[Tyson]

The 40's are clearly better speakers for orchestral or other "large" works, because of the extra dynamics and the physical height of the midpanels.  The RM30's have most of the virtues of the 40's, but sound a little smaller, slightly less dynamic, and less bass power.  If you like the traditional 2 or 3 way speakers with cone/dome bass/mids/tweeters, then the RM30's are a clear step up and a great sounding speakers.  If you like large line array type speakers, then the RM40's are clearly the best way to go for the $$, IMO.

[John Casler]

Hey Tyson,

Glad to see you.  Looks like the new place was keeping you busy. 

[Tyson]

Thanks!  It wasn't the new place, I had a major heart attack & have been in the hospital and recovering from it.  Doc's say I can't do HIT workouts anymore (at least not for a while), till the heart recovers.  So it's a lot of walking and drugs and very low fat diet from now on   But it has given me time to get the 40's fully tuned to the new room, and I've even managed to get them bi-amped, with an SS AVA amp on the woofs and the hybrid tube AVA amp on the mids/highs.  They sound both more authoritative, and sweeter/more delicate than they ever have before.  With the AVA on the woofs, bass is NOT a problem, it's a strength, particularly bass impact.

[John Casler]

Wow!

Sorry to hear that

But glad to hear the 40's are sounding good.

So you're on all the statins and HBP meds?

If I remember correctly you're a young guy, so do take care and bounce back.

Along w/the low fat (make sure it is not "no fat" cause your body needs fatty acids of the right type) stay away from any foods that cause glucose/insulin spikes or high levels.

Even though medicine goes after bad cholesterol, the real culprit is usually increased sensitivity of the blood vessel walls and lining, which become inflammed.

The inflammation causes the body to try and "shield" the lining, by depositing a protective layer of calcium and cholesterol.  Problem is, that deposit causes a bigger problem.

So sweets, and large meals should be replaced by "lightly" steamed veggies, and many smaller meals or snacks each day (500 cal if possible) rather than a couple large meals.

Don't fall for the Cherios hype that they reduce cholesterol, because the insulin reaction from them negates all of that.  Oatmeal every morning can be a good idea (except the instant type which is too processed)

Hey, follow the Dr's orders and "slowly" come back.   

Thanks!  It wasn't the new place, I had a major heart attack & have been in the hospital and recovering from it.  Doc's say I can't do HIT workouts anymore (at least not for a while), till the heart recovers.  So it's a lot of walking and drugs and very low fat diet from now on   But it has given me time to get the 40's fully tuned to the new room, and I've even managed to get them bi-amped, with an SS AVA amp on the woofs and the hybrid tube AVA amp on the mids/highs.  They sound both more authoritative, and sweeter/more delicate than they ever have before.  With the AVA on the woofs, bass is NOT a problem, it's a strength, particularly bass impact.

[Tyson]

Thanks, doing all that and more now.  The irony is I'm pretty healthy and way too young (34).  They say that people under 40 have a much, much higher mortality rate with heart attacks due to the lack of tertiary blood vessels.  After forty, your body grows some small additional vessels that will still feed the heart with a trickle of blood in the case of a blockage.  In my case I had 100% blockage of one of the 3 major arteries, so I was lucky, very lucky indeed, to survive.  Hell, I was lucky I had any symptoms at all rather than just dropping dead after 60 seconds (accoring to my Dr.).  Plus we have our first baby on the way, and I'm just happy I'm going to be around to be a dad.

But, to try to keep the thread somewhat on topic, I plan to do some upgrades to the 40's, black hole lining most likely, and maybe upgrade to the OXO's.  I'm not so sure about the waveguides in my space.  One thing I actually really like about the 40's is their small sweet spot and very focused sound (since I'm the only one ever in the room that can hear the difference, and I always sit in the sweet spot).  I'm worried that the waveguide will allow the room to be a bigger influence on the sound I hear in the sweet spot, since the dispersion characteristics are so much greater.  What is your take?

[warnerwh]

Glad to hear you are ok Tyson. I'd also wondered why you hadn't been around as there's not alot of people's who's opinion I respected as much as yours. I'm also glad that you tried biamping with the RM 40's. Your feedback had been a major reason I wanted to try the Fetvavle 550 in my system. It's also a worthy endeavor to have the AVA amp running on top with the RM 40's as it's a truly very synergestic combination.

I'm using a Rotel amp for the bass and it can do it's job well. I did take out my rat shack meter the other day to see what db level I was listening to when they're cranked. It had been an easy 103-104db. That tells me my little Rotel with only 200wpc into 8 ohms had been close running out of steam. I almost never listen to that level but if need be I want to have plenty of headroom.

Like you my listening is a single person setup. One chair in my listening room and the sound I have now should not be messed with as it's outstanding. The waveguides bring in an unknown parameter I'm not sure that in my room would be ideal. Fortunately a local person with Rm 40's will or has ordered them so hopefully I"ll know first hand what the waveguides bring to the table. As a matter of fact I need to call him. In John's listening room as in most listening rooms I believe the waveguides could be extremely beneficial. If it's an integrated HT setup then they would be mandatory.

If you go with the OXO please let us know what you think as I'm quite curious. One benefit is that I think crossovers should be on the outside of the box anyway making  life better for everybody. Aestetically however some people may not care for that, me, well if you saw my room you'd know I'm no interior decorator

[John Casler]

But, to try to keep the thread somewhat on topic, I plan to do some upgrades to the 40's, black hole lining most likely, and maybe upgrade to the OXO's.  I'm not so sure about the waveguides in my space.  One thing I actually really like about the 40's is their small sweet spot and very focused sound (since I'm the only one ever in the room that can hear the difference, and I always sit in the sweet spot).  I'm worried that the waveguide will allow the room to be a bigger influence on the sound I hear in the sweet spot, since the dispersion characteristics are so much greater.  What is your take?

If you already sit at the exact perfect height and position between the two speakers then you will hear less improvement from the CDWG.

That said, it is much better for all other applications.

Additionally, because it "blends" the response to cause a "constant directivity", the effects from room interaction are actually lessened.  With less beaming of specific frequencies, the comb filtering of these beamed reflections is reduced, and smoothed as it were.

As for HT it is almost a no-brainer.