I am interested in getting Roth Speakers for my Fatman Itube, has anyone got any and what do you think of them? through the site "my voucher codes" i can get 50% off the Oli3 at planet gizmo. Is this a good deal?
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Roth Oli Speakers
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Wightknight
Well-known member
Have you seen the review on this website? http://whathifi.com/Review/Roth-Audio-OLi3/
That really is an amazing offer!
That really is an amazing offer!
Hi all,
I'm new here, just signed up now - this is my forst post. I'm a relatively new reader of the WhatHiFi mags, only started this year. I also read HCC. For about 4yrs now, I've had an LG 50" HD Ready Plasma, with an LG 5.1 Home Cinema system, 5 x 200w (claimed) Tallboy speakers, plus passive amp. I recently thought I blew an HDMI port at the back of the TV, and after getting annoyed with an HDMI switcher and only one live HDMI port on the TV, I decided to splash out and but a receiver/amp. I bought the Onkyo TX-NR609 from Superfi, and only just set it up last weekend. I found that my passive sub no longer works with this - the 5 speakers do. So I ordered a Wharfedale SW150 amp from Superfi as well this week - waiting for it to arrive.
I noticed that Superfi had a very tempting looking (keyword - aesthetics!) pair of Roth Oli 50's from an RRP of £799 (found them for sale at that price too, elsewhere, so I think it's a fair RRP) on sale for £399. They look absolutely stunning, and I've read some reviews of lower end Roth Oli speakers, which were quite good. I read the only review I could find of the Oli 50's giving them 3.5 out of 5 stars, and saying they were very good speakers for that prive of £800. So, I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of what these are like? Is there a particular reason they're on offer for such a bargain price, like maybe they're a lemon?
PS. I couldn't wait and risk losing out on a nice set of speakers, so I've ordered them anyway, but just looking to know if anyone has experience of them. I'm mainly a movie (action, horror) fan, and would probably hardly use it for music, except for an occassional thrill seeking blast...
I'm new here, just signed up now - this is my forst post. I'm a relatively new reader of the WhatHiFi mags, only started this year. I also read HCC. For about 4yrs now, I've had an LG 50" HD Ready Plasma, with an LG 5.1 Home Cinema system, 5 x 200w (claimed) Tallboy speakers, plus passive amp. I recently thought I blew an HDMI port at the back of the TV, and after getting annoyed with an HDMI switcher and only one live HDMI port on the TV, I decided to splash out and but a receiver/amp. I bought the Onkyo TX-NR609 from Superfi, and only just set it up last weekend. I found that my passive sub no longer works with this - the 5 speakers do. So I ordered a Wharfedale SW150 amp from Superfi as well this week - waiting for it to arrive.
I noticed that Superfi had a very tempting looking (keyword - aesthetics!) pair of Roth Oli 50's from an RRP of £799 (found them for sale at that price too, elsewhere, so I think it's a fair RRP) on sale for £399. They look absolutely stunning, and I've read some reviews of lower end Roth Oli speakers, which were quite good. I read the only review I could find of the Oli 50's giving them 3.5 out of 5 stars, and saying they were very good speakers for that prive of £800. So, I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of what these are like? Is there a particular reason they're on offer for such a bargain price, like maybe they're a lemon?
PS. I couldn't wait and risk losing out on a nice set of speakers, so I've ordered them anyway, but just looking to know if anyone has experience of them. I'm mainly a movie (action, horror) fan, and would probably hardly use it for music, except for an occassional thrill seeking blast...
Our review of the Roth OLi 50s is in the November issue that goes on sale September 23rd. We've done them at £400, which we're led to understand is pretty much the price these days.
Hi JustGenius,
Simple(ish) answer on the pricing.
As a relatively new brand operating in this market sector we're constantly looking to compete with the traditional 'big' loudspeaker brands, some of which have been around for 10, 20, 30 years or so. During that time, they have developed wonderful products that have made the UK the global leader in loudspeaker development. Problem is that to try to gain any market-share from the 4 big guys (you know the ones I mean) in the UK market specifically, we have to do something radical.
To this end, I took the decision to take our flagship loudspeaker, (ribbon-tweeter and all) and work with retailers who were prepared to give us room in their stores and offer their customers the OLi50 at what they felt was an unbeatable price. The theory being that the Roth AV brand could gain increased exposure in the UK (we must be one of the few genuinely British brands that have a stronger business overseas than in our home territory), and hopefully, even in these difficult times in the UK, expand our market.
I'm aware that there are various opinions on the merits of bookshelf-type speakers compared to floor-standing ones. I respect all of these opinions, but I am hoping that by taking this fairly aggressive commercial approach, the OLi50 at £ 399.00 is just simply far too good value to be overlooked, or to be compared directly to a bookshelf speaker.
The review you refer to does 'read' so much better than 3.5 stars....my colleagues and I felt that the words indicated 4 stars at £ 799.00. My hope is that the forthcoming reviews that will appear in the UK at £ 399.00 will get the message across - for pure value for money in terms of build quality, aesthetics and audio performance, the Oli50 should, I hope, be a real winner.
I really hope you enjoy the Oli50 you've ordered - that's a hell of a lot of loudspeaker for the price.
Turn It Up.
James.
Simple(ish) answer on the pricing.
As a relatively new brand operating in this market sector we're constantly looking to compete with the traditional 'big' loudspeaker brands, some of which have been around for 10, 20, 30 years or so. During that time, they have developed wonderful products that have made the UK the global leader in loudspeaker development. Problem is that to try to gain any market-share from the 4 big guys (you know the ones I mean) in the UK market specifically, we have to do something radical.
To this end, I took the decision to take our flagship loudspeaker, (ribbon-tweeter and all) and work with retailers who were prepared to give us room in their stores and offer their customers the OLi50 at what they felt was an unbeatable price. The theory being that the Roth AV brand could gain increased exposure in the UK (we must be one of the few genuinely British brands that have a stronger business overseas than in our home territory), and hopefully, even in these difficult times in the UK, expand our market.
I'm aware that there are various opinions on the merits of bookshelf-type speakers compared to floor-standing ones. I respect all of these opinions, but I am hoping that by taking this fairly aggressive commercial approach, the OLi50 at £ 399.00 is just simply far too good value to be overlooked, or to be compared directly to a bookshelf speaker.
The review you refer to does 'read' so much better than 3.5 stars....my colleagues and I felt that the words indicated 4 stars at £ 799.00. My hope is that the forthcoming reviews that will appear in the UK at £ 399.00 will get the message across - for pure value for money in terms of build quality, aesthetics and audio performance, the Oli50 should, I hope, be a real winner.
I really hope you enjoy the Oli50 you've ordered - that's a hell of a lot of loudspeaker for the price.
Turn It Up.
James.
The_Lhc
Well-known member
ROTH AV said:
I'd say so, I didn't even know you were a British brand, always though you were American...
Nope - we're British and immensely proud of it.
I guess we need to do a better job telling people this........
:wall:
I guess we need to do a better job telling people this........
:wall:
The_Lhc said:
Ah... since I handle Roth's UK PR I should probably redouble my efforts at getting the 'British brand' message across.
Regards,
Murdo
Hi,
All product designs start here in the UK - whether it's the Oli speaker range, the MC4 amplifier, the Charlie systems, the new BAR1, the KRadio, etc. We then work with different engineering teams with specific areas of expertise - so for example on electronics we have some really good designers based out of Taiwan (mainly for production engineering purposes), for audio performance, materials, fit and QC, a UK based team and then more latterly a new UK group who are undertaking some new projects which have a high software content.
Unfortunately, at this stage, we do not manufacture any of our designs here in the UK.
But - we do have a wish to do so soon......and may well have some announcements to make in this regard in the near future.
I'd love to stamp "Made In England'' on something.
James.
All product designs start here in the UK - whether it's the Oli speaker range, the MC4 amplifier, the Charlie systems, the new BAR1, the KRadio, etc. We then work with different engineering teams with specific areas of expertise - so for example on electronics we have some really good designers based out of Taiwan (mainly for production engineering purposes), for audio performance, materials, fit and QC, a UK based team and then more latterly a new UK group who are undertaking some new projects which have a high software content.
Unfortunately, at this stage, we do not manufacture any of our designs here in the UK.
But - we do have a wish to do so soon......and may well have some announcements to make in this regard in the near future.
I'd love to stamp "Made In England'' on something.
James.
nopiano
Well-known member
This is fascinating. On the brand and PR side, maybe I can add that I too had no idea these were British designs, perhaps because the name sounds (to me) more Scandinvian or something. And the price is distinctly modest, so assumed possibly from the far east.
I know 'Castle' and other obviously Bristish names are taken, and would probably be daft to copy them in 2011. And I see from your website it is James Roth's name, so why not use it?! But no Union Jacks are present either, so maybe there is an opportunity to highlight the British-ness.
They certainly look most impressively finished on your website.
Best wishes.
I know 'Castle' and other obviously Bristish names are taken, and would probably be daft to copy them in 2011. And I see from your website it is James Roth's name, so why not use it?! But no Union Jacks are present either, so maybe there is an opportunity to highlight the British-ness.
They certainly look most impressively finished on your website.
Best wishes.
The_Lhc
Well-known member
Murdo Mathewson said:
It's probably just me, whenever I here the name "Roth" I automatically think "David Lee...", who is somewhat American.
BTW I have a pair of Oli 2s on the end of a Sonos ZP120, very nice, especially for 50 quid (thank you Play.com...).
Thanks for your comprehensive reply.ROTH AV said:
Unfortunately there are too many brands touted as British that are brands manufactured in China which use British consultancy firms for their designs just so they can use it as marketing, so it's good to hear of one company playing it straight.
By the way, I have zero objection to any component being manufactured anywhere, it's the dressing them up to appear different I don't like.
Hi nopiano.
Yep - the name Roth sounds like it could be from anywhere other than the UK. Rather than Scandinavia, it can actually be traced back to Hungary......
My grandparents and their immediate family came to the UK because of the opportunities here in the 1920s in what was then the 'music industry'....
My grandfather was a cellist (George Roth) and his brother Nick was a violinist, with various other family members pitching in (hur hur) on other instruments. After the war, they all started playing professionally and were actually famous and at the top of their game - there was a Roth Trio, a Roth Quartet, they all played at some time in the Royal Philharmonic (George was one of the longest serving members of the Orchestra and had some kind of concert done for him on his retirement), the BBC concert orchestra, etc., etc. Radio 3 did a profile programme on him as well.
They made many recordings and did extensive tours with some other major artists and composers of the time - my grandfather used to hang out with people like Benjamin Britten, various conductors, etc.
So....I may well be blowing my own trumpet (yep - I play as well) - but Roth is a name that actually commanded some respect in the music industry around the world.
I guess you can tell I'm rather proud of the family history !
It's kind of nice to play music recorded by my family on an amplifier and speakers with their name on.
This post may well be moderated for being too long and too dull !
Yep - the name Roth sounds like it could be from anywhere other than the UK. Rather than Scandinavia, it can actually be traced back to Hungary......
My grandparents and their immediate family came to the UK because of the opportunities here in the 1920s in what was then the 'music industry'....
My grandfather was a cellist (George Roth) and his brother Nick was a violinist, with various other family members pitching in (hur hur) on other instruments. After the war, they all started playing professionally and were actually famous and at the top of their game - there was a Roth Trio, a Roth Quartet, they all played at some time in the Royal Philharmonic (George was one of the longest serving members of the Orchestra and had some kind of concert done for him on his retirement), the BBC concert orchestra, etc., etc. Radio 3 did a profile programme on him as well.
They made many recordings and did extensive tours with some other major artists and composers of the time - my grandfather used to hang out with people like Benjamin Britten, various conductors, etc.
So....I may well be blowing my own trumpet (yep - I play as well) - but Roth is a name that actually commanded some respect in the music industry around the world.
I guess you can tell I'm rather proud of the family history !
It's kind of nice to play music recorded by my family on an amplifier and speakers with their name on.
This post may well be moderated for being too long and too dull !
The_Lhc
Well-known member
nopiano
Well-known member
Thanks, James, that's a wonderful story. It is also one I can relate to as my great great uncle, Manuel Gomez, was a fine clarinettist who became a founder member of the London Symphony Orchestra. He died in 1922. My grandparents had family snaps of him with Henry Wood amongst others, before he was knighted, who we all know best now as the founder of the Proms.
Cool......very cool....
Can I top that with an original manuscript of a piece of music written and signed by by Benjamin Britten to celebrate the birth of my dad ?
This forum stuff can be fun.
Much more interesting than HDMI cables.........
Can I top that with an original manuscript of a piece of music written and signed by by Benjamin Britten to celebrate the birth of my dad ?
This forum stuff can be fun.
Much more interesting than HDMI cables.........
chebby
Well-known member
ROTH AV said:Cool......very cool....
Can I top that with an original manuscript of a piece of music written and signed by by Benjamin Britten to celebrate the birth of my dad ?
This forum stuff can be fun.
Much more interesting than HDMI cables.........
Er, my paternal grandfather played 'the fiddle' - as it's called up north. My maternal gradfather played those lovely sweepy drum stick things. Oh, and I met Jim Kerr the other day. Sorry, that's the best I can do. Best post for a long time, though!
James,
Thanks for the comprehensive reply. It seems to have kicked off an extremely interesting discussion about heritage - I've enjoyed reading that!
I was just informed that the speakers have arrived today, and I can't wait to try to set them up this evening (my wife's tolerance being the limiting factor!). I am pairing it with the Onkyo TX NR609, as I've mentioned, and a new Wharfedale SW150 subwoofer. The surround and centre speakers are what's left from my old LG all in one kit - they weren't too bad, but I'd be keen on replacing them in the next few weeks, to get the most out of the rest of the system.
I'm hoping to stick with Roth's all around, so, being a newbie, I just googled a few options. I liked the idea of Roth Oli 3 floorstanders as the surround speakers (more fond of floorstanders than bookshelf speakers), and the C2 for the centre. I see Oli 3's and C2's are not available from Superfi, where I got the rest of the kit, but I can find them on PlanetGizmo for £139.99 for the Oli 3's and £99.90 for the C2's.
Where else would you recommend for these, or would you recommend different Oli speakers altogether?
PS. I will post some comments about the Oli 50's over the weekend I hope.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply. It seems to have kicked off an extremely interesting discussion about heritage - I've enjoyed reading that!
I was just informed that the speakers have arrived today, and I can't wait to try to set them up this evening (my wife's tolerance being the limiting factor!). I am pairing it with the Onkyo TX NR609, as I've mentioned, and a new Wharfedale SW150 subwoofer. The surround and centre speakers are what's left from my old LG all in one kit - they weren't too bad, but I'd be keen on replacing them in the next few weeks, to get the most out of the rest of the system.
I'm hoping to stick with Roth's all around, so, being a newbie, I just googled a few options. I liked the idea of Roth Oli 3 floorstanders as the surround speakers (more fond of floorstanders than bookshelf speakers), and the C2 for the centre. I see Oli 3's and C2's are not available from Superfi, where I got the rest of the kit, but I can find them on PlanetGizmo for £139.99 for the Oli 3's and £99.90 for the C2's.
Where else would you recommend for these, or would you recommend different Oli speakers altogether?
PS. I will post some comments about the Oli 50's over the weekend I hope.
James,
I live downunder,which is a mighty long way from the UK.I must say over the last year or so the Roth name has popped up in a couple of conversations i have had with 'audio like' people in NZ .
I think trying to get some 'noise' happening (pun intended!) with any particular brand that is regarded as 'new to market' is probably an extremely hard task.
The Roth brand seems to be well and truly simmering on the stove right now,so maybe another few years of good products/reviews will see a genuine competitor for a 'top 4' spot.
Just be mighty careful of the entry strategy of reduced margins to gain a market foothold,it doesn't matter if you are producing ice blocks or aircraft...you run the risk of being blinded by turnover/cashflow at the expense of viability :help:Also there must already be hundreds if not thousands of 'Acme' brand speaker companies out there that sell an inferior product but move boxes purely based on price?
Once a brand is tarnished with a price driven reputation,there's no going back.I can think of a few car manufacturers that now trying to gain the publics buying decisions based on quality/features after years of flogging off vehicles that were traditionally sold only on a price/discount basis.
Anyway,all the best and get that British Flag waving on your product range!
I live downunder,which is a mighty long way from the UK.I must say over the last year or so the Roth name has popped up in a couple of conversations i have had with 'audio like' people in NZ .
I think trying to get some 'noise' happening (pun intended!) with any particular brand that is regarded as 'new to market' is probably an extremely hard task.
The Roth brand seems to be well and truly simmering on the stove right now,so maybe another few years of good products/reviews will see a genuine competitor for a 'top 4' spot.
Just be mighty careful of the entry strategy of reduced margins to gain a market foothold,it doesn't matter if you are producing ice blocks or aircraft...you run the risk of being blinded by turnover/cashflow at the expense of viability :help:Also there must already be hundreds if not thousands of 'Acme' brand speaker companies out there that sell an inferior product but move boxes purely based on price?
Once a brand is tarnished with a price driven reputation,there's no going back.I can think of a few car manufacturers that now trying to gain the publics buying decisions based on quality/features after years of flogging off vehicles that were traditionally sold only on a price/discount basis.
Anyway,all the best and get that British Flag waving on your product range!
Hi,
I got the new Roth Oli 50's this weekend, and now have them setup. First off, next time I order something, I'm gonna pay more attention to the dimensions! I must admit I just glanced at them before ordering, and being a fan of floorstanding speakers, I thought 1200mm wouldn't be so bad. What I didn't realise was the depth of these babies! They're almost 40cm deep.
Anyway, I hooked them up, did the Audyssey auto configuration thing with the Onkyo TX-NR609 amp, and then cranked it up a bit with some various music pieces, and one BD DVD title - 30 Days of Night. I must admit, the movie was fantastic - sound like you wouldn't believe.
On the music side though, I was a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting a lot more from these beasts. However, I put it down to my lack of knowledge on the subject (yet), and think I need to play with the configuration of the amp a bit more. I think the auto setup may be dumbing things down too much. I don't have the speakers bi-amped yet either, and I've also noticed a setting on the amp which allows you to adjust speaker levels individually. This seems to have the front speakers at about -5dB at the moment.
I'll post more, with pics as well, once I make a bit more progress. I must say though, build quality is outstanding, and they're a stunning looking pair of speakers. I'm looking forward to getting slightly smaller rear floorstanders and the C2 centre soon. Still looking forward to the WhatHiFi review of the Oli 50's in the next issue!
I got the new Roth Oli 50's this weekend, and now have them setup. First off, next time I order something, I'm gonna pay more attention to the dimensions! I must admit I just glanced at them before ordering, and being a fan of floorstanding speakers, I thought 1200mm wouldn't be so bad. What I didn't realise was the depth of these babies! They're almost 40cm deep.
Anyway, I hooked them up, did the Audyssey auto configuration thing with the Onkyo TX-NR609 amp, and then cranked it up a bit with some various music pieces, and one BD DVD title - 30 Days of Night. I must admit, the movie was fantastic - sound like you wouldn't believe.
On the music side though, I was a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting a lot more from these beasts. However, I put it down to my lack of knowledge on the subject (yet), and think I need to play with the configuration of the amp a bit more. I think the auto setup may be dumbing things down too much. I don't have the speakers bi-amped yet either, and I've also noticed a setting on the amp which allows you to adjust speaker levels individually. This seems to have the front speakers at about -5dB at the moment.
I'll post more, with pics as well, once I make a bit more progress. I must say though, build quality is outstanding, and they're a stunning looking pair of speakers. I'm looking forward to getting slightly smaller rear floorstanders and the C2 centre soon. Still looking forward to the WhatHiFi review of the Oli 50's in the next issue!
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