Usher RW-729 Review
24/08/07 19:56 Filed in: Speakers
I have been looking for a stand mount speaker that
can produce substantial bass output to avoid the
necessity of a sub-woofer. The Usher RW-729 has been on my
list for some time and today they arrived at
our office, complete with the matching stands.
The whole package arrived in three large boxes, two just for the very substantial stands which have a 'real' marble base and stunning solid birch wood uprights, with a top metal plate. All hardware to secure the speakers to the stand are included as are floor spikes and floor protecting plates for the spikes.
The RW-729 speakers themselves are lighter than their appearance would lead you to believe, but make no mistake they are no light weight either. Their finish and looks are typical Usher, in that they are superbly finished and look truly stunning, particularly on the stands.
I should preface the review by saying these speakers are brand new out of the box and will require some time to settle in so take these comments on board, but I will be adding to this review later as they 'burn' in in a few days or so.
The first thing I was keen to hear was the bass out put, these speakers are rated at 38Hz in the bottom end which is extraordinary for a stand mount speaker. While I had confidence in Usher to deliver what they claim, I was not ready for just how good their bottom end would be in practice!
They deliver bass output on a par with any floorstanding speaker claiming similar bass response, but it is not a flappy overblown bass with little definition like a KEF iQ9, oh no, it is a tight, punchy bass with real weight behind it, bass you can feel and hear very clearly.
They sounded awesome on acoustic guitar and male vocal, string quartets and less complex music, but due to the newness of them more complex passages sound a little stressed. This will subside with time.
So, Usher have delivered on their claim and that is as far as this review is going to go for now because like all good speakers, they need some time to settle in and let that new speaker harshness subside so I will add to this when that happens, but so far, wow! Stay tuned!
UPDATE: Day two and more testing, and i am still amazed at their bass output. I conclude that while they are still very new, there is little chance of the bright mid softening with time and use to the degree I would like. Don't get me wrong they sound stunning on the right material, but with mildly bright CD's like my much loved 80's collection, they simply sound too brash. Again that will soften a little with use, but I think like all Usher's, they will remain on the brighter side of 'flat' which to be honest most people want these days anyway.
For me it is the harshness you get with any new speaker that is getting in the way at this point and that will go when run in so I am not too concerned with that. My experiments today with an Avalon VT-747SP Equaliser/compressor has pretty much sold me on these speakers however. You can read the full review on the Avalon here, but the bottom line is this: I used the EQ to flatten out the response a little in the mid band to try and match the ATC's we have in our display system.
The result is very impressive indeed. Now I have the best of both worlds. The Usher's are a little more revealing in the upper frequencies compared to the ATC's which are dead flat in response, but the ATC's were easier to listen to. Now however the Usher's have been smoothed out, have that great upper extension and detail and truly monstrous bass output.
So, this week they are going home to be part of my new audio system, and will in time smooth out a little more. I will report on their progress again in a few weeks after I have lived with them for a while.
UPDATE 2: Well we are now three weeks down the track and they have smoothed out as much as they ever will. The reality is they are a fine speaker that leans toward the brighter side of neutral. On the right material they sound superb with plenty of detail and that deep bass output. Less than perfect recordings are harshly dealt with however so if your CD collection is made of imperfect recordings like most, then be prepared to add an equaliser.
If however you are a discerning listener with limited space who is only interested in the finer recordings available they will reward you with great midrange and high end detail, and bass extension that is in contrast with the physical size of the box.
The whole package arrived in three large boxes, two just for the very substantial stands which have a 'real' marble base and stunning solid birch wood uprights, with a top metal plate. All hardware to secure the speakers to the stand are included as are floor spikes and floor protecting plates for the spikes.
The RW-729 speakers themselves are lighter than their appearance would lead you to believe, but make no mistake they are no light weight either. Their finish and looks are typical Usher, in that they are superbly finished and look truly stunning, particularly on the stands.
I should preface the review by saying these speakers are brand new out of the box and will require some time to settle in so take these comments on board, but I will be adding to this review later as they 'burn' in in a few days or so.
The first thing I was keen to hear was the bass out put, these speakers are rated at 38Hz in the bottom end which is extraordinary for a stand mount speaker. While I had confidence in Usher to deliver what they claim, I was not ready for just how good their bottom end would be in practice!
They deliver bass output on a par with any floorstanding speaker claiming similar bass response, but it is not a flappy overblown bass with little definition like a KEF iQ9, oh no, it is a tight, punchy bass with real weight behind it, bass you can feel and hear very clearly.
They sounded awesome on acoustic guitar and male vocal, string quartets and less complex music, but due to the newness of them more complex passages sound a little stressed. This will subside with time.
So, Usher have delivered on their claim and that is as far as this review is going to go for now because like all good speakers, they need some time to settle in and let that new speaker harshness subside so I will add to this when that happens, but so far, wow! Stay tuned!
UPDATE: Day two and more testing, and i am still amazed at their bass output. I conclude that while they are still very new, there is little chance of the bright mid softening with time and use to the degree I would like. Don't get me wrong they sound stunning on the right material, but with mildly bright CD's like my much loved 80's collection, they simply sound too brash. Again that will soften a little with use, but I think like all Usher's, they will remain on the brighter side of 'flat' which to be honest most people want these days anyway.
For me it is the harshness you get with any new speaker that is getting in the way at this point and that will go when run in so I am not too concerned with that. My experiments today with an Avalon VT-747SP Equaliser/compressor has pretty much sold me on these speakers however. You can read the full review on the Avalon here, but the bottom line is this: I used the EQ to flatten out the response a little in the mid band to try and match the ATC's we have in our display system.
The result is very impressive indeed. Now I have the best of both worlds. The Usher's are a little more revealing in the upper frequencies compared to the ATC's which are dead flat in response, but the ATC's were easier to listen to. Now however the Usher's have been smoothed out, have that great upper extension and detail and truly monstrous bass output.
So, this week they are going home to be part of my new audio system, and will in time smooth out a little more. I will report on their progress again in a few weeks after I have lived with them for a while.
UPDATE 2: Well we are now three weeks down the track and they have smoothed out as much as they ever will. The reality is they are a fine speaker that leans toward the brighter side of neutral. On the right material they sound superb with plenty of detail and that deep bass output. Less than perfect recordings are harshly dealt with however so if your CD collection is made of imperfect recordings like most, then be prepared to add an equaliser.
If however you are a discerning listener with limited space who is only interested in the finer recordings available they will reward you with great midrange and high end detail, and bass extension that is in contrast with the physical size of the box.
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