn't read Genes comments or yours or even the whole thread. Ran across your post, "chatbot" lolo after all them Russians stole Genes website or copied it. All I know is Gene got very upset about that. Thanks for the laugh, much appreciated. "how the weather is in Moscow" lolo.
 
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