New RAD Metals are here!

Brian Bunge · « **on:** 13 Nov 2003, 03:08 pm »

As has been alluded to in several threads here, the M-1 speakers, which are no longer available, are being replaced by a new speaker which, for lack of a better name, is being referred to as the Metals.

After my love affair with the Tang Band 3" drivers with the aluminum colored paper cone and aluminum phase plug I started looking around to see if there were any relatively inexpensive aluminum cone woofers and aluminum or titanium tweeters. I've seen the drivers which I ultimately chose for the Metals used in several other designs which have received high praise so I figured I couldn't go wrong at least giving them a shot. What I ended up with far surpassed my expectations.

I've owned ACI Opals and Emeralds as well as GR Research A/V-1's and A/V-2's. I loved the Opals except the midrange was a little recessed for my liking. The Emeralds had better midrange, but not the midbass impact that I like. I really liked the GR Research stuff. Superior mids and highs to either of the ACI speakers, but still not the midbass I wanted. When listening to rock music at high levels none of them integrated well with my sub. Also, my living room is huge and completely open to the rest of the house so highs would end up overpowering you after a few minutes.

So the first time I fired up the Metals I was amazed at the bass impact from a small 5" woofer. Mids are a little more laid back than the GR stuff and the highs aren't quite as sweet, but they definitely do not have that metal edge that I've heard from some of the lower level Axiom stuff, which drove me nearly out of the room. What you do get is a little bit different tonal quality to cymbals and brass instruments. They just sound more real to me. I grew up with MB Quart tweeters in my car system, which are high quality tweeters, so that's the sound I was looking for. I definitely like the way they blend with my sub as well. I don't feel that there's a hole in the response between the sub and speakers now.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I give you the Rutledge Audio Design Metals. They are pictured here in walnut veneer with a semi-gloss finish. I personally don't feel the pictures do them justice as I think the grain detail is much nicer than what I was able to capture with my cheap $250 digital camera.

Pricing will be $350/pr. in oak, maple, cherry, and now walnut! Stains or dyes (including black oak) will carry a 15% upcharge. Also, 10% discounts will be given for 5 or 7 channel systems which include the purchase of a matching sub.

Hank · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 03:33 pm »

Brian, very nice indeed! Every time we've looked at/evaluated drivers, it's been a "coincidence" that you've selected either aluminum cone or silver paper cone drivers. I think I detect a fetish here

Say, nice touch using walnut veneer. Walnut was in vogue years ago when it was more affordable. Then the oak fad came in. Your walnut veneer is not too dark, and looks really nice.

george king · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 05:33 pm »

Sweet looking. But what else would we expect from Brian. They sound intriguing, good luck.

Brian Bunge · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 05:38 pm »

Thanks guys. As I said, the pics don't do the walnut justice. It is darker than it appears in the pictures, but there is still a lot of grain detail. We'll see what ol' Leon thinks when he receives them in a week or so.

LeonO · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 05:41 pm »

WOW! Those are beautiful. I can't wait to see and hear how they look at home

Thanks for talking me into the Walnut

Rick Craig · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 05:53 pm »

... who designed that speaker?

Brian Bunge · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 05:57 pm »

Ummm....err....you did the XO, but it sounds much better with the tweeter wired out of phase and that peak at 17KHz removed!

Rick Craig · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Nov 2003, 06:23 pm »

That was back when I used warble tones and a Rat Shack meter

That speaker was fun to make. I hope your customers enjoy it.

LeonO · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Dec 2003, 07:15 pm »

As expected, the RAD Metals are beautiful too look at. In my, 11'x13' bedroom, two fill the room beautifully. 5 are probably overkill. But, there's never too much good sound

They have nice tight bass with good extension. After 50 hours of breakin, the tweeters are breaking in very nicely. The tweeters are very crisp. At first I thought they were overly dampened, but they are getting more airy and are now very pleasant. While not very efficient, it is surprising how much sound comes out of them, especially considering the price. Listening over the last couple days, I have not felt the need for a sub. However, I'm getting one anyhow

Wish I had more time to experiment & review, but I wanted to give some feedback. I'm sure I'll have more comments as they get more enjoyment. Cheers!

JoshK · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 Dec 2003, 07:40 pm »

What are the dimensions of the speakers?

Brian Bunge · « **Reply #10 on:** 8 Dec 2003, 07:45 pm »

Leon,

Glad they're starting to impress you. I got your email this morning but my email service has been down most of the day.

Josh,

The Metals are 12"H x 7.5"W x 9.25"D. I'm finishing up some cabinets right now finished in figured cherry. They look mighty nice!:)

LeonO · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 Dec 2003, 09:24 pm »

Josh, Brian says these speakers weigh 16 lbs. But, they feel a lot more solid than that. If it wasn't for the UPS shipping weights, I would have thought that they were even heavier. They play a lot bigger than they look

LeonO · « **Reply #12 on:** 26 Nov 2004, 05:01 pm »

After a year, I should share some overdue comments. The metals still sound wonderful. Unfortunately, I got married so I can't listen to them late at night anymore

.

While the metals sound awesome with rock, they are also great with jazz and classical. I've used them most for jazz. I have 5 and a custom 12" sub from Brian. I listen almost exclusively in 5.1 modes, such as Logic 7 and Dolby ProLogic II. Despite being wall mounted, the imaging and soundstage are very pleasing. The imaging is also strong in stero mode. Positioned away from the wall, the imaging competes with speakers costing twice as much.

The bass on the Metals is very impressive considering their size. My bedroom has some nasty peaks and valley's, but crossing them at 60hz provides a very pleasing transition during walking bass passages. While the bass is not as tight as the tower speakers (crossed at 40hz to an SVS) in my main system, it is very pleasing, especially considering the challenging listening environment.

The mids are just sweet, no other comment needed. The highs are accurate, but not harsh. The highs from my main system may be slightly more detailed, but it costs many times more. The tweeters on the Metals are so accurate, that I noticed a considerable difference between the receivers I've used with it. With an NAD T-761, the highs were very detailed and great for plucked and electrified instruments. However, they were a bit harsh for strings and piano (my tastes). However, with the Marantz SR7200, its warmer presentation helped smooth out the strings and piano and may have improved the surround imaging. Ultimately, the Harman Kardon AVR630 was them best match for my tastes. I should disclose that I had purchased anAVR 7200 as a temporary unit in my main system. I liked it so much that I kept it... With the HK, the Metals are nice and smooth for classical and jazz, but still meaty enough for rock.

Overall, the Metals are a very pleasing speaker. Although they may not have the most accurate sound by audiophile standards, they are very accurate for their price range. More importantly, though, the Metals just sound good!!!!

Cheers

Brian Bunge · « **Reply #13 on:** 1 Dec 2004, 02:37 am »

Leon,

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear that you're still very happy with the Metals.