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My babies are back!!

justrideit said:
Here's some pix of my RTR ESR-15 electrostatics sitting on the RTR 280DR's. I just got the ESR-15's back from the shop, recapped them and hooked them up an hour ago. A little brittle sounding on a very FEW songs but I expect them to smooth out once the caps are broken in. I bought the electrostats in 1976, the 280's, three months ago.

This speaker combination has been a dream of mine for 31 years. Thanks to AudioKarma, it's a reality today.
Click to expand...

Where do you live and when are you going out of town?
 
Inspiribomb said:
Looking good. have you had them up and running with the NHT subs yet? If so, how do you have everything configured, like what's powering what?
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Hi Aaron.
Here's the set up right now. I'm running the NHT subs with the Phase Linear 400 that D3Imlay went thru (quiet and thunderous). The RtR's are powered with the amp section of my Kenwood KA-8100. The preamp is the Yamaha C-85 that Avionic totally rebuilt :thmbsp:.
Active crossover duties are delivered with the NHT X-1.

Those subs you sold me are the best bang for the buck, as far as sound improvement. They add a whole new dimension to the music. Subtle, almost unnoticeable. But if you turn them off the sound goes "hollow".

Once Avionic is done with my Yamaha BX-1 class A mono-block amps, I will replace the Kenwood and see how that sounds. :yes:
 
Glad to hear you are enjoying them. Its something you really have to hear to understand how much of an improvement they make. I thought they would integrate well with your 'stats. Enjoy
 
Old thread but I'm adding my contribution. I paid $$$ a few months ago for a pair of RTR ESR-15 and the 280-DR. They sit front with Synergistics S-73 and S-52 stacked in each corner rear. I have all three pairs of speakers wired through a Niles HPS-4 speaker selector so I can choose any or all combinations of the speaker array. Power is supplied by an Onkyo A-8057 integrated amp that handles the load very well. I'm in the process of changing the power supply to an Onkyo P-306RS pre-amp and M-506RS power amp with an Onkyo EQ-35 equalizer "shaping" the output. I'll post pics when all is connected.

The RTR's are a wonderful addition to my set-up. The electro stats need serious power and the Onk does the job wonderfully. We'll see how the new power supply performs. :music:
 
Wow those are very nice I would think the combo is very good sounding!! I definetly understand the 30+yr search. Hope they give you hours and hours of enjoyment!
 
Congratulations on attaining the 30+ year dream. :banana:

Those electrostatics look more complicated than an old-fashioned telephone switchboard or...one of Keith Emerson's synthesizers! :yes:

30 years. I don't have that much patience -- so I just lower my standards! :D

Seriously, that is a serious speaker configuration. Enjoy! You've earned it! :yes:
 
You lucky man, I owned a pair RTR 180D I bought in 77 still wish I had them. I have had a lot of diffrent speakers but never have I listen to anything close to the sound RTR speakers of the 70's put out. A friend of mine had a set of 280D. I still keep looking for any RTR speakers made in the 70's. I prefer 180D 280D or HPR 12 Magnums. So if anybody has any for sale I would be glad to take them off your hands.
 
It's funny that at the start of this thread,you were perplexed by the lack of interest in RTR and this thread. :D

I first heard RTRs in the late '70s,here in OZLand,at Hi-Fi shows.I'd always seek them out when I'd go back again the next year.Their Aussie distributor(of the time)obviously used to put in a good effort exhibiting them.I just don't think that they sold well. :no:

I remeber a demo with a large pair of RTRs(I don't remember the model)which were real tall and wide(electrostats?),they were demo'd with 'The Whistling Theme' from Mark Knopfler's soundtrack to the film 'Local Hero'.

It sounded f*#@ing superb. :drool:

I still remember that to this day,as one of the best Hi-Fi demos I've ever heard. :yes:

Congratulations on getting your speakers up and running.:thmbsp:
What are you doing regarding the Altec 19s?
 
Justrideit - Congratulations!

What did the shop do with the speakers? I'm still kicking myself for giving away a burned up RtR280D (the 10" woofer was on flames and burned the upper walnut cap) and a perfectly good one. Then I found the hybrids I currently have. Love pre-BIC RtR's!

If your speakers sound too bright, adjust the controls on the back. Mine have a -3db, +3db, and protect mode, whatever that is. It also has something called a presence control - it looks like yours has some kind of the same on the back.
 
Well, I finally made the jump to an Onkyo M-508 power amp and P-308 pre-amp to drive the RTR 280DR/ESR-15 and Synergistics S-73 and S-52 stockpile sitting in my living room. Man, talk about earth shaking! The volume control can't go beyond a third of way toward maximum before things get nearly unbearable (for my wife, that is). I have all components (CD, tuner, TV) running through the power supply and the sound is simply fantastic. I'll post some pics this weekend of the whole she-bang.

P. S. I found some RTR 600D on CL this week and I'm negotiating to grab those for second system upstairs. Stay tuned! :banana:
 
Change is inevitable sometimes so the Synergistics S-73 went to my Mom's house and I added RTR DR-1 "Dymistatic" to the array. Also, I upgraded to an Onkyo Grand Integra M-510 Power Amp. NOW, things are REALLY ROCKIN'!
 

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justrideit said:
Here's some pix of my RTR ESR-15 electrostatics sitting on the RTR 280DR's. I just got the ESR-15's back from the shop, recapped them and hooked them up an hour ago. A little brittle sounding on a very FEW songs but I expect them to smooth out once the caps are broken in. I bought the electrostats in 1976, the 280's, three months ago.

This speaker combination has been a dream of mine for 31 years. Thanks to AudioKarma, it's a reality today.
Click to expand...
Congrats! They look very impressive! How are the grills?
I stupidly passed on a set of the 280DRs some years back sitting in my local SA for 49.00 for the pair! They were in excellent shape. They seemed just too big for my cave. I still think about those.
Anyway, I have to ask, please shoot a video of these fantastic speakers, and post it in the video thread, so the rest of us can get a little taste of what you've got there!
Cheers, Glenn
Doh! I just realized this is an 11 year old thread! Oh well, no video for us to listen and drool over.
 
justrideit said:
Well, I didn't get as much buzz in this thread as I thought I would. I guess the Ak crowd isn't familiar with RTR or electrostatics?

I do have one big listening fan, my dog. She is hearing something, cause she sits in front of them with her head tilted and barks!

Hey everybody, I do have a pair of HPM 100's in the basement....really.
Click to expand...
Love my RTR's. They are much lower down the food chain and my electrostatic panels are only six per side, but They are still my favorite speakers. Really nice to see yours. Congratulations on putting together such a nice set up.
 
GD70 said:
Congrats! They look very impressive! How are the grills?
I stupidly passed on a set of the 280DRs some years back sitting in my local SA for 49.00 for the pair! They were in excellent shape. They seemed just too big for my cave. I still think about those.
Anyway, I have to ask, please shoot a video of these fantastic speakers, and post it in the video thread, so the rest of us can get a little taste of what you've got there!
Cheers, Glenn
Doh! I just realized this is an 11 year old thread! Oh well, no video for us to listen and drool over.
Click to expand...
I don’t understand how a speaker can be too big. ? Almost everyone has a big subwoofers they are massive bigger footprint then almost any floorstander a . Mine is about 5 cubic foot , and only a 15”.
Sorry you lost your speakers , hope I get some pairs of Rtr I only have the 9exp eve or whatever it’s called. Very good speaker
 
GD70 said:
Congrats! They look very impressive! How are the grills?
I stupidly passed on a set of the 280DRs some years back sitting in my local SA for 49.00 for the pair! They were in excellent shape. They seemed just too big for my cave. I still think about those.
Anyway, I have to ask, please shoot a video of these fantastic speakers, and post it in the video thread, so the rest of us can get a little taste of what you've got there!
Cheers, Glenn
Doh! I just realized this is an 11 year old thread! Oh well, no video for us to listen and drool over.
Click to expand...
Lol, I didn't see the age of the tread either. Oh well, it was time to have an RTR thread anyway.

:)
 
freemone233 said:
Well, I finally made the jump to an Onkyo M-508 power amp and P-308 pre-amp to drive the RTR 280DR/ESR-15 and Synergistics S-73 and S-52 stockpile sitting in my living room. Man, talk about earth shaking! The volume control can't go beyond a third of way toward maximum before things get nearly unbearable (for my wife, that is). I have all components (CD, tuner, TV) running through the power supply and the sound is simply fantastic. I'll post some pics this weekend of the whole she-bang.

P. S. I found some RTR 600D on CL this week and I'm negotiating to grab those for second system upstairs. Stay tuned! :banana:
Click to expand...
"I'll post some pics this weekend".

Eleven years later, and you pick the thread up where it left off.

:thumbsup:
 
These are long gone. I sold the electrostats to a guy in France. He was building a set of WAMM speakers. I don't recall where the 280's went.

http://www.audiosalon.com/brands/wilson-audio/wamm-history-media/

Thanks for all the nice comments.

I do have the name of a guy in South Dakota that has a huge collection of RTR parts and speakers. He had several DM1's. Several of the 25" woofers, etc. I've been to his storage "building". It is an old church out in the middle of nowhere. Send me a PM if you need his name & number.
 
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