Tower Speaker Reviews

No Surprises in Movie Mode Either
As you might imagine, a system seemingly without dynamic or low-frequency limitations, with low overall coloration, and with an enormous soundstage, should do very well at the movies. I watched dozens of movies in casual mode (as opposed to Nitpicky Reviewer mode), and the RBH system's performance never disappointed. It managed to stay out of the way and not call attention to itself while delivering staggering dynamic contrasts when called for, explosive deep bass, an enormous soundstage freed from the physical locations of the speakers, and, most impressive, superb resolution of inner detail. The last was all the more apparent when I went back to watch familiar scenes from my demo movies. On the Tron soundtrack—the recording of which I supervised, and so know almost every element that went into every sound effect—I heard details I swear I haven't heard since the mixing stage. I'm sure I would have heard them through the Aerial system, and I'm sure I'll hear them through other top-quality systems yet to be auditioned, but when I consider the price of the RBH system, the level of performance it delivered was remarkable.

Even the woofer-tweeter-woofer center-channel provided fine performance—including off-axis, where lobing should have resulted in compromised performance. I was hard-pressed to hear any problems—intelligibility and vocal timbres remained outstanding across a wide listening angle. I've heard more impressively neutral centers, such as the large, sophisticated, yet inexpensive one included in the Infinity package I reviewed in the January 2002 issue. The 661-SE and the 1266-SEs seemed to have a slight excess of energy in the upper midrange that was less of a problem in the other channels, but was more noticeable with dialogue. But I'm trying hard to find fault here—the truth is, I enjoyed every minute I spent with the RBH Signature system, whether listening to music or watching movies.

Conclusions
It's always more fun to review a system that performs superbly, and doubly enjoyable when it provides great value for the money. The RBH Signature system brought me nothing but pleasure. I recommend it to you without qualification. In my many years of reviewing, I can think of few systems that have provided such a high level of build quality, fit'n'finish, and performance for such a reasonable price.