View Full Version : One Week Reference Fidelity Rhapsody Loudspeaker Review
Look what just turned up. Just a quick snap (excuse the flash glare) to show they are actually here as Paul just dropped them off. The Apogees were removed from the room to allow an uncoloured assessment of these fine looking, well made loudspeakers.
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14535_zpsaaf1367d.jpg
I'll jot down some thoughts later.
julesd68
19-01-2014, 16:37
Wish I was closer to RFC Towers to hear these - they look like 'proper' speakers to me ...
Looking forward to your thoughts Justin!
Look what just turned up. Just a quick snap (excuse the flash glare) to show they are actually here as Paul just dropped them off. The Apogees were removed from the room to allow an uncoloured assessment of these fine looking, well made loudspeakers.
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14535_zpsaaf1367d.jpg
I'll jot down some thoughts later.
Very nice Justin!
There appear to be two review threads, LOL!
It is pretty obvious in the short time I've had them that they are very good.
Initially, we witnessed a high level of noise from both speakers. TBH I was pretty embarrassed. But after Paul left I remembered the power amp mains cable problem. I dunno what they pick up, but fiddling around with their position and coiling eradicates it. The 211 power amps themselves are incredibly quiet, and moving back to the new Raytheon 6414 tubes in the Lampi has noise levels right down to inaudible at the listening position with considerable gain and no music. Result!
The wife keeps admiring the cabinet work, finish and joining.
Here's a few points that can safely be said at this early stage.
1) The sweet spot is very wide - 30 degrees Paul claims to a couple of DB and they obviously are massively strong in this area. Move your head about quite a bit - not much change at all. Excellent.
2) They are very good at low volume. These would be an excellent choice for those in semi-detached or terraced housing. There's bags of res there and it sounds balanced somehow - I wasn't wishing for a loudness control I should theoretically need.
3) They are too close together in that shot above. They are now 12 inches further away from each other and I reckon that makes for a wider soundstage without compromise that I've noticed elsewhere.
4) Don't worry about the wide baffle - the imaging it great.
5) They go bloody loud without strain.
6) They don't have the bass extension of the Fidelios but what is there is very well controlled.
7) Scale is a good - a nice big open soundstage is created. Depth - forward and backward, and image height is all very good for the size of the speaker.
I'll come up with more later.
Here's a snap or two under lights. Excuse the wiring it is usually hidden by Duettas:D
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14553_zps603f4f24.jpg
Audio Al
19-01-2014, 21:33
There appear to be two review threads, LOL!
It is pretty obvious in the short time I've had them that they are very good.
Initially, we witnessed a high level of noise from both speakers. TBH I was pretty embarrassed. But after Paul left I remembered the power amp mains cable problem. I dunno what they pick up, but fiddling around with their position and coiling eradicates it. The 211 power amps themselves are incredibly quiet, and moving back to the new Raytheon 6414 tubes in the Lampi has noise levels right down to inaudible at the listening position with considerable gain and no music. Result!
The wife keeps admiring the cabinet work, finish and joining.
Here's a few points that can safely be said at this early stage.
1) The sweet spot is very wide - 30 degrees Paul claims to a couple of DB and they obviously are massively strong in this area. Move your head about quite a bit - not much change at all. Excellent.
2) They are very good at low volume. These would be an excellent choice for those in semi-detached or terraced housing. There's bags of res there and it sounds balanced somehow - I wasn't wishing for a loudness control I should theoretically need.
3) They are too close together in that shot above. They are now 12 inches further away from each other and I reckon that makes for a wider soundstage without compromise that I've noticed elsewhere.
4) Don't worry about the wide baffle - the imaging it great.
5) They go bloody loud without strain.
6) They don't have the bass extension of the Fidelios but what is there is very well controlled.
7) Scale is a good - a nice big open soundstage is created. Depth - forward and backward, and image height is all very good for the size of the speaker.
I'll come up with more later.
Here's a snap or two under lights. Excuse the wiring it is usually hidden by Duettas:D
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14553_zps603f4f24.jpg
:eek: Whats that item on the right floor that looks like a Nuclear power station glowing green
How about some close ups pf the speakers they look gorgeous :)
:eek: Whats that item on the right floor that looks like a Nuclear power station glowing green
How about some close ups pf the speakers they look gorgeous :)
Shouldn't you be "shunting" Mr Allen?
:eek: Whats that item on the right floor that looks like a Nuclear power station glowing green
How about some close ups pf the speakers they look gorgeous :)
Dammit you've quoted by bad prose and typos! And I was going to come back and do a proper job...
Close ups? Which part of the speaker turns you on and what are you prepared to pay for it?:lol:
Taken when still too close to each other.
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14548_zps3d95778a.jpg
Looks like a Pink Floyd light show from the early days.
Glad they've made a good first impression Justin. Hope you enjoy the week with them.
I'll have no problem lasting the entire week without swapping the Apogees back in Paul. They're very enjoyable speakers:)
Double post due to dodgy tethered phone connection....
Sounds like you need some cable lifters :-).
Yeah Tristan, and some decent power amp mains cables LOL.
This speaker is pretty sensitive, at 91DB and 6Ohm load. So any noise is picked up and you'll easily hear it if it is there. Driving them with huge valve monos is over the top, really, and I think they'd do well with a far less powerful integrated amp, though the headroom doesn't hurt, it just isn't required practically.
I'll try them with a solid state integrated this w/e, but again that has more power than required. Be good to hear them with a 20-30 Watt amp to see what they make of it. I don't know what Paul feels is the minimum recommended power required for these, so if he wants to chip in?
I heard Paul's Harbeth SHL5s a while ago (long gone now). Is this a better speaker than the SHL5 you ask? Well, I'm pretty sure I prefer it, from what I can remember. So it is definitely competitive price wise with at least something out there:)
Yeah Tristan, and some decent power amp mains cables LOL.
This speaker is pretty sensitive, at 91DB and 6Ohm load. So any noise is picked up and you'll easily hear it if it is there. Driving them with huge valve monos is over the top, really, and I think they'd do well with a far less powerful integrated amp, though the headroom doesn't hurt, it just isn't required practically.
I'll try them with a solid state integrated this w/e, but again that has more power than required. Be good to hear them with a 20-30 Watt amp to see what they make of it. I don't know what Paul feels is the minimum recommended power required for these, so if he wants to chip in?
I heard Paul's Harbeth SHL5s a while ago (long gone now). Is this a better speaker than the SHL5 you ask? Well, I'm pretty sure I prefer it, from what I can remember. So it is definitely competitive price wise with at least something out there:)
Hi Justin
I'd recommend a SS integrated of around 25-30wpc minimum to drive them cleanly. I use a 60 watt SS amp and that allows plenty of headroom. Power handling is 100 Watts, but as you are aware, less than half that amount fed into them is liable to render you permanently deaf, even in a large room!
Minimum recommended valve amplification is around 15 watts (as they wont clip horribly but will give you that warm glow of even order distortion instead). Single Ended amps will have no problems whatsoever driving these either due to the relatively flat impedance curve. Best results would be with something like a 40 watt Push-Pull valve amp though.
For anyone who'd like to come round and hear these speakers and confirm I am not talking rubbish you can PM me. It'll have to be this coming Sunday, though.
Restek Challenger currently pounding the f*^k out of my ear drums with some NIN and doing a fine job:)
If I was Paul I think I'd feel pretty proud of the job I'd done. These things need to get out there and be heard. People will like them:)
Well i like the sound they made, when i dropped my speakers off at Paul's for the full RFC treatment we had a listen to both his Fidelios and the rhapsody's, for a start i couldnt believe the low down controlled bass from the Fidelios, he then swapped over to the rhapsody's, bass again very low and controlled, when the piano started playing it could have been in the room with us, the drummer was playing a high hat to the left of and behind the left speaker, excellent sound staging, and the singer was sat slightly to the right of centre,
i was very much enjoying the music they were making, the speakers just disappeared and we had the performers in the room with us.
you need to hear these, Gordy.
jandl100
23-01-2014, 07:59
Restek Challenger currently pounding the f*^k out of my ear drums with some NIN and doing a fine job:)
Ha! - it's arrived in fine fettle. Great. :)
damn - I wish I could have got over to you for a listen to these speakers last sunday. :(
It is very good with the Rhapsodys, Jerry. I was thinking it was a better match than the 211s, both pricewise and sonically. The combo is an absolute peach.
Experience tells me it won't be the same with the Duettas - I'm sure I'll prefer the 211s with those.
Actually longer term listening revealed that whilst the Restek is very good, I became rather tired with its more sterile presentation after a while. Considering the s/h cost of this amp, not half bad, though.
More pics and thoughts tomorrow.
Just thought I'd add I bought the Restek to drive an entirely power hungry design. I haven't tried it with those yet, though, but valves aren't really practical with the design, so one must cope with the relative sterility of solid state designs with them, ho hum.
Which is more musical - the speaker or the guitar?
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14577_zps4798157d.jpg
The Review Proper
Background
I've known Paul for a few years on and off now. He's an honest, intelligent chap with a big passion for music and gear, and a high degree of pride and personal integrity. The first speaker design I heard of his was the Reference Fidelios, which showed just what can be done with restored Tannoy drive units from many years ago. It is a big, bold loudspeaker, the provence of true Tannoy afficionados. Excellent construction quality and cabinet work, big scale and dynamics, genuine deep bass and really a notch or two above most Tannoys I have ever heard.
Rest assured that while I know Paul, this review is no shill. If they were sub-par speakers, I wouldn't review them. I'd probably just tell him why I didn't like them behnd the scenes and leave it for Paul to decide if I had made any relevant points worthy of attention. It's that simple. But fortunately, they are far from sub-par.
Construction
Enter the new, smaller, cheaper, Rhapsody, at £3K or £3.5K for more exotic casework. But let me just state - when you see and feel these things in the flesh, you know that most mainstream manufacturers simply cannot compete with this design in terms of cabinet work at this price. They are quite simply stunning to behold in the flesh, in my opinion - and this is just the basic ply finish. Fantastic joinery, extremely rigid cabinet. There's no "we used a resonate cabinet for this design deliberately" BS, and you can quite clearly hear than in the sonic results. Even at high SPLs, holding the cabinet with the flat of your palm reveals it is doing very little indeed in terms of producing sound output via resonance. Sure, it is no Wilson in this regard - it is made out of wood, after all. But let me assure you that what you hear won't be obviously coloured by the cabinet.
Hopefully, the pictures and video show just how well this speaker is made and finished. Make sure you watch the video in 720P HD if your internet link will stand it.
The Video
I think the video shows the cabinet work quality in real life conditions better than the stills. EDIT: actually it doesn't due to YouTube compression technology. Anyway, here's the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ual8e6n_c&feature=youtu.be
brian2957
26-01-2014, 14:15
The more I see these speakers the more I like them . Absolutely beautiful :stalks:
The more I see these speakers the more I like them . Absolutely beautiful :stalks:
They are utterly gorgeous, I'd love to listen to them but unfortunately that is out of the question... :(
Design
Well, it's pretty obviously a two way, dome tweeter affair. I won't pretend to be able to do better than Paul's own description over at : http://referencefidelitycomponents.co.uk/products/loudspeakers/reference-rhapsody-loudspeakers/. For verification and validation purposes, Paul's description appears accurate.
Positioning
You want them with the bass ports facing as per the pictures. I tried them facing outwards and the bass appears less cohesive and solid. I had them 19 inches from the front wall and 69 inches apart. I couldn't put them further towards the front wall due to cabling and room treatments, so I am not sure if there would be any gain or loss there. But as ever, final positioning will be to taste and room constraints.
Sonics
Due to having more than a brain cell or two (LOL), the designer is very aware of what it takes to engineer a technically competent loudspeaker. This is evident in the listening.
By taking care with trading off the various compromises involved in any loudspeaker design, Paul has come up with something that balances the numerous parameters well. I'm not pretending I've spent much time looking into loudspeaker design, but it just seems obvious that this is the case.
Why so? Because as others have remarked, this comes across as a speaker with a very flat response, and low levels of colouration. For this reason, it isn't too concerned with the type of music it is trying to reproduce - it does well on pretty much everything I threw at it across genres, with the caveat that what I did push through them was always in my mind a good to excellent recording.
There's a high degree of resolution, very good left/right imaging and front/back stage placement, very good levels of separation between instruments, together with good tight bass control.
Bass extension is good for the size of the box to around 35Hz but it does stop there. Owners of large speakers with extended bass will probably miss something here, but that is just a fundamental constraint of the design, and I'm sure a sub would make amends. For the most part, though, it is more than adequate. It is well capable of comimg out with some really quite surprising slam, and make no mistake, you really know some air is being shifted when replay is at high volumes. Damned impressive for an 8 inch driver. It seems to be a natural function of a large bass port, the long throw driver, and the solid cabinet.
But this isn't a loudspeaker that is all about presenting nothing but transients in a manner that is initially impressive but provides you with listener fatigue after half an hour. It is far more evenly rounded than that. When the recording calls for it, the speaker seems to do it, and you will occasionally find yourself thinking "WOW" when listening to your fave electronica at volume. If you have any, that is:).
I found the best lisening occurred at low to medium-high volumes. Low volume resolution is just excellent. Mid volume is a pleasure, but with high volume playback, I found myself applying some digital eq to pull the HF down a bit. Not much - just a bit. I've actually done the same with the house resident Apogee Duettas. I just personally find that a flat response and high SPLs tends to sound a bit too bright. Maybe that's a function of the human ear, maybe it isn't. I just know what I like to hear.
More gratuitous pics:)
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14567_zps4bb1a1f1.jpg
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14570_zps946852a5.jpg
Conclusion
Paul has just been round to pick them up, so I have them no more. I had an enjoyable week with them. I've deliberately avoided talking about how they performed with various tracks, preferring to describe what I see as the basic merits of the speaker.
Sure I can fault the design, but then you can fault every loudspeaker out there. I've been a planar speaker user for many, many years, and I am not liable to change any time soon.
All I can say is if you're in the market for a pair of conventional speakers at this price, go and have a listen or ask Paul for a demo. Hopefully this review will act as a trigger for some to do exactly that. I wish Paul every success with the Rhapsody.
docfoster
26-01-2014, 19:16
Seems like your experience was similar to my own Justin.
I feel really pleased for my good friend Paul that the 100s of hours he's put into making these sound the biz are getting the opportunity to be acknowledged. :-)
Yeah they are pretty damned good aren't they Ben.
I've just read Paul's description on his own website slowly and in detail and it all sounds like we are hearing the same things.
The drive units are SEAS. I used to hate SEAS tweeters. It seems like they've learnt how to make them. The SEAS 8.5 inch driver is also very impressive, and was built for a Linkwitz design, if I got Paul's words right.
The fact that they managed to stay in my room for an entire week without getting displaced by my usual ear massagers is a testament to their overall goodness.
The problem Paul faces is marketing, the evil workings of the hi-fi press, and the fact there are no dealers.
The plus points are that you're getting a handmade, British built speaker which can be tweeked by Paul to a customer's satisfaction. I prefer to go this route and my own speakers were lovingly restored by someone who knows what they are doing. Way to go, I think. Far cooler and more flexible than using any major speaker brand. And all with a level of personal service no major can hope to provide.
docfoster
26-01-2014, 20:19
The problem Paul faces is marketing, the evil workings of the hi-fi press, and the fact there are no dealers.
The plus points are that you're getting a handmade, British built speaker which can be tweeked by Paul to a customer's satisfaction. I prefer to go this route and my own speakers were lovingly restored by someone who knows what they are doing. Way to go, I think. Far cooler and more flexible than using any major speaker brand. And all with a level of personal service no major can hope to provide.
Agreed. I'm happy to evangelise about things that I genuinely believe are genuinely special, especially when they come from such a genuinely decent chap. I hope that as the good word spreads Paul will find customers as well as supporters. :-)
Each to their own, but I think they look really ugly and wouldn't want them in my listening room, unless of course the lights were out . . . sorry chaps.
:sofa:
docfoster
26-01-2014, 22:28
Each to their own, but I think they look really ugly and wouldn't want them in my listening room, unless of course the lights were out . . . sorry chaps.
:sofa:
You're feeling a need to apologise. Tim, no need! come out from behind the sofa. Let's dance! :-)
Fair play - ain't no pleasin' everyone, Tim.
jandl100
05-02-2014, 10:46
I heard these Rhapsody speakers a couple of days ago at Paul's place - very nice indeedy! And when Paul attached the anti-diffraction material prototype grilles he's been designing, that was very much the icing on the cake. The sound kind of slipped into focus like the last delicate touch on a binocular's focusing ring, and I suspect made them very room-independent as well.
And a grille should also solve Tim's issues with the aesthetics. ;)
I feel a Hifi Pig review coming on once Paul has finalised the speakers in a few weeks time. :)
Piggy (http://open.spotify.com/track/03hkMQ64lxFL6dF8yO6pXW)
chris@panteg
23-03-2014, 09:02
I really like the look of these, think I prefer wide baffled design's, sound more natural.
The build and finish look superb.
Firebottle
23-03-2014, 10:20
For something that is basically a box with some drivers in, talking visually here, I think they look SUPERB.
I really like the choice of wood finishes and the contrasting edges.
Well done and I hope you shift shed loads,
:cool: Alan
Spectral Morn
23-03-2014, 11:08
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/RFC/SDC14548_zps3d95778a.jpg
Beautiful system and lovely photography.
Regards Neil
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