Bob was using a decware pre-amp and an old Marantz receiver when we first got there. We listened to the ERR's on this for a bit and then switched to the retails for a comparison. After a bit he switched it over to a Decware Tori (not sure which version, but I know it has been modded) with no pre. The retails liked the tube amp much more than the SS. I don't think the ERR's were affected as much.

It is a very difficult thing to describe the differences in the two speakers though. The obvious difference is the front firing driver on the retail. I immediately wanted to get just a little further away from them and once I did the magic was right there. We were sitting extremely near field (3 or 4 ft I think) and they still sounded great. I believe the ERR's to be better for my room simply because I have two sets of seats. One is only 3 or so feet from the speakers and they will be much further apart than Bob's room. This could be a big factor with the retails. Not nearly as big as with other designs granted, but you will likely want to play with position and placement with the retail version whereas the ERR probably won't care if it is sittin on the arm of your chair. Bob was able to point out a few differences in how the retail version handled certain tracks of music that I likely would not have noticed, but the main difference I noticed was their character and presentation. While they have the magic that the radial design delivers, they also carried a bit of the conventional speaker sound.

My impression would be that the ERR's are a bit more laid back sounding than the Retail version. I would never say one was better than the other without using the room as a reference. I would also not pull a winner out without knowing the person's preferences in music. Lon I can tell you this, you will not be dissapointed in either set of speakers. I am willing to bet you will have a favorite, but that you will listen to one for a while and then switch to the others and then back and forth. I was continually wanting to swap them out and compare songs, but it is not so easy to move a speaker out of the way and plug in the next one repeatedly lol. As it is, I really liked both.

Maybe Bob can describe the differences in better terms when he has time. They both are excellent speakers and both are very beautiful.

Catch you guys later,
Robert

My only fear continues to be that I may not have enough power using the Taboo. 6 watts is at the bottom range according to the specs and I do like to listen to music at levels above a whisper. Guess I will find out in about a week or so.

Do they look sexy in black Bob? I have a neighbor who does some amazing inlay work who might inlay a bird or dove on the front of my ERRs. She did a neck inlay on a friend of mine's guitar that was awesome.

Richard, don't fret.  I'v used Radials with Selects, 2 watts per channel, and they could get too loud. I use my RL2s with Decware SE34 Monoblocks rated at six watts and never get to turn them anywhere near as loud as they could go.

Thanks for the support therapy guys I'm still a bit new to this mini-watt idea. My idea of small watt amps in the past was MacIntosh MC40 monoblocks or Marantz 8b. I did own a pair of ASL Wave 8 monoblocks I wish I still had.
Steve told me everything would work together I suppose I should trust him, he had almost an open check book to work with. I'm happy with everything so far and the radials will be the frosting on the cake.
I gave that black finish a lot of thought before I talked with Bob. I'll try to post a pic when I get them set up in the room.

Thanks for the quality control. I'm guessing this will push them back another 3-4 days? I would rather have them looking as good as possible and I know you will do a great job.

Nacho,

 This was the Ohm look I was thinking of    http://www.ohmspeakers.com/store_item_list.cfm?TYPE=Walsh%20Series&cart_ID=31762...

I think my misunderstanding of your question had more to do with translation than the actual question, sorry about that.


BobZ

Nacho,

 Not a problem, I still  have a problem with English, and it is my native language.

Talking about the design isn't a problem, I welcome good ideas, Robert (musgofasa) had a pretty good idea for the ERR's grills this weekend,  with his idea, they would not require any sewing, but would be harder to get to gel with the rest of the cabinet (in my mind anyway) Either way I liked the look he came up with.

Paul P (RFZQuest) had come up with a whole new concept look for the IT project, which was a profoundly different look which I loved, and I can assure you that some day we will build a speaker like it or very close to it, as it was pretty awesome.  I've just got to figure out how to build it, or just  take the time to do so, but time seems to be in short supply these days.

 The final look of the top of the IT's came from Steve Deckert, unfortunately  for Steve, most of the idea he had come up with was for the ERR's, but there was just no better place for the tweeter than were it is now located, when mounted in its current position, like the RL-1.5s,  the transition form Radial driver to the tweeter is seamless. Steve also had had some new tweeter brackets made for the new ERR's, which I believe the extra mass the bracket possess has a good effect on the focus of the top end. The ERR's should also arrive with the tweeters with the exact same angle and location as they were, when they leave my shop, which in the past we have had tweeters actually go through the Radial driver itself, something no one wants to see when they open they're new speakers and can't listen to them.

   I'm proud to say, we have not had a damaged speaker shipped out from here in almost three years. Here is Steve's idea on how to be sure you package something so it won't be damaged in shipment......"Box the speaker like you think it should be boxed, get a ladder, climb up on your roof and throw the box down on your concrete driveway, if you can do that, and there is no damage, it should be good enough to make it to the destination"!!!! I've never done this by the way, in fear of me falling off the roof and suffering bodily damage.

BobZ