I have been negligent in not posting my comments here about the Noesis 215RT speakers here. Please excuse the rambling stream of consciousness nature of these comments. I am not interested in, nor capable of a traditional “review” of speakers and so this is what it is.
When Jeff first mentioned these to me he wasn’t thinking about a speaker this BIG or with +-3db 18hz extension. The original idea was essentially what became the Noesis 210RT. The 215RT came as a result of JTR owners and interested parties asking for lower extension and a true full range speaker capable of playing music and movies without the support of a subwoofer. The concept of a full range loudspeaker is hardly and new one. They have been around for years and of course, predate separate subwoofers and a distinct LFE channel for low bass content.
That concept got my attention. It isn't that I was unhappy with my Orbit Shifter and Noesis 212 HT-LP combination, but there were always issues with blending the speakers and subs to get the best sound for both music and movie applications. My preference was movies, and so I setup the system for optimized bass for movies. This wasn't always the best setting for music and rather than create two (or more) different setups for music and movies I kept it to one and just didn't listen to much music, especially 2 channel.
I have had many people visit my HT and praise for the OS's was common. Folks commented on their power and articulation describing them as having none of the ringing or overhang that often characterizes high performance subwoofers. But I always felt that the OS's would overpower even the very capable 212's when playing bass intense music unless I throttled them back. So the concept of a full range speaker, with integrated subwoofers capable of near Orbit Shifter levels of performance sounded like exactly what I wanted. So, I put my money where my mind was and I became the first to order this new/old concept speaker.
With my confidence emboldened by past experiences with new JTR products, I sold my Noesis 212’s and Orbit Shifter subs in anticipation of the 215RT’s arrival. Three long months of improvised HT with no subwoofers had left me with a strong appetite for bass. When the 215’s arrived, Jeff was here to greet them and help with the initial setup. We had planned a GTG of the following weekend and so had a couple of days to get them setup properly.
Based upon Jeff’s recommendation I bought a Rane RPM88 multiprocessor to mix the LFE sub out channels from my Integra DHC-80.3 SSP into the LCR channels. The Rane is a very nice unit that is also capable of setting filters and has a full multiband PEQ. Murphey’s law kicked in and some frustrating communications issues with the Rane swallowed up a lot of the extra time we had allowed for setup but we finally got it done the day (evening) before the GTG.
AVS member desertdome had also flown out to attend the GTG as well as setup and show the JRiver software on my HTPC. He was able to duplicate virtually all of the functionality of the Rane by using JRiver and my HTPC. We had a nice supply of uncompressed music courtesy of another AVS’er HTPCAT and we had took some time to listen to music and movie clips prior to the GTG’s start. First impressions were very positive and I found the bass produced by the 215RT’s to be 90-95% of what my dual Orbit Shifters produced.
Even though the output might be a bit less, the bass is much tighter and better integrated with the other frequencies. I have watched the War of the Worlds POD emerges scene many times and it has never sounded/felt better in my room. In running though my bass demo disk all of the demo scenes had the impact I was used to bass wise, but there was a smoothness to the LFE that I hadn’t heard before. There is no overhang or ringing to the bass. That not to say there is any lack of power or dynamics, it just feels more accurate and authentic. These are things that may not be noticeable to you until you hear a properly integrated system. It comes down to a quality over quantity equation and I am extremely happy with that trade off.
Now, I am first and foremost an HT person but with the above described attributes, it should be no surprise that with music (2 or M/C) the 215RT’s raise the bar even higher. The huge soundstage, clarity and detail take music listening up another level. From acoustic to electronic, to rock, to classical to dubstep it all just sounds right. By right I mean just like it is on the source, but with jump out of your chair dynamics. I have had many goose bump moments and my interest in music has been re-invigorated with these speakers.
Perhaps the most noticeable difference is with 2 channel. Before, two channel seemed to be lacking vs multichannel. The soundstage was much smaller and the sound less enveloping. Now, the soundstage is huge and I don’t even notice the lack of the other 5 channels. The sound is so big that it pins me to my chair. I don’t want it to stop and I always end up playing more songs than I intended.
To sum it up, the 215RT’s are the best speakers I have ever heard or owned. There may be comparable or even better speakers out there but I can’t imagine a situation where I would ever go back to speakers and separate subs. I am completely sold on this full range approach to audio and even though it took some time and effort to setup, the end result makes that effort worthwhile. Maybe I was lucky with my room and acoustic treatments but I think the reason is the speakers. They are all that I hoped for and more.