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VOL. TWENTY EIGHTNUMBER TWO

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It hasn’t been that long since we revieweda pair of Samson monitors; the Resolv SE(February 2014) was a wonderful surprise,combining very listenable sound quality witha price anyone could afford. No sooner didthat review hit the stands than Samsonannounced the next step in the Resolv moni-tor lineup—the Resolv RXA monitors, whichbring together a new woofer design withthat relatively rare but noteworthy beast, aribbon tweeter.

For those who might not be familiar withthe technology, ribbon tweeters are basedon a design originated by Dr. Oskar Heiland sold by ElectroStatic Sound (ESS) sincethe early 1970s. In very simple terms, this

tweeter, originally called the Air MotionTransformer, consists of a tightly folded sheetof plastic in a strong magnetic field. Whenelectricity hits it, it expands and contracts ina manner similar to that of an accordion bel-lows or human vocal cords; the foldedtweeter packs a lot of surface area into avery small space, and the result is a speak-er that looks like a small point source but hasthe air delivery of a much larger device. Theend result, when done right, is wide trebleextension and very low distortion.

The Resolv RXA isn’t the first ribbon-tweet-er speaker manufactured by Samson—thathonor goes to the well-liked Rubicon speak-ers sold in the early 2000s (we reviewedthe Rubicon R6a in January 2006). Withthat pedigree plus the fact that I’m a fan ofwell-made ribbon tweeters in monitors, Iwas eager to take the new speakers out fora test run. Would they continue the traditionof “lots of speaker for not very muchmoney” begun by the Rubicon and contin-ued by the Resolv SE?

Small or not so smallAs was the case with the Rubicon, the

Resolv RXA is available in two woofer sizes:the RXA5 with a 5" woofer and the RXA6, themodel I received for review, with a 6" woofer.Aside from woofer size and amplifier power,all other features are identical between thetwo models. So what have we here?

The RXA6 starts with a new wooferdesign, a 6" copolymer woofer with a butylsurround, and pairs it with a 34 x 27 mmAir Displacement Ribbon tweeter (Samson’sversion of the ribbon tweeter technology).It’s a bass reflex system, with a large rear-firing port near the upper edge of the sturdy0.6" thick MDF cabinet that lends rigidity atthe cost of a not-trivial 19-pound weight.

The RXA6 is biamplified, with 75 WattsRMS for the woofer and 25 W RMS for thetweeter; its Linkwitz-Riley crossover is set to aslope of 12 dB/octave frequency of 3.5 kHz.The claimed frequency response is 45 Hz to27 kHz, with no tolerances given (±3 dB is areasonable guess based on the specs of otherSamson monitors, but it’s only a guess).

The rear panel offers balanced inputs onXLR and TRS and unbalanced inputs onRCA. Controls include a level pot with acenter detent and two recessed trimpots forhigh and low frequency EQ. Power is pro-vided via a standard IEC power cable, andthere’s easy access to the fuse and a pair of6 mm metric thread inserts for a wallmount. When power’s turned on, the logoon the front fascia lights with a white LED.

Setup and tuningI placed the Resolv RXA6 speakers in my

office/studio at Music Maker Publications,a reasonably well-treated room that workswell with nearfield monitors up to 8" in

size, with or without a subwoofer. Thespeakers were mounted in an equilateraltriangle on Ultimate Support stands,roughly 60" apart, and isolated with aset of Sorbothane domes of 30 durome-ter stiffness (my thanks to Bruce Black forkeeping me supplied!). The listening fieldwas kept clear of console reflections, andafter burning the speakers in for a daywith loud music of various sorts, I settledin to adjusting their response and listen-ing at a nominal SPL of about 80 dBA onaverage.

I spent more time than usual playing withthe EQ trims on the back of the speakers; I

think that was due in part to the fact that I was

given both high and low frequencies to workwith (the Resolv SE has a switch for HF con-trol but no LF control at all), and in part to mycuriosity as to what the EQ was actuallydoing. The specs and manual don’t specifydetails, so I listened first and got details fromSamson later.

Samson states that these are 6 dB/octaveshelving filters with corner frequencies of 80Hz (LF) and 8 kHz (HF). They can boost/cutby ± 6 dB, which is a pretty wide throw forsmall monitors and more than enough to geta careless engineer in trouble... my rule ofthumb is that if you have to tweak the EQ ona speaker by more than 2 dB to get it tosound right, you might want to consider mov-ing your speakers or playing with your roomacoustics a bit.

I found the HF adjustment more thanenough to make the tweeters sound hissy ordull; this adjustment is usually intended tocorrect for console bounce or an overlyabsorptive room. While my room doeshave issues, those aren’t two of them, so Iquickly settled on leaving the HF set flat. Onthe other hand, I played a lot with the LF set-ting; these speakers’ rear porting seemedto interact with the front wall of the room,giving me a bit of bass reinforcement thatwas offset nicely by the LF trims. I couldn’tdecide whether I was happiest with themset flat or with a 1–2 dB cut; I think I couldhappily work with either.

B Y M I K E M E T L A Y

Samson ResolvRXA6 Active Studio MonitorsAn unusual but well-respected tweeter design yields one fine monitor

Excerpted from the November edition of RECORDING Magazine 2014©2014 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-954-653-3927 or www.recordingmag.com

ListeningThe first impression I had of the Resolv

RXA6 was of a very solid and believabletonal balance. Cheap speakers makethemselves known with artifacts like weirdmidrange, funky imaging, woofy or weakor “one-note” bass, and the RXA6 hadnone of the above.

Starting at the low end, I was surprised bythe detail and clarity of the bass. This is nota bass-heavy speaker; Samson evendevotes a page in the nicely illustrated man-ual to adding a subwoofer if you really wantto feel that low extension. But what bassthere was felt right, with lots of really finedetail that one isn’t used to hearing downthere; fundamentals and overtones tiedtogether well when listening to low notes ongrand piano, acoustic bass, or synth bass.

There is just a touch of forwardnessaround the crossover frequency; this has theeffect of lifting vocals and lead instrumentsup and out of the mix and presenting them incrisp relief, letting you pick out artifacts, tun-ing issues, and sloppy edits with ease. A fairnumber of speakers out there tend to have aslight smiley-curve frequency response tothem, with a bit more oomph in the bass andzing in the treble at the expense of the midsbeing a bit more laid back. I didn’t hear thatas being true for the RXA6, which presenteditself as more of a “hear the critical midsunder a microscope” listening experience.

Balancing the clear bass and the forwardmids, the ribbon tweeter was delightful, pre-senting a vibrant and sparkly but not spitty orharsh high end that showcased even the finestdetails in cymbals, overtones on guitars andviolins, tambourines, and the like. I like ribbontweeters for the way they present lots of believ-able treble without working themselves toohard; the result is less distortion, less earfatigue, and more trustworthy sound up high.

Perhaps the most startling aspect of theRXA6 was how wide and deep its sweetspot was. These speakers are quite forgivingof listener position; if you have bandmatescrowding around to listen, they’ll provide arelatively reliable sonic picture with a strongphantom center to listeners even a couple offeet from the sweet spot on either side.

Do I have any complaints? Only one—thequiescent noise of the built-in amplifiers isnoticeable as a faint hiss when the monitorsaren’t passing audio in a quiet room. This hissisn’t affected by the type of connection (bal-anced/unbalanced) or by the onboard levelsetting; it’s just there. The moment you startpassing audio at any level, it’s masked, butsome listeners might find it obtrusive. Samsonacknowledges the issue and says thatimprovements to shipping units are ongoing.

Tied up with a ribbonAs an entry point for engineers who

want to try a ribbon-tweeter active monitor,

the Resolv RXA monitors are a near-unbeatable entry in the current market.Even as a second monitor for larger roomsthey have a lot to recommend them.Check them out!

Prices: Resolv RXA5, $199.99 each; ResolvRXA6 (as reviewed), $249.99 each

More from: Samson, www.samsontech.com

Excerpted from the November edition of RECORDING Magazine 2014©2014 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-954-653-3927 or www.recordingmag.com