High End Speakers Need High End Parts
Here’s Why You Will Treasure Your RSL Speakers For Years To Come
Woofer
The woofers used in the RSL CG4 and CG24 Monitors are asked to perform several tasks. Obviously woofers have to reproduce bass. The 4” RSL woofer is aided by Compression GuideTM technology and despite its small size reproduces the bass normally associated with larger woofers. This enables the speaker to have a smooth transition from the subwoofer without any of the gaps in response normally associated with smaller satellite speakers. The woofer also needs to flawlessly reproduce the middle frequencies and provide a smooth transition to the tweeter. Finally, the woofer must have good dispersion characteristics in order for the speaker to have great imaging and soundstage characteristics. Our woofers feature massive ferrite magnet structures. A proprietary and highly advanced Polypropylene Black (PPB) cone material results in a stiff, dampened cone that remains stable even under the greatest sound pressures. Linear cone excursion is assured by the linear spider design and rubber surround. The voice coil incorporates an aluminum shorting ring that reduces coil inductance, extending frequency response performance and reducing second harmonic distortion. Finally, instead of the stamped metal speaker basket common to most speakers, our woofer employs a heavy-duty cast aluminum frame, which is normally only found in more expensive speakers.
Tweeter
Almost any tweeter can reproduce treble frequencies. The trick is to do it smoothly without harshness. The RSL 1” fabric dome tweeter accurately reproduces treble frequencies without any trace of harshness. As a result, hours of listening will not cause ear-fatigue. Normally, a tweeter should have a frequency response up to 20,000 Hz., which is beyond the range of human hearing. The RSL dome tweeter has been designed to respond smoothly to beyond 40,000 Hz., which is the reason for its silky smooth response in the ranges it is used. Extended frequency response is coupled with low distortion and wide dispersion. This contributes to the remarkable imaging of RSL Speakers.
Our tweeter represents a unique approach to tweeter design that has resulted in unrivaled performance, as well as in several patents including a Dual Ring Radiator diaphragm and wave-guide center plug.
Crossover
Every sound that is fed to a speaker has to travel through the crossover network. The crossover can be thought of as the brains of the speaker. It’s job is to send the bass frequencies to the woofer and the treble frequencies to the tweeter. It sounds simple enough, however in many speakers, the crossover is area where speaker manufacturers skimp in order to save costs. After all, the crossover is inside the cabinet and the consumer doesn’t get to see it. The result of using cheap parts is distortion and lack of clarity. The crossover is must be designed properly to precisely match the woofer and tweeter and provide the proper transition between them without distortion.
At RSL we take our crossover quality seriously. Our crossovers feature air core inductors with thick copper wire. Cheaper crossovers use a ferrite core in the coil that lessens the quantity of copper wire needed. Also, thinner wire is used. This saves costs. These coils tend to saturate causing distortion when higher power is applied. The thick wire in our coils have a lower resistance, which allows the amplifier to more accurately control the movements of the woofer. Our polypropylene capacitors are larger and cost significantly more than the commonly used electrolytic type, but they have lower insertion losses and less distortion.
Our crossover components are mounted on printed circuit boards with very wide traces to minimize resistance. On the outside of the cabinet, you’ll find gold-plated binding posts that will accommodate thick speaker wire or banana plugs. All of this results in crossovers whose quality is unheard of in speakers at our low direct prices.
Enclosure
This is an area where even once-prestigious speaker names now skimp. Unlike the simulated finishes on vinyl clad enclosures, the RSL enclosures incorporate dense MDF wood with beautiful high gloss piano black finishes. In addition to being specially tuned by our patented Compression Guide technology, all RSL enclosures are internally braced to eliminate cabinet vibrations. The rich quality high-gloss piano finish is done by hand. Our enclosures come with perforated metal grills that are held in place by strong magnets, yet are easily removable. The speakers can be operated with or without grills. A threaded insert in the back of the cabinet accommodates many of today’s brackets for wall mounting and speaker stands. The internal damping material we use is a high quality cotton blend and exhibits better acoustical properties than the purely synthetic stuffing used in most speakers.
To see construction features of the RSL Speedwoofer 10, please click here.
