Since its beginnings in 2015, RMS-Acoustics has designed and manufactured premium loudspeaker systems for the professional audio touring and installation markets. RMS Acoustics founder and designer Ryan McCauley has a long history in the pro audio business and, as his last name might suggest, designed many successful products for another loudspeaker company. Striking out on his own in 2014 as McCauley Systems, he soon made a name for himself providing acoustical and mechanical engineering services, system tuning, and systems integration. He also began to develop his own loudspeakers, beginning with the M218 double 18-inch subwoofer, soon followed by the M15X coaxial floor monitor.
These initial products quickly found their way into the rental community; the M218 became popular as a subwoofer solution that performed extremely well while providing incredible value. “As a smaller manufacturer with extensive design expertise but unburdened by the lavish marketing budgets and high overhead of some of the brand-name manufacturers, our goal is to offer superior products at considerably more competitive price points,” explains McCauley. “We cut and build our enclosures at our facility in the USA. The highest quality loudspeaker components are sourced from the best global manufacturers, and everything is tested to surpass industry standards. We endeavor to achieve this in the most environmentally friendly and sustainable way possible.”
In 2015, the company changed its name and launched the brand RMS-Acoustics, and today it offers a wide range of loudspeakers, from point-source coaxial installation solutions to flexible linear array systems, variable-curvature arrays, and of course subwoofers and floor monitors—always designed in accordance with the founder’s values. “We make no me-too products and no mediocre products,” Ryan declares. “We always consider why we’re doing each product, what need it serves. I try to follow an ethos of good acoustic first principles. We don’t use DSP to make up for flaws in acoustic design; if your speaker sounds bad before you put a DSP in front of it, you should start over.”
Embracing the latest manufacturing techniques has allowed RMS-Acoustics to address some of the compromises of traditional loudspeaker design, as with the extensive use of 3D printed waveguides. All of the company’s horns have “pinched” throats and are elliptically shaped in two directions. As a result, the horns cannot be manufactured by traditional methods, which is where 3D printing comes in. “There is no mold that can do what we need unless you make the horn in two parts, which makes it impractically complex to assemble and couple to a single coaxial device,” Ryan explains. “Instead, we’ve been producing 3D-printed horns and other speaker box parts for the last five years, and the results speak for themselves.”
Although the industry veteran obviously wants to run a profitable business, doing so in an a highly environmentally friendly and sustainable manner is of major importance. “In our shop we recycle plastics, aluminum and other metals, circuit boards, even clear shrink wrap and Styrofoam,” he details. “We are next door to a high-end furniture manufacturer, and they have leftover rips of apple ply, which we make into braces inside of speaker boxes. We also buy wind power and hydroelectric power.”
In 2019, RMS Acoustics partnered with U.S. distribution company Allied ProTech to further expand its sales and marketing efforts. “As RMS-Acoustics grew, it became clear that we needed more resources,” recalls McCauley. “We were already working with Allied ProTech on a number of projects, and they’re also the U.S. distributor for Linea Research amplifiers which we use extensively in our systems. Our need for increased sales and marketing activity, coupled with the already strong relationship, made this alliance a natural decision, and it has enabled us to focus on what we’re good at—designing excellent loudspeakers—while continuing our rapid growth.”
“The opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Ryan and RMS came at the perfect time for both of us,” adds Allied ProTech president Rik Kirby. “We were in the process of expanding our team and infrastructure at the same time as Ryan was looking to increase his national coverage and activity. We’d already been working together for a couple of years, so the opportunity to work more closely together was a no brainer.”
The current line of loudspeakers is just the beginning for RMS Acoustics. “In the short term, we’re going smaller and then we’re going bigger,” McCauley teases. “Ultimately our goal is to provide great products, great value, and above all to enjoy the work that we accomplish with our partners across the country.”