Joseph Audio RM7XL

I own a pair. They are among the best monitors available, IMO and I have owned many monitors. They work well in any room, with most any gear.
Jeff Joseph "gets it", he knows how to make a great speaker.

I would get the Salk HT1-TL before I got the RM7XL speakers. They are small floor standers that would take up the same amount of floor space. You wouldn’t have to buy a stand. They are superior in every way. That being said, you can’t go wrong in buying a Joseph Audio speaker!

Bob

Thanks guys!

The Salk may be good but it is $3200. I also don't like the black front plastic around the drivers. If I ordered a pair in full veneer not only would it cost even more I also would not be able to return them to Salk then because its a special order. Thanks for the advice though Rsimms.

I like the size and the look of the Joseph and will probably stick to bookshelf size for now.

Actually, the front area around the drivers is anodized aluminum, but that is the obsolete model. They now come standard with an upgraded RAAL tweeter. Full veneer is standard.

Yes at $3.2k they are a little bit more but you save the price of the stand and you get a Pulsar level speaker.

Regretfully the monitor HT1 version is bigger than the RM7XL which is why I didn’t suggest it.

Bob

Hi Bob, I looked on Salks page. It is listed that the full veneer cost an extra $300. If you want the plinth in matching veneer it cost extra too. They do look interesting though. Would be nice to try them out but I would want the full veneer. I guess can't return them then.

Bob do you own a pair?

I think the full baffle is a separate wood baffle that would be full length. Since he is upgrading his line with the RAAL tweeters, he can’t use the existing aluminum baffle as it has a round opening. He puts veneer up the whole front with the RAAL. I think he is just running behind and hasn’t had time to update his website with all the new changes. He has delivered some of the new speakers and posted pictures of them on another website.

I don’t have the HT1-TLs. I did have his HT1 monitors for about 7 years. I upgraded to his top speaker last year. I went to the factory last year to see his top model and saw a pair of HT1-TLs with the aluminum baffle. I thought they were very cute. I heard his HT2-TLs at the 2008 RMAF. The Joseph Audios were one of a handful of speakers at the RMAF that I thought could compare to my HT1s.

Bob

OOPS! Is my face red! I found a post where Jim posted a picture of his updated HT1-TLs. It shows an black wood baffle in place of the aluminum baffle. I may be wrong about the pricing. You need to contact Jim if you are interested to find out the real story.

HT1-TL

Bob

PS My current speakers have the new RAAL and it is a very worthwhile upgrade.

Hi Bob,

I have no doubt that the Salks are great speakers. Probably even better than the Joseph RM7XL's are.

But there are two things that I do like about the Joseph RM7XL over the Salk HT1-TL's. The first is that they are easier to drive. I like tubes and I have a 30 watt low powered tube amp. I will be able to use anything from 20 tube watts and up in my small room with them. This would give me flexibility. From what I read the Salks like a little juice to get them going. Maybe they work better with solid state gear? Recommended amplification starts at 100 watts!
The second thing I like is the front facing port on the Joseph's. It allows me to place the speakers a little closer to my back wall.

Thanks

You are right about the watts. My HT1s liked a good amount of power. I did try them with a 30 watt tube amp and it fine, but I really would want a bit more. The HT1-TLs are transmission line and preform better near a wall than ported speakers do, but with the front port that might be different.

As, I said before, I think Joseph Audio speakers are terrific!

Bob

I purchased a set of RM7XL's from a guy on here a month or two ago.The loudspeakers i received had a few flaws in the Veneer.Im guessing these were factory seconds,i dont know.
The Veneer on the Joseph's i received dont even match or line up,very disappointed especially considering these are supposed to me Very Well Made in the USA and retail for $2500 bucks!.....at least thats what the nomenclature plate describes on the back panel.
The sound quality is good,but my Energy Veritas 2.2 3 way bookshelf speakers sound every bit as good and seem to be a bit smoother sounding with a fuller bottom end...im talking wee little increments here,not drastic differences.You could easily live with either one of these great sounding loudspeakers.
My little Dynaudio Contour 1.1's have a cabinet and veneer finish that is World class.Maybe i just got a funky factory second from this guy here on Audiogon,i dont really know,i wish the guy would have told me that before i laid down my hard earned money to him.I have seen some of Joseph's other loudspeakers and they looked every bit as good as the Dyns(im speaking of veneer work).I actually modified the RM7XL's allready by installing T nuts in the baffle for woofer and tweeter.
At the price these sell for they should allready be there instead of the much cheaper route of using regular wood screws,attention to detail should be a wee bit higher on the Joseph's for the price your paying,IMO.

Hi,
That's too bad. Maybe you have a refurbished pair? All the veneers I have seen on Joseph speakers look pretty good to me. As good as Dynaudio. I can't speak for the screws though. It is a smaller company than the others. I am sure they do not have all the manufacturing possibilities at their disposal as the big speaker makers have. Your Energy speakers are pretty good. They sold for $1500 over a decade ago. I am sure if they would sell them today they would be close to $2500. So it is not surprising the Josephs are not much better. But the plus for the Josephs are that they are easy to drive and stay close to 8 ohms throughout. You can use a 30 watt tube amp with them and they will sound great. In fact I would say they work best with tubes. Not sure what amp you are using? If your not using tubes already then try a tube amp with them.

One other thing I forgot to mention. Just write an email to Joseph Audio and give them your serial numbers. Tell them your concerns. They should be able to give you a history of the pair.

I have since sold off the Joseph Loudspeakers.I allways open up the loudspeakers that i purchase to see how well they are put together.
I was amazed to see pink attic insulation inside!Even the normeclature tag on the back of the speaker is made of paper rather than a metal tag.

They also use fiberglass insulation inside the Pulsar and i would imagine their entire line.

@ mynameisnoname

Perhaps they use the insulation because it works well for resonance? I can tell you are not happy with the build of your pair. That's too bad. But how did you like the sound?

Mynameisnoname, When I purchased the RM25xl in Feb. of 2007, the dealer said Josephs had just changed cabinet makers due to poor quality. Mine look and sound great.

Anybody try the Rm7XLs right against the rear wall?

Springbok--

They work fairly well against the wall. With the front port, it certainly helps with close wall placement.

I have a customer that purchased a pair from me that actually uses them in cabinets and they work surprisingly well in that manor.

***Joseph Audio dealer disclaimer***

Thank you. Am I allowed to ask where you are located so that I can hear them?

Goldprintaudio, Can I biamp them? No pictures show the rear or state whether biwire or mono wire.

They can be bi-wired.