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RBH Sound
AC Series System 2
Home-Theater Speaker System
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Description Model:
RBH AC-5T speakers
Price: $699 USD per pair
Dimensions: 39.75"H x 8"W x 10.5"D
Weight: 35 pounds each
Model: RBH AC-525 center-channel
Price: $259 USD
Dimensions: 18.5"W x 10"H x 10.5"D
Weight: 20 pounds
Model: RBH AC-51 surrounds
Price: $299 USD per pair
Dimensions: 11.25"H x 8"W x 10.25"D
Weight: 11 pounds each
Model: RBH A-10S subwoofer
Price: $499 USD
Dimensions: 17"H x 15.5"W x 18.25"D
Weight: 42 pounds |
Description (cont'd)System Price:
$1759 USD
Warranty: Five years parts and labor on
speakers; one year parts and labor on subwoofer.
Features
- Composite-infused curved MDF cabinets for reduced standing
waves and resistance to resonance
- 1" fluid-cooled fabric-dome tweeters (AC-5T, AC-525,
AC-51)
- 5.25" long-throw polypropylene woofers (AC-5T, AC-525,
AC-51)
- 10" pulp driver (A-10S)
- Vented pole-piece in midrange drivers for improved thermal
cooling (AC-5T, AC-525, AC-51)
- High-speed tweeter-protection circuitry
- Sonically matched drivers
- 150W amplifier (A-10S)
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Named after founder Roger B. Hassing, RBH Sound of Layton,
Utah has been building speakers since 1976. But prior to reading a review of their MC Series by fellow writer Jeff Van Dyne, I
hadn’t heard of the company. RBH spends little on advertising, preferring to invest
in research and development and to leave the majority of their marketing in the hands of
their customers. Their dependence on such word-of-mouth repute seems to have paid off.
After hearing the company’s newest, AC Series, I can
see why. The subject of this review, the System 2 configuration, offers excellent value
for its total cost of $1759.
Description
Each member of RBH’s AC Series System 2 seems to be a
well-built, very well-finished piece of gear; each cabinet manages to avoid feeling in any
way inexpensive. All AC Series enclosures are built from a "composite-reinforced
MDF," which RBH states is much more resistant to resonances than its polymer
counterparts. The solid, curved enclosures not only provide a more rigid structure, but
also reduce the internal standing waves that, according to RBH, contribute to bass
distortion. The cabinets are offered in a silver or black finish. The paint job on my
silver samples was very consistent, with no sign of overspray or blotchiness.
 Unlike most RBH products, the
AC Series is built in China, to keep costs down in the highly competitive market in which
this system competes. Although an outside supplier produces the fabric-dome tweeters,
polypropylene woofers, and enclosures, all design and final voicing are done by RBH. Once,
I would have considered this a weakness -- in the past, outsourced products have created
problems in quality control. In recent years, however, loudspeaker companies such as AAD
and Cambridge SoundWorks have made great strides in managing overseas quality control.
The overall design of the AC Series is intended to
complement the ever-increasing popularity of slimline LCD and plasma television displays.
The front-ported, three-way AC-5T can be placed close to a wall, while the AC-525
center-channel speaker’s base allows the drivers, whether the speaker is below or
above a monitor, to be properly aimed at the listener. The A-10S subwoofer has the most
attractive enclosure of the bunch, and its compact footprint makes the 10S very easy to
conceal. The only speaker that seems out of place among this group of slim enclosures is
the AC-51 bookshelf model. As a surround, the AC-51 is a bit bulky. Built-in threaded
inserts accept RBH SWI wall mounts, but stands can also be used. For the cost of the
stands, it may be more cost-effective to simply buy a second set of AC-5Ts.
Placement
Positioning the System 2’s front, center, and surround
speakers was a piece of cake. I placed the AC-5T floorstanders about 30" from my back
wall and 2’ from each sidewall, and toed them in about 15 degrees. The AC-51
surrounds took their positions on opposing corners at the rear of my room, and the A-10S
sub behind one of the AC-5Ts at the front. After experimenting a bit, I found that the sub
blended best with the other speakers when my receiver’s internal crossover was set to
60Hz. The AC-525 center-channel came to rest directly atop my Mitsubishi display.
One of the unique features of the AC system is the
center-channel’s design: under its grille are two tweeters, one atop each other in a
vertical array. Flanking the tweeters are two of the same mid-woofers used in the AC-5T
and AC-51. Having two tweeters allows the crossover frequency to be lower than in a
traditional mid-tweeter-mid design. This, according to the RBH engineers, gives the AC-525
much better off-axis frequency response and reduced lobing effect when compared with
single-tweeter designs. As a result, people sitting to the side of the AC-525 should hear
no holes in its frequency response.
The AC Series’ binding posts are impressive: meaty,
very substantial, silver five-way posts that are more than I would have expected to find
in speakers at this price. The knurled knobs offered more than enough friction to
comfortably tighten spades or bare wire. These are some of the best posts I’ve seen
at any price.
Sound
More than likely, the RBH system will be matched with a
high-quality midpriced receiver, such as the Yamaha HTR-5590 I had on hand.
What first caught my attention was how seamless the RBH
system sounded. Sounds moved smoothly and consistently from left to right and from back to
front during the lobby shootout (chapter 29) in The Matrix. The system’s
midrange clarity was just as formidable. The chaos of expended bullet casings and numerous
gunshots stood out against the exploding concrete and pulsing Propellerheads song,
"Spybreak!" The AC Series did an excellent job of staying in control of this
complicated mix, exhibiting a sweet, infectious zing that drew me into the film.
Bass had punch and acceptable reach. What it lacked was
detail and earth-shaking extension. The deep-bass information produced by the Virgil’s
laser-boring device in chapter 10 of The Core was all but lost. Still, the system
continued to impress me with its command of spatial information. I felt as if I was in the
middle of a swirling whirlpool, as a crack in the ocean floor threatened to rip the Virgil
apart.
The single greatest attribute of the AC Series, along with
its clarity and seamless voicing, was its ability to make palpable what appeared onscreen.
Voices and atmosphere exhibited mass with tangible outlines. Chapter 9 of Signs
gave me goosebumps as Mel Gibson walked among the cornstalks. Dialogue had a warmth and
subtle sweetness that made me hang on every word in this gripping film.
The AC Series’ ability to pull me into film
soundtracks continued with music. Jesse Cooke’s Gravity [Narada 63037] is an
acid test for getting a feel of a system’s pace, rhythm, and timing. If I manage to
play the entire CD from beginning to end, then I know a system is keeping me involved.
With music, the RBH’s midrange sounded a bit more forward, while high frequencies
sounded slightly rolled-off. As a result, Cooke’s guitar didn’t have as rich a twang
as I’ve heard on loudspeakers with more accomplished highs.
The A-10S proved more adept at anchoring home-theater
signals than two-channel music. No matter how often I adjusted the sub’s controls or
placement, midbass bloat and overhang made Dido’s sultry voice sound unnaturally
heavy. I enjoyed her Life for Rent [Arista 50137] more when the AC-5T floorstanders
handled the bass solo -- I was never able to get the 10S to sound quite tight enough. As a
result, pace and rhythm on such classic pop cuts as New Order’s "1963" and
"Blue Monday," from The Best of New Order [Quest 45794], felt slow.
The AC-5T exhibited excellent lateral imaging. On
"Stoned," Dido’s voice floated between the loudspeakers, while the mainly
synthesizer-driven backdrop was nicely layered. There was little to no nasality in
Dido’s voice; vocal intelligibility was excellent.
Multichannel music, such as the spectacularly produced SACD
of Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Raise Your Spirit Higher: Wenyukela [Heads Up
9083], was very engaging through the RBH system. Without the 10S sub, the voices of this
talented group sounded naturally plump and holographic.
Comparison
I lived with one of the AC Series’ many competitors,
the Cambridge SoundWorks Newton MC300 home-theater
speaker system ($1799.99), for over a year. Like the AC Series, the Newton provides
very good performance for its price.
The sonic signatures of the two systems were very similar:
warm and smooth, with a high-frequency response designed to conceal the often-bright
treble of inexpensive electronics. The RBH system gets the nod in terms of midrange
clarity and detail, while the CSW’s P1000 subwoofer excelled in bass impact,
extension, and flexibility. The RBH AC-525 center-channel did a much better job of
performing off-axis when compared to the Newton center-channel. I pretty much had to be
directly in front of the MC300 to hear dialogue clearly; the AC-525 never missed a
syllable, even when I sat off to either side.
The strengths of each system were not surprising: The AC-5T
floorstander’s larger drivers outmatched the Newton MC300’s smaller samples, and
the RBH drivers have better enclosures in which to perform. With the exception of the
P1000 sub, all of the CSW speakers use molded-plastic cabinets, which I found colored the
sound with a fair amount of cabinet resonance.
The surround speakers of the two systems realize their
goals in different ways. The RBH AC-51 bookshelf models are standard two-way,
direct-radiating designs. The CSW S300 has a Direct mode, but is also capable of bipolar
and dipole operation. By virtue of its better bass response, the AC-51 was easier to blend
with a subwoofer. The Newton S300 did a better job of disappearing, but lacked the clarity
and dynamic range of the RBH.
With twice the driver area and ten times the power, the
Newton P1000 clobbered the more traditionally designed RBH A-10S. Many will call this an
unfair comparison, but remember -- I was comparing complete systems that cost
within $50 of each other. The result depends on where each company spends its money, and
CSW, it seems, spent a good deal on the development of the P1000. The Newton had more
visceral slam and tighter bass response, as well as a nifty controller unit. The RBH
wasn’t as athletic or as flexible.
Either system would flank a plasma display nicely. As far
as looks go, the CSW Newtons are much more elegant and unassuming. My wife preferred the
Newtons’ matte-white finish to the RBH’s shiny silver by a wide margin.
The AC-5T’s more even and extended bass response made
it, unsurprisingly, more enjoyable with two- and multichannel music than the CSW Newton
MC300. The Newtons handled music well and movies even better, thanks to the powerful P1000
sub and the S300’s more flexible surround-sound performance.
A very nice system
The RBH AC Series System 2 is good value for money,
especially for music-only playback. The only member of the group that didn’t do it
for me was the A-10S subwoofer. While it provided adequate grunt for movies, it lacked the
tightness required for music in my setup. But this shouldn’t dissuade anyone
from auditioning this system at home. The refined midrange performance and seamless
integration these loudspeakers provide make it abundantly clear why RBH has thrived for so
long.
| Review
System |
| Receiver - Yamaha HTR-5590 |
| Source
- Yamaha DVD-CX1 DVD player |
| Cables - Analysis Plus |
| Monitor
- Mitsubishi WT-46809 rear-projection widescreen monitor (with Duvetyne modification
and red attenuation) |
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