RBH Sound SX Series (SX-T2/SX-8300/SX-6300) Loudspeakers First Look

RBH Sound introduced their new Signature SX Series of loudspeakers at the 2010 CEDIA Expo Show. The unveiling of this new series took place in the company’s demonstration sound room (SR-5) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. 

I sat for a listen of the SX-8300 system  with matching center channel (SX-6100C) and surrounds and was very impressed with the dynamic rich sound that had the tonal accuracy I've always come to expect  from RBH Sound.  The bass was tactile and punchy coming from the SX-8300s in conjunction with the new SX-1010p dual 10" subwoofer.  The three 8" bass drivers of each SX-8300 were biamped with their new 500 watt SA-500 amplifiers. The vocals were anchored thanks to their excellent center channel which blended well with the rest of the speakers.  The speaker system was powered by ADA processing and amplification. 

The new Signature SX Series replaces the standard black finish models of RBH’s Signature Series and boasts a new modern, shapely and beautiful cabinet design. Employing RBH’s proprietary aluminum cone technology, each model also features silk dome tweeters and curved cabinets made from double-layered MDF, with a 1.5-inch thick satin black baffle.

The curvature and construction of the cabinets serves two purposes:

• prevent destructive internal standing waves, thereby increasing sound quality.
  
• provide the series its new, contemporary flair
  

All models are internally-braced to eliminate standing waves and cabinet resonance. All models feature high quality five-way binding posts, with the tower models featuring two pairs, allowing for bi-wiring and/or bi-amplification.

The Signature SX Series consists of a standard line (SX-xxxx) and a reference line (SX-xxxx/R). The reference versions feature RBH Sounds venerable Status Acoustics upgraded fixed phase plug aluminum cone woofers, a liquid-cooled Scanspeak silk dome tweeter, and a modified crossover network to manage the upgraded drivers. The reference-level upgrades provide increased power handling and improved resolution, resulting in increased sonic clarity.

RBH Sound SX-6300 (left) and SX-T2/R (right)

The Signature SX Series encompasses an entire model range from the small SX-44C dedicated surround speaker to the large SX-T2/R reference modular tower. Also new are timbre-matched, dedicated center channels incorporating one curved side and one flat side, allowing easy horizontal placement on a cabinet, shelf or other flat surface. Nine new subwoofers featuring the same new cabinet design were also introduced, ranging from the dual 8-inch SX-88 to the flagship SX-1010P/R. These new subwoofers feature RBH’s proprietary aluminum cone technology and one of two newly designed built-in amplifiers rated at up to 500 Watts.

The SX-T2/R Flagship Floorstanding Speaker System
The SX-T2/R is the flagship system of the SX lineup.  It's a dispersion-averaging alignment combined with RBH’s aluminum cone technology  Inheriting the award-winning Signature Series T1’s driver configuration, the mirror-image SX-T1 focuses the sound at the listening position for incredible imaging. The SX-T1/R employs four 6½-inch aluminum cone woofers and three 1-inch silk dome tweeters and is used in conjuncture with a pair of SX-1010 subwoofers. The SX-T2/R system is capable of handling copious amounts of power while delivering paramount fidelity and performance in even the largest home theater or listening room.  The SX-T2 system is also available with standard Signature drivers for more cost minded audiophiles. 

The SX-8300 Floorstanding Speaker System
The 3-way SX-8300 flagship tower speaker is a true fullrange tower capable of outperforming much more expensive speaker systems.  It features three 8-inch subwoofers, dual 6½-inch mid-range woofers and a 1-inch silk dome tweeter arranged in a D'Appolito driver configuration. Dual rear-firing flared ports help the SX-8300 achieve its full-range response, and dual 5-way binding posts allow for increased performance through bi-amplification with a subwoofer amplifier such as the RBH sound SA-500.  Audiophiles will want to pay a slight premium to upgrade this tower to the SX-8300/R model with Status Acoustics Phase plug drivers and Scan Speak tweeters.

The SX-6300 Floorstanding Speaker System
The SX-6300 tower speaker is designed to provide big sound from its small profile. With its 3-way driver complement of three 6½-inch aluminum cone subwoofers in a vented enclosure, two 4-inch aluminum cone woofers, and a 1-inch silk dome tweeter arranged in a D' Appolito driver configuration, the SX-6300 is said to deliver all the impact and clarity of a much larger speaker.  The SX-6300 can be bi-wired or bi-amplified via the high quality, dual 5-way binding posts to further enhance its performance. Audiophiles will want to pay a slight premium to upgrade this tower to the SX-6300/R model with Status Acoustics Phase plug drivers and Scan Speak tweeters.

The SX-6100C Flagship Center Channel
The SX-6100C is designed for large theater systems consisting of four 6½-inch aluminum cone woofers and three 1-inch silk dome tweeters positioned slightly above the woofers for better integration by minimizing the distance between the drive units. The SX-6100C unique driver configuration allows it to handle plentiful amounts of power to help it fill larger theaters with dramatic clarity and high fidelity.  Audiophiles will want to pay a slight premium to upgrade this center channel to the SX-6100C/R model with Status Acoustics Phase plug drivers and Scan Speak tweeters.

The SX-441C Center Channel
The SX-441C is a dedicated center channel designed to match the SX-6300 tower speaker system.  It consists of dual 4" aluminum cone woofers and one 1" silk dome tweeter positioned slightly above the woofers for better integration by minimizing the distance between drive units.  Audiophiles will want to pay a slight premium to upgrade this center channel to the SX-441C/R model with Status Acoustics Phase plug drivers and Scan Speak tweeters.

Why the SX Series?
One of the common criticisms we've heard about the original Signature and Signature reference Series from RBH Sound in their standard black finish was their boxy plain look.  In fact, I've always ragged on them for their feminine pad style grille covers since the inception of the original Signature series.  We are happy to see that RBH Sound has updated the look of such fantastic performance loudspeakers that have been used by many of our staff (myself included) as our reference speakers of choice.  Considering this stunning new look, we suspect that RBH Sound will do incredibly well with the new SX series lineup.  We are looking forward to diving into some formal reviews of these speakers that are sure to finally look as good as they sound. 

The Signature SX Series is expected to begin shipping in November 2010. Pre-orders for the new series are being taken now.  Prices to be determined but expected to be inline with their Classic Signature and Signature Reference models.

For more information, visit RBH Sound. 

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