gagelle
Super Member
This is a speaker that has intrigued me quite a bit from time to time. Julian Hirsch reviewed it for High Fidelity in '67 and said it was the best-sounding, most-natural speaker he had ever heard. A significant boast at that period in time, when you consider Rectilinear's competition in 1967. It's no surprise that Rectilinear fans are usually Wharfedale fans as well and vice versa, as both brands shared many common characteristics (The Rectilinear III and the W90 are both 6-driver bass-reflex systems with a very-wide dispersion and soundstage).
One thing I've noticed is, there are clearly many different perceptions of "natural, uncolored" sound, depending on who you talk to. Take AR for instance. The AR3 and AR3a have a powerful kick to the bass. Some consider it to be unnatural in a "larger than life" sort of way (Gilbert Briggs did). Wharfedale, on the other hand, had a very-laid-back bass response, and yet, there are those out there who consider them to be "colored and unnatural". Rectilinear seems to be somewhere in between the two. A fan of the Yamaha NS models would probably take issue with the sound of Wharfedale, AR, AND Rectilinear. Everybody's perception is a little different, which I definitely feel is a good thing, as it keeps us from being a planet full of robot-like fans of Stepford-fi. Perish the thought.
I have tremendous respect for Julian Hirsch. He turned me on to my first hifi system in an article on "Best Budget Systems." It consisted of KLH 6 speakers, a Lafayette receiver and a Dual turntable. (I forget the models.) He informed a whole generation about the difference between real hifi and crap.
I still miss those KLH 6 speakers. I could never afford the AR3A speakers. In the early 70s, for many, the AR3A speakers were the holy grail. I did have a pair of Rectilinear speakers but I don't remember the model. I used them with the KLHs for a 4 channel system.