the best for the price period

not too many comes up for sale people hold on to these for a reason

Revealing, clarity and imaging the speaker and box does a disappearing act it’s a speaker one can be content for life and don’t forget the ridiculous low price on par with speakers that cost 2-3 times as much

Discontinued 😎and not too many comes up for sale online!

Hey, I am an audio freak and have heard them all. I was first introduced to these babies by my sister when her father in law bought them for her as a birthday gift; she knew nothing about speakers; she just liked how they looked. So one Friday evening, I took with me mu Pink Floyd CD "The Wall" and fired it up.
I was stunned at the clean, rich sound and the unique detail. It was only then, I checked the brand...Joseph Audio RM25si!
This speaker does everything right; tight bass, just enough mids and crisp highs. it's one of the most balanced speaker I have ever auditioned.
There are many great speakers out there but the RM gives you just a little bit more because of the special crossover unit.

clarity, soundstage, character

hard to find

Over a period of four months, I went through about 20 other speakers around the 1.5k-2.5k range. and then heard these. I always wanted to audition them since a friend of mine mentioned it was what he had at home, but they aren't widely distributed. I accidentally ran into them at Holm Audio near Chicago (wonderful people, by the way) when auditioning a pair of Triangle speakers. I started with the Rm22's and was fairly impressed, but the Rm25's where breathtaking. Over the course of the four months, I had never been able to feel comfortable spending that kind of money on any of the speakers. And then the Rm25's came along. They were right. not perfect, but right. Unlike every other speaker I listened to in my price range, I couldn't come up with any one quality about them that I would be unhappy with. which was quite a feat considering the others I had auditioned. I was always a little skeptical about how good these could really sound due to the Infinite Slope Crossover idea. After all, my favorite sounding speaker was an Eggleston that didn't crossover the mid AT ALL. I realized that every bit of stuff you read with manufactures complimenting their own product is all marketing hype. Here's a list of subjective thoughts on the speaker: very respectable and firm low end extension excellent integration between drivers wonderfully forgiving, yet accurate tweeter outstanding depth and image an unmatched (at the price point)"musical" quality Now the downside: they need space. I recently moved and the room I am in now is much smaller, more reflective, and very rectangular. Far from ideal. Now, the low end is a little too present, and the soundstage is smashed. Can I hold this against the speakers? No. Any speaker of this size and response would do the same. Some more so, Others slightly less. I only mention this because they are large speakers that will handle smaller rooms with slightly more ease. Let me put it this way. If I were going to stay in the house I'm in now for more than two years, I would keep the speakers and extend the house to make a bigger room. On a side note, they do extremely well without monster amplifiers. My Musical Fidelity amp (900 used) is dual mono, 130w a side. When it's at 50%, the speakers are "make your ears twitch loud" and just as clean and dynamic as any other volume. The finish and build quality is not as extreme as some of the "exotic furniture with drivers in it" companies, but they are very well made. They also seem to be a little more picky about really good speaker cable than most. So, alot a slightly larger chunk of the budget for that, and your ears will thank you. Do yourself a favor, go use YOUR ears. everyone's are different, as are their opinions of what what it is they're hearing. Do what you can to find a dealer, and audition some Josephs. If you get the chance, listen to the Pearls. You'll know Jeff Joseph can play with the big boys any day.

Similar Products Used:

Proac Tablette Signature Dynaudio audience 52se Theil CS2.4 Red Rose Music Rosebud II's Triangle celius 202

Extremely smooth and musical; excellent imaging; deep, wide soundstage

None that I have heard

I have been living with these gems for over the last three months and I am continuously overjoyed by their performance. I am matching the speakers with an Audio Research SP-15 Mk II, and the VT-100 Mk II. The speakers provide a beautiful midrange, with tight punchy bass. The top-end is also excellent. Nothing too etchy or harsh on the ear; just wonderful tunes.

I listen to everything from classical to rock (less the country western, of course), and the Joseph's handle them all very well. I am particularly impressed with the way the RM25si's reproduce the piano. On many HDCD recordings, I can picture the piano right in front of me, which, in my opinion, is one of the hardest things to do for the hardest insturment to properly reproduce.

Nonethless, if you can find a pair (they seem to be in short supply), I recommend sitting down to take a listen. I have not experienced the Jospeh's with SS amplification, but I am convinced that they are best paired with a good tube amp. Even at shows, I think that the speakers are demoed with VTL's.

Highly recommended. Excellent performance at a very resonable price.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.9, RM 22si, ProAc 2.5

Incredible definition at any point in the audible spectrum

Haven't found any

We first listened to these about a year ago, in the midst of listening to lots of different speakers for fun, "for sometime in the future." There are a lot of very good speakers out in the marketplace, at prices closer to my budget, but the RM25si became my reference standard as soon as I auditioned them.
The salesman offered me such a good deal on their year-end inventory sale that I had to buy them, even though I wasn't ready to invest in new speakers at the time. Please understand that at full list these are still a steal in terms of sound quality, imaging, construction and finish.
When I first listened to these at home, I thought they sounded a little bright. It isn't excessive treble, it's definition! Turn your music up and it gets louder, not harsher. These speakers are so clean that I have to be careful with the volume control, lest I upset the neighbors.
I had a disconcerting moment when I first stood up from a proper listening location. The singer stayed in the same position vertically and in depth. Talk about stable imaging!
These speakers are an absolute pleasure to listen to at any volume, from anywhere in the apartment. Positioning for best bass response ended up being about a foot back from my best location for the B&W 805s. Bass is so solid and tight, it's unbelievable. The soundstage hasn't suffered at all. When properly placed, these are the flattest response speakers I've heard in any room resembling my living space.
My mate loves the slim profile and beautiful finish on the mirror-pair veneered(!) natural cherry cabinets. And she loves the sound, whether it's Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck or Afro-Celt Sound System. We'll have these speakers for the rest of our lives!

Associated Gear:
Thorens TD126 MkIII turntable
Stanton 681EEE-S cartridge
CAL CL-10 CD changer
McIntosh C712 preamp
McIntosh MC7270 amp

Similar Products Used:

B&W 805 Matrix, Hales Revelation 3, PSB Stratus Gold i, Martin Logans, Totems, various B&W N-series,Linn, Revel, Gershman

Accuracy, imaging, beautiful craftsmanship to match the sound!

None to my ear

System:
Denon AVR3300 Receiver
Sony 7700 DVD player
Note: This is not a technical review - there's plenty of those around if that's what you're looking for. This is more of an emotional review - but to me, that's what music is all about.

About a year ago, I was looking to upgrade the speakers to my home theater system. While I listen mostly to music, I do enjoy watching movies as well, so I was looking for something to handle both. I originally purchased a 5 way Klipsch set up (KSP400 series), but was extremely unhappy with the sound. The company I bought them from even sent out a sound technician, and he agreed they sounded terrible. From poking around on the Net, I discovered Joseph Audio. I emailed them for a dealer list, and they referred me to Holm Audio in Woodridge, IL. This is a great store that let's you audition equipment in your own home over the weekend (Saturday - Tuesday). That Saturday I stopped by and picked up a pair of RM25si's (mains), a pair of RM7si's Signatures(rears) and a Cinergy 5.1 (center).

I had read a couple of very negative reviews about the Monster speaker cable I was using, so I also picked up a complete set of Nordost Super Flatline speaker cables. Interestlingly enough, I still had the Klipsh's at the house (waiting to be picked up), so I decided to listen to them through the Nordost cables. It was like night and day. In all honesty, had I had the Nordost cables, instead of the Monster cables I was using, I would have been content, and probably not looked to replace the Klipsh. However, then I hooked up the Joseph's, and was blown away. I didn't leave the house the rest of the weekend. When listening to music, I only used the 25's, and they were incredible.

A few sonic examples really stick out in my mind. On the first track of Dead Can Dance's Into the Laybrinth (Yulunga), there is a small percussion instrument that sounded disjointed from the rest of the music on virtually every speaker I auditioned. On the 25's, they became a natural part of the sound stage - they were no longer a distraction, but a pleasant addition to music. Another involved a Sinead O'Connor song (sorry I don't remember which one). Her voice just comes out of nowhere - starting a hushed sigh and building to a full born yell. I was listening with my eyes closed at the time, and was actually startled by the sound - it was like she was in the room, and moving towards me - simply stunning.

From folk to pop to classical to hard rock - no matter what I listened to, it sounded great. I stayed up till 3 in morning digging out everything I could think of to play. I spent all day Sunday doing more of the same. My wonderful wife spent the weekend at her mother's so I could go crazy. Then I realized the weekend was almost over, and I still hadn't auditioned the rest of the speakers. Finally, I put the 5th Element in my DVD player, and tested out the remainder of the system. I must confess that the initial impact was very disappointing. In my previous setup, the rear and the center channel speakers were a different manufacturer (polk audio) then the mains (missions), and I'm not sure if it was because of their different tonal qualities or what, but when I listened through them, I was very aware of the rears existance. When I hooked up the Josephs, that awareness disappeared, and at first I thought that was a bad thing. Then I realized that the sounds were all still there, they were just more integrated - the speakers disappeared, and I was just sitting in the middle of all this wonderful sound. Much more natural, much more life like. The surround sound no longer seemed like a gimmick, but a natural part of the movie.

I hated for the weekend to end, but couldn't wait to place my order. I ordered the whole setup in cherry finish, and waited very impatiently for them to arrive (about 6 weeks if I recall correctly). I also upgraded to the Nordost Blue Heavens for the mains and the center. I was always a moderate believer in the impact cables can have on a system, but Nordost made a true believer out of me.

I can't imagine what these speakers would sound like with a tube set up, but I can assure you, they sound great with the Denon 3300. If you can't afford tubes, or simply like the convenience of SS, don't let that stop you from considering these speakers!

Since hooking everything up, I've had several listening parties - a small group of friends come over, and we take turns picking out music to play. The night of my first listening party, I thought my friends would never leave! One woman broke into tears during a Joni Mitchell song, and several others said it was like listening to the music for the first time. Not bad for listening to music that was upto 20 years old!

And if all that isn't enough, I should mention that Jeff Joseph is one of the nicest guys in the world to deal with.

I can't recommend these speakers enough! They may be hard to find or audition, but they are worth it!

Similar Products Used:

Sonus Faber, Ariel, Martin Logan

Stylish Cabinet, Small footprint, very musical, not picky about anything!

Only come with carpet spikes, no extra legs for hardwood floors.

I have only had these speakers for 2 weeks and was going to wait to write my reveiw but could't. I have wanted these speakers for about 2 years now but couldn't come up with the coin. After visiting sound city about 2 dozen times in the last 2 years to listen to the rm 25's, they had a pair for sale as a demo in rosewood. After begging and pleading with my wife about how its now or never she decided to get them to me for christmas. I said its now or never, these speakers in rosewood go for about $3700.00. I got them for $2550.00 for a pair about 4-5 months old. I told her about all the money we would be saving if we hurry and purchased now. I offered many things to her in trade, can't list. Well needless to say I own a pair, Merry Christmas to me. It's the best present I have ever recevied. Any way on to the reveiw. They already came full of sand, one less thing to do, back still hurts though from carrying into house. Hooked everything up next day and fired up my system. Total price of system about $8600.00. I listen to rock, jazz, classical, almost everything except for country, presently own about 1200 cd's. Well let me just day this, WOW, they sounded better in my living room then they did in the listening room. I cant't tell you how many cd's I went through, each one sounded better then the last, tube amp starting to warm up of course. I wont get into all the technical BS everyone else writes, you can read that in other reveiws or in a magazine. These speakers are so wonderful and musical that I defy you to find a better sounding speaker for under $4000.00. I cant even place these speakers were they should go and they still sound great well off axis, not picky about equitment either. If youre in the market for speakers in thies price range, you owe it to yourself to demo thise speakers. For 2 years now I have listened to a dozen speakers in this price range, B&W, Paradign, Jamo, Kef, Boiston Accoustics to name a few and nothing, I mean nothing sounds as musical and as real as these Joseph Audio's, also Jeff Joseph is a hell of a nice guy if you need to talk to him. Do yourself a favor and go listen to these speakers, you wont regret it.

Similar Products Used:

Too much to list.

Everything

None

Wow! This is the best pair of speakers I ever heard. There is nothing that even comes close to it in the same price range.

Similar Products Used:

Vienna Acoustics, Tannoy, PSB, Paradigm, Definitive Technology, Energy ....

Clarity

They seem extremely sensitive to just about everything upstream, although I'm still not sure if this means they are "picky" or just giving me what the stereo is giving them. If there is one weakness, it's the dynamic range -- i.e., you can't play them REALLY loud in a big room. There's only so much air a pair of 6.5" speakers can move.

I've been trying forever to come with something to say about these speakers, but every time I do something upstream, the speakers reflect the change. There is a certain "house sound" that every speaker has, but it's extremely polite in this case and, unlike some speakers like the Sonus Faber, it isn't pronounced by any means. Clarity is what I would pen for the sound, but not like the Theil speakers, which always sounded "etchy" to me.

When I had the 22's, I was in a different room, and had just put together a very nice but not "audiophile" system. With the addition of a BAT VK5i amp and some cable upgrades, the sound was spectacular. It seemed to exist all around, in front of, in back of, to the sides of, the speakers. Incredible 3D effect with great positioning and air around each instrument. I was in love, finally, with my stereo. The only down side was that the 22's had only so much bass. Don't get me wrong, if you set them up right they can put out the bass in spades, but a 6.5" woofer is a 6.5" woofer, no matter how great it is.

Then I upgraded to the 25's to get that last little bit of bass and maybe a tingle cleaner high end. I sent the 25's off and... oy... money problems. Had to ditch my DAC to pay for the upgrade to the 25's. No problem, I was moving then anyway to a much bigger and better room. I was pumped.

Get to the new place and set up the speakers and... blah! What the heck happened? OK, maybe it's the missing DAC. Or they aren't set up right. So, I begin to tweak my butt off to no avail. The room sucks, the power here really sucks (I'm right next to a huge hospital complex), and I'm really wishing I hadn't moved.

Spin forward a year, upgrade the interconnects significantly, upgrade the DAC to an even better model, and add a reference-level audio rack and put a little power conditioning on the line. Clarity in spades, but harsh and where is the bass? Where is the "thump"? Where is the sparkling highs and the air? Where is the friggin soundstage? How can I be missing all of this with all of these upgrades?

Finally I begin to play around with the room and do some very basic room treatments. Ah... not great, but acceptable. Hints of the former sound. Man, who would have thought that the room could make THIS much of a difference? Certainly not me.

A little more playing with the room acoustics... better, still unbalanced but better.

And... this is where I am now. I need about a grand or two of room treatments, or I can move and take a chance that the next room is better than this one. Probably won't be, so I now have to find out how I'm going to afford to doctor up my room the way it needs to be doctored.

Upgrade this... then you have to upgrade that... then you have to tweak this... This "hobby" is an exercise in frustration and spending money, I think.

A note to everyone out there: Spend at least 1/4 of your stereo allowance on room treatments first, then 1/4 on power cleanup, loudspeaker cabling and interconnects. Use the rest for a very modest system with stand-mounted speakers, an integrated amp, and a nice little CD player like a Rega or something. I guarantee it will sound better than what I have now at about half the outlay.

So, what do I think about the 25's? I have no clue. I don't think I've ever really heard them because everything else has been holding them back or swamping them with flutter echo and the like.

Perhaps one day I'll actually hear what the 25's sound like and then I'll report that here. For now, I will go on what I remember the 22's could do with a proper setup and imagine what that would be like with the 25's. Ahhh... nirvana. Wherefore art thou now?

Associated (guilty) equipment:
Sony DVP-S7000 DVD Player
Illuminations D-60 digital cable
Lexicon MC-1 HT/Audio preamp
AudioQuest Python Interconnects
Plinius SA-100 amp
Homemade CAT5 loudspeaker cables
Joseph Audio RM25si loudspeakers
Polycrystal 5-shelf rack
Various Black Diamond Cones and such
PS Audio Ultimate Outlet
Plus other stuff used for Home Theater
Various cheap home-grown room treatments
(One day I'll get around to making JR's bass traps)

My kingdom for a set of RPG diffusors!

Similar Products Used:

RM22si, Aerial 7, Vienna Acoustics Mozart, Sonus Faber Concerto, Dynaudio Contour, Various Theil