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Robson speakers - some nice looking monitors with ribbon tweeters

Elephantears

Trunkated Aesthete
I've just been reading about the Robson speakers, which seem to be marketed primarily through ebay (there is a previous thread in the 'interesting ebay auctions' section, but with little response). They seem interesting, and they all use ribbon tweeters, which is appealing to me. The Voltaire model looks like a good option for a medium sized room

http://www.robsonacoustics.co.uk/collections/voltaireI/

The website links to a couple of reviews by Noel Heywood. He likes them a lot, essentially saying they stand out from the crowd of speakers that try to stand out (through upper midrange or treble emphasis), by not trying to stand out. He praises their overall ease and particularly delicate treble, with the one caveat that there is some discontinuity of character between the Volt bass/mid driver and the ribbon tweeter.

I'd certainly be looking for a home demo if it were possible.
 
Reviews are generally personalised marketing opinion targeting audiophile craving and ignorance, and they hardly ever mention shortcomings.
If a caveat is mentioned, ruuuuuun.
 
Looking at the measurements and technical assessment they don't seem too bad.
I wouldn't touch them but it up to one's expectations...
 
I have owed a pair for about three years or so, which is the Opulus model (not the prima). They were selling for about £1600 and choose them by demo at the Robson Acoustics premises. I had over the previous months reviewed several well recommended makes and models in the up to £2000 range and personally fount these to work the best for me, taking into account my room. Rob who owns the company said if they didn't work for me in my living room I could bring them back and even upgraded the speakers to silver internal wiring and some upgraded components to the crossover.
For me the deal breaker was the ribbon tweeter which to me made cymbals in the music sound right.
Dave
 
I have owed a pair for about three years or so, which is the Opulus model (not the prima). They were selling for about £1600 and choose them by demo at the Robson Acoustics premises. I had over the previous months reviewed several well recommended makes and models in the up to £2000 range and personally fount these to work the best for me, taking into account my room.

Therein lies the problem: you like them, but will the OP?

Rob who owns the company said if they didn't work for me in my living room I could bring them back and even upgraded the speakers to silver internal wiring and some upgraded components to the crossover.

This would work out be$t for Rob. But it wouldn't make any significant change to performance.

For me the deal breaker was the ribbon tweeter which to me made cymbals in the music sound right.

What kind of music do you listen to?
Cymbals are used in all genres but seldom have a prominent role... I for one have never hear of a piece written for cymbals and even in a drum solo they tend to be secondary.
 
Thanks for your thoughts Dave.

Just so we're clear, I'm interested in listening experience, nothing else. Unless anyone has measurements other than those already published.
 
I enjoyed my Regis standmounts in the main system for a long time, before Focals became an itch I needed to scratch. (I wondered whether Chinese ribbons can be improved upon (probably groundless bias) and Beryllium seems to me to share some of the same characteristics.)

They are beautifully built and have now been relegated to the main bedroom. Robert is a craftsman and real enthusiast and was a pleasure to deal with.
 
Hi Tuga.

I have owed a pair for about three years or so, which is the Opulus model (not the prima). They were selling for about £1600 and choose them by demo at the Robson Acoustics premises. I had over the previous months reviewed several well recommended makes and models in the up to £2000 range and personally fount these to work the best for me, taking into account my room.
Rob who owns the company said if they didn't work for me in my living room I could bring them back and even upgraded the speakers to silver internal wiring and some upgraded components to the crossover.

Therein lies the problem: you like them, but will the OP?

Its not a problem it was simply my choice / preference the OP has his own criteria for what is suitable to him / her.

This would work out be$t for Rob. But it wouldn't make any significant change to performance.

Just like all, lets say speaker manufacturers, their going to promote 'whats best for them' because their selling a design who's sound they like. On the performance side, and in my opinion only, I heard the difference with the work he did. That work cost an extra £30. It was a no brain-er at that price, and yes, even if there was, to me, no discern-able difference better quality components were used. I don't use technical spec's just my lugholes.

For me the deal breaker was the ribbon tweeter which to me made cymbals in the music sound right.

What kind of music do you listen to?
Cymbals are used in all genres but seldom have a prominent role... I for one have never hear of a piece written for cymbals and even in a drum solo they tend to be second
ary.

My listening tastes are mainly blues and classic rock with the odd bit of classical. What I meant about the cymbals was the tone they achieve for me was on the money and I can sit for long periods and listen to my music without being annoyed by bright cymbal crashes.

Dave

 
Hi Eastone, I went to a demo for the following, ATC SCM11, B&W683 S2, PMC Twenty 22, KEF50, Opulus.
As you can see I choose to audition two floor standers and three stand mounts. My living room is 26' long and 12' wide. Firing across the 12'.
It took me around two months to get around dealers. The track I chose which is a good average of my musical tastes is Nils Lofgren Keith dont go (live)
Dave
 
Andrew, did you ever get a listen to the SM100s?

No, I'd still like to. However what I really want is a monitor version of the D30R. I think the way that the carbon woofer and ribbon tweeter are integrated is probably the key to why I liked them so much. I actually looked back at some measurements I took in my room and from about 300Hz to 10Khz the D30 R is the smoothest across the mid-range and treble that I've ever had; in fact it was even better than ESL63s. The problems with that model are the massive room mode peak I experience at 40Hz, and it does have the typical dip around 100-200Hz that is so common with these newfangled floor stand designs.

I do feel that ribbon tweeters are one way of ameliorating some of the speaker problems that I've had, which are partly room related, partly ear related, and partly a symptom of a paucity of good honest monitor speakers on the current market, other than the BBC legacy designs that I've spent most time with.
 
I still think you're missing out, especially is you're a fan of the BBC thang as Stewart Tyler (the designer of the SM100s) also designed variations of the LSX/X at Celef which was and still is his company, better knows as ProAc these days. You should get some in your room or at least pop over for listen to mine when possible. I moved to a new place 2 months back and the room has its challenge's as does every room I suppose, but with the addition of the new stands I had commissioned and few well placed objects in the room the whole thing sounds more that the sum of parts.
 
I have owed a pair for about three years or so, which is the Opulus model (not the prima). They were selling for about £1600 and choose them by demo at the Robson Acoustics premises...

Where are their premises? Their ebay listings are in Crieff, though for some reason I thought they were in Cumbria.
 


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