Good imaging bass response for it's size.

Very harsh highs

Armed with a great review from Sensible Sound, I went out to a local dealer to listen to these speakers with my friend who was looking to upgrade his Yamaha speakers. What a disappointment! Maybe the speakers were not broken in or these were not up to spec, but the high end on these things was nasty. Since I was hyping these speakers, I felt like a real schmuk. Though they imaged well and bass was commendable for such a small box, the high end make these speakers unlistenable after 10 minutes. We tried cuting back on the receivers treble control but that changed the entire tonal balance of the speakers. Perhaps some user adjustable attenuation for the tweeter might help. If your slightly hearing impared in high frequencies or if you like razor edged highs, then this speaker is definitely for you. The electronics (A Sony 5.1 receiver) might have had a hand in this, but I can't see someone buying a Krell,Johnson or Bryston amp and making a decesion to buy these speakers. The end of the story was that my friend bought a pair of Sony SSMF 515 speakers for $260.00 I had to agree with him these were a much better acquistion for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio Contour 1.1, Sonnus Faber Concertina, Energy XL15,
NHT zero

sound

binding posts

yo, jim parker, i am running my rts-3's off of a bryston - a 4bst pro to be exact - and think this is a great combo.

the problems you came across with the top end has EVERYTHING to do with the sony receiver.

like i stated earlier, these need a lot of burn-in as well or else the top end will be too bright.

Astounding bass for their size, and placed properly, they don't boom like many small speakers that use a lower midrange hump to fool you. Good imaging and very musical balance. Nice job on voice, both male and female, and on piano. Surprising with full orchestral works for such a small box. If you blindfolded people and then asked them to guess, they would claim they were listening to big speakers. Only much more expensive small speakers can beat these.

The worst speakers I ever heard when taken fresh from the box. But be patient. They had no bass, thin midrange, and slightly harsh treble. They really needed a few weeks of break-in. They also need to be placed pretty carefully--sound much better well into the room and don't seem to lose their bass impact when they're away from the walls. As they broke in, the midrange became smoother and more realistic, and the highs lost some of their glare. The change in bass was unbelievable. They have a slight tendency to emphasize upper frequency hash (e.g., record surface noise), but not to an obnoxious level. Can handle pretty high power levels, but not in the good, big speaker league.

The B&W 302 and Paradigm Atom are obvious competition for these. Both are in the same league. The Paradigm handles the very high range a bit better, but doesn't present as strong an overall balance. The B & W's can really crank it out and throw a terrific image, but seem a touch coarser. All three of these are great bargains and each has its merits. I'm using all three, and prefer the Sound Dynamics for its overall balance. They don't disappear as well as the 12-year old Fried CL-3's I built (now used by a friend), but the Frieds were a bear to build and cost $1500 assembled. They beat the satellites from the Fried H by a big margin. I give them a 4 because for a lot more money you can get better performance in that size range.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 302; Paradigm Atom; Fried H; Fried CL-3; Realistic Minimus-7.

price, clean pure uncolored sound

so good, everyone will want a pair

i got these speakers from audio advisor, they were the only ones that had them, and i never really heard of them before. so i was a little skeptical about them, but man little did i know. these speakers are incredible. there are so clean and accurate. the bass is stong, and tight. they put out more bass than some tower speakers, you won't need a sub with these bad boys. the highs are amazing, so smoooth, and clean. i love the finsh too, i got them in a rosewood finish, and couldn't be happier. highly recomended for any type of system.

system:
amc 2100 amplifier
amc 1100 pre-amplifier
sony xe-500 cd transport
entech number cruncher 203.2 d/a convertor
audio quest cables
target speaker stands 20"

Similar Products Used:

infinity, psb

BASS

BASS, Finish (hey, they just cost $200 though...)

This is an impressive speaker, nothing of this size produces this kind of bass... which also can be a problem if the speakers are placed way too close to a wall.

Overall, it is quite balanced and has very good tempo. You can get better speakers, but you have to spend twice as much. A real bargain.

Similar Products Used:

KEF, Acoustic Energy, PSB, B&W

I auditioned these speakers because of the "Golden Ear" award issued by the Absolute Sound Magazine awarded to the top components they have heard. I have often thought that the magazine sometimes veered a little too closely to being stuffy and pretentious. Now I have confirmation of this. This speaker is lifeless and dull. Nothing here that a pair of Optimus Pro-7s from Radio Shack can't do (except perhaps they are a little cleaner).

This a good speaker?? HA

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602, Klipsch Heresy

Imaging, efficiency.

Binding posts, finish.

Picked up a pair for $199 Canadian at a "super discount sale". Heard them in Kitchener Ontario, about 500 miles away when I was visiting my daughter. I was set to purchase them at $329 Cdn the next time I went back. I was shocked to see them for $199 in my home town. Bought them on the spot. I later went back and purchased the C1 center channel. Compared them to Mission, B&W, Paradigm, and PBS all at $250 to $300 Cdn. Didn't hear all these speakers side by side but my impression is that the The RTS-3s are better balanced. When you close your eyes you could swear the band is playing right in front of you. I am playing them along with a Sound Dynamics 8" sub that I purchased a couple of months ago, with the sub they make some serious sound. Nice smooth mids and highs, with solid bass. They have good bass on their own but the sub really fills out the bottom. Female voices are incredible on these puppies. Listening to Jewel sing "Hands" as I am typing. Beautiful sounds. And this is with a 27 year old 25 watt per channel amp. Planning on assembling a home theater system and these speakers will make a good foundation. Giving them a 5 rating compared to other speakers in their price range.

Great Speaker (perhaps the best?) for the price.

It's still a bookshelf - doesn't have the bass extension or smooth range of more expesive speakers.

I bought a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-RS1s as rear surrounds to compliment my RTS-P100 front speakers. While they had excellent dispersion, they were just a tad too thin for heavy lifting in surround mode. I also listen to 5 channel stereo, and they just didn't have the range.

Replaced them with the RS-3s. Before I hooked up the RS-3s as surrounds, I swapped them with my RTS-P100s and listened to 2-channel stereo. I was suprised how well they acquitted themselves against the RTS-P100s. Suprising bass for a speaker this small. The midrange and highs, while not as smooth, were very musical and easy on the ears. A much fuller, more natural sounding speaker than the RTS-RS1s.

As surround speakers, I recommend them highly. If you're on a tight budget, or have limited space, they will do an admirable job as fronts. Great speaker for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Sound Dynamics RTS-RS1s, Boston Acoustic A60s

reasonably priced. Attractive

muddy dark sound

I bought the RTS-3's to replace a pair of aging (over 20 years old) advent bookshelf speaker that I use in my study. I had read the rave reviews.
As my receiver has A and B speaker outputs, I hooked both pair up. The RTS-3's sounded thick and muddy compared to the advent. They had little gleam and sounded overall darker than the advents. I thought this might be due to the cables and or the positions. I interchanged both. Both the cables and the position had their effects. Nevertheless the RTS-3's sounded consistently
inferior to the advents.
Fortunately Audio Advisor has a 30-day return policy. I am returning them

Similar Products Used:

Advent bookshelf (20 years old)

After running them in, treble is very smooth, female vocals are very nice, acoustic instuments are reproded well, they cam let you get in to the music

Not enough bass for me(but it's a bookshelf), not the nicest cabinet

When I purcased these speakers a few years ago, I was just looking for a "tide me over speaker" because we were in the process of building a house. I had most recently owned a pair of Theil floor standers but sold them, wanting a different sound. I bought these through the mail without listening to them, based on the review in THE ABSOLUTE SOUND. I was floored by their sound!!! For the money these are quite a steal. After lots of run in (at least 100 hours) the treble sounded much better than when just out of the box. I intially had an Adcom amp and to me they sounded a bit bright. Now I use them with an ARC tube preamp and a 100wpc Classe amp and they are very smooth and easy to listen to. With acoustic blues, female jazz(Sara K, Diana Krall) they are truly remarkable. These things don't get in the way of the music. My listening area is about 16'x17' and the speakers shine.

Similar Products Used:

Advent, Thiel,