It’s difficult to describe a tweeter that adds very little
character of its own, and what I first noticed with the R-17i is how rich the
tonal palette had become. Each different cymbal in a drum kit had its own
distinctive qualities, and even things as subtle as the ambient outdoor noise in
almost any movie became particularly rich and vivid through this speaker. The
bass was tuneful, even though its impact was somewhat limited, and as with
most on-walls, I would suggest augmenting the bottom end sound with a
subwoofer.
 |
Due to their tall and thin shape, ribbons act as
a line source, which means the
sound tends to emanate straight out from
the speakers. Very little energy
radiates toward the floor or ceiling,
which cuts down on destructive boundary
reflections. |
Worried that these speakers might not be able to handle
really dynamic material, I loaded up the scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman is
fighting off hundreds of assassins. Even at an uncomfortably loud volume level,
the sound remained crystalline and transparent, with no sign of distress from
either the woofers or tweeters. BG rates the power handling at a fairly modest
100 watts, so evidently some care needs to be used, but in practice I never had
a problem.
The R-17i does a pretty credible job of delivering a believable
sense of image depth, which is unusual for a wall-mounted speaker. Along with
its ability to focus a center image, I found a single pair worked well—for a
centrally located listener—without adding a center channel.
 |
Unless the cabinet is really huge, you probably
won’t get much bass from an
on-wall speaker. Michael paired the Klipsch
Synergy Series SLX speakers with the
Sub-10 to augment the lower
octaves. |
These are great
speakers for someone who values the subtleties that separate the ordinary from
the extraordinary, and who isn’t looking to knock down the walls with the latest
action flick.
However, if you really must have both, BG can always supply
one of the R-17i’s big brothers.
RATING: ELEVATED
Description: BG Corp R-17i LCR speaker
High Points: Subtle, transparent
sound; exceptionally good imaging for an on-wall
Low Points: Not for head
bangers; quite large
Contact: BG Corp, 775.884.1900, www.bgcorp.com
Price: R-17i LCR, $499
