Questions about the RM-30 and 626r

pugs · « **on:** 20 May 2004, 02:01 pm »

I wanted to get a little bit of information on the RM-30 and 626R. Right now I'm trying out the Odyssey Lorelei. Overall, I like them but there are some things that just won't work in my room.

First and most importantly, the base is only 8" wide. With a small kid, and more on the way, that's a safety concern for me. If my kid falls into one of them, it's going over. Also, the bass is sometimes too much in my room. I have them out about 2' from the front wall, and they just can't come out anymore. My old speakers were rear-ported and they worked well about 18" out. The lack of matching HT speakers is also an issue. I'm also trying the Nemesis, but it's not going to work for me.

Minor things that I'm not too sure about is the lack of transparency, imaging is a little fuzzy, and they don't really sound lifelike. Don't get me wrong, they are very nice speakers. They are non fatiguing, they have a nice warmth to them, but maybe too warm. They seem to play all types of music well, and bad recordings sound good on them.

I'm starting to think that they just won't work. That brings me to VMPS. I'm looking for something more transparent, detailed, can be placed closer the the front wall, sounds decent with bad recordings, is adjustable, and is non-fatiguing. I've been looking at the 626R and RM-30 the most, but the RM1 and RM2 are also options.

My equipment is Odyseey monos, Odyssey Tempest, Cary 303/200 CDP. The Tempest has an AV bypass which my Denon 4800 is connected. My room is approximately 14" x 15" with the speakers on the shorter wall. Half of the left sidewall is open to the dining room and family room which is a half a flight of stairs up. It's a split level home. floor is tile with a rug covering most of it, except behind my big 11' wide couch. The right wall has a large sliding glass door. The bass response from my left speaker is less than the right, due to less wall interaction. The room is treated with 8th Nerve roompack plus 4 extra seems. The ceiling is 8', wood, with baffles running across it.

I want a lot of adjustability so I can tune each speaker to my room. The 626R sounds good, but I'm a little concerned about the rear port, stability on a stand, and overall quality of sound compare to something like the Lorelei and RM-30. The RM-30 sounds good because I think it can be placed close to the front wall, and is tuneable. I'm not sure how wide the base is though which is a concern. I also want matching HT speakers including center and dipole surrounds.

What do you think is best for me? 626R with sub (or subs) or RM-30 or the RM 1 or 2? I like jazz, rock, alternative, hip-hop, stuff like Sade and Erykah Badu. Please let me know what you think.

pugs · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 May 2004, 02:19 pm »

One important thing I left out is that my listening height is about 33-34", which is a concern when considering the RM-30. Also the horizontal dispersion is a concern with all models for watching movies. i want everyone on my couch to get a good HT experience.

jasonc · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 May 2004, 10:39 pm »

Quote

First and most importantly, the base is only 8" wide. With a small kid, and more on the way, that's a safety concern for me. If my kid falls into one of them, it's going over.

If this is a concern I don't think the RM-30 would ease your mind any better. My 626R's are incredibly stable granted they are atop custom built Sound Anchor's. With just blue dots attached I literally have to pry them off If I need to remove them.. the stands also weigh over 85lbs each which helps too

.

Tyson · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 May 2004, 10:57 pm »

If it were me, I'd go for the rm30's without question. More mid panels equals more transparency, better dynamics, and more headroom. Adjustable PR's means the bass damping can be made to work in your particular setup. I have the 40's, (which I imagine sound a lot like the 30's), and they are one of the very few speakers I've heard which are extremely detailed but are also very smooth and listenable.

pugs · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 May 2004, 01:03 am »

Quote from: jasonc

Quote
First and most importantly, the base is only 8" wide. With a small kid, and more on the way, that's a safety concern for me. If my kid falls into one of them, it's going over.

If this is a concern I don't think the RM-30 would ease your mind any better. My 626R's are incredibly stable granted they are atop custom built Sound Anchor's. With just blue dots attached I literally have to pry them off If I need to remove them.. the stands also weigh over 85lbs each which helps too .

How wide is the Rm30 with the base on? It also wouldn't be as much of a concern if I can place them closer to the front wall. They would be more out of the way. Also, I think I read something that suggested different bases are available. How far do you think they need to be from the front wall?

Actually, I'm starting to think that a rear port is just a bad idea for my room. I was just playing around with the Lorelei, and when they point straight out, the bass is more in control. The imaging is gone though. When I toe them in, the imaging is better, but the bass is way out of control.

I never realized that the design of my old NHT 2.5i was pretty good for my room considering it was rear ported. They had the angeled front so I fanned them out a little. That pointed the ports inward. The bass was pretty good. Too bad they were really sterile and fatiguing.

Brian Cheney · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 May 2004, 01:07 am »

The RM30 is 12" wide with its base on and is quite stable. I don't think you could tip it over if you tried.

RickRichardson · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 May 2004, 05:31 am »

I replaced a pair of 626R's with RM-30's recently, and based on my experience, I would highly recommend the RM-30's. Their sound is clearly superior in clarity, transparency and bass. I had my 626R's on DIY wooden stands that were the same dimensions as the speakers and weighed 32 lbs each. Even with the spikes properly set up, the 626R's seemed noticably more tippy than stock Rm-30's. I have no fear of toppling problems with my grandchildren around.

I have my Rm-30M's set up on the 14' end of my 14 x 24 den and am able to get wonderful imaging from them. My wife even likes the way they look(piano black- small black monoliths). What more could you ask?

pugs · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 May 2004, 07:35 am »

Now I need to know if my listening height of 33" is too low. Would it be best to get the spikes so I can point them down a little? Also, I need to know if I really can place them close to the front wall without too much compromise in the sound. I'm hoping less than 1'. Would the M version be alright in a room my size? Also, how brutal will they be on all my bad recordings? Not a huge deal, but just wanted to know.

Would the LRC be good for the center?

Thanks

Anton K. · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 May 2004, 09:56 am »

Quote from: pugs

Right now I'm trying out the Odyssey Lorelei. Overall, I like them but there are some things that just won't work in my room.
Also, the bass is sometimes too much in my room. /quote]

If you had too much bass with Loreleis, I am sure things would be even worse with RM-30.
Generally speaking, big loudspeakers are for large rooms.
Also it is generally held, that you will get smaller sweetspot with the loudspeakes utilizing ribbon drivers.
If I were you, I would look for stand mounted speakers with cone / dome drivers.

Brgds,
Anton

pugs · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 May 2004, 12:28 pm »

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually the Lorelei doesn't produce too much bass if the ports are faced directly backwards. It's when I point them inward, and the ports are angeled more toward the corners, I get a big peak around 40Hz. I think it's the port. I didn't have the same problem with my last speakers which went down to 32Hz like the Lorelei and RM-30. They had the side firing woofers like the RM-30.

Sweet spot is not really a problem either, because I always sit in one spot when listening to music/watch TV in that room. I am concerned about the tweeter height though. I'm also concerned that when others watch a movie at my house, it won't sound as good for them.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but if I do choose the RM-30, at least I'll have a 30 day trial.

RickRichardson · « **Reply #10 on:** 22 May 2004, 07:05 pm »

A listening height of 33" should be fine for the RM-30's. Mine is 36" and they sound fine. The M should also be fine, remember you have control over these speakers response - a bit of work, but well worth it. The back of my speakers are 18" from the front wall, although they are set up for HT, with a large RPTV in between them. In stereo mode they work well, great imaging. In regard to bad recordings, these speakers are revealing in that they give you clarity, detail and transparency. Bad recordings will sound that way, but good recordings are the reward.

As for a center speaker, check out this recent thread:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=10555

I think a RM-30C is a better match for RM-30M L&R, where as the LCR would be a better match for 626R'. A pic of my RM-30C is in the thread mentioned above.

rkapadia@ROOP · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 May 2004, 01:23 am »

Hello pugs,

We offer a full no-risk return policy on VMPS systems if you're unsure about the commitment. Call us and discuss your system and room with us; if we think it will work well with the RM30 then you're elegible for the no-risk policy. If you're not satisfied after 40 days all you do is call us and we'll take care of everything, including return delivery.

Please see the link below for further details:
http://www.roopaudiolabs.com/support_return.asp

Regards,