Description: two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.75" (19mm), ferrofluid-cooled, aluminum-dome tweeter, 6.5" (162.5mm) polypropylene-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.2kHz. Crossover slopes: 24dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley. Frequency response: 55Hz-20kHz ±1.5dB, 50Hz-21kHz ±3dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m anechoic (2.83V). Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Amplifier requirements: 15-200W.
Dimensions: 16.5" (412.5mm) H by 9" (225mm) W by 12.5" (341mm) D. Weight: 27 lbs (12.3kg) each. Shipping weight: 23 lbs/pair (10.5kg/pair).
Finishes…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Review Context
My relatively small room measures around 19' by 16.5' with a 9' ceiling. Each of the loudspeakers was positioned for the best sound (with only one pair of loudspeakers in the listening room at a time), generally some 3' from the rear wall (which is faced with books and LPs) and approximately 5' from the side walls (which also have bookshelves covering some of their surfaces). Each pair of speakers sat on 24" Celestion Si stands, these filled with lead shot and spiked to the concrete floor beneath the rug/pad. Although none of the speakers had major cabinet…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The New Stratus Mini's B-weighted sensitivity weighed in at a calculated 85dB/2.83V/m, an inconsequential 1dB below the specification (probably due to differences in measurement technique). The impedance plot (fig.1) indicated the New Mini to be a moderately demanding load, with an amplitude dipping below 4 ohms in the lower midrange. The variation of impedance with frequency is mild, however.
Fig.1 indicates that the New Mini's port appears to be tuned to 39Hz or so, this confirmed by the nearfield response plots (fig.2), which show the port's maximum…
The Stratus Mini's spatially averaged response in my listening room (fig.7) correlated quite well with my listening impressions. A small excess of mid-treble energy, presumably due to the flare in the speaker's dispersion at the bottom of the tweeter's passband, compensates somewhat for the slight lack of on-axis energy in the same region. The bass peaks up a little due to the residual 63Hz room mode that's never quite absent from this measurement, with usable low frequencies present down to the 31.5Hz band.
Fig.7 PSB New Stratus Mini, spatially averaged 1/3-octave response in…
Firms that specialize in architectural acoustics usually concentrate on the big jobs—churches, schools, and auditoriums. Rives Audio is unusual in that they specialize in "small-room" acoustics, for residential listening rooms and home theaters. Rives is unusual in another way: they consult on a nationwide and even international basis.
In addition to offering consulting and room-design services, Rives Audio sells the PARC, a three-band parametric analog equalizer specifically designed to address problematic bass modes in home environments, and which received a Stereophile "…
JM: What is the most common acoustical sin of commission that audiophiles commit?
RRB: Well, I don't know if this is the most common, but we have received a few calls that went something like: "I've changed every cable in my system a dozen times, and none of it has fixed my acoustical problems." It's funny, in a way, because it clearly dawned on the person that the cable was not the problem, but they didn't know that when they started swapping out cables. It's also sad, because although good cables can make a difference, getting on the cable merry-go-round can be pretty pricey these…
Sidebar: Sonic and Musical Gems from Richard Rives Bird's Playlist
J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations; Ito Ema, piano. M•A Recordings MO24 (LP, CD, gold CD). It's no longer just the "Gouldberg" Variations." This is a fabulous performance, and possibly the best audiophile piano recording.
Dave's True Story, Sex without Bodies, Chesky JD164 (CD). Remarkable clarity—a really fun recording.
Peter Gabriel, 3, Classic PG-3 (200gm LP; also available on CD, InterScope 493622). If you want a really great rock album that covers the full range of both macro- and microdynamics, this is…
People come to high-end audio with different needs and expectations—some fairly reasoned, some slightly more highfalutin. Some listeners want to get as close as possible to an immersion experience, be it of a live performance or of some more idealized studio ecstasy. Others are enraptured by the status and sex appeal of big, hot-rod components, and simply dig gear—much as they might dig the visceral rush of a high-performance car. Still others compulsively upgrade their equipment in search of some unattainable perfection. But no matter the initial motivation, all roads eventually lead back…
However, it's one thing to undertake a $20,000, cost-no-object design. It's quite another when a designer has to be very prudent about how he spends the consumer's money and has to make his design's limitations work for him in such a way that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That's what Joseph and Modaferri accomplished in raising the bang-for-buck ratio while setting new standards for construction and component quality—even offering some bold new wrinkles in their tried-and-true crossover design.
"The [RM33si's] cabinet construction is quite a bit more sophisticated than…
Layer on Layer
I enjoyed listening to the RM33si as much as, if not more than, any component I've auditioned in the last five years. The speakers sounded good from any point in the room, and permitted an emotional connection to the music that was magical. The integration of the three drivers was seamless and transparent, and the midrange driver delineated detail like an expensive spa treatment for your music. While in my original estimation the RM22si evoked the clarity and piquant detail of a good white wine, the RM33si suggested a more complex flavor—like a fine old Bordeaux revealing…
I enjoyed listening to the RM33si as much as, if not more than, any component I've auditioned in the last five years. The speakers sounded good from any point in the room, and permitted an emotional connection to the music that was magical. The integration of the three drivers was seamless and transparent, and the midrange driver delineated detail like an expensive spa treatment for your music. While in my original estimation the RM22si evoked the clarity and piquant detail of a good white wine, the RM33si suggested a more complex flavor—like a fine old Bordeaux revealing…