I bought My pair of Sound Dynamics Speakers in 1982 from Bill's Audio in Phoenix Az Paid $1100.00 dollars Still have them today and they KICK @$$ . EXCELLENCE SOUNDS SO SO CRISP. Call Me 404 963 3724 I live in Atlanta ga now .

OK, I don't claim to be an audiophile, as I am not very good at hearing things that aren't there. However, I will state that I am a music enthusiast who loves virtually all styles of music, especially demanding ones like classical, opera, and power metal. Prior to the acquisition of these, I was using Athena AS-B2s as fronts, AS-B1.2s as rears, and an AS-C1 centre channel. My powered sub is a 12" Cerwin Vega (Sub-120), and this is all hooked up to a Harman Kardon AVR-230. DVDs and BRDs are played through my PS3, while CDs are from a JVC P.E.M. d/a CD changer, run through a 7-band Pioneer graphic equalizer.

Regardless, I was in the market for some preowned towers, as I was unhappy with the sound I was getting from my Athena AS-B2s as fronts. I felt there was a lot of midrange detail lacking, therefore a set of Athena AS-F1s or AS-F2s would not make a difference; both speakers are two way towers. Having rear-ported bookshelves was also causing bass and sub-blending issues.

Luckily enough, a friend spotted the RTS-P100s on a local classifieds site, and I was immediately smitten with their trapezoidal shape and appearance in light oak. Plus, knowing that the Sound Dynamics line was replaced by the Athena line (in the API speaker lineup) gave me hope that these towers would be the closest 3-ways I could get to timbre match my centre.

After some extended listening and tweaking, I think some other reviewers have nailed it - very transparent and forward speakers with an excellent soundstage. The powered subwoofers provide good musical bass that allows you to take some load off your sub. This gave me instant improvement in dialog when watching Dolby Digital and DTS programming, plus got rid of the bass bloat and cascading crossover issues I always seemed to have between my sub (CV Sub-12) and my Athenas. They also sound good with all genres, and need less EQ tweaking that any speaker I've ever owned, even on poorer recordings.

Power handling is superb. I was able to play music at punishing levels, and the tweeter and mids never broke up or distorted. Rated to 250 watts, I have a suspicion that my receiver (or hearing) will give out before these towers.

As a music lover, I believe these speakers truly excel in the mids and highs. Sharp yet non-fatguing, the tweeter gives proper resonance to strings and synthesizer, and keeps the needed metallic snap when cymbals are played. Between the mid and tweeter, piano and vocals don't disappear into the mix - they stay up front, clear, and precise. Plus, all of the ambient sounds associated with making music are there - studio echo, the sound of fingers dragging on guitar strings, pick noises, etc. Really, this is the way music should sound - just like it was recorded, and the musicians are in your living room.

Not sure about the other "fit and finish" comments - these are quality-built Canadian speakers. Yes, they are vinyl wrapped, but I found the build quality solid - on a par with some of the other classic North American built speakers I have owned (CV, Boston, JBL). Compared to the late 90's Infinity towers one of my friends uses, and another friend's Paradigm Monitor 90s, these stack up extremely well.

Since the brand name "Sound Dynamics" didn't have the cachet of API's other brands such as Energy and Mirage, speakers in the RTS lineup can usually be found for extremely reasonable prices. If you have a chance to get a set of these for a reasonable price, I fully recommend them. In my opinion, these speakers are fabulous.

HUGE EFFORTLESS SOUND, ROOM SHAKING YET VERY ACURATE OVERALL. NOT TO MENTION VALUE!

YOUR KIDDING! RIGHT?

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BIG FAN OF HIGH QUALITY SOUND BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN QUITE ABLE TO PULL THE TRIGGER ON THE PRICE TAG. BUT,AFTER VISITING BRETT INTERIORS IN TUCSON, AND TALKING IN GREAT DEPTH WITH THE OWNER "ART",I WAS CONVINCED TO AT LEAST GIVE THESE SPEAKERS A SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. SO, I DID WHAT ANYONE ON A FAIRLY TIGHT BUDGET WOULD DO. I RESEARCHED THE PRODUCTS UNTIL I HAD NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT I WAS MAKING A WISE CHOICE.SO, I PURCHASED THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. AND I AM VERY PLEASED. THESE GUYS SOUND BETTER AND BETTER EACH DAY!!! THANK YOU SOUND DYNAMICS AND BRETT INTERIORS. I WOULD HAVE SPENT MUCH MORE FOR MUCH LESS WITHOUT YOU!

RTS-C2 CENTER
RTS-P100'S MAIN
RTS-RS1 SURROUNDS
OH, AND NOT TO MENTION A YAMAHA RV-1105 RECIEVER AS WELL.

Similar Products Used:

BOSE ACCOUSTIMASS. PARADIGM. B&W.

Bass, clarity, natural sounding highs

Finish, appearance, size is large, Buzzing Midrange driver

Used these about 1 month but decided to look into a speaker with a slightly smaller cabinet size. The speaker has a very nice sound. It is very natural and clarity is excellent. The bass ties in well and produces a nice full sound, especially noted with acoustic music and jazz. The tweeters give a nice clear and natural sound. There was never any harshness.
The cabinets are a little too big for my listening area and the midrange drivers would buzz intemittently with certain frequencies. I tried to fix this by tightening the speaker screws and then rotating the drivers in their wells, but this didn't fix the problem. During the process I noticed that there was a lot of glue in the driver wells and the wood was very rough. Perhaps that was the problem, not allowing a solid fit?
I also did notice a tendency toward fuzziness with loud volumes.
I am currently auditioning the Energy Audissey and so far feel that the sound is just as clear but the appearance is much better.
Overall they are nice speakers, just not the best suited for me. 5 stars for value since they sounded better than almost anything that I auditioned in the same price range. 4 Stars for overall because of the build quality and appearance.
I use a Denon AVR 3300, MIT Terminator 3 cables, Sony CD CXP 90 ES

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio 4, Energy Audissey 3+2, Auditioned B&W DM 604, Def Tech BP2004

This speaker is a solid performs extremly well and has a great price

None

Just received my pair of RTS P-100's and
cannot say enough good things about them. They are outstanding with all types of music inculding jazz, country, classical, and driving rock. It only took a few hours of break in before the sound got even better. I am not a big fan of hybrid speakers but these handle the soft lows of jazz and the booming LFE from my DVD's better than my Klipsch KSW-10 ever did. The mids are punchy and krisp and the highs are all there but not harsh.
A must buy.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned B&W, Veritaus, Polk.

Fast bass, clear highs/mids, value, great for music & home theater

finish

After having these speakers for about 2 months, I thought I would give a follow up review. These speakers sound even better after around 20 hours of playing. The highs seem to mellow a bit. The sound is a little laid back. Mids and highs are clear, bass is tight and fast. I had an excessive 60 cycle hum in both power supplies, I sent them back to the repair center and they replaced them both with no hassles. Now they are quiet and I am quite satisfied. The speakers sounds good with music as well as home theater. What is quite noticable is how well this speaker sounds at low levels. There is plenty of bass for home theater with the 100 watt mosfet amps, so no need for an external sub.
I bought the matching center channel (rts c2) which also sounds great and is a seamless match for the rts p100. All in all I think this is the best value in home speakers. You won't be disapointed.

Similar Products Used:

Def tech pro400, Klipsch Ksp300, Monitor Silver 5, Paradign monitor 7

reversing the polarity on the tweeters the sound is refined no sharp edges.

tweeter hooked up in phase the sound will give you a headache in an hour.

tweeter hooked up in phase the sound will give you a headache in an hour.
but when you reverse the polarity on the tweeters and bump up the treble a little bit the sound is transparent and disapears behind the speakers i can listen for day without getting a headache,but when i put the tweeters back in phase 20mins later i get a headache,changing the phase its heaven the tweeters are great they just have to much energy sound sounds better than speakers costing 3 times more,but with speakers costing that much you cant turn it up all the way like these do no stress at all metal,jazz & rock are great with no sharp edges.
nothing gets 5 star bass rolls off at 45hz sharply
i haven't played with the phase to the woofers but there mite be a way to get lower bass at least to 38hz.

Similar Products Used:

psb,nht,carver,harman kardon,dynaco,halfer,kenwood

I audition the 100 at a local Video Only. I played the "BLADE" soundtrack. Imediatley, the soundstage was well defined. The tower demstate fine clearity with the highs and lows, thanks to the bult in amp. I also played some classical to see how it handle the highs. The highs is crisp without the evident of harshness.
system:
procc yam 902
sony ADC
SD P100
center cs200
surround anything I could get my hand on
sub velodyne CT 120
cd yam transport

I spent a couple months or more searching for a surround system. I got laughed out of more than one store when I said I was looking for a surround system and wanted to spend about $1000 for the speakers. I listened to Paradigm, Polk, Energy Take 5's, Boston Acoustics sub sat systems, B&W, Solid, and lots more. I was almost ready to extend my budget and go for a B&W setup when I dropped by my local San Mateo Video Only where I was planning on purchasing my Yamaha Dolby Digital Receiver. Just out of curiosity, I asked what speakers they sold. Mo, who has always given me good advice and great deals, pointed me to the newest line they were carrying, Sound Dynamics. I had never heard of the line, so I went home and did some research on the web. I liked what I read, so back I went back with some of my favorite CD's. Now I have to say that Video Only does not have the best setup to listen to speakers, but their prices more than make up for that. Even in the large room, I was impressed with the RTS 9's. Then I eyed the RTS P100's, and they were only $200 more for the pair. Let's see, built in 100 watt MOS FET powered subwoofers.....if I could go that route and avoid a sub.......with the wife's approval I whipped out the old charge card and even got a system break to come in under budget. I now have a pair of RTS100's, CC2 center speaker, and their dipole surrounds hooked up to a Yamaha receiver, and I have to say that I absolutely love these speakers. Everybody who comes over and listens to them is equally impressed. The whole frequency range on these towers is great, and the built in subs put out plenty of room shaking base on CD's and DVD's. Every time I listen to them I cannot believe how great a deal I got and what I would have gotten for the same money buying some of the other speakers I listened to. True I would have liked to have had a choice of finishes besides black, but I am happy with the black finish, and I feel that the build quality is great. No expensive laquer finish, but no cutting corners on the sound! If you have a Video Only around you, or any other store that sell Sound Dynamics, give these great speakers a listen. I doubt if you can beat Video Only's prices. Given the RTS P100's great sound and value, I have to give these towers 5 big stars.

I just hooked up the RTS-P100 (http://www.sound-dynamics.com) on Saturday, July 24, 1999. The out-of-the box experience was exceptional. The soundstage is wide and deep. Bass response is great with the ability to dial in more or less (0 to +6db) slam depending on your room and taste. It's also very quick and transparent unlike other subs using 12, 15 or 18 inch drivers. Mid-range is smooth and very musical. Highs were a bit bright, but I believe that when it has had time to break in will not be a problem (source is rather bright TEAC CD player with a inexpensive AIWA receiver and monster cables).
Monday, July 26, 1999: removed the AIWA reciver and replaced it with a Vector Research. Changed the monster cable with Analysis Plus Oval 12 (http://www.analysisplusinc.com - ask for Steve in the Manteca office and tell him that Archie sent you; EXCELLENT service) speaker cables and pure silver interconnects (home brewed). The resulting sound was phenomenal. Deeper and more articulate bass, better mid-range (if you can believe that) and somewhat less harsh treble. Sound is similar in texture to the Veritas (listen to these at your local hi-fi or Good Guys for comparison) series loudspeakers at less than 1/3 the price. Have been playing it continuously with jazz, classical, country, oldies and other tracks to determine where it falls short in reproducing the music; so far all are good with some results being excellent (Three Tenors, Etta James, Diana Krall & Maxwell Fortunate).

Next step will be to let the speakers and cables break-in for about 100-200 hours then audition the Pioneer Elite 27TX or 29TX with the Elite DVD-05. Go with the Oval 9s from Analysis Plus Inc (heard this speaker cables in a high end system and was blown away with bass articulation, imaging, air and reduced background noise - simply incredible and not too expensive compared to Goertz, Kimber or Transparent Cables).

Thanks to Charles Burch for providing a place to purchase these speakers for $600 (VideoOnly in SF - buy from here but listen in a Hi-Fi store with a dedicated listening room) versus $1100 on the Internet.

Enjoying your music should not break the bank - this speaker and associated cables epitomizes that philosophy. Have fund and good listening!!!

Archie