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RSL speakers, am I alone?

OhDigital said:
I've owned a pair of the CG-6a for a few years. By far my favorite speaker out of my collection of mid-fi gear. I managed to pick them up for $50 at an estate sale, I knew it was a deal, but these things are impeccable. I see them pop up on eBay and FB marketplace at $200+ and they are worth that or more….
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I just found a nifty pair of original CG-6’s yesterday at a SF valley Goodwill. $20, so I figured I’d give them a spin. I tested them in the store to make sure all worked.

Got them home and put them in a shootout with my Boston CR67s and Klipsch KSB 2.1s using a speaker switcher box. These things blew my mind! Good God, the low bass and full tonality really stood out for bookshelves. Just for fun I’ll next put them up against a pair of Klipsch KG-3.2s to see how they compare in full range.

I’m not finding much info on these RSL CG-6 models online, but it looks like the tweeters were changed for the CG-6As along with very minor woofer mods. I never got into RSL as a kid, but boy, this sold me!
 

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JR DePlateau said:
…I got a reply from Howard. It included a copy of the marketing information for the compression guide speaker line, including mine, as well as the specs and a little bit more insight into the overall sale and subsequent react position of the company after the corporate buyers went under.
Apparently the compression guide speakers were the last real design breakthrough before the company was sold
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JR DePlateau, if you are still on here, could you share that marketing info and specs? Is it different from the historical pdf on the new RSL site?
 
Carbo3D said:
I just found a nifty pair of original CG-6’s yesterday at a SF valley Goodwill. $20, so I figured I’d give them a spin. I tested them in the store to make sure all worked.

Got them home and put them in a shootout with my Boston CR67s and Klipsch KSB 2.1s using a speaker switcher box. These things blew my mind! Good God, the low bass and full tonality really stood out for bookshelves. Just for fun I’ll next put them up against a pair of Klipsch KG-3.2s to see how they compare in full range.

I’m not finding much info on these RSL CG-6 models online, but it looks like the tweeters were changed for the CG-6As along with very minor woofer mods. I never got into RSL as a kid, but boy, this sold me!
Click to expand...

I found a pair of CG-6s and hooked them up to my Pioneer SX-750. They sound great and I much prefer them for music to my Linn Majik 140s which are running bi-amped through a NAD T778. The Linns are floor standers but I don’t feel I am missing anything in bass from the RSLs.
 
Adrian Ho said:
I found a pair of CG-6s and hooked them up to my Pioneer SX-750. They sound great and I much prefer them for music to my Linn Majik 140s which are running bi-amped through a NAD T778. The Linns are floor standers but I don’t feel I am missing anything in bass from the RSLs.
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I replaced a pair of JBL Century L100s with a pair of RSL Elans. Like the Elans much more and they were 1/4th the price of the JBLs, I have always though RSL spearker are way under rated.
 
audiocrzy said:
I replaced a pair of JBL Century L100s with a pair of RSL Elans. Like the Elans much more and they were 1/4th the price of the JBLs, I have always though RSL spearker are way under rated.
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Elans are awesome...found a pair for $65 about 6-7 years ago. Great for very loud rock or late night low level listening.
 
So I've managed to try out most of their speakers and I have started hoarding them lol.

So far, I have Elans, Vintage Mini Monitors, RSL 512's with the upgraded tweeter, RSL 2600 Mini Monitors, RSL 3600 Monitors, RSL 6600H, RSL Nevada XT's, RSL Speedscreens, RSL Titans.

After owning these, I'm extremely suprised they aren't more popular. All of them sound amazing, the Titans, 6600H, and Nevada XT's being my favorites. My listening room looks like one of their vintage catalogs. LOL. The Titans and Nevada XT's remind me of vintage JBL monitors but better. Very smooth sound.

Anyway, a big thank you to everyone here in this thread. Wouldn't have learned about these individual speakers if it wasn't for everyone who has shared and posted.
 
I always thought the 3300s sounded pretty smooth...bass not as strong as the 3600s but a bit more pleasing to the ear. I gave them to a co-worker who still has them.
 
icenine said:
I always thought the 3300s sounded pretty smooth...bass not as strong as the 3600s but a bit more pleasing to the ear. I gave them to a co-worker who still has them.
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Between the monitors, it seems to be the debate...3300 vs 3600. Just comes down to personal preferance.
 
Carbo3D said:
JR DePlateau, if you are still on here, could you share that marketing info and specs? Is it different from the historical pdf on the new RSL site?
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Wow, it's been awhile since I've been on the forum.....second child was born in November, and I'm completing a resto on a '84 Toyota Dolphin mini rv, so I've been busy.
I'll try to pull up the file tomorrow and I'll post it.
 
Hi guys, I had posted separate thread before stumbling on this one, but basically I got this pair of Bookshelf RSL for a couple bucks and don't know if it's worth sprucing them up.
I've been looking through this thread and haven't been able to find these.
They work and sound pretty good to my untrained ears.

Somebody already helped me find a replacement for the tweeter but wasn't sure if it's worth it:
 

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Can someone help me identify this gw score today? I'm guessing 3300 or 3600, but the tweeters look different, not sure what is behind the screen. These also have vinyl veneer, not wood? No model info on the back, just a warranty sticker.

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I have scoured the internet and for the life of me, I cannot find any RSL speakers that quite match these. Prototypes perhaps?
 
Smead, does the sticker on the back or connection plate say either Van Nuys or North Hollywood? If so, then those are early RSL monitor type speakers made before RSL moved operations to Canoga Park and started using standardized model numbers and specific model name designations.

If they were made in Canoga Park, they could possibly be a value line model that had better RSL woofers swapped in at some point

Back in those early days models changed and driver substitutions were made quite frequently. The woofers you have are a type RSL used from the early 1970's to the late 1980's in many different models over the years. I do not recognize the midrange driver and that tweeter most likely has a phenolic ring driver behind the screen, although it could be a conventional cone driver. I've not seen either of those drivers used in an RSL 12" 3-Way Monitor type speaker but I'm much more familiar with the later models starting in the late 1970's.

If you like how they sound, that is what matters most.

You could always email Howard at the current RSL speakers as he was the original founder of RSL and the person who designed the early models.
 
The warranty sticker says Canoga Park.

Yes I think the tweeter is most likely a phenolic ring tweeter.

I did find a pair on ebay that look like later 3800s that have the exact same midrange and tweeter, but a cheaper looking woof with foam surround, and all drivers stacked vertically like the 3800. But my woofs and driver orientation look like 3300/3600. I'll see if I get a response from Howard at RSL. Assume he's not around here any more.

Thanks
 
I've reached out to RSL but have not heard back. Too bad howard is no longer here.

Yesterday I took the woofs out and cleaned the level control pots, fixed a broken terminal, then hooked them up my sherwood 7910 alongside my JBL d315 garage speakers. After an A/B comparison.., not even close. Can't believe I listened to those JBLs for so long, sound terrible next to the RSLs.

OK that wasn't fair fight, those JBLs are 90s garage speaker quality, so I next paired them against infinity reference 5s w/ the emit r tweeters. These were going to replace the JBLs for garage duty. Much as I liked the infinity bass and nice highs, to my surprise these old RSLs just sound smoother, better overall. And waaaay more efficient, but that isn't surprising.

I'm really impressed with these, would love to know what they are. The cabs are rough, and they smell like a bar, but they sing! Probably going to just paint the cabs black.
 
JR DePlateau said:
The fact that so many comments stress how they sound equally impressive soft or loud makes me want to find a pair.
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Probably sort of difficult on the East Coast but you never know. Even here in California it is sort of rare to run into RSL speakers at a thrift..the 3300s, 3600s and Elans are not going to stay on the shelf.
Your best bet is to scour Craig's List....and plan a road trip if you have too lol.

Since 2009 I have found about 5 pairs here in Socal...I took three home...3300,3600 and the Elans. I still have the Elans. Like I probably said up thread several years ago the 3300s didn't have the best bass but sounded a bit smoother than the 3600s,
which have a very deep bass but can sound a bit harsh. The Elans are the best at everything though.
 
I'm trying to collect more than Roger has in his storage unit....:)

I am only up to 8 different sets though. Current set up is the MAX with the 3600's on top. I know it's a bit of overkill, however, this rocks, even though the bass control is almost all the way down. I need a bigger room and a better console!
 

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What’s up everybody! Anyone know if these black RSL Elans are legit or to be avoided?
 

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