When it comes to home audio gear, sometimes I can be
conflicted. I’m a musician and also being raised around the piano with my mom,
I have an ear for quality audio. But I also like, especially in the current
economy, being able to support products being made here in the US. With most
home audio gear being made overseas, that’s getting more and more difficult to
do. And when it comes to home audio speakers, whether it be for regular audio
or for home theater, it’s nice to be able to do in-walls. But most in walls don’t come with an enclosure
so you tend to be a little handicapped as far as audio quality. With
electronics you also tend to get what you pay for. Fortunately for those who are looking for
quality high-end home audio, as well as made in America products, there is a
company you can turn to that’s known for their quality home audio gear. Enter
RBH Sound, high performance audio products manufacturer that has been redefining
the way you experience sound for over 45 years. Today we will be reviewing
their SI-663R in-wall speaker.
RBH Sound has a couple of different speaker lines to give variety
to different budgets. We will be covering their Reference Series, which is
their top-of-the-line series. And they have several models within that line
depending on your needs, such as room size and budget. They start out with the
SI-740R which encompasses a single tweeter and a single woofer, followed by the
SI-760R which is a MTM design which has a single tweeter between two woofers.
Next above that is the SI-663R which adds an additional tweeter and woofer so
you have two tweeters in between three woofers. Depending on your room size,
you could use SI-740R’s though out or you could use SI-760R’s for the fronts
and SI-740R’s for the sides and rears or for larger rooms you could use SI-663R’s
for the fronts and SI-760R’s for the sides and rears. There are several potential configurations
depending on your room.
Being in the position of finishing our basement, which
includes a large theater room which will house our reference gear for reviews,
we were in a unique position. We do a lot of product reviews, however, it’s
hard to find reviews for in-wall speakers. Since this is the position we are
in, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to review some in-wall
products. Given the current environment with everyone having been quarantined
due to the COVID-19, there had also been an increased interest in home theater
gear. So we figured the timing was
perfect. Given the heritage of RBH Sound, the sound quality and dynamics of
their multi-award-winning lines, that we were looking for both music and home
theater as well as their top of the line products. Being made here in the US, RBH had everything
we were looking for. We went with their SI-663R’s for front LCR, SI-760R for
sides and rears, SI-615 for height channels, and brand new SI-1212 sub for a 7.1.4
setup.
Features and specs:
Model Name: SI-663/R
Series: Signature
Reference In-wall
System Type:
In-wall/LCR Dual 2-way Speaker
Frequency Response:
50Hz-20kHz (±3dB)
Sensitivity: 90dB
Main, 88dB Center, and 92dB Combined (2.83V @ 1 Meter)
Recommended Power:
75-225 Watts Main, 75-175 Watts Center and 75-450 Watts Combined
Woofers: (3)
6-1/2" (165mm) Reference Aluminum Cone Woofers
Tweeter: (2)
4.72" X 1" (120mm x 25mm) AMT
Tweeter Protection: Yes
Swivel Tweeter(s): No
Crossover Frequency:
2,700 Hz
Crossover Slope:
12dB/Octave
Impedance: 8 Ohms
Main, 6 Ohms Center and 4 Ohms Combined
Cabinet Material/Color:
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)/Black
Cabinet Finish: Black
Enclosure
Baffle and Grille:
Baffle Black; Grille Black or White. Enclosure Sold Separately.
Baffle Dimensions:
8" W x 32" H (203mm W x 812mm H)
Enclosure Dimensions:
14" W x 56" H x 3-1/2" D (356mm W x 1422mm H x 89mm D)
Weight: 60 lbs.
(27.22 kg)
Warranty: 5 Years
There was no flashy packaging that the speakers came in. RBH
only sells through authorized dealers. The dealers showcase the speakers and
demo them, so you know what you’re getting. There is no flashy color printed packaging
needed to catch your eye. This is understandable. The speaker came in a
standard thick cardboard box with the manufactures name and serial numbers
printed on the box. Opening the box revealed a well protected speaker held in
place by custom molded foam. Pulling out the speaker showed a cloth grill securely
held in place and wrapped in plastic wrapping. The speaker baffle was securely
screwed in place into the enclosure for shipping. Everything about the speaker
system screamed quality. This is their top of the line model and it showed. The
enclosure was made of MDF and solidly assembled. Giving it my knock test, it
was very solid. Unscrewing the speaker baffle and taking it out of the
enclosure, I was able to see the dampening fill inside the enclosure as well as
the internal structure for increased stability. It was an extremely well made
enclosure that was tuned to the individual drivers for that model so you get
the best sound possible, even with them being in-walls. Turning to the baffle
and the drivers and crossover network, I was greeted with the same quality. The
baffle that housed the drivers was a thick half inch MDF painted black with the
smooth texture. The woofer was a 6 ½ inches with rubber surround and black
aluminum cone with phase plug. Turning to the back of the driver, I could see
the use of a thick cast aluminum basket with a large magnet that had an
extruding back end of the magnet for increased range of the voice coil offering
increased travel in order to yield better dynamics and power handling capacity.
The use of the phase plug also helped for cooling of the motor structure and
voice coil for increased power handling capacity as well as sonic benefits in
the higher octave ranges. Also included were mounting screws, installation
instructions and a cardboard piece to cover the opening during drywall
installation.
The tweeter is equally impressive. RBH now uses an air
motion tweeter or referred to as an AMT tweeter. It’s basically a folded ribbon
design tweeter. Based on the design, it has a much larger surface area which
provides higher dynamics and handling as well as a rich, smooth, plush sound providing
a resolution and airiness that has to be heard to be believed. Some
manufacturers are able to deliver on that signature sound better than others.
RBH has worked with Aurum Cantus on a custom design to maximize the performance
of the design. AMT’s have become more popular in recent years and can be found
on speakers in a wide range of price points but again, you get what you pay
for. And with the RBH design, they are able to maximize the delivered sound.
Turning to the crossover network, my being impressed with
their designs continues. My attention is instantly turned to the sizable
wiring. Typical wiring on the crossover networks you often see 20 or 18 gauge
wire, but here it looks like they are using 14-12 gauge wire. Again, the
speaker appears to be designed to handle a lot of power to deliver the dynamics
of gunfire and explosions often found in home theater content. All of the internal components of the
crossover network such as the coils, capacitors, and resistors house RBH’s name
on them so they appear internally made and of very high quality. The push
connectors are also high quality and are gold plated.
The SI-663R also has a very unique design and can be used as
a center channel speaker without having a separate center channel. It would entail having a pair of SI-663R’s as
front left and rights. The top woofer
and tweeter of both the left and right speakers would be used as the center
channel speaker. There is also a
separate internal crossover network as well as speaker terminal for the center
channel. So if your room does not
provide the ability to have a center channel speaker, you can have a center
channel speaker by using a pair of SI-663R’s.
In essence the SI-663R is an SI-740R on top and an SI-760R below that,
with both an SI-740R and SI-760R crossover network. And when employing a 3rd SI-663R as a center
channel speaker, the cabinet is built to have a jumper wired in so all of the
drivers are used as a single left, single center, or single right. It’s a very ingenious design!
All in all, RBH seems to have a very special line of
speakers on their hands with their reference line. The quality of all the
individual components, be it the tweeter, the woofer, or the crossover network,
all scream top of the line. The only real knock that I can see on them is the
lack of attenuation for the tweeter or boundary compensation as is found on
some in-wall models, however, this is typically set by your receiver during
set-up. Depending on install location, these could be nice to have. I would
have also liked to have seen the option for a magnetic metal grill. Although
the grill they do have being a cloth cover does give a level of sophistication
or class that you don’t usually find on in-wall speakers.
The speaker design was also thoughtful in regards to the
installation. Around the edge of the opening where the baffle is mounted, there
is a metal ring to separate the baffle from the drywall. The sides of the
enclosure have a few thin foam pieces on the side that help hold the enclosure
in place while you are determining the exact height to mount them at, and
holding in place, while securely screwing them to the location. The baffle is also raised ½ inch higher than
the enclosure. The entire enclosure is 3 ½ inches thick so it fits perfectly in
between the studs that are 16 inches off center. After they are mounted and you
install the drywall, the drywall completely covers the enclosure so the speaker
baffle ends up being flush with the drywall. This way when your walls are
completed with drywall, tape, texture and paint, the speakers are flush with
the rest of the wall. And the paper cover that goes over the opening for the
baffle is very thoughtfully included to help keep any construction debris from
the wall from getting inside the enclosure. And having the speaker baffle and
enclosure being two separate pieces, there is zero concern about any of the
drivers being damaged during the construction process of the wall.
Listening Tests
Now that the install process is complete, it’s time for the
listening tests. The listening tests will be comprised of both music of
different genres as well as selected movie scenes. And we’ll test these SI-663R’s
both by themselves, as a stereo left and right pair for their performance in
that scenario as well as speakers as front left, center, right, in a 7.1.4
configuration. The height channel speakers being RBH SI-615 and sub being the
RBH SI-1212. The sides and rear
surrounds of the 7.1.4 configuration being the SI-760R’s.
Rhapsody in Blue- Clarinet had excellent air with excellent
texture and woodiness of the reed. Piano sounded dynamic with excellent
harmonics and naturalness of the strings. The bassoon had very good texture and
depth of tone. Brass was extremely dynamic and silky smooth without being too
brassy.
Mayo Nakano Piano Trios “Scabious”- Provided an enjoyment
I’m not used to having with speakers and piano. Having grown up around piano,
it’s one of my favorite instruments, even though I don’t play. I’m a clarinet and
sax player. But my mom would play almost daily. Also saying that it is hard to
recreate the full natural sound of a piano from a speaker, is a huge
understatement. She spoiled me with her playing and now I love hearing my wife
play her baby grand. So I’ll admit, I’m extremely picky when it comes to
hearing piano through speakers. I have yet to hear a speaker system be able to
recreate the full sound as if you were standing next to a baby grand being
played. Having said that, I have heard a few come extremely close, even $50,000/pair
tower speakers that have come up short. So when I was listening to some piano
tracks, my eyes got big and I did a double and triple take! How close did they
sound to the real thing? I’ll put it this way…I had to have my wife sit down
and play for a few minutes for me, to confirm what I was hearing. And no, the
RBH SI-663R’s were not able to fully recreate the piano as if you are standing
next to one. But the sound they did recreate, was so close to the real thing,
RBH is practically giving these away for their price. I won’t name names, but I
have heard tower speakers at twice the price not sound as good. And these are
in-wall! The piano should not sound this natural on any speaker, let alone an
in-wall. Let me rephrase. Classical music connoisseurs WANT speakers to be able
to sound like the real thing. It’s just almost impossible, which is why I am so
impressed with the performance of these RBH reference series. The richness in
the tone of the strings, the depth of resolution in the harmonics, and dynamics,
I could actually hear the hammers contact on the strings. It gave me goosebumps!
Junior Wells: Why are People Like That- Vocals were
extremely natural with excellent timbre and texture. Bass had very nice low end
extension. Drums had great impact and dynamics. Harmonica was extremely crisp,
clean, smooth and dynamic. Cymbals were also crisp and dynamic.
Disturbed: Sound of Silence – vocals were nice and raw with
excellent resolution and texture of the timbre. Piano sounded very natural, as
did the strings. Acoustic guitar was very crisp and clean, providing stellar
resolution being able to actually hear the plucking of the strings. The tympani
also had very nice dynamics and impact, hearing the hammer hit the pad.
For you gamers: Sugaan Essena- Jedi Fallen Order- The
strings on the lute were extremely crisp and clean, being able to hear the bow
run across the individual stings. Drums had amazing dynamics and impact. Vocals
were extremely raw with excellent texture. The sound stage was nothing short of
holographic, being both wide and deep, I felt like I was right next to the band
in the recording studio.
Movies
Ready Player One- Race scene- The revving and throttling of
the various engines not only had excellent pitch definition of the bass and mid
bass. The stiff aluminum cones provided
excellent control, for the necessary output and dynamics for movies. The
resolution was phenomenal. Even at loud movie theater reference levels, the
sound was excellent when the firework explodes to start the race, I could feel
the cushion in my Lazy-Boy resonate! All of the tires screeching, and crashing,
all sounded amazingly lifelike with the appropriate dynamics. And when King Kong
is running to the finish line, you feel like you’re in the movie!
Spiderman: Far from Home, Ferris Wheel scene- The roars of
the fire monster had real power and depth to them. The explosions were life
like with dynamics and authority that made me question if I’d need to go to a
movie theater again. At least I wouldn’t need to, to get movie theater quality
sound. Spiderman shooting his webs, also sounded really crisp and clean. Even
the cracking of the flames sounded like a real campfire. This was also one of the things that I had
noticed, the striking resolution. I had
watched this movie at least a dozen times, and the detailed resolution provided
was easily noticeable without needing to listen for it.
Greatest Showman- Never Enough Song scene- The silky smooth
harmonics of her timbre were masterfully portrayed in layers of texture. And as
the passion builds and builds in the song, every note of her voice is
remarkably portrayed. Even at loud movie theater volume levels, they shined.
I’ve reviewed a lot of speaker systems and I’ve heard a lot
more than that. While there are times that my expectation of a product will be
surpassed, I’m rarely surprised. Given RBH’s reputation and the price point of
the SI-663R’s, I had high expectations. It’s difficult to design speakers that
deliver the sound and energy found in a movie theater. But it’s exponentially
more difficult to perform just as well for music. The SI-663R’s both exceeded
my expectations and surprised me. Vocals were lush and smooth like honey, the
highs from the AMT tweeter were crisp and clean with room filling lifelike
dynamics that were not overly bright. And thanks to the 2nd tweeter, my 2nd row
got a sonic experience equal to the front row. I expected a great performance
for movies. But it was the music performance that surprised me. I was taken
back by the natural sound of the piano, AND the imaging and soundstage. I was
expecting good imaging, but wasn’t sure what to expect for soundstage. Imaging
and soundstage both exceeded my expectations. Imaging was excellent, and they
threw a very large soundstage, deeper than I expected. The soundstage wasn’t
perfect, and not quite as holographic as I have heard from some large tower
speakers. But they are also in walls at a fraction of the price. For the
ultimate larger home theater room experience with tiered seating, go with three
of these SI-663R’s for the front left, center, and right, four SI-760R’s for
both sides and both rears, SI-615’s for height channels and an SI-1212 in
ceiling/floor subwoofer. This will give you a phenomenal RBH Sound Signature
Reference Series 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos, DTS-X system. Although I will warn you, you
may be like me and end up listening to more music than watching movies. Yep,
they sound that good!
It’s really easy to think of the word synergy after
reviewing these RBH speakers, the definition of synergy is the whole being more
than the sum of the parts. With the design of the enclosure being so install
friendly as well as having the enclosure being tuned to the drivers and the
quality of the drivers themselves really provided a speaker that has to be
heard to be believed. While it’s not perfect, missing a couple items that would
be beneficial for in-wall speakers such as tweeter attenuation and boundary
compensation, it comes pretty darn close. And if there was one thing I could
request, it would be to add the option to have magnetic mounted grills. In rating them I give them two big thumbs up
and two big toes because I don’t have more than two thumbs. The sound you are
getting with the SI-663R is not only phenomenal, it is a huge bang for the buck
for their price point. I think Ferris
Buller said it best when describing the Ferrari 250 GT California, “If you have
the means, I highly recommend it!” We may have to rethink having an award
higher than Editor’s Choice because that’s what these deserve. Plus there’s
also the warm fuzzies for buying American, knowing you are supporting local
jobs. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.RBHsound.com. And stay tuned for the SI-760R, SI-615, and
SI-1212 reviews.
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