John
It’s been a while since we’ve see Jerry Cmehil of Well Rounded Sound. He first wowed yours truly with a most minimalist room at RMAF 2011. A year later his Yorkie desktop speakers enjoyed review coverage on these pages as a direct result of that Denver encounter.
Cmehil makes stylish, minimalist loudspeakers that defy visual expectations at the entry level. These are not your average-looking box loudspeakers.
The WRS RDM1 is a rear-ported desktop speaker that’d look right at home sat atop an IKEA bench powered by a Peachtree Nova65SE. In the Well Rounded Sound room at the Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge Cmehil is using the Calyx Integrated (US$2500).
The star of the RDM1 is a customised single 4” driver from Mark Audio – it handles everything from top to bottom. The wrap-around layer of New Zealand felt adds some visual coziness as well helping to minimise cabinet reflections. A nice bonus is the pair of solid oak stands that are included in the US$1299 sticker price.
If you’re in need of a loudspeaker that extrapolates a future-facing aesthetic then Well Rounded Sound might well have you covered.
When I dropped in the RDM1 weren’t the main focus of Well Rounded Sound’s room. They were playing side-wall support act to WRS EXP + SUBST stands. The WRS EXP’s circular front baffle shows the 5” driver beneath a high-pass filtered tweeter that handles everything above 14kHz. Note the passive subwoofer sealed inside each stand. The natty Wyred4Sound mINT (US$1499) handled amplification duties.
Pricing? US$1599 for the WRS EXP loudspeakers and US$799 for the matching stands.
These speakers’ unusual appearance might not suit everyone’s taste but the hi-fi world is a more interesting place with NYC’s very own Well Rounded Sound in it. Keep on rockin’ in the free world, Jerry.
Further information: Well Rounded Sound
