I picked up my RAD Micros from the post office today. Brian did a pair for me in cherry wood with a custom cherry/red mahogany stain to match my bedroom furniture.
You can see more photos here:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=5Brian did a very impressive job of packing them, and undoing the packaging to reveal the speakers was almost like a strip tease!
I opened the box only to find another box (double boxing was a nice precaution - thank you, Brian). Each speaker was then wrapped in thick bubble wrap. I unwrapped the bubble wrap, only to find another layer... I removed the next layer, and found a 3rd layer! Each time I was getting better and better peeks at the speakers, till finally they were exposed to the world in all their glory. My wife, who was watching me unwrap them, said that I really had to be a (sick?) audiophile to see the sensuality in the situation.
The wood finish is nice, certainly better than I could expect from store-bought speakers at the price! The custom stain also matches my furniture very closely! Kudos, Brian! Each speaker is really quite compact -- a bit taller but narrower than a CD jewel case -- and is surprisingly hefty. The corners are rounded, which is a nice touch. The front port doesn't shout for attention. The binding posts in the back feel solid and grip banana posts firmly.
I hooked them up briefly to my main system. I bet they will sound a bit different after 200 hours of break in, but they are already quite listenable from the very start. At this point, they have a nice smooth and somewhat full midrange. Highs are present but maybe with a slight bit of roll off (then again my main system does tend to be slightly on the sweet side even with the Revelator tweeter of my nOrh 9.0). The Micros have nice upper bass. You certainly don't feel kick drums but the overall musical picture is there. Imaging and soundstaging don't come close to matching the nOrh 9.0 but I figure they will improve with break in. In my main system, the Micros are set up 10 - 15 feet from the side walls and about 2 feet from the back wall -- this is quite different from the recommended placement next to walls or in a bookcase! So, I figure the bass can only get better if placed closer to room boundaries.
Dealing with Brian has been a pleaure. He was always very very prompt to respond to emails and was very helpful and reasonable. I would recommend him to anyone.
I will be placing the Micros in my bedroom, where they will be powered by a Radii Audio 300B tube integrated amp with a mighty 9 watts per channel! I expect that the Micros will be an easier load than my Acoustic Reality Avinci bookshelf speaker, which already play quite loudly. That said, I will save concert level rock for my main system!
