JimJ 5,000+ posts
Tangled Up in Blue
Auditioning the RD Audio Alpha 12"
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Recently I was given the chance to demo the RD Audio Alpha 12" subwoofer in identical conditions to what took place at the Great 12 Challenge back in October. My thanks goes to Chad Hicks for letting me listen to it. The same vehicle ('94 Ford E-150) was used, as well as the same amplifier (PG Tantrum 1200.1). For this review, I used a 1.7cF sealed enclosure.
Test material included the following:
Harry Gregson-Williams - The Chronicles of Narnia OST, track #12, "The Battle"
Diana Krall - Temptation
Chesky Ultimate Demo Disc - Vivaldi, Flute Concerto in D
Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
Carl Orff - O Fortuna
The Doors - Back Door Man
London Chamber Orchestra - Reflections of Earth, EPCOT soundtrack
Allison Krauss & Union Station - Lucky One
Livingston Taylor - Grandma's Hands
The Eagles - Life in the Fast Lane
Chris Isaak - Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Dream Theater - Stream of Consciousness
Eva Cassidy - Wayfaring Stranger
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Details:
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The build quality impressed me at first, it seems a very well put-together driver. Standard push terminals were used, and wiring the dual 4 ohm coils in parallel wasn't a problem. I pointed the subwoofer toward the rear doors, and started listening - first up was "Reflections of Earth", one of my favorite tracks for evaluating what a driver can do with lots of demanding transients. The Alpha kept up with the kettle drums very well, and didn't balk at complex passages that other drivers simply gave up on. On Narnia, starting at :36 into the piece there's a very deep drum strike that isn't always reproduced well - with the Alpha I got a sense of the depth of the note, without sounding overbearing or unnatural. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely was doing more things right than wrong.
On small jazz arrangements, the Alpha did a fine job as well - Diana Krall's beautiful piece "Temptation" is one I like, as it has a gorgeous upright bass line that some subs either bloat or skip over altogether. The Alpha did neither of these. On Eva Cassidy's haunting "Wayfaring Stranger", it sounded controlled, but I thought the timbre of the instrument was slightly off. If this analogy makes any sense, it sounded like a very good recording of an upright bass, not the bass itself.
It handled bass guitar fine, with "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" having the gritty and edgy tone it's supposed to have without sounding bottom-heavy.
It passed the "Grandma's Hands" foot-tapping test, but once again, it sounded like...a recording of someone tapping their shoe on a hardwood floor. On some of the higher-end drivers I've heard, it sounds like the real thing.
Overall...I was pleasantly suprised. I hadn't sat down with an SJA-built driver before and seriously listened to it, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect - but this woofer compares very favorably to other mid-level subs. It's no Rainbow Vanadium or SI Mag, but I could live with the musicality of this driver. It'd be a good compromise for someone who couldn't quite afford the upper tier, yet still have a sub that wouldn't shy away from demanding material.
~ Jim
=========================
Recently I was given the chance to demo the RD Audio Alpha 12" subwoofer in identical conditions to what took place at the Great 12 Challenge back in October. My thanks goes to Chad Hicks for letting me listen to it. The same vehicle ('94 Ford E-150) was used, as well as the same amplifier (PG Tantrum 1200.1). For this review, I used a 1.7cF sealed enclosure.
Test material included the following:
Harry Gregson-Williams - The Chronicles of Narnia OST, track #12, "The Battle"
Diana Krall - Temptation
Chesky Ultimate Demo Disc - Vivaldi, Flute Concerto in D
Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
Carl Orff - O Fortuna
The Doors - Back Door Man
London Chamber Orchestra - Reflections of Earth, EPCOT soundtrack
Allison Krauss & Union Station - Lucky One
Livingston Taylor - Grandma's Hands
The Eagles - Life in the Fast Lane
Chris Isaak - Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Dream Theater - Stream of Consciousness
Eva Cassidy - Wayfaring Stranger
--------
Details:
--------
The build quality impressed me at first, it seems a very well put-together driver. Standard push terminals were used, and wiring the dual 4 ohm coils in parallel wasn't a problem. I pointed the subwoofer toward the rear doors, and started listening - first up was "Reflections of Earth", one of my favorite tracks for evaluating what a driver can do with lots of demanding transients. The Alpha kept up with the kettle drums very well, and didn't balk at complex passages that other drivers simply gave up on. On Narnia, starting at :36 into the piece there's a very deep drum strike that isn't always reproduced well - with the Alpha I got a sense of the depth of the note, without sounding overbearing or unnatural. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely was doing more things right than wrong.
On small jazz arrangements, the Alpha did a fine job as well - Diana Krall's beautiful piece "Temptation" is one I like, as it has a gorgeous upright bass line that some subs either bloat or skip over altogether. The Alpha did neither of these. On Eva Cassidy's haunting "Wayfaring Stranger", it sounded controlled, but I thought the timbre of the instrument was slightly off. If this analogy makes any sense, it sounded like a very good recording of an upright bass, not the bass itself.
It handled bass guitar fine, with "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" having the gritty and edgy tone it's supposed to have without sounding bottom-heavy.
It passed the "Grandma's Hands" foot-tapping test, but once again, it sounded like...a recording of someone tapping their shoe on a hardwood floor. On some of the higher-end drivers I've heard, it sounds like the real thing.
Overall...I was pleasantly suprised. I hadn't sat down with an SJA-built driver before and seriously listened to it, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect - but this woofer compares very favorably to other mid-level subs. It's no Rainbow Vanadium or SI Mag, but I could live with the musicality of this driver. It'd be a good compromise for someone who couldn't quite afford the upper tier, yet still have a sub that wouldn't shy away from demanding material.
~ Jim
