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View Full Version : New to forum and patiently waiting on RAAL Towers order!



350Industrial
09-25-2013, 04:00 AM
I'm Chris- from the Tampabay, Fl area.

I'm also patiently waiting on the next batch of RAAL Towers in Satin Espresso (SO7273) :cool:

My setup:
Source: PC running JRiver v19, all lossless aiff/FLAC files
Pre/DAC: Oppo 105 player
Amp: Emotiva XPA-2 (Gen2)
Current mains: Wharfdale evo2 8's
Sub: HSU STF-2

The plan is to simply swap the mains with the new RAAL Towers.

Just wanted to say hello in hopes it will make this wait go by quicker :p

-Chris

markie
09-25-2013, 10:30 AM
Welcome! May your wait be short and your listening times long. But not so long that you don't have time to post pics and a review of your expresso music makers. :)
Mark

350Industrial
10-29-2013, 08:18 AM
My towers should be arriving tomorrow!! :D

Now to select the perfect single malt for an evening of listening....

markie
10-31-2013, 09:00 AM
My towers should be arriving tomorrow!! :D

Now to select the perfect single malt for an evening of listening....

Very nice, we await your impressions! At the same time kids are going around door to door asking for sweets, you'll be in the sweet spot listening to your towers. Either that or constantly answering the door. :D

350Industrial
11-04-2013, 01:10 PM
First impressions-

Packaging: Meticulously packaged, probably could've survived a war.

Fit/finish: Exceeded expectations, truly a high-end look/feel. The satin espresso looks perfect in any light- it lightens up in direct sunlight, but seems to darken with blinds/curtains drawn- suits my space perfectly.

Listening impressions: Only have about 8-10 hours on them so far, but haven't turned my sub on yet (wanted to get a feel for their sound without the sub until fully broken in.)

The highs are silky smooth- even on some recordings known for generating a fair amount of fatigue, these do not. There are a few songs in the Chicago greatest hits album that would leave my ears almost bleeding prior to these speakers- not so with the RAALS.

Vocals are beautiful, extremely detailed, very recording-dependent obviously. Ex- Floyd's Wish You Were Here SACD lacks vocal detail (sounds this way on any speakers/phones I've listened on), but most recording sound phenomenal.

Lows are very impressive for woofers of their size. What I enjoy most about the bass is how ultra tight and defined each note is- much better than my current sub. Ultimately I'd like a bit more volume below 70 Hz or so, but I'll slowly ease my sub up after breaking these towers in fully. And eventually, get a better sub(s). For now, just beautiful bass notes- very tight, rich, and impactful.

Overall I'm thoroughly enjoying these babies. These are the speakers you keep and enjoy for a long, long time.

Cheers to everyone who's reviews I've read convincing me to take the plunge!

Chris

markie
11-04-2013, 04:25 PM
Very nice! Yes for sure, the source material matters.

I was at TAVES on Sunday - Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show, and saw and heard dozens of speakers. The same speaker in different rooms would sound very different, and I'm sure it has lots to do with the source material used.

BTW I was on the look out for a RAAL speaker, and incredibly I don't think there was on in the bunch. Saw everything else - domes of all kinds, compression tweets, folded ribbon, even plasma. But no RAAL!

Thanks for the review Chris!

Mark