[Zheeeem]

I have some RM-30Ms and have been listening with waveguides on since I owned them.  Recently, I took the waveguides off to do some troubleshooting, and decided that I like the speakers better without the guides.  Does this make me a bad person?

[Russtafarian]

Rebel!  Welcome to the non-waveguide RM30 listeners club.  Any other members out there?

Russ

[Tyson]

I'm a non-waveguide RM40 owner, can I be part of the club ?

[jonbee]

I use them w/o the guides for serious music listening, but I find they they sound better on movie dvds with them on (with very different pot settings, though).
Media, sources, rooms and ears are all different.
Trust your ears!

[Brian Cheney]

Scoffers should try waveguides on using the DCX 2496 digital crossover and EQ, which completely compensates for the treble rolloff constant directivity introduces.

A very nice upgrade, let me say.

[Tyson]

I'd actually be interest in trying out the waveguides, but I've got a set of pre-MLS rotary White Birch cabinets, so I don't think the stock waveguides will match my speakers, either in the dimensions or in the wood finish (not interested in black).  Too bad, because it sounds like a very interesting technological solution to some rather intractable problems.

[john1970]

To all,

I've been listening to my RM40s in a near-field enviroment without the waveguides and they are very enjoyable and I have a difficult time hearing any differences with waveguides installed.  Besides, I dislike the fact that the waveguides do offer any physical protection to the ribbon tweeters.

Best,

John

[Zheeeem]

Scoffers should try waveguides on using the DCX 2496 digital crossover and EQ, which completely compensates for the treble rolloff constant directivity introduces.

A very nice upgrade, let me say.

Scoff, scoff, scoff, scoff...  ahem.

Nicer than a pair of powered larger subs?

In all seriousness, don't confuse laziness with tweaking.  After troubleshooting, I just didn't have enough energy left to put the waveguides back on, and decided to listen for a while without them. 

[Brian Cheney]

Try one on and one off, a nice combination of dispersion and treble extension.

[Housteau]

Scoffers should try waveguides on using the DCX 2496 digital crossover and EQ, which completely compensates for the treble rolloff constant directivity introduces.

I had thought that the dehorning of the tweeter corrected for this.

[Russtafarian]

No scoff intended Brian. 

I found that the waveguides accentuated 1 -3 khz and diminished  4 - 8 khz in a way that made the speakers too shouty sounding.  Pot tweaking didn't help because turning up the tweeter and/or turning down the midrange didn't fill the hole at 4 - 8 khz.  My RM30s are an early pair so I suspect the crossovers are not optimized for the waveguides.

They sound wonderful with 2" X 24" foam strips on each side of the mid ribbons so no big deal.  I'm a happy RM30 camper.

Russ

[John Casler]

No scoff intended Brian. 

I found that the waveguides accentuated 1 -3 khz and diminished  4 - 8 khz in a way that made the speakers too shouty sounding.  Pot tweaking didn't help because turning up the tweeter and/or turning down the midrange didn't fill the hole at 4 - 8 khz.  My RM30s are an early pair so I suspect the crossovers are not optimized for the waveguides.

They sound wonderful with 2" X 24" foam strips on each side of the mid ribbons so no big deal.  I'm a happy RM30 camper.

Russ

I wonder where that "foam strip idea" came from aa

My first pair of RM40s was the "experimental" pair.  I think back then I called them "lapels".





Later on a pair of RM30's I went "more dense" on the foam and moved them in to the edges of the planar ribbons.



It is the opposite of the CDWG however, in that it blocks/absorbs horizontal dispersion.

There are two ways to go.

1) Block all (or as much) dispersion as possible to reduce reflected to direct sound

2) Cause a wide spectrum frequency dispersion to reduce reflective hot spots


I like #1 for nearfield 2 channel audio, single sweet spot only listening because it gives you more musical accuracy to the source

I like #2 for farfield, HT, and multiple listener applications since it offers more satisfaction to more than one person.

Russ, yes your pair were built before the CDWG's were available, and I don't recall them being re-equalized for the CDWG, which might be why they lean towards sans guides.

The beautiful thing now is the DigiLOG DOXO where B, puts WaveGuide On, and WaveGuide Off equalization in the box.

Best of both worlds.