Hi all,

I am interested in purchasing the MA Silver RS6 AV speaker package and partnering it with a Denon AVR4306 receiver.

The Denon is rated to produce 170W at 6 ohms (130W at 8 ohms). My question is, since the MA speakers are all at 6 ohms impedace, would the RS6, RS LCR, and RS FX be able to handle this much power?

Just for reference, below are the power handling specs for the RS AV package:

RS6 - 120W
RS LCR - 120W
RS FX - 100W

Looking forward to any input you may have. Thanks in advance. :o

shouldnt matter as long as you dont crank it up. As soon as you get silly with the vol. knob though, then the speakers could blow apart.

Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the info!

It's a good thing for your amp to out power your speakers. It's called "headroom" and makes for a *big* improvement in sound.

Thanks for the info!

It's a good thing for your amp to out power your speakers. It's called "headroom" and makes for a *big* improvement in sound.

Just listen when you turn it up. If it sounds like the speakers are starting to distort, back it off a bit. ...that would be louder than I play my system, and I like it loud!

It's actually easier to blow your speakes with an amp that has half the speakers' power rating. Your pass the amp's rating, trying to turn your amp louder and get "clipping" which blows your speakers before you know what happened.

Hi all. I'm very close to purchasing a pair of RS6's, but I have a question: are they a 3-way set or a 2-way set? The website describes one woofer as a 'bass midrange' and the other 'bass', although there is only one crossover frequency listed, which would suggest it only being a 2-way system. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It's a good thing for your amp to out power your speakers. It's called "headroom" and makes for a *big* improvement in sound.

Just listen when you turn it up. If it sounds like the speakers are starting to distort, back it off a bit. ...that would be louder than I play my system, and I like it loud!

It's actually easier to blow your speakes with an amp that has half the speakers' power rating. Your pass the amp's rating, trying to turn your amp louder and get "clipping" which blows your speakers before you know what happened.

As I have said, you will not blow your speakers with an amp at half the power rating. Its called physics. Dont propagate this myth.

Underpowering speakers is called "speaker headroom." Now that it has a name, is it a better solution?

I cant argue that you will get better sound with a bigger amp, because "sound" is subjective. But I know that exceeding thermal and mechanical limits are the only things that can blow speakers. How can an amp that is rated below the speakers' ratings move a cone further than an amp that has too much potential for wattage? Why would a speaker, which its sole purpose is to move back and forth, care if the sound is crappy (from clipping)?

If you are lucky, that amp with half the wattage *may* produce enough of a "square wave" to effectively double the wattage to the speakers. In this case, someone could be stupid enough to listen to this square wave long enough and LOUD enough to blow the speaker. However, it was the volume knob and a deaf person that blew the speaker...not clipping.

`

Hi all. I'm very close to purchasing a pair of RS6's, but I have a question: are they a 3-way set or a 2-way set? The website describes one woofer as a 'bass midrange' and the other 'bass', although there is only one crossover frequency listed, which would suggest it only being a 2-way system. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There are four speaker post on the back connected with a metal tab. The two top powers the tweeter and mid-bass and the bottom two powers the woofer.

So are you saying you can't blow a speaker or tweeter due to an amp clipping?

Both you guys could do alot better in wording your arguments.

As I have said, you will not blow your speakers with an amp at half the power rating. Its called physics. Dont propagate this myth.

Underpowering speakers is called "speaker headroom." Now that it has a name, is it a better solution?

I cant argue that you will get better sound with a bigger amp, because "sound" is subjective. But I know that exceeding thermal and mechanical limits are the only things that can blow speakers. How can an amp that is rated below the speakers' ratings move a cone further than an amp that has too much potential for wattage? Why would a speaker, which its sole purpose is to move back and forth, care if the sound is crappy (from clipping)?

If you are lucky, that amp with half the wattage *may* produce enough of a "square wave" to effectively double the wattage to the speakers. In this case, someone could be stupid enough to listen to this square wave long enough and LOUD enough to blow the speaker. However, it was the volume knob and a deaf person that blew the speaker...not clipping.

`

So are you saying you can't blow a speaker or tweeter due to an amp clipping?

Both you guys could do alot better in wording your arguments.

If you dont understand, go here (http://www.bcae1.com/2ltlpwr.htm)

Why would a speaker, which its sole purpose is to move back and forth, care if the sound is crappy (from clipping)?



A moving coil must keep moving to convert electrical energy to mechanical energy. The voice coil stops moving at the top of the clipped wave for the duration of clipping. When the voice coil stops moving, the electrical energy turns into heat. The result may or may not damage the voice coil depending on the heat buildup.

I agree, if normal volume levels are maintained, then mild clipping (which is what I was referring to) will most likely occur intermittantly during percussion peaks (bass drum, snare shot, bass guitar slap). The heat generated in a voice coil by this intermittent clipping represents a small percentage of the total heat required to damage that voice coil. The VC is moving along "doing its job", with perhaps *some* additional heat.

If clipping were presented in every part of the dynamics of an actual song, such that the clipping harmonics represented the majority of the energy reaching the VC, then the music would be unlistenable to all but the least discretionary drunk teenagers. In this case, yes, severe and prolonged clipping will damage the speaker. BUT, if the same speaker were powered to the same volume with a more powerful amp, that same thermal breakdown would occur, despite being more "listenable." Too little of an amp (say 5 watts), could NOT obtain that same volume, and thus would not be moving the cone far enough to cause said thermal failure despite clipping severely.

There are four speaker post on the back connected with a metal tab. The two top powers the tweeter and mid-bass and the bottom two powers the woofer.

Thanks, I understand that, but it doesn't really answer my question on whether they're a 2-way or 3-way system.

I understand it, I just can't tell what point you are trying to make.

Lower power doesn't damage speakers, clipping does. And clipping can occur on any amp. But a lower power amp (like that in a receiver vs a separate amp) is more likely to clip. So people generally say that lower power amps are more likely to cause damage when in reality it's the amp clipping that causes the damage.
Does that sum it up?

If you dont understand, go here (http://www.bcae1.com/2ltlpwr.htm)

I understand it, I just can't tell what point you are trying to make.

Lower power doesn't damage speakers, clipping does. And clipping can occur on any amp. But a lower power amp (like that in a receiver vs a separate amp) is more likely to clip. So people generally say that lower power amps are more likely to cause damage when in reality it's the amp clipping that causes the damage.
Does that sum it up?

Well, kinda. Safe to say though... if the amp wattage is sufficiently low (say 1-25 watts) the amp will never ever ever blow an rs8, no matter how long and how severe the clipping is. The amp just cannot produce enough electrical energy to produce the heat and movement necessary to cause damage. There have been experiments to show this on audioasylum.com.

If the amp is, say 80watts, then you can produce a nasty square wave (one that is unbearable to listen to) than can produce *effectively* ~200watts. The volume is so high in this case, that it is the power being delivered to the speakers that caused damage. At this equivalent VOLUME, a 200watt amp will ALSO cause the damage.

not easy to summarize. :(

. The volume is so high in this case, that it is the power being delivered to the speakers that caused damage. At this equivalent VOLUME, a 200watt amp will ALSO cause the damage.

not easy to summarize. :(

Agree. Exceeding the power rating of speakers WILL damage speakers period. However, an underpowered amp may or may not damage speakers even if clipping occurs (depends on the amount of destructive energy), and one would have to be deaf not to turn down the volume control in case of excessive clipping.

Thanks, I understand that, but it doesn't really answer my question on whether they're a 2-way or 3-way system.

The RS6 are 2.5 way speakers.

Does anyone know the differences between the RS1 and the S2 besides the cosmetic one?

After some reading I've understood a 2.5-way system as being the same as a 2-way system with the normal woofer that plays bass and midrange frequencies, but with an additional woofer that is fed a range of only low frequencies, to help boost the system's reproduction of low frequencies. Is this correct?

Yes. It is used to correct baffle step at the frequency where the radiaton pattern changes from 2pi to 4pi.

The more common way is to shelve down the upper frequencies which results in an ~3dB less efficient speaker.

Anybody have any experience with the RS in walls/ in ceiling speakers ?

There is an RS in wall speaker?

Just got rid of my S8's which i was very satisfied with but saw and heard the RS8 at a friend of mine. Some say only the cabinet is different but this is absolutly not true.
The RS8 has more bass then the S8. In smaller rooms this can be a problem. The port-plug will solve the bass problem but at cost of transperency. Overall the RS8 sound a bit warmer then the S8. So for those of you considering the RS8, keep in mind your room size and also consider the RS6.

With the RS8 a sub, in my point of view, is useless.

The RS8 has more bass then the S8. In smaller rooms this can be a problem. ...Overall the RS8 sound a bit warmer then the S8. So for those of you considering the RS8, keep in mind your room size and also consider the RS6.

Funny. My opinion is exactly the opposite. I commented on the S8's sounding lower and warmer in the store... and the store salesman responded by saying that the RS8's were brand new and needed to be broken in to sound like the well broken in S8s. 8 months later... they sound exactly the same.

Now that I have read your comment, I am now willing to say that perhaps its rooms dependent. (the s8's and rs8's were in different rooms.) Indeed this is true when placing my 8's in the bedroom. The lower frequencies are muddied and unattractive. But in the living room... non-existant.

With the RS8 a sub, in my point of view, is useless.

because the aforementioned opinion, I must disagree again and say that MA's speakers need a subwoorfer.

And since we are mutually qualified to make such a blanket statement, I must say that it is up to the listener. As always :D

You are probable right also. But room acoustics have a very large effect om how a speaker performs which people tend to forget.

Hmmm I got two very nice links I would like to share but can only post them after five messages. So i will split by post. (the links are worth it I think)

The s8's were more critical to speaker placement and had to be toed in pointing almost directly to you as listener. If not there was an inconsistent mid-range at the sweetspot. The RS8 doesn't have this problem though.

I'd have to agree with rpgonzalez if you heard the speakers in different rooms then you can't really tell if it's the room, placement or the speakers. I've heard the S8 and RS8 in the same room and they sounded the same to me. I wanted more bass so I went with the S10.

I'm a newbie, I've owned the S10 for two years. I just upgraded from a 95 w/ channel into 8ohms yammi rxv650, to a marantz 8500 at 110 w/ channel into 8ohms, and 160 w/ channel into 6 ohms.

And yes the S10 sounds much better. The Bass has definetly gone from mushy to tighter. The Dacs on the the Marantz make the sound fields a lot clearer than on the low end Yammi. I don't know how the hi end Yammi's like the 2600 sound compared to the Marantz. But I do know that even at low volume I'm getting a lot more sound out of my S10.

I agree that room placement has a lot to do w/ the sound out of the S10 and I do have my s10's towed in towared me. i don't use the plugs because I do like deep bass. My sub woofer sucks and will be replacing it with probably an SVS or a HSU pretty soon.

My center sucks too, I'll probably replace it w/ a LCR. However I read where someon on this forum wanted to split a S1 and use the S1 as the center. I also heard but dont know that the SRLCR is better than the SLCR, due to porting in the former?

Peace out

I recently upgraded from S8 and SLCR to the new RS8 and RSLCR and I find the new center absolutly improved. I don't know if is due to the newly introduced port but sound is much fuller.

B.t.w. Take a look at www.mafocus.com for very nice pictures and brochures of Monitor Audio.

hey guys i have read this entire blog and havnt found really any good info on weather rsfx, rs1 or rslcr is the ideal choice for rears. My room is 18x12 and seating will be about 4-5 feet from rear wall.

If the rsfx do i run them bi pole and why.
are the rear corners the best location?

i am also considering a hsu vtf 3 hk2 sub

Are you considering 5.1 or 7.1? If 7.1, I would use the RSfx as my sides and RS1 for my rears.

I'm a newbie, I've owned the S10 for two years. I just upgraded from a 95 w/ channel into 8ohms yammi rxv650, to a marantz 8500 at 110 w/ channel into 8ohms, and 160 w/ channel into 6 ohms.

And yes the S10 sounds much better. The Bass has definetly gone from mushy to tighter. The Dacs on the the Marantz make the sound fields a lot clearer than on the low end Yammi. I don't know how the hi end Yammi's like the 2600 sound compared to the Marantz. But I do know that even at low volume I'm getting a lot more sound out of my S10.

I use a Rotel RMP 1095(200 wpc 8 ohms & 250 wpc 6 ohms) with my S10 and I've tried them with with my old Denon 3300 (105 wpc 8 ohms) and the real difference I noticed even at low volume levels was the bass. With the Denon the bass was muddy, but with more power the bass was a lot tighter and has punchy feel to it. With the Denon it's as thought the drivers aren't as quick and controlled. The S10 bass just reacts better to more power.

i will be doing 5.1

hey guys i have read this entire blog and havnt found really any good info on weather rsfx, rs1 or rslcr is the ideal choice for rears. My room is 18x12 and seating will be about 4-5 feet from rear wall.

If the rsfx do i run them bi pole and why.
are the rear corners the best location?

i am also considering a hsu vtf 3 hk2 sub

If it is for a 5.1 system, and you listen to DVD -A SACD etc .the RSLCR is my choice.

Hsu VTF 3 MK II is a great sub.(I'm saying this a a VTF 3 MK II owner)

thanks bmo for the positive feed back on the sub!
but not quite sure what you meant in the first part "dvd -a sacd"

"dvd -a sacd"

dvd audio and super audio from sony. Its multichannel music... if you have dvd-a and/or sacd player.

With DVD -A ( audio) the closer your surrounds match your fronts the better off you are. Much of the music will have Percussion on one channel,guitar on another, keyboard on another,vocals, etc. It sounds like your sitting in the center of a band as they are performing as if in a circle arround you.
Cd's can sound lackluster after listening to DVD-A IMO
I have no firsthand knowledge of SACD, but understand it's the same.

As for the vtf 3 mk II, I live in a log home.( 2 story) All the logs are 12" dia. or more.The room the sub sits in is 33' X 50. The VTF 3 will vibrate, shake and shutter the whole darn house durring movies.( down stairs and upstairs) Wife has literaly jumped out of her chair and screamed durring LFE on some movies.For that reason alone the vtf 3 has paid for itself many X over.

On most universal players there is no Bass management for DVD-A but there is so for SACD.
SACD therefore sound better - that doesn't say the quality is better though - because you can set the type for each speaker (small or large) and the distances. These value do not apply when playing DVD-A and default values are used.

The Cambrige Audio 540D lets you set speakers and delays,w/bass management for dvd-a
I do not know what the crossover is set at though.I have heard 100hz.

well im prety much 80% movies. I decided to go with the rs1 speakers for the rears i will add the rsfx for sides for 7.1 later. i see most people dont use lcr for the surrounds

What is a good source to buy a pair of RS 1 speakers?

What is a good source to buy a pair of RS 1 speakers?

Try sending a PM to this authorized dealer. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/member.php?u=7524341)

Anyone have a reccomendation for a subwoofer with the RS 1 Silver set from Monitor Audio?

I have a pair of the RS6 and I've heard people taking off the black grill over the tweeters. Does anyone have experience with this and is there any difference in the sound?
I'm also running an upgraded Bryston 4B to those speakers with an HK635 as my 'pre/pro'. I'm enjoying the results but it may be a little on the bright side. I was wondering if anyone could confirm what I am hearing. I'm fairly new at this and I alway second guess what I think I hear. I'm planning on building some acoustic panels soon to try and calm them down and focus the image better. Otherwise I love the set up and the RS6's are a thing of beauty.

Try sending a PM to this authorized dealer. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/member.php?u=7524341)


Seconded

Anyone have a reccomendation for a subwoofer with the RS 1 Silver set from Monitor Audio?
The RS 1 diffenatly need a sub.There are many subs that would help them out.
I have a Hsu ( VTF 3) sub that I am very pleased with. If your looking for a smaller sub ( size) Rocket has some small cubes that impress me, the ULW-10 or a step up to the UFW serries.They don't have the exstension or output of the SVS ,Hsu or Axiom subs, but for price and smallish size I am amazed.

I have a pair of the RS6 and I've heard people taking off the black grill over the tweeters. Does anyone have experience with this and is there any difference in the sound?

I personally have the RS8/RSFX/RSLCR and SVS 2039PCI here. I took the grill off mainly because I find them unattractive. Soundwise, to me, there is very little difference with the grill on.


I'm also running an upgraded Bryston 4B to those speakers with an HK635 as my 'pre/pro'. I'm enjoying the results but it may be a little on the bright side. I was wondering if anyone could confirm what I am hearing. I'm fairly new at this and I alway second guess what I think I hear. I'm planning on building some acoustic panels soon to try and calm them down and focus the image better. Otherwise I love the set up and the RS6's are a thing of beauty.

The RS series are very analythical speakers and tend to emphasise the highs quite a lot (they have very good bass performance too though!).
Therefore, special care should be taken when partnering them to an amp/av receiver (taming the brightness). I auditioned with Yamaha rxv1600, Pioneer ax4, Denon 3805, Marantz and Sherwood R965 at the time. Ultimately the latter was retained. Arcam also seems to be quite a popular match with RS.
When looking at the stereo side only, you'll find that Musical Fidelity, Primare and Arcam seem to be very popular choices.

Anyone mate the RS6 with a HK 635? I have heard that the RS6s sound the best with Marantz receivers, but I've already got a 635 and was wondering if it were worth to change them with a budget of roughly $600 for a receiver.

Thanks in advance.

Anyone mate the RS6 with a HK 635? I have heard that the RS6s sound the best with Marantz receivers, but I've already got a 635 and was wondering if it were worth to change them with a budget of roughly $600 for a receiver.

Thanks in advance.


I dont have experience with the Monitor Audio RS6 but I use my hk635 with Monitor Audio S10 which are bigger than the RS6 and I like it very much, very musical combination.

There are a few people who use the HK 635 with MA's. I use a 635 with GR-20's and RS 8's.I do not feel they are overly bright, nor has anyone listening to this set up. I also hear, although I know not firsthand, that Marantz is also a nice match.

What are the sonic differences between the Bronze B6 and the Silver RS6? Is the Silver a "better" speaker? I want to find a dealer to audition both and was wondering what experienced Monitor owners had noticed as differences between the two speakers.

Thanks for any help.

GDV

ashok,

I mounted my RSfx's last Friday. The mounting screws I got were also to big for the mounting hole on the speaker. I just ran to Home Depot and bought slight smaller ones..

Nuz
I just bought a pair on ebay and the speakers did not have and screw for mounting. Do you know what size the the speakers take? The mounting head of the screw is real small?

Any ideas would be great.

I'm looking at a used pair of Silver 5i's and a Silver 10i center, all in supposedly great condition. What would you guys pay for these? Trying to get a ballpark.
Thanks!

I realize this is an older thread. But I did enjoy reading through it. I think, overall, Monitor Audio speakers have a certain personality that has persisted throughout the years. Reviews have always talked about..."the highs were very detailed, not harsh, but sweet and transparent...the bass on these (insert model here) was surprisingly deep. Not the wake up the neighbors across the street bass, but they play very low with no sloppiness- tight and tuneful...."

Or something to that effect. I started off buying my first pair of MAs while I worked at HI-FI Buys in Buckhead, Atlanta. I actually got to meet Mo Iqbal at the store once while he was showing the high-end staff how to properly set up his newest top of the line (Reference 50 or 60 I believe it was- very pretty!).

My first pair, however, were a few models down from the Reference series. I had the MA700Gold. Two-way, bi-wirable, good fillable stands- all metal, fillable with flat rectangular tops and bottoms, spikes, solid as rocks when filled with lead/kitty litter. I still have the stands.

The bookshelf I REALLY wanted, though, were the Celestion SL700SI. Wow! I have yet to find a speaker that can play music that well, that accurately, and almost entirely disappear!!! Try to find some for sale sometime and hopefully they will have some info attached as to how special these were. They used aerolam material for the cabinet. An aerospace material using honeycombed aluminum sandwiched between two thin layers of aluminum. The idea, if I remember correctly was to create the lightest and thinnest and strongest cabinet ever made. The reason being they wanted the reflected waves to go outside the cabinet instead of bumping around and messing everything up. Supposedly, the rear wave could, because of the thinness and light property of the aerolam could pass through fairly easily. Whatever it was these things were built like tanks and just plain disappeared. You could walk right up to them and not "see" any of the sound coming from this speaker. Best stands/integration ever. The speakers had 3 screw insets on the base and the bolts would actually come up from the 3 matching holes in the top of each stand. You cranked these down TIGHT. Top that Blu Tack!!!

Anyway, I got poorer and had to sell the MA700Golds. The next MAs were the much cheaper line. I think they were called the MA7 or something like that. Black cabinet, 3/4" gold tweeter instead of the wonderful 1 inch I had been used to. I hauled these all the way to Anchorage where I still used them as my reference. I knew there wasn't much bass there, but what was there still "did no horm". It was still tight, fast, and blended perfectly with the wonderful, albeit smaller, tweeter. I sold Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, Snell, and Def Techs. I identified with the "Monitor Audio" sound so well that I faulted (most) other speakers because they didn't have that same sound. I always felt that B&W were close, but too crispy. The highs were just too much. Boston and Paradigm were very likable but just didn't have the magic. I will say I was impressed with the Boston "VR" series with the funky metal arc with tiny holes drilled through it in front of the tweeter. That did some good things to the highs. The Paradigm reference speakers were very popular and easy to sell, but I just found them a tad bland, lacking that MA magic, the disappearing act.

I've always been a sucker for bi-poles and (some) dipoles. So I became very enamored with the 200x series of Definitive Technology. However, I thought the monstrous 2000 and even the smaller 2002 were too much bass. Too boomy and sloppy. Maybe not sloppy compared to a subwoofer, but sloppy compared to speakers. I did like the sound of the passive BP10 and BP8, though. Very musical without the boom.

As luck would have it, though, my previous trainer from my Hi-Fi Buys days recently (later '90s) became the national sales director for MA. I bought a pair of 6i or 8i (I can't remember, big bookshelfs) from him. Unfortunately, I also hauled back to NC with me lots of Tributaries Silver speaker cable. After settling down in my batchelor pad in Hickory, I quickly realized that these speakers were not what they older models sounded like. The highs were too harsh, too forward. I switched amps from a B&K 5000 to and ATI1505. Wow, that ATI amp is a great amp- one of the single best made and sounding items of gear I have ever had in my system. But that didn't solve the problem. I took them into the closest MA dealer and exchanged them for a pair of---Definitve Technology BP2004 speakers. With the smaller woofer and smaller mid/bass drivers I was very impressed with the sound quality overall and the openness of the bi-polar design really appealed to me. I know, you lose focus sound stage is wider but not as accurate spacially, yadyayda. All I can say is I am more attracted to redheads as well. I don't know why.

I took the black monoliths home and hooked them up and WOW! The untamed, harsh highs were still there! I went through MANY cds that I knew well. I knew how my old MAs sounded on these cds. Then I decided to swap the speaker cable. I took out my $5/ft Trib silver cable and replaced it with good ol' Monster 12 gauge copper. Bang, done, no problem. The highs were back to normal, no harshness, no crispies, just right. Now I felt bad about sending the MA i speakers back. I called Dave Soloman and apologized for saying the S6i speakers sounded harsh.

Several years later, I am now back to Monitor Audio's (S8 front, SLCR center, and SFX rear). I went back to my old favorite cable for the fronts- Audioquest Midnight bi-wired. They sound fantastic! After much research, I settled on the ATI Titan sub to match and have been extremely satisfied by the result. I literally cannot tell whether the bass I am hearing is coming from the MA S8 (running full range, of course) or the TITAN. And that is the way it should be.

Two final notes: one, speaker wire is important and silver wire (or even bright amps) can bring out the worst in the Monitor Audio highs.

And, two, I just bought a black TV/AV rack and need to trade my Warm Beech Silver LCR center for a black Silver LCR center. Anybody wants to trade their black for my beech (almost new, in the box) center, email me @ mtwtarheel@charter.net or call me @ 828-244-1744

I currently have a pair of s8's paired with a HK 630 receiver and 2 - HSU VTF-3 MK2s in a 15x15 bedroom. Plenty of clean fast bass lemme tell ya! It's a very sweet combo for the money IMHO :)

I have a pair of mahagony Silver series 5i's up front with 10i center channel, ASW210 sub & fxi bi/dipole's in the rear.
They are about 6 or 7 years old and I still love them. I'm about to get a new 7.1 amp to power them.

Tried posting this to a new seoarate post, but then I saw this old thread. If anyone still reads this I think I might get more help here:

Can anyone here help compare/contrast earlier Monitor Audio Silver series speakers with the newer Silver RS series speakers?

I have an option of buying a pair of Silver S10 for roughly the same price (slightly less, actually) as the RS8. Or a pair of Silver S8 for a little less than the RS6. Both series speakers are supposedly brand new. It's just that they are being discounted different amounts based on how old the speaker line is since they are both discontinued (30% off RS line vs 50% off Silver line).

Does it make sense to move to the older Silver series line while jumping up to a higher speaker model (for the same or less money)? For instance Silver S8 has more drivers than Silver RS6.

Hope this makes sense.

I haven't heard the RS series so I can't compare the 2 models. I will say that I love my S8 speakers! Also, having owned several different MA models over the years I can say that once you get to a certain level the sound quality is fairly similar and you start to get into diminishing returns. I think the key MA factors over the years is the wonderful metal tweeter. Since the S series has the CCAM mid/bass drivers I imagine one would have to have very good ears and equipment to hear much of a difference between the S and RS series. My hearing isn't good enough and I rarely get to sit and critically listen anymore so I doubt if I could hear a difference. Plus, most of my listening now is with movies in 5.1. I am looking at upgrading my receiver to one that has the newer HDMI surround modes and room correction. I think those would be noticeable and more bang for the buck than upgrading front mains.

That being said, I am a big believer in the "psychological" factor. If you think there is a noticeable improvement with the RS series vs the S series it may be worth the extra money to go up. You will probably have these speakers for a long time and not having to wonder or second-guess your decision may be worth the extra money. When I got the S8 speakers several years ago, all the reviews were on the S6 and how good they were. I decided to go one up and haven't regretted the decision. When I used to sell AV I would tell bigscreen buyers to always get the size larger than they think they needed because everyone who gets a bigscreen TV loves them and always wished they had a larger one.

Don't know how helpful this was but I honestly don't think you can go wrong either way.

Thanks mtwhickory. I agree with a lot of what you say there.

I'm also interested in the 'looks' of the 2 speaker lines. Since these will be in our great room, pretty much the room everyone hangs out in when we have functions, etc.

Do anyone think one line vs the other is noticably more 'stylish'?