I Bought the Cheapest Speaker On Amazon! Almost Awesome!

I wasn't ready for just how fun these $80 speakers sounded. There's just one little catch that could be a deal breaker for you
Rockville Bookshelf Speaker amzn.to/3VU7QPj (affiliate)
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Check Out the Insane $450 Audiophile System Vid • Crazy Audiophile Syste...

[@infectaphibian]

You picked a bad day to start sniffing glue.

[@CHAUNCEY.GARDNER.]

Airplane😂

[@michaelsegel8758]

@@CHAUNCEY.GARDNER. Remember Taxi? Jim?

[@onyachamp]

bad day to stop sniffing glue

[@johnjeffery6638]

Jimmy have you ever been to a turkish prison?!

[@cheapaudioman]

That made me chuckle

[@bencarignan2711]

Now THIS is a video worthy of the Cheap Audio Man.

[@swimpsmagbayao9513]

Hey bud...rainy day here in boston today... so not much to do except sit here and watch you... I've bought many great speakers because of you... I absolutely love the growing up in the 70s and 80s with no internet and no cable TV but I am glad that I am here now so we have people like you reviewing things so we don't have to go and just buy blindly anymore...

[@cheapaudioman]

Thanks so much. I spent hours just listening in my room. Was wonderful.

[@jamesschneider3828]

In the 70's and 80's we actually had stereo shops to audition and purchase products from.

[@swimpsmagbayao9513]

@jamesschneider3828 I never saw that here in the northeast...I'm a guitarist and to this day when you try to test drive an instrument the sound room is always...and I mean always used for storage or something let alone stereo amps and speakers but I was also young back then and probably looking in the wrong place...😝🤑😝

[@joso5554]

You just found the speakers that one can recognize from their smell ! That’s a signature 😂😂😂

[@TorontoJon]

Haha! Yeah, a smell signature, let alone a sound signature. :)

[@allenwoolard6386]

Watched this video earlier on my TV, which is where I usually watch KZbin. I bought a set of these in April '21. Had no problems with smell. But to get the best out of these speakers, they need at least 150 hours break in time. Sounds like a lot of time, and it is. But after they were thoroughly broken in, the sound is just awesome. Paired with an Onkyo 8020 receiver and a Yamaha 50 watt subwoofer. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but to my old ears they're just fine.

[@Powerpickle68]

Did you record the time so you knew when it happened ? At what power did you break them in at ?

[@Pkilla80]

Awesome?

[@thomasalexand]

Spray the offensive area with an aerosol scent. I recommend a rose scent. The speakers will then sound blooming lovely.

[@jalexander510]

Lol, the smell is probably formaldehyde.

[@andrewbock3203]

I’m guessing cheap glue in china could be rendered snimals

[@onyachamp]

Don't pipe on too much about it, Rockville might greenwash it and make a claim that the speakers are made using natural materials.

[@TheVTRainMan]

I think it's lack of formaldehyde he is smelling.... the formaldehyde would've prevented rotten animal carcass smell.

[@guestgoogle4979]

Yes! This is the type of silly cheapaudioman review I love. Since smellovision still isn't a thing, I think I have to buy a pair just so I can experience the "house smell" while I watch the video again. 😂 And yes, as a couple people mentioned, it looks like a 2nd order high pass for the tweeter and the midwoofer is running wide open.

[@aaronlesley5855]

The internet is wild . I've been looking at the 8 inch models for a few days now, and there have been no good reviews, and here we are now with a good review. Thank you for the video!

[@rking3724]

The smell from those speakers is coming right through the screen of my laptop!!!!!!!!!! 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮

[@stevengagnon4777]

Lemon scented Frabreeze that stuff is amazing. My entire record collection got horribly mildewed .... don't ask please...and it's been working...of course the jackets and sleeves are a bit rippled from being soaked in that stuff. Dish soap has been getting the vinyl cleaned...yeah just washing them by hand.❤. Lemmon sent Lysol works too . I think the lemon oils in them are the part that works long term . Just toss the grills anyway. I really wanted to see what those mid base drivers where they probably don't have bad reasonences because they are probably running full range...that tweeter needs a second order crossover to handle any sort of power.

[@SonicJourneys-lo1rk]

if they would put these drivers in pvc tube , they could achieve many great things: 1) lower the price to $69.99 . 2) no standing waves 3) no glue and bad smell. jeeesus, i need to be their chief designer

[@LikelyLagging]

im loving all the budget minded content. Even if i dont buy it its great for showing people that dont understand the value of more expensive audio products. Great vidoe, as always.

[@damianzaninovich4900]

Those look like the Boston Acoustics a40s I had in the mid 80’s. 1st edition with the round tweeter. 2nd edition had a rectangle face plate. They were great. I turned them upside down and covered the front with felt to soften them a little. I believe it’s a .5”” hard dome tweeter. As someone commented it was an Audax tweeter and was like $5. Incredibly popular.

[@elpayp1870]

The smell is a complete deal breaker for me.

[@bradpyles5322]

Thats the most common tweeter in the history of HiFi. The ubiquitous Audax. I bet they cost all of $2.0 at this point. A LOT of high end manufacturers used that tweeter and they are widely used in cars.

[@gregmatula9749]

Agreed. My DCM time frames have three of them. I built several speakers using them when they first came out they measured surprisingly flat and extended. They have a tiny voice coil can't take much power and need to be crossed over fairly high and/or sharply.

[@saltywalt57]

I'll bet they cost a fraction of that in volume and yes, very widely used.

[@monkeymanstones1]

Huh... even Parts Express isn't showing Audax tweeters now... WHAT DID YOU DO (I'm joking of course)!

[@Hirnlego999]

Ino Audio uses it for high-end, however it's a heavily modified version with massively lower distorsion. The dispersion is fantastic

[@MartinAdrianoFlores]

I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from your videos and seeing this new format is an awesome improvement IMO. Great video

[@nathanwest2304]

I've had a pair Canton GLE 420 with the Soundblaster X7 amp, after a few different speakers from various brands that's basically the final set up I stuck with for like a decade now what I really love about that pairing is that I can listen to music and videos even at really, really low volume but still hear everything like at such a low volume that whispering is louder took some getting used to tho, the first couple of skype calls where quite strange because it really sounded like the other person was standing right in front of me Loud isn't everything, it's like 10% of the thing IMO, how well the speakers reproduce sound even at low volume is where you can see a big difference

[@user-qh9so3nn1d]

Love this new vid style, Randy! Still entertained mate ❤

[@rakitakhan]

The tweeters look exactly like some we sold at Radio Shack back in the 80's.

[@alleiendecker1959]

I have the 8 ohm Rockville Towers along with several others brand name speakers. They are surprisingly ok.

[@alleiendecker1959]

And by OK I mean I prefer them to my JBL Stage A180's ...so by OK I mean not horrible at all...lol

[@CinemaDemocratica]

The one I'd love to hear in this value category is the Neumi BS5. (Another recommendation from this channel.)

[@nc3419]

There's a SAMTRONIC Model A525 on Azn for $99 that the 2 reviews state really good. Weight pegged at 25.4 lbs shipping which indicates they aren't empty shells. They provide a frequency curve that looks impressive. Tempted but I have alot. Note: 4 ohms, no grill, but for $99., seem like a good inexpensive option. Compared to Emotiva bookshelf. FYI. Maybe you could review these?

[@Fidelity_Sound]

This is an awesome video!! I’m sorry. I was cracking up so hard with regard to that smell. I know that smell. I ordered an Eversolo dmp-a8 and when I unboxed it I almost puked. lol. It was all over the bag the device came in. It was so bad that I totally returned it. Awesome video sir!! Probably came from the same factory. Lol!!

[@ginom407]

😂😂😂 I could use a Mark V gas mask... Great Review Randy! 👍👍👍

[@hondaphan4172]

"The Rockville House Smell"....bwahahaha! I just love your channel,Randy. Before you said it I was gonna say they look and sound like perfect candidates for a garage system..although I would heave the grills into the trash can. Based on the woofer and curved cabinet(which have a Q Acoustics vibe) I would never think they were being sold for $80.

[@NorCal-yeti]

The reason it smells so bad Randy is because it’s MDF and they use formaldehyde in really cheap brands so good luck deeply one of the side effects to formaldehyde is it it helps you stay young forever

[@mikemurel1917]

Made in China. From real Chinese!!! Have you smelled tires from China?

[@russpawis4055]

Great review!!! So more or less, outdoor speakers.

[@ReasonablySane]

Will those be a good pairing with a Crosley Cruiser and a Pyle amp? 🤣

[@jokur2630]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane Randy. Seeing your face 4:31 while smelling your fingers took me right back to high school

[@Tappar1]

I got these for a porch speaker and was expecting this smell but figured it would off-gas outside pretty quickly, but after I unboxed them I didn’t notice any smell, so I wonder if they switched adhesives or he got a very “fresh” set. As for sound, paired with a fosi audio bt20a, I’ve been pretty impressed for the price. These walked around on me a lot before I hung them on the wall and the bass is impressive for a speaker like this. For my ear the tweeters weren’t as impressive, a little fatiguing if I don’t dial the treble back a bit, but acceptable when I do. Would recommend for any place you want a speaker you don’t have to care too much about- thanks for the review!

[@1k1ngst0n]

more reviews of cheaper stuff below $500!

[@davidbartochowski7832]

Now all the speakers need to pass the smell test

[@thecliqueshallsetyoufree8745]

Yep but I think he should be careful with his smell test. The manufacturer may want to sue him for not smelling them correctly.

[@phunny12000]

Just been reading about the RSL 10E, know you're more music than home cinema but I can't think of anyone better to review it with your charisma! I'm in the UK as are a lot of viewers and it would still prove an absolute bargain with shipping (speakers are import duty exempt i believe) Anyway here's hoping and love your reviews

[@Rockruio]

Delorean amp went further in the future and brought back the speakers made with soylent green that comes with each habitacional unit and your ubi.

[@TheTotallyNotRealJohnStamos]

Can confirm the Rockville house smell. It takes forever to go away. I got their cheapest subwoofer to put in an open air vehicle (no fear of theft when the thing cost $70 shipped to my door with tax.) It sits out in direct sunlight, gets rained on a bit, and is constantly in fresh air. I can still smell it from time to time. It's been a year now. I had it in my office once. Had to put it somewhere else. Truly vile.

[@jermainegant2913]

I like the way you threw that cover to the floor😂😂

[@benjamincope7295]

Im trying to setup a pair or krk rokit 8 studio monitors in my lounge for my tv. Ive got a HDMI arc audio extractor to give me rca out from the tv. The speakers only have xlr inputs. What can i use in the middle to give me volume control?

[@tfonias]

The perfect soundtrack for this video.. Lynyrd Skynyrd - That Smell

[@ReasonablySane]

I sold Hi-Fi in the 70s to early 80s. My main system was a bi-amplified 500 w channel system into ESS AMT 1B monitors. Now I have three pairs of speakers that are wired together to keep the impedance correct. They include very small Polk speakers, very small advanced speakers, and very small metal case radio shack speakers paint it white. I stacked the three on their sides with the dome tweeters aligned. And I run them with a 10-in subwoofer. By the way, the Polk and Advent speakers blew both their tweeters and woofers so I replaced them from parts express. And even though the cabinets are slightly different size they have identical tweeters and woofers in a minute and the whole setup sounds awesome. Well, at least to my ears. And I'm only running 100 wpc mosfet Hitachi amp from the 70s.

[@herminio001]

I've been buying Rockville products and have been impressed with how good they are for the price, but mostly car audio products.

[@RoccoXYZ1]

The superiority of acoustic suspension is legendary. AR used to make great small speakers with great bass without the boom of vented designs.

[@d77tutt]

What app do you use for your decibel meter.

[@MAD450r2]

What do recommend for my pc speakers. I have a 2.1 channel amp been looking for bookshelfs

[@ttownscott]

seems like a great set of speakers for a workout room

[@caperbear1]

Hey Randy, What integrated amp would work best with the fluance reference high performance 3 way floor standing. Appreciate your response. Thanks Dan Love the channel.🍻

[@jim010109]

Maybe they are trying to corner the market, scented speakers, lol

[@yvesboutin5604]

Fun! Really funny! I like it, but the info is there and that is the most important. The x-over seems to be a second order because the tiny aircore inductor should be around 0,3 mH, not big enough for a low-pass filter. This would also mean that the woofer is playing full-range, not a good idea. Is there any damping material inside the box? Thanks!

[@tylerflores4761]

I thought when he opened the speaker up he was gonna find a rat 😂

[@kaminobatto]

LOL😂 I barely made it till the end without peeing my pants😂 "the house signature smell" 🤣

[@ComputerGeeks-R-Us]

Speakers with an olfactory signature. Will wonders never cease?

[@jimcoope7194]

I love your reviews Randy! Especially the ones where you smell your fingers! Ha!

[@johannjohann6523]

Good to know. Can you imagine working in the plant that puts these speakers together? You'd bring that smell home with you every night. lol

[@cflusflwfl]

Hi Randy. I love your reviews. Got me cluttering up my room with cheap amps that sound good. Could you please tell me what phone app you use for decibel readings?

[@bertpeters1866]

Hi! I have two apps on my phone for SPL, they both are simply called "sound meter" and both seem to work ok. They were both free, but have ads. I don't use them too often at home, as I picked up an actual meter from Amazon that works surprisingly well. I just looked and it's down to $13.94 plus a 10% off coupon. It's made by Abavivi (model FY826) and called "Decibel Meter, Digital Sound Level Reader." Come to think of it, I've not compared them. Guess I should so I can see how good the apps are. Hope this helps.

[@harrykain285]

I bought a pair of Rockville speakers like these,on fell off the wall and busted the enclosure,i had a pair of Onkyo speakers with blown woofers, i put the Rockville woofers in them and they sound amazing.

[@billykaye6308]

Now THAT is the CAG way my brother!

[@ramondelgado6778]

Man, fantastic save! Love that you were able to do that and have great sound! Very cool!!!!

[@thornwithin6195]

So they stink...but sound good. This should get the award for " great sound while smelling bad for 80$$ 2024?!? Hilarious- good vid Cheap Guy!

[@seymourecarnage]

How would you compare them sonically to the 6.5 Daytons (not the Airs)?

[@skaerber1767]

Check out the Singing Wood t-25. A little cheaper than those, but only a 4 in woofer.

[@tdevosodense]

What drivers are in ???

[@Brian_Romska]

That’s pretty surprising that they’re not 100% terrible for the price, most people who can’t smell properly won’t be sad about their purchase, yay? Cya soon Randy, and everyone else who’s going to axpona!!!

[@bradpyles5322]

High pass with a cheap sub and your garage is rockin

[@bradpyles5322]

Finally a speaker for people who lost their sense of smell to COVID

[@rafaelallenblock]

Can't tell without seeing the traces on the other side but my hunch is that's a second order high pass for the tweeter and the woofer runs full-range.

[@ebaer321]

Hi, I was watching one of your other videos, I can't remember which one but it was for towers. I think it was the one where you said they were as good as ones 3 times their price. I saw you holding up your phone with an app that looked like a sound analyzer. Could you post what that app was, and if it requires Bluetooth Mics or something to work. I would like to analyze my room with the Speakers and Subwoofer I bought to try to understand what, if anything I need to do to improve the sound. Thanks in advance for your help...

[@ebaer321]

Bump

[@billykaye6308]

I've had mice hide seeds in the woofer hole (in my garage). Maybe one of them passed inside the speaker? :) PS: what's the non-triggering music for the test?

[@jamesspaulding2231]

I had a pair of these and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they sound. I don't have them anymore I traded them for infinity sm155s

[@yellow_noise3]

as for the crossover it can be either/or. single capacitor for tweeter and single inductor for woofer make 2x 1st order filters in each branch. however inductor is silly small so I rather think woofer is unfiltered and tweeter has 2nd order crossover. decent for 80$!!!

[@manFromPeterborough]

I would say that inductor is 0.22mH, paralelled with the tweeter

[@chadjones3000]

I love this guy. I enjoy the audio talk but honestly, you could talk about anything and get views!

[@ethimself5064]

Speaking of Glue. I bought a bag frozen Kiwi from Walmart lately and even frozed they literally smelled like contact cement and when I thawed some out they reeked of glue and tasted like glue. I shall report them to Health Canada likely. I simply can not imagine these are not Toxic even in my wildest dreams. Thanks for the reminder Randy as they are still in my freezer.

[@timbacchus]

Seems like with those small amps you show they would be good for PC speakers. Or surround speakers. My price range too.

[@joso5554]

They didn’t make any claims about them having a nice perfume, though. Definitely not the choice for Dolby Odorama 25.8

[@bradanderson1802]

LOLOLOLOL! Thanks, Randy.. I needed that!

[@michaellutz5883]

In Europe, these can be found under another brand namen on amazon. They call 'em McGrey. However, there are not that many different types/models available. As I believe one can find the one Randy reviewed starting from 58€ in Germany (pair, of course)

[@edwardcowburn2632]

If it was an audio quest speaker they would probably call it the routing flesh edition. They have some weird names for their cables!

[@paulmarr6949]

Wonder what they sound like off of the Aiyima amp?

[@carll2222]

What is that SPL app ?

[@immortal4942]

can you review the edifier p17? thx

[@tuojisprotesiu]

Sir! I know its not hifi, but it could be if You placed it next to a tv...I would like to know Your thoughts on Yamaha HS8 😏

[@mtcoiner7994]

Horse glue aside, hiw do they compare to the Dayton Audio $55 bookshelf speakers? Please do a comparison 🙏

[@waltdoll934]

I have a pair of Pyle speakers with what looks like the same "crossover." It was actually a second order high pass at ~7.5khz... The speaker was basically a full range driver and a super tweeter. Very odd

[@D1N02]

In Europe these are sold under a different brand. Almost identical. McGrey BSS-265

[@RustOnTime]

Those do not carry the spell of dead bats though so they don't sound good. (Different woofer as far as I can tell and no inductor coil whatever that's doing in the Rockville's)

[@Arfonfree]

Epoxy glue is a common source of outgassing amines (the smelly stuff). The speakers were probably wrapped in plastic shortly after setting up. The outgassing generally tapers off in 72 hours or so, but if trapped will permeate the surrounding matrix (MDF). Leave these in the garage for a week or so, and they should be fine.

[@SonicJourneys-lo1rk]

Try these speakers with NAT magma tube amp and aries cerat dac. You will be amazed?

[@TheTrueVoiceOfReason]

Looks like a pair of 1st order high pass and low pass. Without seeing the output wiring and the wiring to the tweeter, that's the best I can say.

[@louis-philippebeaulieu2542]

Seems similar to the monoprice 6,5inch speakers, which some thinks are rebranded dayton 652

[@manFromPeterborough]

I have the 2 above mentionerd speakers, the monoprice sounded better in the bass, the tweeter needs a dropping resistor to cool it down a bit

[@phila.6521]

How was their room at Capital Audio Fest in Rockville?

[@ReasonablySane]

How to deal with those tweeters for a couple of decades. I consider them a heck of a deal but not pure hi-fi. But now my ears are to the point that I need hearing aids, so that's not a problem. Nor is tape hiss. 🤣

[@user-jl2px8ow9x]

I got these from a pawn shop for $12 use them as my atmos speakers but now maybe I will have to hook them to my turntable

[@rabit818]

Cheap brand new speaker or vintage U.K. made KEF or Mission?

[@bobcaravello3088]

What was your music towards the end? I ordered a pair gor my shed. Mine do not stink lol they definitely do put out cause the neighbors tell me to turn down the bass.😂😂🍺😎 😂😂

[@kvernesdotten]

8:21 - And thats the day he learned how glue is made

[@GLOBOLG]

Those 6.5 drivers look suspiciously similar to ones I bought for a homemade project. In Europe they are sold under the Fenton or QTX brand, but are chinese imports (99% sure). I bought a pair of 5.25" for under 40 euros and one 6,5" for a subwoofer box for 22 euros. Mine are yellow cone but there's black cone also, and it's supposed to be kevlar... Long story short, mine sound amazingly good. Not just for the price, in absolute terms. Granted they are not "audiophile " parts, but they don't disappoint...

[@Aaron48219]

I've smelled decomp a few times. You owe me $80 now for my curiosity.

[@freemenofengland2880]

Randy - Would you prefer these over some Vintage Hi-fi Speakers for the same money? For example Celestion DL4 - 2 way, 2 driver loudspeaker system - Frequency Response: 70Hz to 20kHz - Power Handling: 75W - Crossover Frequency: 3000Hz - Impedance: 8Ω - Sensitivity: 89dB - Bass: 1 x 165mm - Tweeter: 1 x 25mm titanium dome - Finish: walnut or black veneer

[@beardoe6874]

The issue with vintage is how long will the woofer suspension last and how long will the crossover components last? They might already be bad.

[@les3782]

I have never laughed so hard at a a damn audio video!

[@marstedt]

Do more Tekton reviews! Interested in the outcome. 2:02 - What could possibly go wrong?

[@JohnScheppler]

Oh, that "New Speaker Smell", are they lite enough to hang from my mirror? Also, great job reviewing these, I don't think smell is something that is measured by the Klippel Neat Field Scanner.

[@gdwlaw5549]

Are you going to integrate TEMU into your business? Just asking

[@jamespowers8826]

Don't know how much I learned about the function of the speakers, but certainly heard a lot about the smell. More comedy routine than review.

[@patrickthunnus]

Looks like a first order crossover, 6dB/octave, a gentle slope.

[@Astrodicted]

I wish he could get his hands on some b&w dm302...cheap AF 2nd hand speakers that still blow me away each time i use them