[John B]

I arrived at Brian’s home in El Sobrante at the appointed hour, and was escorted to his garage/dedicated listening room. My first sight of the speakers did not carry the behemoth visage I thought they would, they are large, but not imposingly so. The room they were in has the exact same dimensions as my listening room. This was a good thing, as the playing field for my audition matched the home turf. The walls and ceiling were covered in foam, not the expensive specialty product variety, but simple store bought stuff. There were bass absorbers/traps in the two corners by the speakers along with two floor standing foam dispersing type treatments between the speakers, against the back wall. I took my seat, which was of the wheeled variety, and gave him the first of my CDs to play. His system consisted of a Wadia CD player, Ampzilla amp, very thick Kimber speaker cable, and a pre-amp, which I didn’t catch the model name.

The first CD has a bass line that is as punchy and dynamic as I’ve heard. It has an unmistakable feel to it that creates a heavy sonic texture that is quite heady to experience. I use it to test all system components that I am considering. The CD is Jimi “Prime Time” Smith, “Give me Wings”. My first reaction was disappointment. It wasn’t that the bass line didn’t have punch; it just didn’t have that heady feel to it like I usually get with this recording. And yet as I got further into the song I heard other things that I did like. Still, at this point my Dynaudio’s were safe from any upgrade removal from my system. Next up Sunyata “Gypsy Sun Gypsy Moon”, another rich bass line test, with again that certain sonic magic that helps me define the character of an audio system. And again the same result, my memory of how the Dynaudio’s made this bass line happen, with a rich chestiness of bass tone, just wasn’t there with the RM40’s. It was so different, but as I continued to listen there were aspects to the music being portrayed by the RM40’s that began to captivate me, and I grew in appreciation for what this ribbon speaker was doing. Yet, not enough to warrant any concern about having to deal with an upgrade to this product.

Up next Gino D’ Auri “Flamenco Passion”, a true definer of treble/high frequency response. This CD can kill your ears with it’s raw to the bone high frequency information, if the system it’s played on isn’t well balanced and smooth as all get out in it’s upper frequency response. With this CD I got the first hint at what makes a ribbon speaker so special. It came across tonally, as natural as I’ve ever heard this recording, so pure in the upper frequencies that I forgot about evaluating, and just luxuriated in the “live” feel of the performance.

And then came one of my favorite CDs, Pinetop Perkins “Back on Top”. When song #7 started this was the exact moment when my Dynaudio’s began to sweat  In my mind they cowered, they pleaded for mercy, but it was too late, here was the music portrayed in the most realistic recreation of a musical event I’ve ever heard. I was toe tapping and loving the song as never before. The piano had all of the tonal textures and subtleties that I’d come to know with the real thing; here it was before me, being revealed from a CD recreation of the instrument!

After this I was treated to quite a few varied music selections from Brian’s library. There was one orchestral piece that simply nailed me to the chair with its power and sense of being there. Another was a guitar rendition of Beethoven’s 5th symphony that was as powerful as any orchestral version I’d heard; a bass note was reached on this song that would have had my neighbor banging on my door!

In the end my final impression, and the one I’ll relate to those that ask me about these speakers, is that they are the most honest speakers I’ve ever heard. What you would hear live, these speakers give you a window on. They don’t color, they don’t add sonic character, and they don’t give you any special style that isn’t the music itself. My initial disappointment at the sound I chalk up to 6 years of listening to the Dynaudio sound. It has a flavor distinct to the line, and it’s a wonderful flavor, I do love it, but today I heard something quite different and very special in it’s own right.

And as for my trepidation from hearing that Brian was a bit on the grumpy side at times with people    it was unfounded in my experience, he was a gracious host, and has the same passion for music I have.

[nature boy]

John,

Thanks for the RM-40 review.  I would not worry too much about the low end on these speakers, they are very fine IMHO.

I audition Big B speakers at Lucious Burch's place in DC last year, using the Gladiator CD to get a handle on lower octaves.  I thought I was going to sh_t in my pants the bass response was so natural, good and tight.

The speakers I heard did not have a cap upgrade or the FST tweeter.  The only shortcoming I observed was a very small sweet spot and a limited vertical listening axis.  That said, the upgrades Brian has incorporated have resolved these limitations and then some.

I have not heard a more revealing and hones speaker even close in this
price range.

Any listening to the NEW speakers?  The RM-40's are just too big for my smallish listening room.

Thanks again for the review.

NB

[Brian Cheney]

Minor corrections:
My sound room was added to my house, measures 14x31' with a ceiling sloping from 8' to 8'10". All walls are studdoed outside walls.  I use 18 4x4' sheets of 3" Sonex on side and back walls, plus ceiling, two 16" TubeTraps and two 12" Roomtunes in corners for bass traps.  Floor is carpeted in the Dead End of the room, which is 12' deep.
The Live End is reflective, with a parquet floor over a concrete slab (actually the entire room is on a concrete slab).  There is plenty of dispersion in the Live End provided by furniture and shorted-out speaker boxes.
It is a neutral environment for listening.

[ekovalsky]

Had I kept the RM-40's, a pair of subs would have been added to the system.  I missed the authoritative power and impact of the bass enjoyed with my prior rig, which featured the Apogee Diva loudspeakers and Muse18 subs.

Now that I've upgraded to the RM/X, subs are no longer in my long term plan.  12" vs 10" woofers, larger and better braced cabinet, floor level mounting of all the woofers, three different bass paths into the room, and an amplifier with the ultimate bass control did the trick.  I'm very hard to satisfy in the bass department, and I'm 100% pleased with the RM/X.

The RM-40's are great speakers.  If you are considering them and must have ultimate bass for your listening enjoyment, I'd add in the modest cost of a VMPS Larger or 215 sub (or a pair of them) to your setup.

[cametz]

Ok Brian, what is the name and lable of the cd: "Another was a guitar rendition of Beethoven’s 5th symphony that was as powerful as any orchestral version I’d heard."
Clyde

[Brian Cheney]

That's the California Guitar Trio.

[dubravko]

Please also name this one;

"There was one orchestral piece that simply nailed me to the chair with its power and sense of being there."

[Brian Cheney]

That was the Tchaikovsky Sym #2 "Little Russian" with Hererra de la Fuente conducting the Orquesta Sinfonica de  Mineria (Mexico) on OM Records (1991).

[John Casler]

I can vouch for this evaluation and further say that it has an "excellent" soundstage with realistic instrument placement.

Brian is always quick to point out that the recording technique was incredibly sophisticated (only a two mike set up) if I have this correct.

[John B]

Since I am now considering these speakers, lets talk putty.   Where is it, how do I get to it, and how do I decide how much to remove or leave in?  Does the sound change over time and how do I decide if it needs more putty out or putty back in?  And for you owners, as an estimate, how much time do you think you've put into calibrating these speakers, and over what periods of time did you go re-tweak.   The only problem with this, is I'm an obsessive tweaker by nature and I could easily see myself getting into that forever wanting to tweak it stage that leads to never being satisfied with the sound.   Your thoughts on this please.

[Brian Cheney]

I can show you how to do the various adjustments.  Once the basic setup is done you can experiment with control settings and PR damping, provided you learn to make VERY SMALL adjustments thereof.

I retune the speakers for age about once a year, or when I get a new source.  My speaker wire and amps haven't changed in three years.

[Horsehead]

Brian- how do you like the new Wadia 861 SE?  Did you try running the Wadia into the Ampzillas direct?  Do you biamp with the Kimber Select 3035 (use two runs) or use single pair of Ampzillas and use jumpers?

[Brian Cheney]

The 861SE was a loan which I have decided to keep.  I use it to power the amps directly.  It has four inputs so I can switch between sources.
I use soldered internal jumpers on my RM 30's and 40's and a single run of the Kimber speaker wire.

[ekovalsky]

After hearing the 861SE in the VMPS room and Frank's hot-rodded 861 in the Great Northern Room, and my own dCs Elgar Plus directly driving my JRDG amp, I think digital volume controls are the way to go.  The current 24-bit DACs can provide 24db source attenuation and still maintain full 20-bit resolution.    

No matter how good a preamp may be, no preamp (and one less interconnect) is better.

I was not impressed with the built in analog volume controls of some other digital players (Aero Audio, Shanling, etc).  I'd run them at full output and attenuate with a Placette (resistors), transformer (Bent), or autoformer (Sonic Euphoria).  Saw the latter at the T.H.E. show and was very impressed with it.

[Q]

And again the same result, my memory of how the Dynaudio’s made this bass line happen, with a rich chestiness of bass tone, just wasn’t there with the RM40’s

Curious if these RM40s had the crossovers updated to the ~200Hz+ corner freq?  As for adding subs, I'm still thinking the bass thinness is due to lack of presence in the upper bass (like 150-200Hz) region.  So, your typical sub will not fill this void.  I have the same problem with my current system.   I'm thinking that raising the xover freq will definitely bring a more chesty, warmer sound to the mix.  I totally agree with your assessment of the rest of the system, however...and I found that it seemed to do with both the level of resolution, and the lack of coloration about any frequency across the midrange.

[zybar]

Q,

Brian should be sending me the crossover parts and my replacement TRT caps this week.  Once I get everything installed, I will let you know about the improvment in the upper mid-bass.  I agree that this an area that could use a little improvement in.

One of things I just did that greatly helped out in this area was install some good room treatments.

I used three pairs of Mini Traps from RealTraps

Not only did this help in the bass, but I now get more clarity, snap, and detail across the board.  Subjectively the music sounded louder without turning up the volume.  Overall, I highly recommend the MiniTraps.

I will post pics in the next few days.

GW

[audiochef]

John B, I too consider myself an obsesive tweaker.  But I think  a better term is a  perfectionist. I think these speakers would then be perfect for someone like you.

Aren't all audiophiles constantly tuning their systems anyway?

[MaxCast]

Well, I've found the California Guitar Trio.  I am assuming it is the "Rocks the West" title?

Haven't found the Tchaikovsky though....anybody find it?

[Brian Cheney]

O.M. Records is long departed, the Tchai 2 is out of print.  If you need it I'll burn you a copy.

[lonewolfny42]

Well, I've found the California Guitar Trio.  I am assuming it is the "Rocks the West" title?

"Another was a guitar rendition of Beethoven’s 5th symphony that was as powerful as any orchestral version I’d heard". This cut is on CGT's cd titled "Pathways"...but both are very good cds ! ... http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS70311061600090575&sql=A1m8o1vs1zz9a