AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Home Theater and Video => Topic started by: ajzepp on 27 Nov 2012, 05:43 am
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Hey All...
I've not been in the market for speakers for a few years, but I'm putting together a smallish home theater/headphone room and have been looking for some little 2-ways. I have some speakers that probably are largely unknown, so I wanted to start a thread where I can share some of my feedback. Rogersound Labs was apparently very popular in California back in the 70s up through the early 90s. Howard, the designer and owner, retired, but as he began developing a speaker for his own home theater, apparently others who heard it felt he really had something. This could be a very nice origin story for marketing purposes, who knows, but there is enough buzz out there for me to at least give them an honest listen.
Here is the link to the website www.rslspeakers.com
I've ordered a pair of the CG4 monitors, and they are expected to arrive on Friday 11/30. I'll post some initial impressions fresh out of the box, but Howard has mentioned about six times that they need approx 40 hours of burn-in before they'll open up and show their true selves. I will certainly oblige him and give them plenty of burn-in time while I'm at work on Saturday and during football on Sunday. If the speakers are the real deal, my plan is to order a center and surrounds to complete the 5.1 rig. I already have a little subwoofer (again, one of the best kept secrets in audio, IMO) in the Outlaw Audio M8. It's a little 8" driver model that is unbelievably potent. It's perfect for my apartment setting, especially when I have it up on the Auralex SubDude isolation riser (worth its weight in gold).
So anyway, I'll update this thread as I go, and if anyone wants to chime in in the meantime please feel free!
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Thanks for reminding me of RSL. I recognized the logo immediately, but had completely forgotten about them. It's nice to know they are still kicking (and making great product, apparently!)
I'm looking forward to your impressions.
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Russell: I was hoping someone would recognize the name. I've been involved with high end audio for about 12 years or so now and I had no idea who they were. I will tell you what, though, the customer service I've received thus far (pre-sale) has been stellar. Personalized, prompt, and very helpful. The impression thus far as been very positive.
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Russell: I was hoping someone would recognize the name. I've been involved with high end audio for about 12 years or so now and I had no idea who they were. I will tell you what, though, the customer service I've received thus far (pre-sale) has been stellar. Personalized, prompt, and very helpful. The impression thus far as been very positive.
If you grew up in LA, and are old enough to remember the 70s and 80's, you probably remember RSL.
I was also surprised that RSL had be resurrected, I remember their going out of business sale in the early 90's, but like Russell had not thought about them in years.
There were other chain stereo stores in LA back then, Pacific and Federated are two that I remember that also went out of business at some point.
Randy
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I can't link it since I'm at work, but if you go on youtube there is a video of the RSL commercial from the 80s...it's really good quality and pretty funny to see! Some of the gear looks surprisingly appealing even though it's 30 years old.
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My first impression is that they tick many boxes for high-value budget speakers (cast frame midbass, air core inductors, polypropylene capacitors, magnetic grilles), but I'm wondering about the 100Hz crossover. I would prefer a 70Hz to 80Hz crossover point, but perhaps the design choice sacrificed 20Hz - 30Hz of low frequency response in favor of a slightly higher 88dB sensitivity.
AJ, do you have any other small two-ways that you might compare them to?
Steve
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My first impression is that they tick many boxes for high-value budget speakers (cast frame midbass, air core inductors, polypropylene capacitors, magnetic grilles), but I'm wondering about the 100Hz crossover. I would prefer a 70Hz to 80Hz crossover point, but perhaps the design choice sacrificed 20Hz - 30Hz of low frequency response in favor of a slightly higher 88dB sensitivity.
AJ, do you have any other small two-ways that you might compare them to?
Steve
Hey Steve!
I've auditioned quite a few little 2-ways over the years, cause that's my preference in a speaker after Magnepans, but the only ones I have in house right now are the little AudioEngine A2s. I heard a ton of monitors and smallish 2-way floorstanders (e.g. Totem Arro) between 2005-2009, but once I bought the Maggie 3.6s I really haven't even paid attention to spekaers in general.
I had some concerns about the crossover too, so if I keep them I'll likely add in a 2nd subwoofer to smooth things out a bit and to make sure everything blends in well. One of the earliest audition experiences I had, though - and this was lke back in the mid-90s - was a pair of Monitor Audio 2-ways with dual Vandersteen subs. That demo left a lasting impression on me, and I've been a fan of the sub/sat arrangement ever since. I'm often in the minority in terms of preference, but I would rather go with a quality sub/sat than a larger 3-way floorstanding dynamic speaker.
The other speaker Im really hoping to demo in my home are the Silverline Minuets, which I'll have in before the trial period on the RSLs is up...unless the RSLs just bowl me over with awesomeness. A few other speakers have made an appearance on my short list over the last few weeks, including the Ascend Acoustics models. I even though it might be fun to bring it full circle and pick up a set of Paradigm Atoms...that's the speaker I started with back in 2001 and apparently the current model is quite good.
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Hey Steve!
I've auditioned quite a few little 2-ways over the years, cause that's my preference in a speaker after Magnepans, but the only ones I have in house right now are the little AudioEngine A2s. I heard a ton of monitors and smallish 2-way floorstanders (e.g. Totem Arro) between 2005-2009, but once I bought the Maggie 3.6s I really haven't even paid attention to spekaers in general.
I had some concerns about the crossover too, so if I keep them I'll likely add in a 2nd subwoofer to smooth things out a bit and to make sure everything blends in well. One of the earliest audition experiences I had, though - and this was lke back in the mid-90s - was a pair of Monitor Audio 2-ways with dual Vandersteen subs. That demo left a lasting impression on me, and I've been a fan of the sub/sat arrangement ever since. I'm often in the minority in terms of preference, but I would rather go with a quality sub/sat than a larger 3-way floorstanding dynamic speaker.
The other speaker Im really hoping to demo in my home are the Silverline Minuets, which I'll have in before the trial period on the RSLs is up...unless the RSLs just bowl me over with awesomeness. A few other speakers have made an appearance on my short list over the last few weeks, including the Ascend Acoustics models. I even though it might be fun to bring it full circle and pick up a set of Paradigm Atoms...that's the speaker I started with back in 2001 and apparently the current model is quite good.
Hello,
Thanks to ajzepp for starting the thread about our speakers and to Russell Dawkins for letting us know about it. For the past couple of weeks I have enjoyed communicating the ajzepp about our speakers. We’ve been on some of the other forums and often answer questions about our older models as well as our current offerings.
I noted (and understand) one concern that srb made about the CG4 having a low frequency response down to 100 Hz. Our main criteria for the CG4’s design was clarity and imaging in the upper bass and mids. We felt we could achieve better results by not having to also make sure it would also have bass extension. I would normally agree that a 100 Hz low end response could be a concern. However, the CG4 was designed to be used with our subwoofer, the RSL Speedwoofer 10. So the next question you may be asking is: Don’t most people recommend a crossover point of 80 Hz or below? The answer would normally be yes. Most subwoofers localize above that frequency.
The reason they localize above 80 Hz is because they have poor transient response that’s typified by overhang. They don’t stop when the music does. When we talk with customers who are looking to upgrade, we ask them if it’s easy to localize their subwoofer. Most answer yes. And that’s often with crossover frequencies below 80.
A very fast subwoofer without overhang such as our Speedwoofer 10 will not localize. It will not start to localize until you cross it over above 120 Hz. It integrates perfectly with the CG4. We recommend a crossover point at 90 or 100 Hz. Why as low as 90 if the CG4 is rated to 100 Hz? There is still considerable energy at 90 Hz and below. Also, if a subwoofer crosses over at 90 it doesn’t fall off the side of a mountain above that frequency. Typical subwoofer crossovers are 12 db/octave. So if you use a 90 Hz crossover point, there will be enough output from the sub and the CG4 to give a flat response.
RSL Speakers
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Tomorrow is the big day...I have even taken the day off in honor of the RSL arrival :thumb:
I'm very interested to see if these little guys will play nice with my Outlaw M8 sub. I'm sure it's not of the same quality as the Speedwoofer, but it's a very clean sub that outperforms its price point with ease. I'll give the CG4s plenty of time to break in over the next week or two, but out of the box it will receive a steady dose of music and movies in order that I may formulate some initial impressions. Some things I'll be looking for are transparency, which I find crucial to my enjoyment of any speaker these days, and also tonality. Since these will be used in a 5.1 capacity if I ultimately decide to keep them, I'm not too concerned about the size of the sound stage or even imaging. The surround tracks will take care of much of that. I hate to keep using the Magnepan example, but I'm accustomed to an uncanny level of realism with my main system. I will not hold them to that standard, of course, but will need to properly reproduce vocals and allow the best quality tracks and soundtracks to really shine.
I will give them every opportunity to succeed in my environment and for the intended purpose of handling the 5.1 duties in a smallish bedroom theater. I also will be honest in my opinions and won't sugar coat anything...I'm sure RSL would not have it any other way.
Will report back Friday evening with my early impressions and some pics!
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While I"m going through the break-in process, here are some pics...
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71610)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71611)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71612)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71613)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71614)
They actually look much better than my iPhone camera would lead you to believe. Very substantial speakers with small footprint.
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I have a pair if old RSLs . The woofer needs to be put back back in and glued down , part of the mdf has changed over time and the screws in wood haven't held up. It was a used pair I bought on eBay never listened to them yet just have never fixed woofer but man they are one solid pair of speakers.
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I have a pair if old RSLs . The woofer needs to be put back back in and glued down , part of the mdf has changed over time and the screws in wood haven't held up. It was a used pair I bought on eBay never listened to them yet just have never fixed woofer but man they are one solid pair of speakers.
I had fun on youtube looking at videos of older Rogersound models....I swear, if you use quality headphones, you can really discern differences among speakers when the recording is properly done. I get a kick out of doing that. So far the most impressive video was the demo of the NOLA Baby Grand Reference.
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Earlier today, after about the first three hours, I contacted RSL because the speakers were just sounding terrible. There was just no way that it was because they weren't broken in....either these were the most disappointing speakers I've ever heard or I had overlooked something at set-up. So I started with the basics...made sure all the connections were good...well as I was in the process of troubleshooting, I realized the issue. I am using an Onkyo stereo receiver and a sony bluray player for right now, and since the receiver is not HDMI compatible i've been running separate cables for audio. Well, I had the bluray player analog outs going into the receiver, but I had forgotten that I ALSO had the analog outs from the tv running into the receiver, too. This set of outputs has been problematic (distortion, overall poor quality) ever since a lightening storm earlier in the year and I never use them, I just had forgotten to disconnect the cable. So what I THOUGHT was the direct bluray signal was actually the audio out of the tv...the audio was traveling from the hdmi of the player to the tv, and then from the distorted analog outs into the receiver. I had the receiver set to Line 1/DVD, which was in fact the tv output.
SOOOOO, guess what...once I switched to the bluray input directly, the speakers came alive. I don't know that I"m completely blown away yet, but we're moving in the right direction. I'm going to burn them in tomorrow and Sunday while at work and during football, and then will see where we are on Monday. Needless to say, I'm far more hopeful now than I was earlier today. My litmus test is always my lady friend (she doesn't understand the gear at all, but she knows when something sounds different), and the minute I put it on Line 2 - the bluray - she immediately asked me what I did and why does it sound so much better. They are currently just sitting on top of a bookcase and I don't have the subwoofer hooked up, so there is a lot of room for improvement. Once I get them up on stands and dial in the Outlaw M8, I expect the sound to really fill out.
I'll wrap for now by saying that as of the end of day 1, I'm liking what I'm hearing.
More to come...
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*crickets*
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Hi AJ, just got back from a 9 day trip to PC Repair for a severe virus "turkey" attack. :lol: Well in my catching up mode, I just ran across your thread,,, very interesting as I too remember this monitor brand from the past and I also remember reading the review of this surround system from last years Sound & Vision mag. While a monitor with a 4" driver may be the bomb for HT, I'm more interested in reading what you have to say about listening to music,,, sound stage, depth, imaging, that sorta thing.
HERE'S (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=111576.0) just what you need for that piano finish. Just got some for my centers & subwoofer and my piano finish has never looked so damn sharp. :thumb:
Cricket,
Robin
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Woohooo!!!! A visitor!!! And one of my favorite visitors at that! Welcome, Cricket!! :lol:
Thanks for the tip on that Cory polish...I just added to my Amazon list!
Even though I'll rarely be using these for music (I listen to headphones for music most of the time now), my belief is that if they're great for music, they'll be great for HT. That won't be true for everyone, but my goals for HT are detail, realism, and proper timbre/tonality. I'm not really after massive SPLs, so for me this theory works. That being said, tonight has been a revelation! I am slowly transitioning to sharing an apartment with a lady friend, and this is where the new little HT room will be. So I have the CG4s connected to an Onkyo stereo receiver for the time being. I let them burn in from 11pm Friday night all the way up through the time I got home tonight, which was around 8pm. I also decided to go ahead and bring my trusty Outlaw M8 subwoofer - and the Auralex subdude isolation riser, of course! - and introduce them to the RSLs. I've always just used some sort of processor or multichannel preamp that has a sub out on it, so this was my first chance to use the speaker ins/outs on the actual sub and try to dial it in. I got everything wired up, took a guess with the crossover at a little over 100hz, set the gain on the sub, and....WOW, talk about an impressive demo! Unlike Friday night, tonight far exceeded my expectations. I haven't fired up the M8 in several months, and I've never used it in this capacity, so I have to say that this just furthered my belief that this is easily the best "budget" sub I've ever heard. After some minor tweaking with the crossover point and the sub gain, I finally got it dialed in so well that I couldn't even really concentrate on what I was watching...I just kept LISTENING.
Don't get me wrong....the speakers are sounding much better now that I've troubleshooted a bit...but the star of the show tonight is clearly the Outlaw. I LOVE this subwoofer, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the market. I barely have the gain set to 1/8 of the dial, and that's as much as I need....this thing is a damn powerhouse. I'm in movie mode tonight, so going to watch The Raven (John Cusack) and then tomorrow I'll fire up some more tunes while Im watching football. Yesterday, I really thought I'd end up sending these RSLs back, but today I'm far more optimistic. I knew these were specifically designed to be used in conjunction with a subwoofer, but this is truly remarkable. There is still a fair bit of room for improvement, though....the gear will improve substantially, and I'll order some Plateau stands for the CG4s in a week or two to get them off this cabinet/bookcase thing. They are also a bit low compared to where my ears are since I'm listening from the bed, so the fact that they're already sounding this much better - and the fact that I'm getting AMAZING sound with the sub connected - bodes well for the future.
All I really wanted was a great set of speakers for movies....I think I may end up getting that, but also a rig that will be very nice for 5.1 music, as well. Still need to spend more time with them, but I'm pretty excited. :thumb:
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All I really wanted was a great set of speakers for movies....I think I may end up getting that, but also a rig that will be very nice for 5.1 music, as well. Still need to spend more time with them, but I'm pretty excited. :thumb:
Less we forget, only $1250 for 5 monitors and that's pretty great too (if they indeed are the HT bomb). 8)
Good luck & happy listening AJ. :thumb:
Cheers,
Robin
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Absolutely, the price is certainly right with these...if they can truly give me even more than great HT, then they'll be a fantastic bargain. I'm really looking forward to evaluating them even more critically w/out the subwoofer again. As much as I love how things have sounded tonight, I can't allow the sub to sell me on the speakers. Well, I supposed I can a LITTLE since they are, in fact, designed to be paired with a sub....but I still want to be sold on the merits of the speakers alone, and I think that's possible. It may even be "likely" after tonight :) Friday night, I briefly felt the need to go back to the drawing board...perhaps consider the Ascend Acoustics that everyone has been telling me about....but tonight I feel there is hope that, once again, my research and patience has paid off...thanks for the support!
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Ya'know, I was looking over the RSL product line and I'm wondering why you didn't spend the extra $75 per speaker for the CG24, especially how you'll probably want one as a center down the road anyways. Dual woofers for lower 85 Hz frequency and a higher 90 db SPL sensitivity, I personally think it would have been worth the extra $75 for a more dynamic HT system. Just a thought,,,
Cheers,
Robin
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Ya'know, I was looking over the RSL product line and I'm wondering why you didn't spend the extra $75 per speaker for the CG24, especially how you'll probably want one as a center down the road anyways. Dual woofers for lower 85 Hz frequency and a higher 90 db SPL sensitivity, I personally think it would have been worth the extra $75 for a more dynamic HT system. Just a thought,,,
Cheers,
Robin
Good question...I really had to think about that at first...but it's mainly because the room I'll be using for this purpose is not very big. I live in an apartment, and while the isolation is quite good, I need to be prudent with volume levels. I was going to just add another CG4 in the center, but I will probably go ahead and get the CG24 for that role. Also trying to keep costs down, cause my main interest in picking up a reference quality screen. My initial plan was to just make this a headphone theater room, but then I thought better of it. Not everyone likes to wear headphones, so I changed that plan, but if I can keep it as close to the $1k mark as possible, I'm happy about that. I have the big mama Magnepans for my main rig...this is really just a little mini-theater that I wanted to put together since I enjoy a more intimate movie watching experience. I have been consulting with some folks who are heavily into projection, and they have shown me the light...if choosing between an inexpensive projector with a high quality screen and an expensive projector with a low quality screen, the first pairing wins hands down. So even though I'm not going to jump into a Stewart or anything like that, I'm going to invest in a reference quality screen to pair with my Epson projector I bought in 2011. I basically started off just wanting to throw some decent speakers in there, but I know myself and if I don't go with something of quality I'll start picking it apart lol. So the CG4s seem like they hit right in the sweet spot in terms of price:performance.
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You might want to stay with a CG4 center also AJ. Better to have all 5 matching monitors for a seamless HT wrap around sound stage.
Have we chased them crickets away yet? :lol:
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Do you think it would still be seamless if the center isn't at the same height and orientation as the mains? Ideally I would like to have identical speakers across the front, but given that I'll have the mains on stands and the center sitting on a wide, low audio/video table, the center's orientation will be completely different. I figured that would likely disrupt the soundstage anyway, so might as well go with the speaker that is a bit more "forward" but also shares the same drivers.
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All of the center channel setups I've had positioned the center speaker 12" to 18" below the L/R speakers. As long as the center speaker is angled up toward the listening position I haven't heard any noticeable discontinuity.
Steve
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Do you think it would still be seamless if the center isn't at the same height and orientation as the mains? Ideally I would like to have identical speakers across the front, but given that I'll have the mains on stands and the center sitting on a wide, low audio/video table, the center's orientation will be completely different. I figured that would likely disrupt the soundstage anyway, so might as well go with the speaker that is a bit more "forward" but also shares the same drivers.
My system is setup exactly as SRB describes with my center angled. It's a compromise as are most HT setups, I was speaking from an ideal perspective which was why I recommended 5 CG24's in the 1st place or 4 CG4's instead. :lol: I'm sure you'll have no problem integrating a CG24 center with your SG4's, it's what I'd do in your situation but personally I would have gone with 5 CG24's regardless of room size. Heck my room is only 11' x 17' x 7' and I have 4 Odyssey Lorelei's, 2 Usher X-616 centers and an ACI Force XL subwoofer,,, wih lots of room treatment! It's so cozy here. :lol:
But back to what you now have, awaiting listening impressions when they're available AJ. Pictures are always appreciated. :thumb:
Cheers,
Robin
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All of the center channel setups I've had positioned the center speaker 12" to 18" below the L/R speakers. As long as the center speaker is angled up toward the listening position I haven't heard any noticeable discontinuity.
Steve
Thanks Steve...so given that restriction, do you think an identical speaker to the mains (see pics above) would offer a more cohesive front stage over going with the MTM model (shares same drivers) that is more of a traditional center speaker? Or would both be compromised to the same degree?
(http://rslspeakers.com/images/P/CG24-center-channel.jpg)
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My system is setup exactly as SRB describes with my center angled. It's a compromise as are most HT setups, I was speaking from an ideal perspective which was why I recommended 5 CG24's in the 1st place or 4 CG4's instead. :lol: I'm sure you'll have no problem integrating a CG24 center with your SG4's, it's what I'd do in your situation but personally I would have gone with 5 CG24's regardless of room size. Heck my room is only 11' x 17' x 7' and I have 4 Odyssey Lorelei's, 2 Usher X-616 centers and an ACI Force XL subwoofer,,, wih lots of room treatment! It's so cozy here. :lol:
But back to what you now have, awaiting listening impressions when they're available AJ. Pictures are always appreciated. :thumb:
Cheers,
Robin
Well, if I'm being honest, I've never been a huge fan of an M-T-M design to begin with....not sure why, really. But I was thinking the CG24 would offer a tad bit wider dispersion if I used that as opposed to another CG4 in the middle. I could just try both, actually....Since I'm going to order surrounds anyway, I could just use one of the surrounds in that role before I installed them in back and then see how it sounds. I'm actually getting pretty good center fill with just the pair today. I'm typically really not a believer in break-in, but for whatever reason, these do seem to be improving. And most of the break-in has been when I haven't even been home, which I can only assume would mitigate the psychological factors in play, I dunno. Going to play with them some more today and tomorrow....will prob order more of them by Thurs or Fri if I keep them.
As for your system, you'd have to really find something amazing to better those Lors....I remember talkign with you about those LONG ago when I was looking at Klaus' gear.....If I hadn't gotten a killer deal on the DeVores back then, the Lors were my target. Those are some beautiful speakers you have there )
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Break-in??? It's all in your head AJ. Just kidding. :jester:
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Break-in??? It's all in your head AJ. Just kidding. :jester:
I don't doubt that! I'm extremely dubious of it, especially when it's been suggested to me by RSL so many times. They certainly do sound improved, though. lol
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So, since this has been a lot of fun over the last few days, why not do as Emeril does and "kick it up a notch". I was speaking with Howard at RSL today, and we were talking about some of the differences between the CG4s that I currently have in-house for audition, and the CG24 monitors. One of the things that I love most about a good pair of speakers is their ability to establish a real "presence". My two favorite speaker companies - Magnepan (I know, you're all tired of hearing about Maggie love by now...sorry!) and DeVore Fidelity - put out speakers that excel in this area. The word that I will always use is "organic". I am drawn to speakers that can bring an organic quality to the music and/or movie.
Well, one of the differences between the CG4 and the CG24 is apparently the midrange presence. Per Howard, the 24s are a bit more forward in the mids, and so as I was talking to him about my CG4 thoughts to this point, he suggested that perhaps I should consider ALSO auditioning the 24s. So of course that got me thinking about Robin's comment above about why I didn't just go with the 24s to begin with. So all of a sudden this started making sense to me...and that's when Emeril appeared on my shoulder and chimed in with his $.02...soooo, the bottom line is that there will be a pair of 24s on the way to scenic Flowery Branch, Georgia soon and the fun of this evaluation process shall continue a bit longer!
I think this time, in honor of Emeril, I will bring along the big boys to join in the party. No more little Onkyo receiver. I'm going to get the Butler 5150 hybrid amp, the McCormack MAP-1, the Oppo universal player and some proper stands over here to really give them every opportunity to shine...by the time all is said and done, it may end up being two full notches...
So, I'll enjoy the smooth sounds of the CG4s this week as I await the arrival of their big brothers, and will certainly report back with impressions on the new guys AND some notes on how the two models compare and contrast to one another.
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Had another small revelation tonight...
I wanted to finish up The Raven (John Cusack flick) tonight before my rental period expired, so I fired up Vudu about 7pm. I figured maybe I'd give the CG4s a little more juice since it wasn't late at night. What I found was very interesting. Keep in mind that not only am I used to an amplifier with some major juice behind it (Butler Audio), but I've been using some little Dayton Audio bookshelf speakers with the current Onkyo 50wpc receiver that are very sensitive and easy to drive. So when I was makign volume adjustments, I wasn't really being all that aggressive since I"m used to small adjustments having big results. Well, I cranked it up closer to about 12:00 on the dial, as opposed to about 10:00 where I have been to this point. The CG4s didn't really get much louder, but they got MUCH fuller and much more present. The movie was jumping out at me for the first time since I unpacked them on Friday. This made quite an impression on me and I think I may have just today heard them in a way that was much closer to their potential. I didn't even have the sub hooked up...so these were carrying the load all by themselves.
The Onkyo has plenty of current to drive them, but I may have been a little bit too light on the gas to this point. I really can't wait to see the results with a top quality amp, and I'm even more excited to hear the CG24s this coming Friday. I think I'm starting to understand what all the fuss is about :thumb:
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Hi AJ, glad to hear you'll be auditioning the 24's along side the 4's. That fuller sound that you're hearing with the 2's as you step up the power, I think you'll be getting that with the 24's right from the get-go and it'll only get better as you punch them up. What really got me from the start was the price point,, only $75 difference for a whole lot more speaker (88db vs 90db & 100Hz vs 85Hz). And then there's the eventual matchup with the center down the road.
I know how much you love the flick experience AJ (as do I), so go spoil yur silly self with the CG24 and for gawd's sake use the Butler with them! :thumb:
Cheers,
Robin
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Hi AJ, glad to hear you'll be auditioning the 24's along side the 4's. That fuller sound that you're hearing with the 2's as you step up the power, I think you'll be getting that with the 24's right from the get-go and it'll only get better as you punch them up. What really got me from the start was the price point,, only $75 difference for a whole lot more speaker (88db vs 90db & 100Hz vs 85Hz). And then there's the eventual matchup with the center down the road.
I know how much you love the flick experience AJ (as do I), so go spoil yur silly self with the CG24 and for gawd's sake use the Butler with them! :thumb:
Cheers,
Robin
lol...right on, my friend. Honestly, I thought a lot about what you said about the 24s, so when I spoke with Howard of RSL today I had your words in the back of my brain as he suggested I try the 24s. And heck yes, the Butler will certainly be involved from this point forward....I know you're one of the AC'ers who understands first hand just how amazing the Butler amps are, so this will be very interesting. Hearing more today about the background of the CG4s and 24s from Howard, I think I made a mistake in the way I viewed these. I purchased them expecting a budget speaker that would be acceptable for my HT needs, and if the music performance was there, as well, then that would be icing on the cake. But I think what we actually may have here is NOT a budget speaker at all, but a speaker of very good quality where Howard and his team were able to find a way to get into the hands of the consumer at a budget-like price. That's the main reason I figured it would be fine to just throw a 50 watt Onkyo receiver at them. But after tonight, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that these little CG4s will respond big time to the Butler and scale up quite a bit. I could be completely wrong about that, but the speakers I heard tonight were NOT the speakers I heard the other day. Break-in aside, I think maybe I did them an injustice by failing to give them an amp that is more worthy of their performance level. This will be an interesting week!
I really appreciate you mentioning what you did about just going with the 24s...over the years I've put a lot of stock into your opinion, and I have a feeling you were spot-on in suggesting I go right for the big boys. :thumb:
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I'm not a MTM either. Yes efficiency typically goes up (most designs limited more by mid/woofer than tweeter), but there's that lobbing thing: move away from the plane that exist at equal distance from the mid/woofers and you find severe cancellation and phasing issues; and at a given distance you'll find the same. With a MTM center channel that limits you for best performance to a given distance (based on how far apart the mid/woofers are) along the exact center line of the speaker. (Another reason for the popularity of MTM is that vertically arranged, they limit floor/ceiling interaction to better comply with THX standards.)
The constant directivity gurus agree (Geddee, Toole, even our Duke from Audiokinesis).
The solution is a three way center channel with a single midrange driver (bass signals are so large that they behave as waves vs. rays and so aren't affected).
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I'm not a MTM either. Yes efficiency typically goes up (most designs limited more by mid/woofer than tweeter), but there's that lobbing thing: move away from the plane that exist at equal distance from the mid/woofers and you find severe cancellation and phasing issues; and at a given distance you'll find the same. With a MTM center channel that limits you for best performance to a given distance (based on how far apart the mid/woofers are) along the exact center line of the speaker. (Another reason for the popularity of MTM is that vertically arranged, they limit floor/ceiling interaction to better comply with THX standards.)
The constant directivity gurus agree (Geddee, Toole, even our Duke from Audiokinesis).
The solution is a three way center channel with a single midrange driver (bass signals are so large that they behave as waves vs. rays and so aren't affected).
Interesting, thanks. To date, the only time I really liked an MTM design was the old Paradigm Monitor 5 (v.2) I had over ten years ago. Whatever they did with that speaker, it just worked. The imaging on those things was hauntingly good.
With regard to center speaker use, do you think in a situation where two CG4s (small 2-way stand mount speaker) are used as mains, that a 3rd one in the middle for the center would be better than the MTM? I'll be able to audition this stuff anyway, but the more feedback the better!
And is there some magical threshold that speakers have with regard to their amp requirements where they all of a sudden just 'switch on'? It's really odd how much better they sounded once I gave them more juice. I know speakers tend to sound better as you turn up the volume anyway, but this really was almost like a switch coming on. I've never experienced that before...
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Some do recommend exactly matching the front three speakers.
I'm a big believer in having enough juice to provide a "commanding grip" (by the balls) on the speaker. Micro/macro dynamics improve, bass is fuller/tighter, resolution is enhanced.
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I've used MTMs across the front and was never aware of phase or lobing problems compared to my TM or TMW speakers. If the speaker is properly designed and if the driver spacing can be made close enough via truncated tweeter or woofer frames, it doesn't seem to present a big problem.
The 4 ohm CG24s will allow your non-transformer coupled amp to produce ~ 50% to ~ 100% more power, depending on the amplifier. Often distortion rises with lower impedances, but it is also often such a minute change that I've not noticed that either.
With movies, the rear surrounds don't have as much output as the fronts, and even with 5-channel music I personally don't want equal intensity from the rears.
With that being said, I would go with CG24s across the front and CG4s in the rear. If you sit somewhat close to the rear surrounds, all the more reason to go for the reduced or "normal" midrange presence of the smaller CG4 as well as the less obtrusive size.
Steve
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Thanks, Steve...great info, as always!
I'm really hoping I have the same experience with the CG24s that I have with the Monitor 5s back in the day.
A buddy of mine (mostly a headphone guy) suggested that some receivers don't have a linear gain on their volume controls...do you guys think this might be the case with the Onkyo, which would account for why the CG4s seemed to "switch on" once I turned it up a bit?
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Some do recommend exactly matching the front three speakers.
I'm a big believer in having enough juice to provide a "commanding grip" (by the balls) on the speaker. Micro/macro dynamics improve, bass is fuller/tighter, resolution is enhanced.
My Butler is pretty good at grabbing some balls...cant' wait to feed him some CG4s! :)
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A buddy of mine (mostly a headphone guy) suggested that some receivers don't have a linear gain on their volume controls...do you guys think this might be the case with the Onkyo, which would account for why the CG4s seemed to "switch on" once I turned it up a bit?
Could have something to do with it. I subscribe to mechanical speaker driver break-in as well, but how much depends on the drivers. If they have very stiff spiders and/or surrounds (and the material type is subject to some softening), that might also account for a more abrupt change from very low levels "getting over the hump".
I suppose that after a reasonable amount of mechanical break-in, you will be able to accept or reject that possibility.
Steve
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Could have something to do with it. I subscribe to mechanical speaker driver break-in as well, but how much depends on the drivers. If they have very stiff spiders and/or surrounds (and the material type is subject to some softening), that might also account for a more abrupt change from very low levels "getting over the hump".
I suppose that after a reasonable amount of mechanical break-in, you will be able to accept or reject that possibility.
Steve
That's almost exactly what Howard of RSL said to me on the phone re: spiders/drivers....I know that I noticed break-in with my Maggies, but that's obviously a different type of speaker. Thus far, the results indicate that these speakers are sounding significantly better on day 5 than they did on day 1...so whatever is goign on, it's a good thing!
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Okay, quick update for the crickets and non-crickets out there...
You may think that if I said that I missed the FedEx delivery of the CG24s then there wouldn't be much chance of tonight being another positive step forward in my evaluation of the RSL CG4s...well, you'd be wrong! 8)
The truth is, I did in fact miss the delivery. The fedEx guy almost always comes between 4-6pm, so I worked a half day and was home by 330. Sure enough, when I go back to my apartment there was a door tag waiting for me. So I called to arrange them to be dropped off at a FedEx/Kinkos tomorrow so I can pick them up after work. BUT, that wasn't going to stop me from spending more time with the CG4s.
My approach to HT is pretty simple: If speakers sound great for music, they'll be great for HT. Now that's not true for those who value massive SPL's and the loudest, baddest HT system on the planet. My goals are a bit different. My idea of great home theater is exactly like what the Magnepans bring you. Sure they can play plenty loud, and there are dynamics to be had in spades when you give them a proper amp and some space....but what I want is to be transported into the movie. I want the dialogue to sound as if I'm standing next to the actors. I want everything from water dripping to the roar of Steve McQueen's Mustang Fastback GT in the movie "Bullitt" to sound not as loud as possible, but as REAL as possible. I want immersion. This is MY standard for HT, so when I find speakers that are great with my music, they're all but certain to be great for what I want out of my HT.
Well, I had taken delivery today of some 31" Sanus speaker stands so that I could give the RSLs a little more of an opportunity to shine. Here is the way I had them set up for tonight's listening session:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71975)
I gave them a little distance off the back wall, turned up the Onkyo to 12:00, sat back on the couch, and....AWFUL!!!! Just pure awful..garbage, like I've never heard in a speaker! Oh, wait a minute...not only did I forget to turn the TV sound off, I hadn't even turned on the receiver :duh: I know, this is the second time in a week that I've had a major brain fart...I would offer an explanation to save face, but...well...never mind. So anyway, *mute* to the tv sound, on goes the receiver, Norah Jones loaded into the Sony bluray player and...
....wow....are these really the same speakers?
Just a huge sound stage...Norah's beautiful voice front and center, almost ethereal in nature just floating right in between the speakers where it should be. Excellent tonality. Really, really amazing considering all I did was put them on stands, in a slightly more audio friendly room and configuration, and, yes, actually turn ON the receiver. This was the *moment* that I was hoping to have with these speakers. The moment that proved that, yes, my research WAS correct...all the testimonials and reviews I had read about these speakers WASN'T hogwash. Finally, these little CG4s and I connected and shared out first *moment*. The idea of a first moment is very important to me. It happened with Magnepan MMGs the first time I knew I had a love for Jim Winey's amazing creation. It happened last January when I heard my first pair of Grado headphones. And yes, it did happen - though on a smaller scale - with the RSL's tonight. Tonight it was clear to me that I could live very happily with these speakers, and Howard and his son over at Rogersound Labs probably won't be getting them back.
So now the main question pertains to the showdown looming between the CG4s and the CG24s. AFter tonight, can the 24s provide me that same experience, but with even a touch more presence? Will the M-T-M design that I've had a love/hate relationship with over the years edge out the design I love most outside of planars - the diminutive 2-way stand mount? Well, the bell for round 1 goes off tomorrow night around 9pm! I'll be sure to report back, as always.
But for the first time since being introduced to my first RSL speakers one week ago, I can very confidently say that if you are in the market for some little speakers that can hit well above their price point, consider taking Howard at RSL up on his offer to try them out for yourselves. And then once you do, post your impressions - positive and negative - here in this thread so we can keep 'er goin!
:thumb:
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I gave them a little distance off the back wall, turned up the Onkyo to 12:00, sat back on the couch, and....AWFUL!!!! Just pure awful..garbage, like I've never heard in a speaker! Oh, wait a minute...not only did I forget to turn the TV sound off, I hadn't even turned on the receiver :duh:
:rotflmao: Thanks for the Friday night chuckle AJ. I've never heard my Sony XBR TV speakers myself but I'll take your word for it that they'd sound like shit too. :lol:
Cheers,
Robin
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:rotflmao: Thanks for the Friday night chuckle AJ. I've never heard my Sony XBR TV speakers myself but I'll take your word for it that they'd sound like shit too. :lol:
Cheers,
Robin
LOL...i hated to admit that, but I guess you can never say I don't have some self-deprecation skills! :lol:
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LOL...i hated to admit that, but I guess you can never say I don't have some self-deprecation skills! :lol:
Hey,,, I'm not alone anymore. :jester:
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Hey,,, I'm not alone anymore. :jester:
:thumb:
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So I have to give FedEx some props...I think whenever I have something of value shipped, I'm just going to have them divert the delivery to one of their outpost things for pick up. They're open until 11p during the week and 9p on Saturdays, and they do a great job of checking ID at pick-up. Being an apartment dweller, this gives added peace of mind and the pick-up is right on the way home. They got my CG24s diverted quickly so that they would be there the following day and all is well.
Okay, now for some quick impressions....I spent about an hour listening to them up on the same 31" stands. First thing that crossed my mind was that if I ever needed to run RSLs w/out a subwoofer, the 24s would be much more satisfying than the 4s would. These seem to have just a bit more of a bottom end on them to where you could be very happy using them as a single pair and no augmentation. The next thing I thought to myself was that, thankfully, the information on the RSL website, and what Howard reiterated on the phone last week, was true. The mids were just a bit more "there" on the 24s, and that was one area where I felt I wanted just a bit more from the 4s. On top of that - and once again the pics on the RSL website just do NOT do these speakers justice at all - the 24s are more impressive looking than the 4s. Odd to say since the styling is nearly identical. But even my lady friends daughter commented with a "wow, those are very nice!" as she walked by, whereas the night before she hadn't commented on the 4s at all. The tonality is nearly identical, of course, and I was surprised that the overall sound stage really wasn't any bigger than with the 4s. I sort of expected a slightly larger presentation, but I haven't noticed it thus far. Imaging is also exactly the same (an area of strength). My favorite instrument is the human voice, however, and with the slightly more palpable midrange presence I really was enjoying Norah's voice tonight. Each note was just a TAD more "breathy" and full, which was beautiful. There was still excellent balance and cohesion from the top of the FR to the bottom, but the mids were just a touch more present...very nice indeed.
So those are my first impressions. Mostly positive, with only a few very small issues, which I'll get into when I follow-up again tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
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Hello again!
Day 14 in my evaluation of RSL speakers...
Where we left off, I had taken delivery of the larger stand mount model, the CG24s. This was a pair that already had some burn-in and it certainly seemed to show from the first time I fired them up. They've continued to impress over the last week, to the point where I had enough confidence in the likelihood of keeping them that I picked up some nicer quality stands that were also a little lower to account for the taller profile of these vs the CG4s. I also needed to account for the future presence of a projection screen and I had a 40-42" height ceiling to work with. The 24s on these Plateau stands comes in at a total height of 39" so it works great. Not only that, but the top plate on the Plateau stands ended up being the exact same width and depth of the 24s...that was kind of funny in a good way.
Anyway, enough babbling....here is a pic I took tonight of the 24s on their new stands, the Plateau ST-23s:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72313)
I'll be making my final decision on these impressive speakers in another week or so. At that time, whether I keep them or not, I'll write-up a conclusion of sorts that will summarize my time with the RSLs and the basis for the decision I've made. Clearly at this point you can probably gather that I like these speakers quite a lot, but I'll save those thoughts for later.
Happy listening!
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PS. I found this a really interesting read....gives a better idea of what RSL focused on in terms of materials and quality of construction...
http://rslspeakers.com/CG4_CG24_construction_materials.html
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The link in the above post does not work on our site. On Saturday, we launched a new website that we've been working on for the past several months. As with any new site, there are kinks to be worked out. This is one of them and we should have it fixed shortly.
Howard
RSL Speakers
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We fixed the link. Please use http://rslspeakers.com/cg4cg24-construction-features/.
Thanks,
Howard
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We fixed the link. Please use http://rslspeakers.com/cg4cg24-construction-features/.
Thanks,
Howard
Thanks Howard...reading about the materials used and the approach you took during the build process was very impressive.
Working on getting the little HT room up and running this week, so hope to have some new pics of the RSLs new home in the coming days....looking forward to hearing a full 5-channel RSL rig!
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Just for fun, since the whole purpose of this thread was to audition the RSLs for use in converting a small bedroom into a theater room, I'm going to post some pics as I get the room together. Here is a quick preview....more to follow!
(and again, sorry for the crap quality of the pics...all I have is my iPhone)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72594)
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Couple more pics of the room I'm working with...nothing but a few pieces of furniture in, so will change a lot over the next few days.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72632)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72633)
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Got the surround brackets and speakers mounted...not sure why the iPhone camera lens makes it look tilted, but they're square as they can be!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72738)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72739)
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(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72749)
Projector mount...check!
Check back tomorrow to see pics of this fully armed and op-er-A-tion-al BATT-le STA-tion. :thumb:
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(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72787)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72788)
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Not sure if anyone is still tuning in...but here is a lovely CG24 center on a newly arrived Emotiva center speaker pedestal :thumb:
(please excuse the clutter and tools...still a work in progress!)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72973)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=72974)
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Not sure if anyone is still tuning in...
Present, and accounted for. :wink:
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Coming along.... 8) :beer:
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Happy New Year to you guys! :thumb:
And Happy New Year to Howard and company at RSL!
I'm installing the screen as we speak, and then tonight I'll just about have everything together...will take a few more pics and share a few thoughts about how the RSLs perform in a full 5.1 configuration (Hint: really damn well!!) after the ball drops :)
:wine:
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Here's a few quick pics of the finished room...I'll make some aesthetic changes down the road, but for now I'm kaput. It looks a fair bit nicer in person than it does in these pics, but this will give an idea of where things stand...I have to say, for a mini-theater room, it ain't half bad :thumb:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=73082)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=73083)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=73084)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=73085)
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So I've had some time to really get a feel for the whole complement of RSL speakers in a 5.1 configuration. I thought I'd share some thoughts about the experience...
First things first, these speakers scale really well. I'm glad that I used them with only a cheapo 2-channel Onkyo 50wpc receiver to start, cause I've been able to see the scaling in effect here. The good news is that for those on a tight budget, you can pair either the CG24s or the CG4s with an inexpensive piece and get really solid sound. I could have been pretty happy with just the CG24s and the Onkyo, with my Outlaw subwoofer connected at the speaker level inputs/outputs. I had the benefit of a high quality front end that was currently not in use, however, and it's very clear that these speakers can bring it when you let them play with the big boys. My Butler 5150 (150wpc) amp and McCormack MAP-1 multi-channel preamp are untouchables in my rig. They've been the hub of my system since 2009 and they will continue to be for a long time to come. I simply allow my Oppo player to handle the processing and bass mgmt and keep my analog gear intact. It's a fantastic alternative to using a surround receiver, although in this case - as mentioned above - a receiver is all you need with these speakers.
So what is impressing me the most? I've never believed in spending a lot of money on surrounds. I could see it if I was more into MC music, but for HT it's just not my preference to break the bank on the rear speakers. That being said, the CG4s are the best surround speakers I've ever heard. Even in a less than ideal room in terms of acoustics (I only have two pieces of treatment up at this time...more to come), the quality of the surround effects is mind-boggling to me. The lady friend and I have been spending a lot of time watching past episodes of Dexter the last few months, and even with something like this the surround field has a subtlety and a realism to it that really impresses. I expected the surrounds in a small room to be a bit distracting, and I really was thinking I didn't even want to install surrounds in this room, but if I hadn't gone this route I would have been missing out on a big part of the experience. The best compliment I can pay them is that they not only create a beautiful sound field in back, they sort of pull aspects of the front stage out into the room to create a very impressive three dimensional effect. To date, the only time I've experienced this previously was with my Magnepans...it's not something I ever thought speakers at this price point could do. In a very small area, these RSLs pull a disappearing act that Houdini himself would be amazed by.
When I became a fan of Magnepans, I honestlly felt as if they ruined me for all box speakers. I have heard countless speakers at all sorts of price points, and there has been only two instances where I came across a pair of boxes that could give me a level of transparency that prevented me from missing the Maggies enough to where I could happily live with them. The first pair was the excellent DeVore Fidelity Super 8s (and also the Reference Silverbacks). The DeVores are almost entirely free of coloration and they allow the listener to expertly scrutinize the gear upstream and detect even the smallest changes to the signal path, but they also just get completely out of the way and allow the recording to come through as honestly and purely as possible. Transparency is a beautiful thing and when there is a LACK of transparency it sticks out like a sore thumb to me. One of the great disappointments for me was when I first heard the Von Schweikert VR4 Jrs. I SO wanted to love those speakers...beautiful contemporary design...amazing low end....but ugh, the coloration just was a deal breaker for me. I have very sensitive hearing, and for whatever reason it doesn't take much for me to be able to hear when the speaker fails to get the heck out of the way. The first time I heard John DeVores speakers, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was like having no speaker at all. I say this because I'm AMAZED by what I'm going to say next about the RSLs....to my complete surprise, especially since I felt these were being marketed primarily as HT speakers, they have a level of transparency that meets my very strict standards and allows me to forget that I'm listening to speakers. This, above all else, was the nicest surprise of my month-long audition of the RSLs. And that's a big reason why I'm actually very strongly considering adding a 2nd Apple express and DAC to the RSL rig in order to use this system for music in addition to movies. My only focus was to put together a mini-HT for movies only...so the fact that I'm considering taking these steps is another way that I'm trying to really pay a compliment to these beauties.
Anyway, Iv'e rambled on long enough...my time with these excellent speakers has been truly an enjoyable and fun ride. They far surpassed the expectations I had for them and ended up surprising me in several ways that I never saw coming. Whether you're looking for an amazing HT system or you have your sights on finding a way to put together a high end music rig for far less money than you'd ever expect to spend for this level of sonic goodness, I cannot recommend RSL more highly. I am extremely critical of "box" speakers, but both the 24s and the 4s really couldn't have cared less about that....in the words of the immortal Peter Venkman...."they came, they saw, they kicked my A**!!" :thumb:
Thanks to all those who chimed in along the way and also to those who have continued to read all of this lol....this will be my last entry, but I'll continue to check back periodically.
Happy Listening!
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Hi AJ,
I see you went with the Rogersound Labs instead of the Silverlines or Ascends. Have fun with them!
Cheers,
Paul Mah
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Thanks for the follow up on this. I have followed with interest, and was assuming you liked them since you kept them, but I appreciate the wrap up commentary, as it will help folks make decisions in the future.
I am finishing off my basement at present, and trying to sort through HT decisions. The budget is on hold for the HT gear, until the full cost of the construction is understood, but these may become an interesting option, and one I honestly would never otherwise consider.
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I wonder how they compare to the little Pioneers sr 21's ?
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Thanks for the follow up on this. I have followed with interest, and was assuming you liked them since you kept them, but I appreciate the wrap up commentary, as it will help folks make decisions in the future.
I am finishing off my basement at present, and trying to sort through HT decisions. The budget is on hold for the HT gear, until the full cost of the construction is understood, but these may become an interesting option, and one I honestly would never otherwise consider.
Thanks for chiming in! I wasn't sure anyone was listening at certain points along the way, so the fact that some of you guys have let me know you're on the journey with me has made it all the more fun.
It's both funny and ironic that you said what you did in your last sentence...I had a brief correspondence with Joe at RSL earlier today, and here is part of the email I sent to him:
Probably the best compliment I could pay you is by saying that in all honesty, there was very little chance I was going to choose to keep these speakers. I truly thought that much of what I read on your website was some sort of marketing effort, and in the back of my brain I felt some of the feedback I had read was dubious at best. I even recall your dad telling me about a customer who owns Soundlab speakers, some of the absolute best speakers on the planet, who had apparently told Howard that his secondary RSL system was so good that he felt it could compete with the Soundlabs. Joe, I truly thought this was complete BS lol. I have heard countless "box" speakers over the years, and there is a reason why I don't own any of them....that's why I have huge 6 foot Maggies, cause boxes just don't cut it. But I'll be darned, I am sincerely able to now understand what the Soundlab guy meant and I have ZERO doubt that he was telling your dad the truth. I still can't believe I'm saying it, but although I will always love Magnepans, the RSLs really can compete."
I have been spending quite a lot of time really scrutinizing these speakers for music, because as I said earlier, I honestly had NO intention of using them for anything but HT....but truly, to NOT use them for music would be a waste...that's the conclusion I've come to over the last few weeks. Last night I was playing around with my Oppo player and I noticed that they have Pandora on the main menu....I just fired it up out of curiosity, and even with a lesser quality streaming source the RSLs impressed the heck out of me. And don't get me wrong, someone who is in the market for a $10k pair of Soundlabs or Maggies probably isn't going to choose a pair of RSLs over them. But I'm telling you with absolutely sincerity, in terms of the enjoyment I get from spending time with these things, I have yet to think to myself, "if only I could fit the Maggies in the room...." I feel as if I've been able magically create a secondary system for only a fraction of the cost of my main system, but that could also give me an equal level of enjoyment. The idea of being able to achieve that was not even on my radar when I started this....I just wanted good sound for movies. I've ended up with way, way more. I feel as if I've hit the jackpot here.
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Hi AJ,
I see you went with the Rogersound Labs instead of the Silverlines or Ascends. Have fun with them!
Cheers,
Paul Mah
Hey Paul! Trust me, I'm just as surprised as anyone else lol...as you know, I really had my eyes on those Silverlines...the RSLs caught me fully by surprise and have ended up completely captivating me. In what is by all measures a really lousy room in terms of acoustics, the sense of immersion and the overall realism of the experience made the decision to keep them easy. I truly did never expect to keep these, let alone end up buying the surrounds and the center to boot!
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Maybe the next logical step would be to order the sub(s). Or did you?
Seems to me one reviewer thought the sub was the unsuspected star of the show:
“I really believe the star of the RSL CG system is the Speedwoofer™ 10. Once properly set up it delivered strong, deep and dynamic bass with truly excellent detail. In my main system I use a subwoofer that costs 3 times the RSL yet does not go as deep with the same level of detail.”
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PS: Just a quick note about the center speaker...
I have always had a love/hate relationship with centers....I've enjoyed a 4.1 configuration at times as much or more than a 5.1 rig. I have always felt that a phantom center was too often overlooked and that in some situations (i.e. no listeners/viewers sitting off-axis) it was superior to a hard center, especially when you had mains that could throw a rock solid center image. If you can see in the pics I've posted, I have the center speaker several feet below the bottom of the screen, which means that it's even further away from the location of the faces on the screen, which is obviously where the vocals would need to appear to be coming from. I had already ordered the little center pedestal from Emotiva before the center arrived....and when it first got here all I had was four little sorbothane bumpers in each corner of the RSL center so that it wasn't sitting flat on the tv stand. This provided no degree of upward angling at all...it was perfectly perpendicular to the seating location. I'll be damned if this little speaker wasn't throwing a perfectly natural vocal that really did allow the images to seem absolutely natural. I could have very easily just left it as is and it would have sounded just as good as it does now....I'm keeping the pedestal for aesthetic reasons, but I purchased it because I thought I'd NEED it....I really didn't. As much as I enjoy the speakers in general, I really can't get over how seamless the soundfield is...above all else, that's the biggest surprise for me with this whole thing. The center blends in perfectly with the other CG24s and with the CG4s in back. For anyone who has interest in a surround application, I can't recommend this system highly enough...it's the difference between a wall of sound and an entire room of sound.
Dang, it's 130 am! I'll ramble on about these things all night lol....have a great weekend everyone!!
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Maybe the next logical step would be to order the sub(s). Or did you?
Seems to me one reviewer thought the sub was the unsuspected star of the show:
“I really believe the star of the RSL CG system is the Speedwoofer™ 10. Once properly set up it delivered strong, deep and dynamic bass with truly excellent detail. In my main system I use a subwoofer that costs 3 times the RSL yet does not go as deep with the same level of detail.”
I really wish I could, but I'm afraid to lol. I live in an apartment for at least the next 8 mo or so, and I fear that if the sub is half as good as the speakers, I will have some pretty upset neighbors! :lol:
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Just wanted to chime in on a really fun experience I had last night.
I'm pretty spoiled in terms of tweeters, owning the Magnepan 3.6s...the Magnepan ribbon tweeter is considered by some to be the best on earth. That being said, I jsut can't get over how impressed I am with the high end on these RSLs. Last night I was watching Survivor on the projector, so I thought I'd go ahead and run the audio through the RSLs instead of just using the speakers in the projector itself. Those of you who watch this show know that the music is often times very engaging, with all sorts of interesting instrumentation and such. Even though the source was nothing more than the analog stereo outs on my cable box, the sound was just unreal. My friend and I were just looking at each other in amazement at how cool the survivor music sounded. The last time this happened was in 2007 just after I had installed a bunch of room treatments. My DeVore Super 8s were making the Survivor music sound pretty amazing, just like last night. The only difference was that those were $5k speakers and these are a fraction of that price.
With some gear, we get excited when we buy it and really enjoy listenign to it, and then over time the honeymoon phase sort of dissipates along with the excitement. But then there is the gear you buy that just seems to impress each and every time, and in some cases even get better. After four months, I'm loving these speakers more each day.
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Hi,
I've been looking at forums that have actual users who have purchased the CG4 / CG24 speakers from RSL and provided some impressions/feedback. This is one of the better threads that something useful.
Would like to know at what SPL you're normal listening at? I'm also living in an apartment and have to keep the volumes down.
Steve
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Hey Steve...sorry, I didn't even see your post! :duh:
In all honesty I'm not really sure what the actual SPL meter would read in terms of the level at which I watch movies, but I usually like to listen at moderate volume....usually it's just about the level that guests would say is the point where they wouldn't want to go much louder. I know that's not easy to translate to your situation, but the good news is that the RSLs can play as loud and clean as you want.
When I first fired up the little guys in my living room to audition them, they were able to fill the entire area (kitchen, dining room, living room) with sound, which was very impressive. I don't know if this helps at all, but if these speakers look like they may fit your needs, I'd highly recommend giving them an audition.
I can't believe it's been ten months already since I bought these lol...been a great ride and these will be keepers for a long while to come.
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Do you guys ever hit some random button after typing out some lengthy response, making the entire post just disappear into thin air? I swear, I have no idea how I developed this talent, and Im certain it's not the same button every time, but magically I'm able to make entire paragraphs just go *poof* at the drop of a hat, completely accidentally...very frustrating!
Anyway, I wanted to offer a quick update on my RSL rig...
I sold my beloved McCormack MAP-1 last month in an effort to downsize a bit. I picked up an Outlaw 975, their entry level pre/pro. I know some of you guys will be like, "duh!!!" when I say this, but this is the first time I've ever used video switching, so I've been plugging in all my sources and using the Outlaw with one HDMI output to my projector. This is literally the first time I've ever bothered to take advantage of the Dolby Digital encoding on network and cable television. Usually I've only bothered with digital audio when I've watched a bluray. So this is a whole new experience for me.
Well, I've had these speakers for nearly a year now and have enjoyed my time with them immensely, but I think I've just now come to a realization...as much as I love my Magnepan CC3 - a center speaker that iv'e always considered the best I've ever heard - the RSL CG24 is every bit its equal. One of the disadvantages of using the McCormack was that the Oppo's bass management only allowed me to set one crossover point for all the speakers. The Outlaw has the triple crossover, so I've been able to adjust accordingly, and as a result the overall sound stage has actually improved. I've been able to listen to these speakers - and namely the CG24 center - in a few ways that I've never heard them, with shows that I've never associated with quality audio. So this has been a pretty nice enhancement, even though it was really hard to make the decision to move on from the McCormack.
I know I've eluded to this earlier in the thread, but I really feel like I hit the jackpot when I came across this company. My favorite products are the ones that stand the test of time, and I'm well on my way to including the RSL speakers in that very special group of audio products I've owned over the years that ended up being "untouchables". I've gotten pretty good at the whole research thing when I'm in buying mode, but I do it out of necessity more than I do it for fun. So when I'm able to find such a high level of satisfaction from a purchase, it's really a great feeling cause I know I won't have to worry about looking for anything else for a really long time.
I hope that some of you have given these great speakers an audition over the past year as a result of this thread...if not, and if you're in the market, definitely give them a listen...I've heard a LOT of gear over the years, and I can say with absolute certainty that you'd have a REALLY hard time doing better than these speakers and this price point or even higher.
Thanks for reading!
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Do you guys ever hit some random button after typing out some lengthy response, making the entire post just disappear into thin air?
Oh yea, many times. So many times in fact that I've learned to periodically highlight everything and [copy], just in case I hit that magic button.
I also use it on emails just before I press the [send] button in case my email gets sent to "no where" and I can't get it back. It's very gratifying to simply click [paste] and have all my hard work magically come back.
Hope that helps,
Bob
EDIT: What a coincidence....I submitted this post and got 'Internet Explorer can't display this webpage'.
Good thing I had it [copied]. :lol:
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That's a great idea, Bob...I need to get into that habit!! :lol:
It's so frustrating when I write something up only to have it completely disappear...I just wish I knew how I was so good at doing it!
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You're very welcome. Glad I could help.
If I ever find out what combination of Windows buttons are the "Delete all my hard work" feature, I'll be sure to let you know. :thumb:
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Not using IE would be a good proactive way to avoid this type of problem.
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Not using IE would be a good proactive way to avoid this type of problem.
I use Chrome at home and still have the problem. In fact, Chrome locks up my PC for as much as 15 minutes at a time. I've learned that if I don't touch the PC, it will "come back to life" after it's finished doing whatever it's doing and nothing is lost.
IE at work never does that.
But the button thing we're talking about is a keyboard issue. Actually, it's more like an accidental clumsy thing where you drag your fingers across just the right ("wrong") combination of buttons that erase what you've typed. It's not a software problem.
Bob
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Yeah, I use chrome, too...I figured for sure there would at least be an "undo" option, but to no avail....I'll just start getting into the habit of copying like you do, Bob...I just can't take it anymore lol
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:lol: Yea, computers suck indeed. (WARNING.....more off topic.....)
I work at a Volvo dealer. I have a car in the shop right now that we're trying to replace rear brake pads on. We are unable to install the new pads because the electric parking brake system will not relinquish control of the electrical/hydraulic piston to compress. We are going to install updated software to the vehicles parking brake control module in an attempt to get the computer to allow us to install brake pads.
So yea....computers suck. :duh:
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:lol: Yea, computers suck indeed. (WARNING.....more off topic.....)
I work at a Volvo dealer. I have a car in the shop right now that we're trying to replace rear brake pads on. We are unable to install the new pads because the electric parking brake system will not relinquish control of the electrical/hydraulic piston to compress. We are going to install updated software to the vehicles parking brake control module in an attempt to get the computer to allow us to install brake pads.
So yea....computers suck. :duh:
So basically the car has become self aware? Tha'ts not good, Bob!!! :lol:
By the way, what are you running for projection these days? I know you really enjoyed your Z2 for quite a while, jsut as I did...have you moved on from that?
I have been very impressed with the Epson 3010 that I purchased back in 2011. The image is bright and beautiful even in ambient light during daytime hours. I'll likely end up keeping this one a while and replacing the bulb sometime in 2014.
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I went from from the Z2 to a hand-me-down Optoma to my current Epson 8350 with a custom mount.
A truly wonderful projector.
Bob
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I went from from the Z2 to a hand-me-down Optoma to my current Epson 8350 with a custom mount.
A truly wonderful projector.
Bob
Very nice! Actually I think I do remember you mentioning that in another thread...very nice machine!
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AJZepp thanks for the interesting and informative post on your RSL speakers.
I'm curious as to which Ascend Acoustic speakers you were looking at before
you made your final decision to use the RSL's. Unfortunately I'm limited on
my funds, but eventually I want to upgrade my speakers. I've read a lot of
comments on the AA CBM 170's and at ~$300/pr they seem to be a bargain.
If the RSL CG4 are that much better I may wait to pull the trigger and save
more money.
What I like about your post is that you have heard some great speakers
and know how great things CAN be. What is hard about reading reviews
is that many people do not tell you what they have heard (and owned)
to do a comparison. Saying "These are the best speakers I've ever heard"
is useless unless you know what they have compared them to.
Once again thanks for your post and pleasing to know somebody is very
happy with there equipment instead of always looking for something better.
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AJZepp thanks for the interesting and informative post on your RSL speakers.
I'm curious as to which Ascend Acoustic speakers you were looking at before
you made your final decision to use the RSL's. Unfortunately I'm limited on
my funds, but eventually I want to upgrade my speakers. I've read a lot of
comments on the AA CBM 170's and at ~$300/pr they seem to be a bargain.
If the RSL CG4 are that much better I may wait to pull the trigger and save
more money.
What I like about your post is that you have heard some great speakers
and know how great things CAN be. What is hard about reading reviews
is that many people do not tell you what they have heard (and owned)
to do a comparison. Saying "These are the best speakers I've ever heard"
is useless unless you know what they have compared them to.
Once again thanks for your post and pleasing to know somebody is very
happy with there equipment instead of always looking for something better.
Thanks for the kind words!
And yep, my frame of reference are speakers like my Magnepan3.6s and formerly the excellent DeVore Super 8s and Silverbacks (which I've spent a lot of time with at a frien'ds place). I certainly wasn't going to hold the RSLs to that standard, but they have impressed me so much that I am able to get the same level of enjoyment from them as I do much more expensive speakers.
I did not get the chance to hear the ascends, unfortunately, but I have no doubt that they are fantastic speakers. I spent a lot of time researching both Ascend and RSL, and I am certain that either choice would be excellent. My advice to you would be to audition one or both so that you can really see and hear them in your own home. I believe Ascend offers an in-home trial, and RSL even takes the next step and will pay the shipping for you to RETURN them in the event you don't like them. I felt that showed a lot of confidence in their product because, let's face it, if you get a lot of returns you're not going to be able to stay in business very long!
My biggest concern with box speakers is usually that they sound veiled to me, especially those options that are more entry level. Especially when I go from a very transparent speaker to one that lacks it, it's very hard for me to enjoy the one with less transparency. All I can say is that I do this all the time in my apartment, going from the big mama Maggies to my little HT with the RSLs, and I find that I can enjoy both just as much, which is really a big thing for me to say. As I mentioned above, I'm just amazed with how good the CG24s work as a center...hearing all these tv shows and cable channels in dolby digital for the first time has truly been a revelation...dialogue is absolutely crystal clear, to the very same degree that it is on the CC3. Even in a small room, I get a beautiful and enveloping sound field that leaves me wanting for nothing.
But yeah, if you're in the market for speakers at this price point or even a bit higher, I'd order a pair of the 4s and play with them a bit...you won't be out a dime if you send them back. I really think you'll be surprised, even with all this sunshine I'm blowing up their butts at RSL :lol:
One other thing that I'm very "anal" about...(scuse my french!) and that is the company. Even if the product is great, if I am not comfortable with the company for wahtever reason, I wont' buy from them. The most recent example was with a headphone company where I felt the owner really came off as a bit of a jerk...that impression stayed with me and to this day I have not purchased their product, even though I would otherwise be interested. I was very careful to get the story with RSL and I've had conversations with both Howard, the founder, and his son Joe. It's pretty rare that I will overtly say, "I highly recommend buying from this company", but I can say that here. They have a strong heritage to go with their current product line, and in my opinion these are honest and dedicated businessmen who are focused on excellent customer service. I have absolutely no hesitation recommending them and in fact I'm very happy to do so. And just as a disclaimer, I get absolutely nothing for being this effusive about them, other than the knowledge that I may help a fellow audio lover discover speakers that will give them as much enjoyment as I've gotten from these beauties :D
Hope that helps!
PS. If you have technical questions about the products, I'd really encourage you to email or call them, too...they are very responsive and helpful.
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aj - I am wondering how the CG24 compares with the CG4 in tonality.I see that Rogersound advertises a "studio monitor system" that incorporates the CG24s with their Speedwoofer 10 sub. They also sell a "stereo system" that employs the CG4s with the same sub for $150 less. It seems almost a no-brainer that the CG24s would play much louder and with a little less strain even at normal levels, but I also know that often the smaller, simpler speaker is the better sounding, all othe aspects being equal. I'm wondering whether you have ever taken the time to compare the CG4s with the CG24s, both with your subs in a simple stereo set up.
R
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aj - I am wondering how the CG24 compares with the CG4 in tonality.I see that Rogersound advertises a "studio monitor system" that incorporates the CG24s with their Speedwoofer 10 sub. They also sell a "stereo system" that employs the CG4s with the same sub for $150 less. It seems almost a no-brainer that the CG24s would play much louder and with a little less strain even at normal levels, but I also know that often the smaller, simpler speaker is the better sounding, all othe aspects being equal. I'm wondering whether you have ever taken the time to compare the CG4s with the CG24s, both with your subs in a simple stereo set up.
R
Hey Russell!
I never really did A/B comparisons with the sub in play, but I definitely spent time comparing the two models back when I first ordered them. I ended up relegating the 4s to the rears and the 24s to the front for two reasons: First of all, I prefer to have three identical speakers across the front stage. It's something I'd never been able to make work before, so this was an opportunity to actually get it done. BUT, I wouldn't have done that if the 4s proved to be the better speaker. Second, the 24s had just slightly more midrange presence, and that's something that my ears really respond to. Was it a big difference? Nope, not at all...quite subtle. The human voice is my favorite instrument, though, so having just a TOUCH more midrange was a deciding factor in my case. Aside from that, I could not detect any other difference in terms of tonality, sound stage, etc. Both speakers played effortlessly loud without any hint of strain (and I gave them quality upstream gear to play with, in addition to an entry level Onkyo receiver) and they sound fantastic with both music and HT.
Regarding the drivers, I always keep coming back to the tweeter. The tweeter they chose continues to amaze me. I think earlier in the thread I talked about the ribbon tweeter in the Maggies as being widely considered one of the best - and some cases THE best - tweeter on earth. There is NOT a night and day difference here at all. The tweet on the RSLs is remarkable for what I paid for these speakers, and in some ways I think it may be what puts the value over the top. When you get a sub dialed in with either pair, the result is pretty impressive. Obviously they are not designed as full range speakers, and in fact are MEANT to be paired with a subwoofer...so I don't know if not having to worry about low end extension frees one up to really master the mids and highs, but that's exactly the end result. I happen to love my little M8 subwoofer, especially in my smaller HT, and when you get it all dialed in together it sounds nothing like a budget rig.
It's so great having a triple crossover back in play, cause it's allowed me to take the complement of 5 RSLs, plus the sub, to an even higher level. I love listenign to podcasts, and I always play one when I turn in for bed...it helps keep my mind occupied so I'm not thinking about "life things", I suppose....I dunno lol. But anyway, today I wasn't quite ready to sleep, so I was playing around with multi-channel music on the Outlaw pre/pro and my AppleTV as a source. It damn near sounded like the walls of the room expanded out about 10' in each direction...the live recordings I was playing - particularly the Eagles and Guns n Roses - really gave an immense sense of space, and I think this had a lot to do with my re-calibration of the system on the Outlaw.
Earlier in the year I had some friends over to watch Wrestlemania...just a fun annual tradition we have had over the past several years. We were goign to watch in the living room where the Maggies are, but I wanted to show them the little HT with the RSLs and the projector. I fired up the audio in a multi-channel presentation with the proprietary surround processing that was on the McCormack MAP I was using at the time, and his comment was, "let's watch it in HERE!", and, "wow, this is exactly what I want to do!" The sound is even more impressive now, so I can't wait to have him back over to see him drool ;)
Anyway, sorry to ramble on, it's just been a while since I've taken the time to talk about these things. I hope I sort of answered your question lol. The bottom line is that both speakers sound very similar, but the 24s have a touch more presence in the mids. And I would expect they also have more headroom, as you asserted, but I honestly never came close to pushing either speaker to its limits. :thumb:
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Oh, and I wanted to make one more quick comment about the in-home trial thing...the lady friend/roommate read my earlier comment and she wanted me to pass this along.
In her opinion, having a policy where you offer to pay return shipping in the event the speaker doesn't work out shows a ton of respect for the consumer. She has gotten to know about audio through me, and one of the things I've talked about with her was how there's no such thing as a speaker that EVERYONE universally loves...it just doesn't happen. We all have individual tastes and preferences, and just because I love speaker A and am not crazy about speaker B doesnt mean that it will be that way for the next guy. So she made the point that RSL shows a lot of respect for the consumer because it takes into account that there will be those who don't feel the love, for whatever reason, and allows them to audition in their own environment without getting stuck with something they don't like. I think this is a great point, personally, and I hadn't really looked at it from that perspective.
I love that they have this much confidence in their products, cause as I mentioned above, you simply can't stay in business if people started sending all sorts of product back...so to me it's just confirmation that a whole lot of other people are having the same experience that I'm having, and that all these ridiculously strong reviews are for a very good reason.
The only sad part about all this is that after nearly a decade of consistent, excellent performance, my Butler 5150 needs to go back to the mother ship for an update on the tubes. It's really going to hurt to be without it for a couple weeks while Mr Butler gets me back up and running, cause it means I'll be w/out the RSLs :( I love this amp, though, so I gotta do what needs to be done to get it healthy again...these speakers have a "scaling" quality, just like higher end speakers. They can sound great even with a cheapo receiver, but with better gear they'll give you even more. So hopefully I will get their amp buddy back in here quick!
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Thanks for all the detail, aj. These sound like the work of a seasoned designer, as Howard must be by now. I like the idea of supporting what looks like a family business, too. The story of the company is a cool one and Howard and Joe look like good people.
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Thanks for all the detail, aj. These sound like the work of a seasoned designer, as Howard must be by now. I like the idea of supporting what looks like a family business, too. The story of the company is a cool one and Howard and Joe look like good people.
More than welcome :)
And yeah, it's something that I've always paid attention to...even though it's not the most important factor, it just gives you a little greater since of pride to know that the people you're buying from are focused on offering great value and customer service. Many people may not realize this, but in my field as an RN, there is a HUGE emphasis on great customer service. We're often rated in terms of our performance, and the service we provide is an integral part of that rating. So when I am on the other end of it, it means a lot to me...and that's what it's been like buying from these gentleman.
If you ever give their gear a listen, please let me know!
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Well...as much as I didn't exactly intend to test the RSLs in THIS manner...I now have a better understanding of build quality and durability :lol:
I think I'm starting to get old :duh:
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Hey all...been a while since I updated the thread, so thought I'd chime in real quick.
I recently had an opportunity to fire up the CG24s with my Peachtree Audio Nova 125. I was reorganizing the little theater room and figured that would be a good chance to give them some 2-channel attention. First of all, I absolutely love the Nova. I've had it a while now and it drives the hell out of my Maggies, so I figured it would love having the chance to mingle with the Rogersounds. It's been a while since I heard them in stereo, and once again I was just really, really impressed. It seems I *never* see anyone talking about these speakers, which is really a shame. They have sounded great with a cheap Onkyo 50w receiver, my higher end Butler amp, and now the Peachtree Nova 125. Amazing for HT, but also for 2-channel. I could very easily live with these speakers if I didn't have my Maggies.
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Aj, do you live in Flowery Branch? I'm not that far from you. I live in Dacula, Ga which is just the next town from you. What did you end up putting your CG24's on ? I'm thinking of going with 3 - CG24's for the front and 2 - CG4's for the surrounds. I'm thinking of mating these all up with a SVS SB-2000 sub.
Thanks,
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Hey all...
It's been quite a while since my last update, so wanted to chime in...
As I had explained to TroyH4, things were up in the air a bit with my living situation, and my Butler amp needed/needs to go back to the factory for its 10-year tube replacement (plan to keep it for another ten years!!), so my HT room had gone idle for several months. I'm starting initial plans to get back into a house, so the HT was sort of on the back burner. Well, I decided to go ahead and rearrange the HT room to better accommodate my office space (Im a home worker), and I was excited to change things around so the screen and speakers werent shoved into one half of the room. It never felt as comfortable as it should have been since it was sort of unbalanced. The way I have it now, the screen is in the middle of a long wall and the speakers are more balanced. I decided to go ahead and also invest in some additional room treatments. I dont have room for more GIK panels, which was my preference, so I just grabbed a Tune-Pak from Michael Green Audio. I also decided to take advantage of a B-stock receiver from Outlaw Audio since I know I want to move the Butler amp back with their true loves, the big Vader Magnepans and associated center/surround speakers. FURTHER (I guess I've done more than I thought I had lol), the plate amp on my little Outlaw M8 subwoofer went bad...
***If Joe or Howard are reading this, please close your eyes and skip over this next part!!! lol***
...and I decided I'd go ahead and see what other subs were on the market. I feel kinda bad because I know Joe and Howard really wanted me to try out their Speedwoofer 10, but due to unforseen circumstances, I just HAD to go in another direction. (If anyone is interested in what I mean, check out my thread "A Quick Subwoofer Story: PSA and Tom V!!! here in the HT circle.) So now the room is better balanced, it's treated, I have a new subwoofer, a new amp, etc.
When I first auditioned the RSL speakers, I ran them in stereo in the family room...which is a bigger room and the acoustics are much better than this little HT room. Although once I got them up in a 5.1 configuration in here, they were sounding really good...everything I had hoped for. But now that I've made these changes and minimized the negative impact of the room, I'm just blown away by this system all over again. The fight scenes in that new Daredevil series on Netflix have absolutely ROCKED. The RSLs are exhibiting dynamics that I hadn't heard previously, and it just makes me laugh when I think about how inexpensive these speakers are. I still need to see how they will sound when I set them up in a larger room, but in this room (approx 12x14, 9' ceilings) I don't know if I can really say I prefer the Magnepan rig over these anymore. Anyone who knows me will realize how significant it is that I would say that...I absolutely love my Maggies. In a smaller room like this, though, the RSLs are so intense...it's hard to explain in words...it's just dynamic, crisp, authentic...no way did I ever think I coudl reach this level of HT performance at this price point.
The B-stock amp I got is 7 channels, so I think when I get into a larger room I'm going to pick up a couple more CG-4s for in back. In short, I cant' believe I waited this long to arrange the room this way and add a few more tweaks to bring out more of what the RSLs can do.
Anyway...I don't even remember how long it's been since I've had these now, but I am so thrilled with these...I hope at least a few of you guys have given them an audition. I know there are a lot of amazing products out there, but this value is just crazy.
Happy Listening, gents!
EDIT: WOW, I jsut checked my first post in this thread and it's been almost two and a half years already!!! That's just nuts...time flies when you're having fun :)
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Hey Everyone:
So as my 4th year anniversary as an RSL customer approaches, thought I'd post an update...this time with some video. If you have headphones, it makes a HUGE difference when I do the demo, so wear 'em if ya got 'em.
As you can see, Im not one for production value :lol: But I did want to update with the changes that have taken place, cause every so often someone asks me if I still have them, how I like them, etc. And with Christmas approaching, maybe some of you are looking for ideas :thumb:
Hope everyone is doing well...
PS My dog jumped up and knocked the controller out of my hand when I went to turn up the volume, so that's why it's two parts. I didn't feel like re-recording the first part again, and figured you guys wouldnt mind too much.
PPS One of my friends with a SICK mind made a joke about the small stains that are visible on the dual chaises...its drops from a BABY bottle...the significant other just became a grandmother...geesh! :duh: :wink:
Part One: https://youtu.be/kHKXvVDXi4M
Part Two: https://youtu.be/-Dp8kcRdU50
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looks good- clean up those cables though!
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looks good- clean up those cables though!
:thumb:
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Congratulations on the house - looking forward to the 3.6 video.
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Great videos ajzepp!
Wondering if you ever tried the cg4 monitors in a near field setup like at a desktop? I got a little tube integrated I use at work that I like and am always looking to find other speakers to mate with it.
-Tom
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That's very interesting...I honestly had never even thought to try them in that application...I haven't had the pleasure of hearing them yet, but the CG3s they just came out with are a bit smaller and probably would be pretty good in that way...
If RSL reads this by chance, Tomy2Tone (Tom) may have just come up with a great new way to market your speakers guys!! :thumb:
(they chimed in earlier in the thread, so who knows...might as well give you some credit for the suggestion just in case :thumb: )
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Hey guys, just a head's up...
RSL just released their CG3/CG23, which are a step down from the CG4/CG24 speakers that I have. They are putting a 5.1 package together with their new Speedwoofer 10s, and offering it for $999. I haven't heard these new speakers yet, but if they even come close to the ones I have, this is one of the craziest deals I've ever seen in audio. The sub is very nice. I have one here on a trial at present, and it's super clean and punchy. The output is quite impressive for a 10" driver, and it's pretty small and compact.
I seriously don't know how they could possibly have any margin selling five speakers and a quality sub for that price, but that's their problem lol.
Anyone in the market for a great HT rig should check this out.
happy Thanksgiving all
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I cannot believe it's been five years since I fell in love with RSLs. The CG24s and CG4s are now officially the 2nd longest tenure of any speakers I've ever owned. (First place is Magnepan 3.6, and they will always be the champs.)
When I do research, it always tells me a lot when I look back on threads to see if the speakers that someone raved about are still in use, or if they've moved on to something else. So I thought I'd offer a quick update.
Do I still own the RSLs? Yes.
Do I still use the RSLs? Yes. All the time.
Do I still LOVE the RSLs? Yes. More than ever!
Do I plan to upgrade the RSLs to something else? Well...that's an interesting question!
This is probably breaking news - to Audio Circle, at least...I think it already broke on one or two of the other forums - but I caught up with Joe Rodgers, and he mentioned the new line is coming out very soon. I'll be honest, I was very sad to see my beloved 4/24 series discontinued. These speakers have redefined value for me at this price point. I've already said plenty on them throughout this thread, so I wont bore you anymore with that.
But the new speakers are the CG5 and CG25. I don't know if I have permission to mention the "who", but one of my favorite recording artists is auditioning the prototypes and, from what I understand, plans to consider the new line with future studio recordings. Anyway, no info on price, but even though I dont think I want to part with my 4/24s, I will likely nudge Joe to ship me a pair to audition and possibly create a youtube video discussing them. Who knows...maybe the new models will just be too good to resist 8)
So anyway, I know that I really appreciate when people offer updates on long-term speaker experiences, so just wanted to update this thread, as well. RSL has given me hundreds and hundreds of hours of entertainment over the past five years, and while my one true love will always be Maggie, I can't imagine giving up my RSLs anytime soon.
Happy Listening, everyone
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When are the new speakers expected to hit the market?
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When are the new speakers expected to hit the market?
Sorry Doublej, just now saw this...last I checked, there was no official release date other than "this year", but they were really happy with the prototypes. I'll definitely update this thread as soon as I hear something further. I'm not sure if I'll feel the need to upgrade, mainly because I like the ones I have so much, but I'm definitely going to try to evaluate a new pair just to experience the areas of improvement. Part of me wonders if they'll take it in a direction that won't match my preferences (namely transparency...I love that they don't sound like boxes), but if the last three experiences are any indication, they'll likely be fantastic speakers.
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Hello,
Did you ever get a chance to audition the new RSL CG25’s?
If so can you do a comparison between the CG25’s vs the CG24’s?
I just read through your entire post and find this very interesting.
I’ve already sent Joe an email.
Thank you for posting all of your information on the CG24’s....!!!!