RC3R : or, so good I forgot it was a speaker!...

bikes and beats · « **on:** 23 Nov 2003, 01:08 am »

Hello,
I'm new to the Circles, and I'd just like to say thanks to Rick Craig for trusting me with his prized and obviously expensive creations.
I've been listening to these big bookshelfs for a few days and the first night it was Brad Judy and I putting them through the paces.
This is not the official review, that will come later.
But for now, I'll just say, good beats!

BikeWNC · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 01:17 am »

Welcome! It's good to have another cyclist around these parts. The weather is still great around here so I'll be riding about 5 hours tomorrow. Gotta go while I can cause it will be trainer time soon.

Andy

BradJudy · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 03:22 am »

I had the chance to listen to the RC3R for a couple of hours. 'bikes and beats' was a very kind host.

I thought the RC3R was a very good speaker - something to put on your list if you're in the market. Having only listened to it for a short time, I can't give a detailed review. I will say that they didn't do anything wrong to my ears. Rick has done well at the challenging job of blending a 3-way well.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 04:23 am »

What did you guy think of the appearance/fit 'n' finish? They look drop dead gorgeous in the pictures; are they as nice 'in the flesh'? Looks like a steal at $1300 in the Rosewood finish.

bikes and beats · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 07:03 pm »

Hi Andy, Good God! Five hours! in NOVEMBER!?!? Well, I'm jealous. It's 18 degrees here today. I'm looking forwad to XC skiing in the coming months.

Brad, I ended up tryng an Onix integrated a120 from the dudes at AV123. First off, it has a good sound and incredibe bass right off the bat. Did yours need any kind of break in? Compared to the Crown, very close!

To the guy asking about fit'n'finish. My brother is a woodworker and he spend considerable time eyeballing the cabinets. Everyone has been very impressed with the finish work. Functionally, these speakers are INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH. They've been manhandled by the UPS apes all over the country and have the dents to prove it, but still work beautifully. Not the kind of abuse anyone would normally subject their gear to.

BradJudy · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 10:59 pm »

Quote from: bikes and beats

Brad, I ended up tryng an Onix integrated a120 from the dudes at AV123. First off, it has a good sound and incredibe bass right off the bat. Did yours need any kind of break in? Compared to the Crown, very close!

The A-120 is definitely a good deal - $400 for a dual-mono 120W/channel integrated is quite nice. I cracked mine open last night to take a look at some of the parts. Both the volume control and balance are Alps Blue (potentiometer of choice for many in the DIY world), two 3.5A/45V torodial transformers, 40,000uF of Rubycon caps (total for both channels), solid brass knobs. I don't know much about the relative quality of the transistors, but they sound good to my ears. I think I'd be hard pressed to put something like this together for near that cost.

I can't say that I recall any major, or even minor, changes through use, but I haven't been listening for them.

I have to agree that the speaker look very nice - I believe they are the exact pair shown on the Selah website. It's a shame they've taken some bumps on their tour, but that's life.