Thread: Open Fire With RBH's 1266-SE

RBH Sound, based in Utah, US, has been in operation since 1976 with a reputation
for delivering path-breaking technologies and for uplifting the standards of manufacturing loudspeakers which is quite visible within their wide product range. The company earlier used to build speakers for other manufacturers, but only until a few years back, the company has started to focus on building its own brand name and image. RBH manufacturers all their drivers in¬house, at their facility in Utah. They sent us the 1266-SE/R (Signature Reference series) floors tanding speakers for a review this month.

OUT OF THE BOX
Of all the floorstanders that came to our studio this month, the 1266¬SE/R was the heaviest of the lot and it was quite a task for us to set it up in our studio because of their sheer dimensions. The 1266-SE/R has a smooth gloss finish at the top and bottom of the cabinet. The grilles on the front of the speaker are detachable however the grilles on the subwoofers don't come off. The slender look of the cabinet is eye pleasing. The floorstander sent to us was of black MDF finish, but it doesn't stop there. RBH says that the speaker will be made available in any of the 30 different real hard wood finishes that the buyer can choose from.



TECHNOLOGY
For these speakers and also for the entire signature reference series, the drivers are specially made of aluminium. RBH validates this motive by stating that aluminium has a greater strength-to-weight ratio than other speaker cone materials, as the cones tend to have more strength and rigidity which is necessary in hard excursion situations.

For high frequency handling, the speaker has incorporated silk dome tweeters, which are known to be light in weight and have a reputation for keeping distortion to a minimum. Between the mid-range drivers, the loudspeaker designers have placed silver coloured aluminium phase plugs. These phase plugs serve two purposes; firstly they replace dust caps which usually tear over gruelling long term loudspeaker excursions and secondly, they help widen the dispersion of the mid-range drivers, which in turn results in a wider sweetspot.