RSL SPEAKERS, by now most of you have heard of this company. But a decade ago? Not so much. I suspect the reason - or to be more precise, reasons - you’ve heard of them now are manifold. Among those are their attention to detail, impeccable build quality, incredible performance and outstanding value. But perhaps the biggest reason is RSL’s unparalleled customer service; they epitomize the concept of going over and above. When your company and its products check all the boxes people will find you and in RSL’s case they have. In droves.
RSL is the second coming of Roger-sound Labs, a popular audio company in Southern California during the 1970s and 1980s. Started by Howard Rodgers, they went on to have a chain of hi-fi stores and a devout following of enthusiastic owners. Howard sold RSL in 1989, sadly it lasted only a few more years under the new ownership and by 1992 they closed their doors. About 11 years ago he revived the company with his son Joe, christening the new endeavor RSL Speakers. Instantly a star was born, and since their resurrection they haven’t looked back. I was fortunate to publish the first review on the newly formed RSL Speakers back in 2012. After hearing what that system could do - especially considering the low price - I was hooked, instantly becoming a fan. Apparently I’m not alone, no matter what forum or website you frequent you’d be hard pressed to find anyone saying a single negative thing about RSL. In this day and age that’s exceedingly rare.
INTRODUCTION
What RSL sent me this time was the hot-off-the-presses Speed-Woofer 12S, their first foray into building a subwoofer with a driver larger than 10”. As you probably already surmised by the name, this one measures 12 inches. I’ve done 2 previous reviews on RSL products, both of which were 5.1 systems, but this time it’s just the SpeedWoofer 12S. Sort of, more on that later.
What most don’t know is the 12S actually started life as the 12X. Designed to be an evolutionary step from the Speed-Woofer 10S, it wasn’t the same subwoofer as the 12S ultimately became. When COVID shut down the world RSL had a rethink and decided to push the envelope even further. Although similar in size, the new direction proved to be a more substantial upgrade than RSL first envisioned. While the
