These days, RBH—so-called after the initials of its founder and president, Roger Hassing—makes and markets speakers under its own…
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When it was suggested that I call in on speaker manufacturer RBH Sound during a planned trip to Utah in the fall of 2001, my response was "Who is RBH?" To my embarrassment, the speaker company had not popped up on my radar screen since it was formed in Los Angeles in 1976. However, I had certainly heard some of the speakers they had manufactured for other companies, most notably the McIntosh models of the early 1980s, with their line arrays of dome tweeters.
The 641-SE was not nearly as sensitive as the Thiel CS1.6—I wouldn't suggest using less than 100W with this speaker. However, the RBH had sweeter-balanced top octaves—perhaps a little too sweet, considering that the Thiel is a little laid-back in this region. There wasn't quite the "air" I was expecting from the Analogue Productions SACD of Bill Evans' classic Waltz for Debbie (APO CAPJ 9399 SA) that I've heard from other speakers. Nevertheless, the Utah speaker's treble was extremely detailed, and proved well capable of differentiating between the antique cymbals drummer Billy Drummond used…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) silk-dome tweeter, 4" (101mm) metal-cone midrange unit, two 6.5" (165mm) metal-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 150Hz, 3kHz. Frequency response: 45Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms, 6 ohms. Recommended power: up to 150W.
Dimensions: 39" (991mm) H by 6.25" (159mm) W by 10" (254mm) D. Weight: 43 lbs (19.5kg) each.
Finishes: Black, 31 real-wood veneers.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 27-01020, 27-01021.
Price: $1499/pair in black; add $300…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12/Cirkus/Trampolin/Lingo/Ekos/Arkiv LP player on a Sound Organisation table.
Digital sources: Mark Levinson No.31.5 CD transport; Mark Levinson No.30.6 D/A processors; dCS 972 upsampler; Accuphase DP-85 SACD player; Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player; Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player.
Preamplification: Linn Linto phono preamp, Mark Levinson No.380S line preamp, Z-Systems rdp-1 digital control center (updated to handle 96kHz sources).
Power amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks.
Cables: Datalinks: Kimber…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
My estimate of the RBH 641-SE's voltage sensitivity was marginally higher than specified, at 85.7dB(B)/2.83V/m, but this is still about average. However, the speaker's impedance plot (fig.1) indicates that it is an easy amplifier load. The saddle in the magnitude trace at 44Hz indicates the tuning of the rear-facing port, and implies in turn only moderate bass extension.
Fig.1 RBH 641-SE, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)
A slight wrinkle between 400Hz and 500Hz in the impedance traces implies the…
I was puzzled enough by this to check the internal wiring of both speakers of the pair. Momentarily touching a 1.5V dry-cell battery to the binding posts caused the cones of the woofers and midrange unit initially to move outward with the in-phase connection. Yet this connection resulted in the measured 200Hz notch. Peculiar. It looks as though the designer has not taken into account the phase shift associated with the crossover filters.
Fig.5 shows the 641-SE's lateral dispersion normalized to the HF-axis response. The suckout associated with the lower crossover makes its presence known…
Back in the day, one of the first reviews to be posted in our free online archives at www.stereophile.com was Michael Fremer's June 1999 report on the Sonus Faber Amati Homage loudspeaker. The Amati was the second in the Italian manufacturer's top range, the Homage line, which is dedicated to the master makers of stringed instruments of 17th-century Cremona. The first was the Guarneri Homage (reviewed by Martin Colloms in July 1994), while the third was the Stradivari Homage (reviewed by MF in January 2005). Mikey was so impressed by the Amati that he purchased the review samples and used…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, four-driver, floorstanding, reflex-loaded dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) silk ring-radiator tweeter, 6" (150mm) copolymer-cone midrange unit, two 8.5" (220mm) aluminum-magnesium–cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 350Hz, 4kHz. Frequency range: 24Hz–30kHz. Sensitivity: 92dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Power handling: 30–300W without clipping.
Dimensions: 47" (1194mm) H by 11" (280mm) W by 24" (610mm) D. Weight: 177 lbs (80.5kg).
Finishes: Violin-red or graphite-gray piano gloss.
Serial Number Of Units…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player; Cary CD 306, dCS P8i SACD players; Olive Symphony media server; Benchmark DAC 1, Grace m902, Mark Levinson No.30.6 D/A processors.
Preamplifiers: Mark Levinson No.326S, No.32 Reference.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest SVD-4 S/PDIF, Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU. Interconnect: AudioQuest Cheetah, Ayre Signature Series, Canare, Crystalconnect, Madrigal CZ Gel-1 (balanced); DiMarzio (unbalanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Kilimanjaro. AC: PS Audio Lab,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Like its predecessor, the Amati anniversario was significantly more sensitive than average, at an estimated 91.2dB(B)/2.83V/m, within experimental error of the specification. However, the speaker demands quite a lot of current from the amplifier, with an impedance that remains below 6 ohms for almost all the audioband and drops to 3 ohms for much of the midrange (fig.1). There is also a combination of 3.8 ohms magnitude and –50° at 68Hz, a frequency where music can have considerable bass energy. This phase angle at higher frequencies is otherwise quite low, but…