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The post from Nakolawala below got me thinking about a research problem I've been having.I'm trying to decide between a home demo of the 626R or the RM1s. I have talked with several dealers and the manufacturer, and read all the posts on Harmonic Discord. Some folks (e.g. Jonbee, below) say that the RM1 sound just like the 626, only it has more bass. Others (e.g. ribbonspeakers.net) suggest that while the 626 has less bass, it does everything else better than the RM1 or even the RM2. Some folks (e.g. the manufacturer) seem to take both positions at different times.
From my research, I have have only been able to discern one useful piece of evidence: the *only* negative or even ho-hum comments regarding the neo line seem to be associated with the RM1s.
Right now I'm thinking that the 626s, even w/o a sub, might work better for me because (1) medium size room, 10x20x8, and speakers to be positioned along the long wall, (2) nearish field listening (listener 6 ft from each speaker), (3) 626s probably more forgiving when it comes to room placement, (4) I'm a tall guy, and the ideal listening level of the 626s appears to be significantly higher than the RM1s, (5) standmounts somewhat less visually imposing than floorstanders, (6) can later add sub when I get more scratch.
Am I whacked? Anyone have some intelligence/corrections to help me out?
Follow Ups:
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I went through the same process, and decided on the 626R. The bass is quite good by themselves. I think the solo woofer is better quality than the stock duo in the RM1, as well. I always use a sub because of the flexibility it affords in the difficult to adjust bass/room interface. See my posts on the RM1 problems earlier today. I listen on the midrange axis, and it works out very nicely. I think the RM1 might be a bit low, and there is that floor reflection to deal with. Jim at Ribbonspeakers.net has a good set of tweaks to offer, if you go through him. I have found his information to be useful and so far, accurate. I may get my upgraded kit tomorrow, I hope. I will report on them in a few days
by "listening level," I mean ear-level. I've read that the ideal level of the listener is at the height of the midrange ribbon, which is about 1 ft. higher on the 626s than the RM1s, assuming a two-foot stand.
With the 626R, you can listen to them at tweeter level and they are fine. But when I demo'd them, I slightly preferred listening on the midrange panel axis. Listening above the tweeter axis resulted in a loss of high frequency and general "dulling" of the sound. From side to side they were fine, but sitting on axis w/either the tweeter or mid panel is important for getting best sound.Personally, for a multichannel setup, I prefer identical speakers all around, and a good solid sub or 2 for low end, but that's just my preference (after having had multiple multi-channel setups).
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