RBH Sound Ultra-3 Soundbar Preview

Soundbars are a dime a dozen, but high-quality passive soundbars are a different story. There are a handful of high-quality passive soundbars on the market, but the product category is far from saturated, so the release of the Ultra-3 from RBH is exciting news.

First off, the Ultra-3 can be custom cut to match TV widths of 47 to 63 inches. The extra charge for ordering a custom size? Nothing! Each soundbar is custom cut when it's ordered. The Ultra-3 is only 1-5/8-inches deep. While a deeper cabinet may have allowed RBH some extra room for added bass response, the thin design is perfect for modern LED TVs. At 6 11/16" tall, it is relatively tall for a soundbar, but the height allowed RBH to move the triple tweeters above the six midrange drivers. This configuration helps to reduce acoustics interference common in MTM (midrange-tweeter-midrange) designs.

The entire cabinet is made of MDF with internal bracing and sealed separate internal chambers for left, center, and right channels. The end caps are MDF covered in high gloss black paint. Primarily thanks to the MDF enclosure, the Ultra-3 weighs in at a respectable 12.5lbs (63" wide) to 9.5lbs (47"). The black grill is magnetic for easy attachment and removal.

RBH Ultra-3 on display at CEDIA 2014

The Ultra-3 sports proprietary inverted, domed aluminum 4-inch woofers and aluminum tweeters with textured phase plugs. The rated frequency response is 100Hz-20kHz ±3dB with a 12dB/octave slope. However, RBH engineers assured us that you could set the crossover at 80Hz with no problem. Considering the 12dB slope and boundary gain from wall mounting the Utra-3, we tend to believe that 80Hz is achievable.

The Ultra-3 mounts via two key hole brackets on the back, while speaker wire feeds through a small hole and is connected via binding posts on the front of the unit. For even easier installation, the SB-39 Soundbar Speaker Bracket allows you to attach the Ultra-3 to the TV's wall mount.

Conclusion

Overall, we think the Ultra-3 is a solid product. Like all passive soundbars, the ability add surround speakers and an external sub is of tremendous value. Unlike nearly all other soundbars, the Ultra-3 is custom cut for no extra charge, which is another bonus. Obviously, using discreet left, center, and right speakers is preferable, but this is a great option for those who can't, or don't want to, mount three speakers on their wall. Based on the specs, the brief demo we received at CEDIA, and our experience with other RBH products, the Ultra-3 seems like a solid choice.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.