RSL Speakers CG5 Bookshelf Speaker and CG25 Monitor / Center Speaker Review

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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
While RSL Speakers might not be a household name, audio enthusiasts who stay on top of noteworthy brands will certainly know about RSL speakers due to their reputation among hobbyists and the general acclaim they receive the audio community. RSL has been gathering a reputation as a source of affordable yet high-fidelity loudspeakers that have accrued an online buzz due to a plethora of positive remarks from professional reviewers and customer testimonials alike. Audioholic’s own encounters with RSL products have found them to be a solid brand, so we were excited to see them enter a higher price bracket when we did a preview article on the recent release of their CG5 and CG25 product line. These are the products that we are going to look at in today’s review where we ask if RSL can maintain the same scale of value and performance while entering a higher price point with their latest offerings.

READ: RSL Speakers CG5 Bookshelf Speaker and CG25 Monitor / Center Speaker Review
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Nice writeup Shady!!!! Definetly going on my list of surrounds to scrutinize those cg25's I'm thinking about big time
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Nice writeup Shady!!!! Definetly going on my list of surrounds to scrutinize those cg25's I'm thinking about big time
The CG5s would do well for surrounds that you can't angle directly at the listening position, since they have a good response on the vertical axis of the tweeter side. Many people use 2-way bookshelf speakers as surrounds but aren't able to angle them enough to get out of a crossover cancellation dip on the vertical axis. The CG25s would make for fine side surrounds, but you do want to have them aimed roughly at the listening position since the vertical dispersion is fairly narrow. All MTMs are like that, they need to be listened with tweeter level with the ears.
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
The CG5s would do well for surrounds that you can't angle directly at the listening position, since they have a good response on the vertical axis of the tweeter side. Many people use 2-way bookshelf speakers as surrounds but aren't able to angle them enough to get out of a crossover cancellation dip on the vertical axis. The CG25s would make for fine side surrounds, but you do want to have them aimed roughly at the listening position since the vertical dispersion is fairly narrow. All MTMs are like that, they need to be listened with tweeter level with the ears.
They would be mounted on the walls exactly at ear height for the tweeter so they are definetly a strong contender I've had very good experiences with RSL as a customer before and with there products those guys are the best
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Very interesting Shady. If I were looking to buy I'd probably go with 3 if the 25s across the front and a pair of 5s for surrounds. It looks like they have 2 versions of the 25 for vertical and horizontal positioning?
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Very interesting Shady. If I were looking to buy I'd probably go with 3 if the 25s across the front and a pair of 5s for surrounds. It looks like they have 2 versions of the 25 for vertical and horizontal positioning?
There is only one CG25.
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
There is only one CG25.
So how bad was the midbass overhang you noticed obviously it was enough for you to mention it but is it a slight change in presentation tonally or something really big enough to notice?
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
So how bad was the midbass overhang you noticed obviously it was enough for you to mention it but is it a slight change in presentation tonally or something really big enough to notice?
I wouldn't call it overhang. It just has a elevated mid-bass response. I think its noticeable if you are listening to tracks you are very familiar with, but you might not know its there if you aren't familiar with the content. Audible, yes, if you are listening for it, but not intrusive or bothersome. Like I said in the review, I think the speakers sound fine, and I don't think its worth even running room correction programs like Audyssey to finesse the response.
 
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zxlankyxz

Audiophyte
I am really like what I am hearing about these RSLs and they look great. I am leaning toward 3x CG25s for the fronts and I am debating about CG3s or CG5s for the surrounds in a 5.1.4. I will be using the C34Es for the 4 ceiling speakers. I would be using this system for watching movies, gaming and also listening to music. I would imagine that for movies there wouldn't be as big of a difference what I pick for surrounds. I am guessing that there would be a larger difference for music though? It's a decent price jump from the CG3 to the CG5, but I would do it if it's worth the performance jump. Attached is a proposed (this is for a basement that we will be finishing) layout for the area. I would likely have to mount them directly on the wall, about 3 feet above ear level and at 90 degrees to the couch with primary listeners on it. It's a large space that is open on all sides, so my primary concern is making sure that the system will fill out the space and sound as good as possible.

1595127378341.png
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
I am really like what I am hearing about these RSLs and they look great. I am leaning toward 3x CG25s for the fronts and I am debating about CG3s or CG5s for the surrounds in a 5.1.4. I will be using the C34Es for the 4 ceiling speakers. I would be using this system for watching movies, gaming and also listening to music. I would imagine that for movies there wouldn't be as big of a difference what I pick for surrounds. I am guessing that there would be a larger difference for music though? It's a decent price jump from the CG3 to the CG5, but I would do it if it's worth the performance jump. Attached is a proposed (this is for a basement that we will be finishing) layout for the area. I would likely have to mount them directly on the wall, about 3 feet above ear level and at 90 degrees to the couch with primary listeners on it. It's a large space that is open on all sides, so my primary concern is making sure that the system will fill out the space and sound as good as possible.

View attachment 38067
I would go for the CG5s as surrounds, and I would mound them such that the tweeter is below the woofer, and the listener is below the tweeter but not at an angle more than 30° below the tweeter, as is outlined in the review.
 
Nachmanowicz

Nachmanowicz

Enthusiast
For a 3m per 3m room (no subwoofer) would you recommend a pair of CG5 or CG25 for a stereo setup?
Are they worth the extra cost compared to the CG3M line?
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General
For a 3m per 3m room (no subwoofer) would you recommend a pair of CG5 or CG25 for a stereo setup?
Are they worth the extra cost compared to the CG3M line?
Depends on how much bass you want....the CG25's definitely have more bass, although the CG5 is no slouch for its size. Sometimes I turn my Speedwoofers off and listen to my RSL's with no sub....pretty decent. They are worth every penny.

The new CG3M line is meant to be used with subs. They have slightly different drivers than the CG line....the real difference is they use a less expensive cabinet finish, no gloss... which had to be very expensive for RSL to produce.

I can also recommend Q Acoustics 3030i's for a 2 channel setup with no sub....very impressive bass response from those !!
 
Nachmanowicz

Nachmanowicz

Enthusiast
Depends on how much bass you want....the CG25's definitely have more bass, although the CG5 is no slouch for its size. Sometimes I turn my Speedwoofers off and listen to my RSL's with no sub....pretty decent. They are worth every penny.

The new CG3M line is meant to be used with subs. They have slightly different drivers than the CG line....the real difference is they use a less expensive cabinet finish, no gloss... which had to be very expensive for RSL to produce.

I can also recommend Q Acoustics 3030i's for a 2 channel setup with no sub....very impressive bass response from those !!
tbh I just saw that the difference in price between the CG25 and CG5 is small.

I found the 3030i's page on Q Acoustics web page but not where to buy 'em....
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General

I have a pair of the white 3030i's with their matching white stands....I really really like them. They were 400 a pair when I got them....have increased in price like everything else.

All of my RSL's are the gloss white...very attractive.
 
Nachmanowicz

Nachmanowicz

Enthusiast
They look cute but boy are they deep, lengthwise. This could be a problem for me .
 
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