RSL Speakers (Rogersound Labs) has a speaker-making history spanning five decades, offering up high-quality speakers for an affordable price to many satisfied customers.
In addition, at one time they not only made and sold speakers but operated several brick-and-mortar retail locations in Southern California selling both speakers and AV products.
Although those days have long passed, the company has continued to offer “excellent sound at affordable prices” for hifi and home theater fans. Many know the brand for their very popular, yet inexpensive award-winning subwoofer called the Speedwoofer 10S, which was recently refreshed to version MKII.
Tip: Check out our review of RSL’s Speedwoofer 10s
Today the company is refreshing its CG line of affordable bookshelf speakers, but we weren’t expecting new models to arrive for less money than their predecessors. The previous generation models were priced at $270/pair, and the new ones arrive for just $210/pair.
The M Series
Building on their previous CG3 amd CG23 series speakers, RSL has released the new “M” series with two speaker models, the CG3M and CG23M.
Refinements include lower insertion-loss crossovers and higher-grade magnets that support increased output per watt. The M series retains the RSL’s patented Compression Guide™ enclosure tuning technology yielding reduced panel resonance and fast transient performance.
The CG3M is designed to be used vertically as a left, right, or surround speaker, whereas the CG23M can be used vertically in the same fashion as the CG3M but can also be used horizontally as a center channel speaker – it is referred to as an LCR speaker.
Cabinet design refinements include a new “Matte” finish. This provides a more contemporary and neutral appearance while offering increased durability, scratch resistance, and a “vanishing fingerprint” textured surface. The Matte finish blends into virtually any environment, making it an easy choice for adding audio to any room.
Using the CG3M and CG23M speakers as a starting point, you can bundle or assemble a complete RSL 5.1 Channel Home Theater System for under $1,000.
Tip: RSL also offers a ceiling speaker for Dolby Atmos height channels, the C34E.
Specifications
| Model | CG3M (New Model) | CG3 (Previous Model) |
| Price | $105 each ($210/pair) | $135 each ($270/pair) |
| Speaker Type | 2-Way Bass Reflex (ported) | 2-Way Bass Reflex (ported) |
| Setup Configuration | Vertical | Vertical |
Woofer | 4-inch mineral-filled woven aramid fiber cone with Y35 high-grade ferrite magnet | 4-inch with Ferrite Magnet, Kevlar Cone |
| Tweeter | 1-inch Silk Dome, Neodymium magnet | 1-inch Silk Dome, Neodymium magnet |
| Frequency Response (± 3dB) | 90-20,000 Hz | 100-20,000 Hz |
| Recommended Impedance | 6 or 8 ohms | 6 or 8 ohms |
| Sensitivity (SPL @ 1W/1M) | 86.5 dB | 86 dB |
| Recommended Power | 25-125 watts | 25-125 watts |
| Crossover Frequency | 2,800 Hz | 2,500 Hz |
| Crossover Slope | Asymmetric 12 dB/octave | 12 dB/octave |
| Crossover Parts | Air-core and inductors, poly-capacitors. | Air core coil, Polypropylene capacitors |
| Connections | Gold-plated binding posts | Gold-plated binding posts |
| Tuning Method | Compression Guide™ | Compression Guide™ |
| System Resonance | 80 Hz | 87 Hz |
| Dimensions (HWD – without grill and keyhole mount) | 9 ½ x: 5 3/16 x 6 7/16-inches | 9 ½ x: 5 1/16 x 6 3/8-inches |
| Weight | 6 lbs | 6 lbs |
| Price | $105 each ($210/pair) | $135 each ($270/pair) |
| Model | CG23M (new model) | CG23 (previous model) |
| Price | $149 each | $200 each |
| Speaker Type | 2-Way Bass Reflex (ported) | 2-Way Bass Reflex (ported) |
| Setup Configuration | Horizontal or Vertical | Horizontal or Vertical |
Woofer | Dual 4-inch mineral-filled woven aramid fiber cones with Y35 high-grade ferrite magnets | Dual 4-inch with Ferrite Magnet, Kevlar Cone |
| Tweeter | 1” silk dome, neodymium magnet | 1-inch Silk Dome, Neo Magnet |
| Frequency Response (± 3dB) | 80-20,000 | 85-20,000 |
| Recommended Impedance | 6 or 8 ohms | 6 or 8 ohms |
| Sensitivity (SPL @ 1W/1M) | 89 dB | 88 dB |
| Recommended Power | 40-150 watts | 25-125 watts |
| Crossover Frequency | 2,800 Hz | 2,500 Hz |
| Crossover Slope | Asymmetric 12 dB/octave | 12 db/octave |
| Crossover Parts | Air-core Inductors, poly-capacitors | Air core coil, Polypropylene capacitors |
| Connections | gold-plated binding posts | Gold Plated binding posts |
| Tuning Method | Compression Guide™ | Compression Guide™ |
| System Resonance | 75 Hz | 75 Hz |
| Dimensions (Vertical – HWD – without grill and keyhole mount) | 16 x: 6 x 6 1/2 -inches | 16: x 6 D x 6 ⅜ inches |
| Weight | 10 lbs. | 10 lbs. |
| Price | $149 each | $200 each |
Price & Availability
- CG3M – $105 each ($210/pair)
- CG23M – $149 each ($298/pair)
Learn more at: rslspeakers.com/cg3m-overview/
Related Reading
Take Two RSL Speedwoofer 10S Subwoofers And Call Me In The Morning: Review
Monoprice’s Monolith Encore 5 Series Loudspeakers Promise A Lot Of Performance For Less Money
Monoprice Unveils Monolith M518HT THX 5.1 Channel Speaker System
