[Bob in St. Louis]

  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.   

[ajzepp]

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.   

So basically the car has become self aware? Tha'ts not good, Bob!!! 

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.

[Bob in St. Louis]

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

[ajzepp]

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!

[apollophono]

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.

[ajzepp]

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 

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 

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.

[Russell Dawkins]

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

[ajzepp]

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. 

[ajzepp]

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!

[Russell Dawkins]

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.

[ajzepp]

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!

[ajzepp]

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 

 I think I'm starting to get old 

[ajzepp]

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.

[TroyH4]

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,

[ajzepp]

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

[ajzepp]

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    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 

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!     


Part One: https://youtu.be/kHKXvVDXi4M

Part Two: https://youtu.be/-Dp8kcRdU50

[audioguy213]

looks good- clean up those cables though!

[ajzepp]

looks good- clean up those cables though!

 

[SteveFord]

Congratulations on the house - looking forward to the 3.6 video.

[Tomy2Tone]

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