RCL . The Small Loudspeaker

[Martyn Miles]

Does anyone on this Forum know anything about these loudspeakers ? There's a pair on eBay.
I have a vague recollection of RCL in the '80s, but not any particular speakers .

[DSJR]

These weren't bad at all i remember and I think Jim Rogers designed (and made?) them. Decent little boxes....

[wiicrackpot]

Jeez O !!, i sold mine's for £60.00 or was it £80.00, mine's had what looks like solid Oak cabs with nice lacquer on it,
the Ebay item looks to have the bass units tampered/repaired with (dust caps looks to have heavier doping),
my one's had perfect tweeters and Seas bass drivers and grills, biggest regret selling them. :(

[Martyn Miles]

Jeez O !!, i sold mine's for £60.00 or was it £80.00, mine's had what looks like solid Oak cabs with nice lacquer on it,
the Ebay item looks to have the bass units tampered/repaired with (dust caps looks to have heavier doping),
my one's had perfect tweeters and Seas bass drivers and grills, biggest regret selling them. :(

The seller said the drivers had no info. on them on his earlier eBay description.
Now he has found out they are ( as far as we know...) ' The Small Loudspeaker ' he's amended the details. I have to say I was intrigued, but would be a little wary if I was considering buying them.

[wiicrackpot]

The seller said the drivers had no info. on them on his earlier eBay description.
Now he has found out they are ( as far as we know...) ' The Small Loudspeaker ' he's amended the details. I have to say I was intrigued, but would be a little wary if I was considering buying them.
Yeah Martyn, the more i look at them, the cones doesn't look like the original Seas article, maybe the photography shows a slight difference,
i would have loved to by a pair back but only if it's like the one's i had.

[The Grand Wazoo]

RCL was the SEAS distributor - Radio Components Limited.
If you bought the drivers, you could get the plans from SEAS to build your own speaker but RCL later sold it as a built up model. I don't know who made them for them though - I'd be surprised if it were anyone who also made LS3/5a's under licence because they were a direct competitor.

[istari_knight]

The cabinets look like something ARC would make.

[DSJR]

The RCL's didn't compare in price to the non-profitable LS3/5A, selling for around a ton I remember. The 3/5A was more of a status symbol for the manufacturers that made them I remember and only a very few took them seriously enough to calibrate domestic sampkles properly - the BBC insisted on centre-line spec samples and with XLR connectors on the back.

Jim Rogers 'did' the RCL's after selling/leaving Rogers.

[Martyn Miles]

The RCL's didn't compare in price to the non-profitable LS3/5A, selling for around a ton I remember. The 3/5A was more of a status symbol for the manufacturers that made them I remember and only a very few took them seriously enough to calibrate domestic samples properly - the BBC insisted on centre-line spec samples and with XLR connectors on the back.

Jim Rogers 'did' the RCL's after selling/leaving Rogers.

I am intrigued by small loudspeakers, if not this particular ' Small Loudspeaker ' . The LS3/5a has been discussed so much on various Forums there is little else to add. I have heard before about the domestic models and their deviation from the centre-line BBC spec. It appears to make little difference to the prices they command !
I only wish I'd put the models I had away in a cupboard until the prices went up. I never imagined, after buying a pair of Audiomaster '3/5as for £150, that I would sell them later on for £700. If I'd have kept them they would probably have realised twice that now.
Oh well, that's life...

[Dylanthecat]

Hi All,

This is a very very old thread but as I have just been asked to review a pair for a friend. They are currently playing as I type. Just whipped off the AE1 which was a little unkind to them. Listening as NFM driven by a Yamaha PC2002M, source Tidal via a Azur 851D.

Mids are not bad at all. Little wanting on the bass but 'they are only little'. Only been on for 20mins 'Shipbuilding' just finished and was enjoyable. E Costello's version now playing. These are growing on me - good fun. M

[hornucopia]

Just reconnected my Leak sandwich 'Minis', after my PAWO horn broke.
Have a lifetime of using BIG speakers (Klipschorns being the biggest; Avantgarde Duos not far behind!) but making zigmahornets opened my biased eyes to the quality of single units.So i've owned Ocellias for 6/7 years.
The Zigmas are pretty fine as 'nearfield monitors by my iMac table.25340

[DGP]

Hi All,

This is a very very old thread but as I have just been asked to review a pair for a friend. They are currently playing as I type. Just whipped off the AE1 which was a little unkind to them. Listening as NFM driven by a Yamaha PC2002M, source Tidal via a Azur 851D.

Mids are not bad at all. Little wanting on the bass but 'they are only little'. Only been on for 20mins 'Shipbuilding' just finished and was enjoyable. E Costello's version now playing. These are growing on me - good fun. M

I reviewed them twice, a mini review in Practical Hi-Fi and a comparative review in What Hi-Fi? I was very keen on the clean tight bass sound and excellent imagery but they are only little speakers and inefficient so need something 50w and upwards. If anyone is interested in pdf copies of the reviews just PM.
DGP

[topoxforddoc]

I bought a pair for my brother in the 80s - very decent small speaker (with the usual caveats) - much better than the Videotron Minimax or the smaller Wharfedales, which were in vogue then. Not as good as a LS3/5a, but a snip at the price. He kept his until about 10 year ago when I got him a pair of Avantgarde Solos.