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My babies are back!!

justrideit

justrideit

Busy, busy, busy
Here's some pix of my RTR ESR-15 electrostatics sitting on the RTR 280DR's. I just got the ESR-15's back from the shop, recapped them and hooked them up an hour ago. A little brittle sounding on a very FEW songs but I expect them to smooth out once the caps are broken in. I bought the electrostats in 1976, the 280's, three months ago.

This speaker combination has been a dream of mine for 31 years. Thanks to AudioKarma, it's a reality today.
 

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  • RTR 280DR WITH ESR-15 SIDE VIEW .jpg
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Well, I didn't get as much buzz in this thread as I thought I would. I guess the Ak crowd isn't familiar with RTR or electrostatics?

I do have one big listening fan, my dog. She is hearing something, cause she sits in front of them with her head tilted and barks!

Hey everybody, I do have a pair of HPM 100's in the basement....really.
 
justrideit said:
Well, I didn't get as much buzz in this thread as I thought I would. I guess the Ak crowd isn't familiar with RTR or electrostatics?

I do have one big listening fan, my dog. She is hearing something, cause she sits in front of them with her head tilted and barks!

Hey everybody, I do have a pair of HPM 100's in the basement....really.
Click to expand...

Congrats

I became a fan of RTR a few months ago (see my avatar) when I bought a pair of Series IV's at the local GW. Trying to find anything on them was next to impossible. A few members here are familiar with RTR but it appears it is a fairly uncommon brand even though they seemed to have a decent rep in their day. What little I do know about them indicates the ones you have are quite good.

I am very thankful for my RTR's because for whatever reason prior to hearing them I just did not seem to hear alot of differences in alot of speakers I heard in the big box stores and my all Bose set-up. The Bose are fine for HT duty (I know it is heresy to even mention Bose but I did not know better at the time I bought them) but for music now all I listen to is the RTR's and a pair of Infinity Reference 2000.4 that I also recently found at a local thrift.

My wife has said I have enough speakers at this point but even she has said that if I find another pair of RTR's I can bring them home. I think that says it all right there about the quality of RTR sound.
 
My brother has been looking for a pair and asked me if I had heard anything about the series IV. I will let him know what your impression is of them. Thanks Wolverine!
 
Interesting. I remember several good speakers that used RTR ES panels such as the Crowns and big Fulton modulars.

How low does that ES module go?
 
justrideit said:
Here's some pix of my RTR ESR-15 electrostatics sitting on the RTR 280DR's.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine back in the early 80's had a similar RTR setup running off of McIntosh gear. When I first heard it I was stunned -- the most amazing presentation of music I'd ever heard outside of a live performance.
Congrats on persevering and assembling your dream speakers. Something many of us aspire to.

Me: envy.
You: gotta be lovin' it!:thmbsp:
 
Did someone say RTR's??? :D

I have a pair of the 180D (smaller brother to the 280D), the combo
that you have is on my short list.

Been trying to find a pair of 280Ds to start with, then I'll work on
the ESR panels. :thmbsp:

Scott
 
Love stats myself. I just put mine in the back room. Till I get a tweeter transformer for one and fix the amp they just ate. I just ordered a pair of Decware speakers to take their place till I get all that stuff fixed.
 
My superquads have an array of those with a Quad57 for the mids.

110446706-L.jpg


That's a crazy looking speaker there. Is the bottom part original with the top? Seems the two HF drivers in the bottom cab would be serious overkill.
 
SPL db said:
I have a pair of the 180D (smaller brother to the 280D), the combo that you have is on my short list.
Click to expand...

When I lived in Houston my best friend had the 180's. No electrostats. He drove them with an Accuphase 202? (I think that was the model). Real good sound. That convinced me to pursue the 280's.

SPL db said:
Been trying to find a pair of 280Ds to start with, then I'll work on the ESR panels. :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

I looked hard for 3 years to find mine. My brother really wants a set bad. I am trying to find him a pair. A set of the ESR-15's sold on ebay a few months ago for $1200.:scratch2:
 
justrideit said:
Well, I didn't get as much buzz in this thread as I thought I would. I guess the Ak crowd isn't familiar with RTR or electrostatics? ...
Click to expand...

not too familar with the RTR brand, but I'm in awe of those beautiful speakers. I can only imagine the sound is fantastic.
 
kfa888 said:
That's a crazy looking speaker there. Is the bottom part original with the top? Seems the two HF drivers in the bottom cab would be serious overkill.
Click to expand...

The ESR-15 has a built in crossover that has two sets of outputs - for either 4 ohm or 8 ohm bottoms. The crossover cuts off the bottoms at 1500hz.
 
Great work with great speakers!

With me, you are preaching to the converted. I've been a big fan of RTR for ages, and have a pair of DR1s dominating my main system. I still laugh when I remember the responses from some AKers when I proposed them as among the best speakers ever made. I think a few were concerned I had lost my grip on reality. But they obviously have never heard them.

Sadly, most remember RTR in the days after BIC got the company and trashed their reputation. The oldies are hard to find, but the price usually isn't horrible, except for the the electrostatic tweeter assemblies. They have gone through the roof in the last year.
 
I got the 280DR's for $140. Another $40 for new caps and I was rockin.

I have been talking to the guy on ebay that has 4 panels for sale for $100. He has a whole host of electrostatic speakers and parts. I haven't decided if I should buy those 4 panels for insurance. They're never going to go down in price.
 
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