Searching the speaker forum for this produces no hits. I know they have been discussed here. I am considering these, and the price is right with the new line coming soon.
Monitor Audio Silver owners and auditioners, I would appreciate any comments or opinions on these speakers strengths, weaknesses, and overall characteristics. Looking at either S6+S1, or two pairs of S6, along with their matching center.
Thanks

I bought the Silver 6's about 3 months ago and couldn't be happier. They have a really clean high end and reproduce vocals extremely well. I was listening to Nick Drakes- Pink Moon album last night and it sounded fantastic. Clean non-fatiguing sound. I use them for a little HT also. The vocal imaging is great. I watched the Incredibles with my daughter the other night and ever sound came from the exact area of the screen that you would expect...almost eerie...If you're into low bass then pair them up with a nice 12 and you'll be set(I have the Dayton DVC 12) The midbass is very clean and fast. I listen to a lot of electonica and the synths sound fantastic...I bought mine for about $500(they were the floor models) and have them paired with my HK 630...they sound even better with my Crown XLS 402, but I'm using it to power my sub until I have the money to get a plate amp...The dedicated amp def. opens them up especially when you push them at a higher volume..Cheers:D

Have you guys compared them to the Golds. I can get an open box pair for $950, which still may be out of my budget. Wsdavies, you mentioned loud volume levels. How do the silvers do at higher volumes?

Greg

ml, see these threads: (if the links don't work for you, just copy and paste them into another browser)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=530386&highlight=silver (Monitor Silver line)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=530579 (S6 speakers)

I am also really interested in the MA silvers
I know everyones opinion is different but what other speakers to they sound similar too?
Is the new RS series going to just be a cabinet change or will they sound different/improved?

I picked up a pair a silver s10 and lcr center last week and absolutely love the sound. IMO they are detailed without being bright(to me bright means harsh). I've listened at loud level and they never seem to be fatiguing. The bas is really strong, tight and punchy on the s10. When I was auditioning speakers I auditioned the following and the MA won me over.

Paradigm Studio 60 v3
Paradigm Studio 100 v3
Klipsch RF-7
B&W 604s3
B&W 703

Here's some links to sites that have some MA talk. Just search for "Monitor Audio"

One of the links is a review of MA and several other speaker someone did. even though it's the Axiom forum there's MA talk.
http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=ST&Number=29315&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=45

If you go with MA and can't find a dealer let me know. I got mine from an Authorized dealer off the Monitor Audio web site. He gave me 22% off and will ship. By the way I'm not affiliated with the dealer in any way. I just thought I'd try and help you out.

Also while I was with the dealer he gave me a brochure of the new RS line and one with the silver line. If you look at the specs only the cabinet sizes are different on the RS6 vs. S6 and RS8 vs. S8. the two brochures show every other spec the same right down to the weight of the speakers when comparing RS to S. If you go to the MA site and look a th e specs for the RS6 http://www.monitoraudio.com/products/silver/rs_techspecs/techspecs1.htm and the S6 http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/silver/series/s6.htm you can see for yourself that all the specs are the same. The MA site has a misprint and list the weight of the S6 as 26lbs, but the brochure says 40lbs just like the RS6.

I spent a lot of time yesterday listening to the S2 bookshelves, and I think I will take advantage of the closeout pricing of the S line as opposed to waiting for the RS line to come out. I have one concern though. The S2 have 7" drivers, while the silver center channel has two 6" drivers. The website says they are all timbre matched (of course they are going to say that). Does anyone have any experience with this combo. If the match is not going to be right, I will forgo the deal and wait for the RS line.

Thanks
Greg

Originally posted by Redskin
I spent a lot of time yesterday listening to the S2 bookshelves, and I think I will take advantage of the closeout pricing of the S line as opposed to waiting for the RS line to come out. I have one concern though. The S2 have 7" drivers, while the silver center channel has two 6" drivers. The website says they are all timbre matched (of course they are going to say that). Does anyone have any experience with this combo. If the match is not going to be right, I will forgo the deal and wait for the RS line.

Thanks
Greg

Hey Greg,

Where did you see them on sale at closeout prices?

Hi Kris,

Good Guys has them discounted. The S2 is normally $750 and is now going for $562 and the Silver Center is normally $600 is now $450. I know the S1 is cheaper as well but I am not sure for how much. I am sure the floorstanding speakers are as well.

Greg

Ive been waiting for them to go on sale at the GG for a while. I called and sure enough they ahve them discounted on closeout at 25% Pretty dissapointing being that my buddy and I have bought MA from them at 20-25% off in the past when they werent on special. I may just wait a couple weeks for the RS series and get a similar discount.

I can certainly wait if that discount can be had for the RS Series at GG. Did you just ask for it, or did you wait until they had a sale?

Loved the S6, also heard the S2 which wasn't bad either!

I'm not sure what its worth, but when shopping for speakers I listened to Paradigms Studio-100 v2 for a while and while not being bad, I wasn't crazy or overly excited about them... The S6 were right next to them and I asked if it was possible to plug them in. What I felt at the time, (can't really explain it too well), was that the Digms sounded good, but something sounded a bit off to my ears... But I couldn't really put my hands on it, until the S6's started to play. I almost instantly noticed the trebble, I thought MA's was much smoother... Overall, much nicer presentation IMHO. Some have said its the 'british sound'. Whatever it was I liked it very much :) Had I not bougth Totems I'd probably have ended up with MA's :D

I've owned, for over a year now, a 7.1 Monitor Audio Silver setup with S8 fronts and I think the fronts are wonderful. However, the LCR has been very sensitive to placement and orientation. I now have the LCR oriented vertically at almost the same height as the two fronts and this has made things much better. The surrounds are decent for movies, but maybe not as good for music where the demand tends to be greater. The surrounds might behave better at ear-level instead of hanging near the ceiling.

I have not listened to the Gold series speakers, as they were out of my price range at the time, but I have heard that the Gold series are a noticeable step above the Silver series. So I would go for them over the Silver series if you can afford it. Plus, the Gold center is supposed to perform better than the Silver center.

Originally posted by Redskin
Did you just ask for it, or did you wait until they had a sale?

I just bullied the sales guys for a little while:D

Well I did it.

I got Good Guys to come down some more. I bought the S2 for $499 and the SLCR center for $399 (I actually went with an open box center and they did $350, but $399 was the price for new). I feel I got a great deal on speakers I really like.

By the way, I have read some reviews where they advised to take off the metal protective grill that surrounds the tweeter. Has anyone tried this?

Greg

Greg,
I picked up my s10 and lcr not long ago and my dealer told me to remove the metal grill over the tweeter. I gave it a try and they seem to have a better soundstage without the metal grill.

How did you remove the grill?

Originally posted by Kevin12586
How did you remove the grill?

The instructions are on their website. You can use a pin or bluetak. It's only held on by magnetic force but be warned that as you try to pull it off it can VERY EASILY be pulled back into the tweeter damaging it.

Here's a link:http://www.monitoraudio.com/faqs/8.htm

What center channel speaker are you guys using with your Silver line

I'm using the silver SLCR with the s10. The LCR is a very clear center and goes down to 45hz. I haven't noticed and sibilance with it and voices really stand out.

Is anyone else using a different center with their Silver line?

When I had them I used the SLCR. It is an amazingly good and detailed CC.

I was thinking of getting 5 SLCR's to use with a Pioneer 53TX and an Adire Rava subwoofer. Any opinions?

I think if you have the space, it would be a great choice. The SLCR is a sealed box design that has a +-3 db of 45hz. You would have a very easy time blending it with a sub.

Greg

What amps/recievers mate well with the MA silvers? Im going to be picking up a set of the new RS6's and LCR in the next week or two

I'm using a Sherwood p-965 pre amp with a Rotel RMB 1095(200x5) combined with MA silver s10 speakers, and find this to be a nice combination. I consider the Sherwood to be neutral and the Rotel amp to be just a little warm. The s10s are detailed without being bright with this combination and no sign of sibilance or listener fatigue, while the setup is very detailed.

I would also add HK, Marantz, and NAD.

I have an Integra 6.5 with my S6's

I am using the HK DPR2005 with my S2's and love it.

I found a bunch of photos for the new RS series (www.mafocus.com). Use the link on the left that says Silver RS. There are probably 35-40 pics. I can't wait to hear them. Has anyone demo-ed them in the states yet? I would love to hear your impressions. I am hoping to hear them in the next month.

I am happy to announce that I am the proud owner of a pair of Silver RS6 :D

I picked them up last night. When I ordered my speakers 2 weeks ago, I ordered the S6 in the Rosenut finish. A couple of days later the dealer called me and informed me that this color was back-ordered. Because I loved that color so much I decided to wait. When I went to pick them up yesterday, you wouldn't believe the surprise and amazement when I saw 'RS6' on the box.

I brought them home, connected them to my receiver and turned them on (uncalibrated) and they just disappeared in the room. Once I calibrated them the sound became even better. I thought I loved the S6 but now I am so much more happy with the RS6. I still have some additional tweaking to do since one of them is close to a wall, but they are highly recommended.

One thing that Monitor Audio did with the RS compared to the S is they seemed to have changed the metal grill over the tweeter. It doesn't appear that it needs to be moved anymore.

Now I can't wait to get the rest of the speakers in the RS line :D

Kevin12586,
Many peolpe have commented in the past that the MA Silver S series needed to be "broken in" before they really came to life. Keep us posted on how the RS series sound after you have logged some hours with them. Thanks.

No problem resperc, but if they are going to sound better than they already do after a break-in period, then my grin will get bigger :D

Originally posted by Kevin12586
No problem resperc, but if they are going to sound better than they already do after a break-in period, then my grin will get bigger :D

The will, it will.:D

Where did you get them? My local Good Guys say not until the end of May.

Greg

I live in NY and purchased them from a local dealer in NYC

Does anyone have any experience with the SFX surround speaker?

Kevin,

How do you feel the RS6 sounds different from the S6? Did you hear both speakers in the same environment? I was told sonically there shouldn't be much difference just cosmetic changes with the RS line. Just curious how you feel they are different. Thanks.

TNT, honestly they probably sound exactly the same, the specs seems to be the same as well. In my opinion, the RS6 looks a little better than the S6, I am just glad to be getting the newer model as opposed to the S6 for when I begin to purchase the rest of the speakers. If you have the opportunity to listen to both in the same environment I would be curious to know if you hear a difference.

Thanks Kevin.

For those still wondering about matching MAs with a receiver, you should be fine with one that has a high current design. It seems with all of the feedback I have gotten, people are very happy with the sound from MAs when they are matched with high current receivers/amps.

I wanted to bring this thread back and thank everyone's input. I have had my S2's and SLCR center for about 2 weeks now, and it is exactly the sound I was searching for. I had been looking to upgrade my L/C/R for several months now, and couldn't find speakers that had amazing detail that were not bright or harsh to my ears. I went through Paradigm, M&K, B&W, Dynaudio, Polk LsI, Def Tech, Vienna Acoustics, Sonus Faber and Energy among others. Paradigm Studio 20's were close, but to me got a little grating a very high volume levels. I loved the Viennas for music, but they had no excitement for movies. M&K was great for theater, but too forward for music.

I had not even thought of Monitor, but after reading this thread and many reviews, I went out and listened and have found my speakers. These things have great very detailed highs, and a very nice midrange. I can't believe how good they sound for voices. I am not an audiophile, but the best way I can describe it is that I don't feel like I am listening to speakers. If I was blindfolded and spun around, I could not point out where the speakers are both vertically and horizontally. It is almost an airy quality.

I promised myself I wouldn't buy into break-in, but in only about 20 hours of listening, these babies have opened up even more. I am trying to do my tweaks in phases to fully enjoy each one. After about 60 hours of break-in as Monitor recommends, I will try and remove the mesh grills that cover the tweeters, and see how that affects things.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my excitement over these Monitor Silvers and give them a very solid recommendation.

Greg

Redskin,

That is exactly the speaker I am looking for.
Do you find the speaker veiled at all or having a "british sound" to it. I have read many reviews saying they are a little laid back which it sounds like you dont find
Your description sounds just what I like

Redskin,
Glad to hear yo picked up th MA. I also swore I wouldn't buy into the break in thing but mine sound better too.

Hey Chris no need to worry about the British sound thing. There's definately no veil over the MA speakers. I have the silver s10 and LCR center and the detail and clarity is just incredible with tight punchy bass. I wanted a detailed speaker and these are detailed without being harsh. I've read reviews of the silver 8i series being laid back, but with the silver S and new silver RS lines MA removed the veil and kicked up the bass.

Fantastic speakers.

Anyone here heard both the Monitor Audios and Mordaunt Shorts? There are great prices on MA Silvers right now, but I found the Mordaunts cheap, about half of what the MAs would cost, and I am curious how much I would be giving up. I don't expect the Mordaunts to be world beaters at that price, but from what I've read, all the MS owners seem happy. Would love to hear comparisons.

I don't know what a "British sound" is, but I do think the Monitor Audio Silver speakers are warmer than neutral. I wouldn't be surprised to see a bump of a couple off dB in the frequency response under 600Hz. I've found the vocal clarity coming out of the S8s to be superior to that coming out of the SLCR. But only very slightly so once everything is positioned similarly.

I do think that your room will make a significant difference in how you perceive any speaker. My room is 5000^3 feet and my front and center speakers are about 3' to 4' away from the front wall, measured at the driver position. The left speaker is about 6' away from the side wall, with a curtain about 2' away from the speaker. My right speaker is about 15' away from the other side wall, again with a curtain about 2' away from the speaker. I also have the front wall covered in curtains, and a panel trap on the back wall. I sit 12' away from the speakers, and also 12' away from the back wall. There is a riser and a second couch behind my primary listening position.

If sound is only coming out of one speaker, I can pinpoint it. My soundstage is also recognizably at the level of the drivers. I am using a Yamaha RX-V1400 for my pre-amp and an Outlaw Audio 7100 for my amp. Alesis DEQ830 equalizer sits between. In the beginning (when my sound was much worse) I was running only the RX-V1400.

I am not sure how much time I have on my Silver RS6, but I continue to love them more and more. And to think, these were actually recommended by my dealer, I was all set to buy some PSB T65, everyday I listen to my speakers I know I made the right decision. :D

Originally posted by Josuah
I don't know what a "British sound" is, but I do think the Monitor Audio Silver speakers are warmer than neutral.

I am amazed because I have heard the MA Silvers described as bright, neutral, and laid back. Most people usually associate a speaker with the same or similar characteristics. What does that say about the MAs? I think the Silvers offer much in the way of performance for the price.

It is a little bit difficult to see but here is a review that shows the measurements of the S6.
www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/loudspeakers/monitor-audio-silver-6s.html

I am a little surprised that MA discontinued the S2 and S10. They both seem to get alot of high praise.

Originally posted by TNTguy
I am amazed because I have heard the MA Silvers described as bright, neutral, and laid back. Most people usually associate a speaker with the same or similar characteristics. What does that say about the MAs? I think the Silvers offer much in the way of performance for the price.


Basically they're revealing either upstream componentry or the source. They are that resolving and neutral. In some ways I preferred the S6 to my current Veritas or OB1s. They are really a wonderful speaker for the money and far better than they should be.

Originally posted by Soundstage
They are really a wonderful speaker for the money and far better than they should be.

Isn't that a good thing, to get more product than you paid for? :p

Anyone know how they compare to the Ascends?

Originally posted by ChrisCollins
Redskin,

That is exactly the speaker I am looking for.
Do you find the speaker veiled at all or having a "british sound" to it. I have read many reviews saying they are a little laid back which it sounds like you dont find
Your description sounds just what I like

Chris,

Just as others have said here, I wouldn't worry about it being too laid back. They are really detailed, but you need to listen for yourself. If you love the sound of Klipsch, these probably will sound a little laid back. Also, be careful when you read the reviews (I know that I read everyone that I can get my hands on). Here is an example. Stereophile has a review of the S2 which is for the most part very positive. There is one line that says "Over the Monitor Audios I kept going for a drier mix, with more of the cardioid feed apparent, than I did with the Dynaudio Confidence C4s I reviewed back in March. What sounded right on the S2s lacked enough envelopment over the more neutrally balanced Dynaudios " I am not sure what a cardoid feed even is, nor do I care to :D , and from that statement I am not sure which speaker has the advantage, but here is the point. The Confidence C4's are $16,000 a pair towers :rolleyes: . C'mon now, why even make that comparison.

Bottom line, go listen. I think everyone is looking for not too bright, and not too laid back. What speaker delivers that to your ears should be the one you go with. Besides, auditioning is fun. In some ways I am sad the search is over. Oh well, maybe it is on to a subwoofer upgrade.

Greg

Originally posted by TNTguy

I am a little surprised that MA discontinued the S2 and S10. They both seem to get alot of high praise.

I am pretty sure the only reason they did not continue the S2 and S10 is economies of scale. These were the only two speakers in the line that had 7" drivers in them. By eliminating them, Every speaker has the same 1" tweeter and 6" drivers in different forms. It kinda sucks, but a reality in the business world. That was part of my thought process with going with the S2 over waiting for the RS1. I liked the sound of the larger bookshelf over the S1. Who knows, maybe the RS1 will sound even better than the S2, but I liked what I heard, and am happy with my decision.

Greg

Yeah, Monitor Audio's Silver line is a great value. Perhaps they have stopped the S2 and S10 products because they are planning on refreshing the line soon.

MA has already announced the speakers in their RS lineup, so if there is a 7" driver coming, it will be in another form.

The Gold reference series is undergoing a change next year I believe.

I really doubt the current S and RS sound that much different. I personally have not heard the RS but everyone in MA says they sound very close. MA seems to change their sound little from speaker to speaker.

Oh and about the cardoid. That is the main artery from the heart that goes to the brain. :D

Hey Redskin
Since you and I are both considering the MA SFX or Axiom QS8 surrounds I thought I'd let you know that my dealer has a pair of the MA SFX surrounds he's going to let me borrow for a weekend. I figure I'll order some Axiom QS8 surrounds too and see how the two compare.

I am a little surprised that MA discontinued the S2 and S10. They both seem to get alot of high praise.

Me too my S10 are just incredible speakers.

Legairre

Legairre,

That would be great. With the RS line coming out, I know we would be able to get the SFX at comparable, if not better pricing than the QS8. I would be curious to see if the QS8 timbre matches the Monitors. I believe the SFX might have deeper extension, so if you could also see if that makes a difference. Very cool.

Thanks
Greg

Has anyone paired thier MA silvers with an Arcam reciever? Originally I looked at the usual Denon, HK and Marantz but Arcam seems to get glowing reviews. Is 70-wpc enough to drive an RS6, RS1, and RS center?

Originally posted by TNTguy
I am amazed because I have heard the MA Silvers described as bright, neutral, and laid back.

s6's very bright, but s8's neutral to laid back. I think that the extra woofer takes the midrange over.

I've never heard the s6, but I did get to audition the s10 against the Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 side by side with teh same gear. To my ears the Paradigm was neutral while the s10 was very detailed by comparison, but some of you may call this bright. Too me bright means "ouch" while detailed or foward means the highs are extended without beign fatiguing and I can listen at high volumes without getting that headache I've gotten after listening to some speakers. I now own the s10 and find them to be very detailed, but never fatiguing.

The s10 has two 7" woofers and one 6" mid-range and is the big brother to the s8, but to my ears it's not a neutral or laid back speaker. If anything I'd say it's foward/detailed because voices(especially female), piano, guitars solos, aucoustic guitar all seem to extend beyond the rest of the instruments almost like they are close to me than the other instruments. The s10 seems to emphisis the higher frequencies without being painful.


So is the s6 an "ouch"?

So is the s6 an "ouch"?

to me the s6's are ouch on every receiver Ive tried them on (denon, yamaha, pioneer) except for the arcam avr300. Then they were *slightly* ouch...

I know I am supposed to post this question in the sub area, but I have had no luck there. What sub do those of you that have the silver line have paired with it? Does any of you have any experience with the RS W12 from Monitor Audio?

Also, how do you like the matching surrounds, the RS fx?

Thank you

I've never heard the s6, but I did get to audition the s10 against the Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 side by side with teh same gear. To my ears the Paradigm was neutral while the s10 was very detailed by comparison, but some of you may call this bright. Too me bright means "ouch" while detailed or foward means the highs are extended without beign fatiguing and I can listen at high volumes without getting that headache I've gotten after listening to some speakers. I now own the s10 and find them to be very detailed, but never fatiguing.

The s10 has two 7" woofers and one 6" mid-range and is the big brother to the s8, but to my ears it's not a neutral or laid back speaker. If anything I'd say it's foward/detailed because voices(especially female), piano, guitars solos, aucoustic guitar all seem to extend beyond the rest of the instruments almost like they are close to me than the other instruments. The s10 seems to emphisis the higher frequencies without being painful.


So is the s6 an "ouch"?

Have you listened to the s8's and if so, what is the sound difference between them and the s10's that you own? I can get a brand new pair of s8's for 1100. I dunno if that is a good deal, but I am really considering it. The way you described the s10, that is EXACTLY what I want in a speaker. So I am hoping the S8 will sound similar.

iviustang50h,
As for the s8 vs. s10 I've heard both speakers and I went with the s10 for the added bass and because my room is a medium size room. The s10 has the same detail, and clarity as the s8, but the s10 just has more bass. My s10 are 36" from the back wall and 13" from the sides and the ears to speaker distance is 12'6" in a 13x24 room. With my room size and seating distance the s10 is a great speaker that after listening to music makes you just smile and say "man that sounds nice". TNTGuy has the s8 and I've had several conversations with him and he has the same feeling after listening sessions with the s8 so maybe he will add his comments on the s8. In a smaller room I think the s10 bass could be overwhelming (not boomy just overwhelming). On bass heavy music the bungs come in handy and tone down the bass, but for most music I leave the bungs on the shelf. I would say it depends on room size, seating distance and how much bass you want. To my ears the s8 and s10 have the same tight punchy bass, clean mids, and crisp highs. The s10 is a very powerfull speaker that seems to handle anything I throw at it even at insane levels without breaking up. I like having the extra bass for most music, but for other types of music that have lots of bass I just add the bungs.

Just for reference the speaker that was the runner up in my demos was the Paradigm Studio 100 v3, which is a great speaker in it's own right. Both had strong, punchy bass with a sweet midrange, except the s10 had more detail and clarity. I really did have a tought time deciding between the two, because I had heard the 100 a couple of time before and had my heart set on them, but s10 just won me over.

I also really liked the Paradigm 100's v3 but I think the S8's will win me over as the 10's did to you. The dealer also has a pair of Monitor Gold Reference 20's in the show room. NICE!! I can't afford them, but may be able to talk the price of the floor models down to 2K. Either way, I can't wait to give them a listen. I have an appointment for tomorrow at 5PM. Hopefully I will love them.

As Legairre mentioned, the S8s and S10s are very similar speakers with the 10s having the 7" bass drivers instead of the 6" drivers on the 8s. Alot of it depends on room size and distance to the listening area. I have a 15x15x15 room and sit about 8' from the speakers. So I figured the S10s might be a bit overkill for me. In a smaller room I would go for the 8s. $1100/pair for the S8s is an excellent price. Most dealers will offer between $1150-1250 so anything under that is very good. Of course now that the classic Silvers are on the way out, you might try to get him to go down further.

I own the SVS PB12-ISD and love it. MA makes good subs, but typically SVS or HSU will give you a bit better bang for the buck. But the MA subs are quality subs just more expensive.

I have found my S8s to give very good balance. You get detailed highs and excellent clarity without being fatiguing but you also get a fairly forward midrange which is excellent for HT.

My room is small so I think it will be better suited for the S8's.

Have any of you heard the Gold Reference 20's? He is going to set them up side by side for me to listen to. Is there a huge difference in sound?

I auditioned the S6's, S8's, GR20's and GR60's about 2 yrs ago. I found there to be a fairly audible difference with each speaker with an improvement as you went up the line. I felt you got a fuller, richer sound with each step up. I ended up going with the GR60's and have been very pleased with the decision. I think the whole line is great.
Good luck.

Have any of you heard the Gold Reference 20's? He is going to set them up side by side for me to listen to. Is there a huge difference in sound?
Sorry I haven't heard the 20s:( . When speaker shopping my budget was a max of $2000 out the door and the Ref 20s even with a discount were about $300 - $400 over my max. I have one A/V rule that I always follow. Never demo something that's out of my price range. Otherwise I'll probably buy it and spend more than I intended to :D .

If your room is small I agree that the s8 would be a better choice.

I auditioned the S6's, S8's, GR20's and GR60's about 2 yrs ago. I found there to be a fairly audible difference with each speaker with an improvement as you went up the line. I felt you got a fuller, richer sound with each step up. I ended up going with the GR60's and have been very pleased with the decision. I think the whole line is great.
Good luck.


Thank you gillcup for your input. I would obviously love to purchase the GR20's but I want to maintain a 2K price limit. I can get them for that or less on audiogon, but have an appointment to hear them first. I will notify my dealer of the price on audiogon and ask him to match or come within 100 bucks (makes up for the difference for shipping). If I like them, I will just order them from audiogon if the dealer plays hardball.

Sorry I haven't heard the 20s . When speaker shopping my budget was a max of $2000 out the door and the Ref 20s even with a discount were about $300 - $400 over my max. I have one A/V rule that I always follow. Never demo something that's out of my price range. Otherwise I'll probably buy it and spend more than I intended to .

If your room is small I agree that the s8 would be a better choice.

I agree with your room of thumb, but like I said above, I should be able to get the GR20's for 2K from my dealer or from audiogon (both showroom demo models). Otherwise I am sure I will love the S8. If I go with the S8 I was thinking of picking up the center and rears right away too. Would s2's work well for rears? I can get a new pair for 550. And the SLCR center for 425. Anyway, thanks all for the help. I will keep you posted as to what I think.

I've never heard the s6, but I did get to audition the s10 against the Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 side by side with the same gear. To my ears the Paradigm was neutral while the s10 was very detailed by comparison, but some of you may call this bright. Too me bright means "ouch" while detailed or foward means the highs are extended without beign fatiguing and I can listen at high volumes without getting that headache I've gotten after listening to some speakers. I now own the s10 and find them to be very detailed, but never fatiguing.

I compared the MA S6 vs studio 100 v2 and to my ears on the same gear, the MA's tweeter was a lot smoother than the digms, without any lack in detail. Overall the presentation of both was very different and I preferred MA's. It seemed as if there was better transition between the highs/mid/lows. On the digms, the highs and lows attracted a little bit my attention, like a little emphasis, or separation... On the MA's everything seemed better integraded...
:confused:

If anything, the S6 were less bright than the studio 100. But bright might not be the right term, little less metallic/sibilant.... Maybe more refined... less harsh

I compared the MA S6 vs studio 100 v2 and to my ears on the same gear, the MA's tweeter was a lot smoother than the digms, without any lack in detail. Overall the presentation of both was very different and I preferred MA's. It seemed as if there was better transition between the highs/mid/lows. On the digms, the highs and lows attracted a little bit my attention, like a little emphasis, or separation... On the MA's everything seemed better integraded...
:confused:

If anything, the S6 were less bright than the studio 100. But bright might not be the right term, little less metallic/sibilant.... Maybe more refined... less harsh

Excellent. I heard the s8 (brand new and not broken in) and the GR20. I liked the GR20's better, but the s8 sounded nice for having no break in. My dealer will give me the GR20 floor model for 2K. Nice deal. I still dunno if I should just buy the S8, SLCR center, and the S2's for the rear. I can get all those brand new for 2k as well. I have a velodyne cht-12 sub which I will eventually swap out for something nicer. I think I will be happy with the s8, but definitely a noticable difference in sound between the silver and gold series. What would you guys do?

I still dunno if I should just buy the S8, SLCR center, and the S2's for the rear.

Is there an advantage in getting S2 over SFX surrounds for rears?

I think I will be happy with the s8, but definitely a noticable difference in sound between the silver and gold series. What would you guys do?
Thanks for the update. I'm prejudiced since I own golds. One thing to consider; if you listen to a lot of 2-channel material I think it's important to have the best front mains you can afford. My fronts are the real workhorse in my 5.1 set-up, so having good quality has been very important.
Have fun making your decision.

I agree with your room of thumb, but like I said above, I should be able to get the GR20's for 2K from my dealer or from audiogon (both showroom demo models). Otherwise I am sure I will love the S8. If I go with the S8 I was thinking of picking up the center and rears right away too. Would s2's work well for rears? I can get a new pair for 550. And the SLCR center for 425. Anyway, thanks all for the help. I will keep you posted as to what I think.

Man thats a tough choice to have to make. The HT part of me says get the S8, SLCR and I would go for the SFX over the S2 for my surrounds in a 5.1 setup. In 7.1 I'd get the SFX for the sides and the S1 over the S2 because the S1 goes down to 45hz (which should be low enough for a surround) and is 11lbs vs. 15lbs of the S2. Also the S1 is cheaper and has the same 6" woofer as the S8, SLCR and SFX. Having the same exact size woofers and tweeters in all your speakers would probably sound great in HT.

Now the 2 channel part of me agrees with gillcup and says get the GR20s. If you get the 20s will you be getting a 5.1 gold system or just the 20s? If it was me I'd have to ask myself "if I get the 20s how long until I can get the 5.1/7.1 package of golds?". If the answer is something like 1yr then I'd be all over the silver 5.1/7.1 package, because I could always sell them and upgrade later, but if it's just a matter of months then I'd go for the gold.

Legairre

Man thats a tough choice to have to make. The HT part of me says get the S8, SLCR and I would go for the SFX over the S2 for my surrounds in a 5.1 setup. In 7.1 I'd get the SFX for the sides and the S1 over the S2 because the S1 goes down to 45hz (which should be low enough for a surround) and is 11lbs vs. 15lbs of the S2. Also the S1 is cheaper and has the same 6" woofer as the S8, SLCR and SFX. Having the same exact size woofers and tweeters in all your speakers would probably sound great in HT.

Now the 2 channel part of me agrees with gillcup and says get the GR20s. If you get the 20s will you be getting a 5.1 gold system or just the 20s? If it was me I'd have to ask myself "if I get the 20s how long until I can get the 5.1/7.1 package of golds?". If the answer is something like 1yr then I'd be all over the silver 5.1/7.1 package, because I could always sell them and upgrade later, but if it's just a matter of months then I'd go for the gold.

Legairre

I mentioned getting the S2's over the SFX because the dealer has them ready and available, unlike the SFX's. I listen to a LOT of 2-channel music, mainly heavy metal. If I get the GR20's it would probably be a year before I had the rest of the system finished (including new pre/pro and amp). After the speakers the wife needs a few things. Then I will get the front end and the center and rears. I would think I would have it all within a year, but you never know what life is gonan throw at you.

Any problem with having the S2's upside down so the tweeter is on the bottem?

Any problem with having the S2's upside down so the tweeter is on the bottem?

Nope. Might actually time align them slightly better just make sure the edge is well off the front of the stand.

Nope. Might actually time align them slightly better just make sure the edge is well off the front of the stand.

So it WOULD be okay to have the S2 as the rears instead of the SFX's?

You seem to know a lot about Monitor Audio. Do you own a pair? What do you think about my quest? Would you go with gold or get the complete HT package using the silvers?

Hi all. My first post here at AVS although I been reading for the past couple weeks.

After reading this post I went to GoodGuys to listen to the Monitor Audio speakers to see what you all were talking about. I absolutely love the way they sounded! I got bit by the upgrade bug... With the Memorial Day sale and the free subwoofer they are giving away with purchase of 5 or more speakers the salesguy was able to juggle the numbers with the sale. I did not need the free subwoofer since I just bought an Outlaw B-Stock so he was able to discount more...

I was about to buy the Silver-S series until he told me he had some of the new Silver-RS series at the wherehouse...WooHoo!

I ended up ordering the following in RS series in black oak:
RS lcr MSRP $599.99 - Sale discount $104.35 - Price paid $495.64
RS 6 MSRP $999.99 - Sale discount $173.91 - Price paid $826.08
RS fx MSRP $699.99 - Sale discount $121.74 - Price paid $578.25

Totat MSRP $2299.97 - Total discount $400.00 - Price paid $1899.97 plus Tax

I can't wait, I get the towers and center on Tuesday and the surrounds will be ordered.

I will be replacing my Polk Monitor 50, Monitor 30, Csi3 and PSW 505.

Does anyone know if the Silver RS series I bought will go good with my current Sony STRDA-5000ES receiver?

Nuz

So it WOULD be okay to have the S2 as the rears instead of the SFX's?

I think it is about preference here. This is assuming you are going 5.1 and have 1 pair of surrounds. How far will you sit from the rears? If you sit a fair distance away from or have high ceilings I think direct radiators work fine in the sweet spot. In that instance the sound will disperse fairly well. At close distances to the speakers or off axis the SFX would probably work better. For multi channel audio many prefer direct radiators. But for movies with the best off axis dispersion dipolar/bipolar is usually the way to go. Just my $.02

Thanks TNTguy!

Congrats Nuz..

Once you get the RSFX surrounds, let me know if you are able to hook it up the wall with the screws provided. I am not sure if I got the wrong batch - the heads of the screws were too big to slot in on the back of the surrounds! I ended up using some spare smaller countersunk screws that I had.

Thanks ashok! I will let you know when I get the surrounds. So far I got the RS6's and RSlcr. Woohoo, I like 'em! The Goodguys store manager even threw in a set on Monster Z2 Bi-Wire's for the three speakers and connectors for half price. The cables are huge, not sure if it was overkill but I think I can tap the electric company with these things...

Nuz

Has anyone compared the RS or the S silver series to the Triangle Titus?

Hmm... Triangle Titus rings a serious bell and I think thats the model of the Triangles I've demo'd some time ago.. But I'm not sure, do you have the URL to their webpage so I can check the model? I assume its not www.trianglespeakers.org/ *scared*

http://www.triangle-fr.com/triangle/gammes-2003/titus-202-gb.htm

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 have read that most tweeters need to be at or around ear level for the best results.
The RS6, and many other floorstanding speakers, would put the tweeter well below ear level in most all seating arrangements, is there any issue with this?

I haven't had any poblems with the placement of the tweeters

Hello guys!!! I see you are all fans of Monitor Audio! Me too!!!

So, I am in trouble!! ;-) A friend of mine has the GR20's, and he sells them for 1000 euros, (~1100 $). The problem is that I own "only" a Marantz SR7400, so I don't know if my Marantz can "drive" them properly.

What's your opinion?

Of course I am about to add a power amp later, but for now (5-6 months from now) I will stay with the SR7400.

What do you think? Is it worth it?

The price is very good, and that's why I am thinking about it!

Pls help..

The GR20 are: Sensitivity 89dB Nominal Impedance (Ohms) 6

Not an easy load per se, but not a ridiculously straining one either, I think you would be fine :)

I see, and I can't hide what I am very happy with your answer!! Thanx!!

Anyone else having the same or different opinion?

Pls help people, it is very important to me, cause the friend who sells the speakers gives them at a very low price to me, and i want to buy these speakers!! It's my chance!!

BUT I don't want to overload the Marantz! I say again, I will buy a descent power amp, but not earlier than 5 or 6 months!! So will my 7400 be able to play with these speakers a little loud without having problems? (my room is 13x11)

Thanx to all!

It will handle it fine.

Lets's hope!!

Can I have two or three more opinions please? People help me!!

Can I have two or three more opinions please? People help me!!

Floyd,

I have the GR 60's and drove them with a Denon 3805 for several months. Your Marantz will handle the 20's just fine. A power amp later will only make it better. I added a Sunfire 200W 5 channel amp a month ago and there is a difference, but mostly at the higher volume levels. By the way the GR 20's are great speakers.

The 7400 has less power output than the 3805 I think, but GR20's are in my opinion less difficult to drive than the GR60's. So, I think it will be ok!!

One more pls!! The last one? Pls!!

Thanks people!!

You've had enough. The 20s are not a difficuld load. Buy them and have fun.

OK!! Then I will do it!!! Wish me good luck!!! I am going to post here my opinion about them when I listen to them in my room!!!

Thanks to all!!

The Monitor Audio silver line is excellent, I used them for over two years with
great enjoyment. The only problem I had, was that I always thought about
upgrading to the Gold series when money allowed. I finally upgraded in the
beginning of the year. Though the Silver series was excellent, I find the Gold
series a completely different listenning experience. I'm finally at a level where
upgrading is no longer a thought. The quality of sound whether music or HT
is simply stunning. I've been into music DVD's lately, and after more than 6 months
still can't believe how real the experience is.
Good luck!

I,ve owned a pair of MA SR 8's now for 2 months.I am very impressed how detailed a sound they produce. The louder you listen to them, the more detailed they become. Many speakers you listen to at high volumes become " muddy". These only become more crisp.We all have CD's/DVD's we use as reference media to bring out the best in our systems.Like to know which one/s you recomend.
For me it's Entheogenic " Enteogenic" and Shpongle " Tales Of The Inexspresable . ( CD's)

I got the RS-8's. I love them... the RS series is close enought to the gold... Ill never switch!

rpgonzalez I have heard that the RS series is very very good, BUT the Golde series is far better.

I would like to listen to other opinions as well..

I auditioned both the golds & silvers fairly extensively and I found the gold to be much better sounding. Nothing wrong with the silvers, but the golds are wonderful. If you can afford it, go for the gold!

I,ve owned a pair of MA SR 8's now for 2 months.I am very impressed how detailed a sound they produce. The louder you listen to them, the more detailed they become. Many speakers you listen to at high volumes become " muddy". These only become more crisp.

I've had my silver S10 for about 5 months and your comments are dead on with my experiences. The louder I turn up the S10 the more crisp and detailed they become, but never harsh. The S10 is a slightly forward sounding speaker that is very well balnced.

Guys which one do you think will play better with a NAD C272?
The Monitor Audio GR20 or the RS8?

I just got the last of my MA Silver RS the other day, and they're mounted & dialed in. Since I wanted Cherry cabinets, the RSFXs and LCR took an extra month to arrive, but the RS6's have been here about 2 months. I agonized over this purchase for a long time, hovering between Paradigms, Axioms, Rockets, Energys, and Mirages. The Gold MAs were noticeably a few notches above the Silver series, but IMHO not enough to justify almost double the price.
I've read about "Snotty English Speakers" for a long time, but now that I've heard these as a complete system, I can honestly say they are a real thrill. Paired with my Denon 3805 and 2910 DVD player, it'll be a long time before I yearn for an upgrade.
The only real difference I could discern between the R and RS lines was cosmetic - the RS cabinets are slightly more rounded on the edges, and the cherry veneer is absolutely flawless. My wife was adament about no more giant black vinyl boxes in the room, and even she thinks these guys are classy in that understated English way.
I decided to go with a Velodyne SPL-1000R sub in cherry, and together, these speakers are one great package.

Sorry to bring this back again but I have a question regarding the RS series.

I own S8's, SLCR, and S1's. My question is how the center channel of the RS line compares to the S line. That is where I can see the only main difference. The old S line had a sealed box where the new RS line is ported.

I appreciate any feedback anyone can give me.

Budd

Sorry to bring this back again but I have a question regarding the RS series.

I own S8's, SLCR, and S1's. My question is how the center channel of the RS line compares to the S line. That is where I can see the only main difference. The old S line had a sealed box where the new RS line is ported.

I appreciate any feedback anyone can give me.

Budd

I'd like to know the awnser as well. I found the Silver S LCR to sound out of place in the S line. Others have said the same but said it sounds better by upping the gain on the center, while others just went and got the Gold Center

Upping the gain does help, but I can still discern a little difference if anything pans from left to right. I was figuring that the ported back should replicate the design of the rest of the line.

I guess the best way for me to find out is to bring my center into a store and compare.

Unless of course someone else here can chime in. ;-)

I found an authorized Monitor Audio dealer in the internet offering discounts on the discontinued silver S speaker line, and I was wondering if $950.00 + shipping is a good price for a pair of brand new Monitor Audio S10

I found an authorized Monitor Audio dealer in the internet offering discounts on the discontinued silver S speaker line, and I was wondering if $950.00 + shipping is a good price for a pair of brand new Monitor Audio S10

My s10 cost me $1560.00 after tax from a local deaker. The s10 list for $1999.00 so 950+shipiing is great. I would think you'd get them delivered for around an extra $100 so thats a fantastic price.

I found an authorized Monitor Audio dealer in the internet
Can you provide a link?
Thanks,

saturdayaudio

They have the S10 listed for $1349 pair in their website, but when I called they quoted me $949 + shipping and I ordered them right away.
I think I got a great deal on these speakers.

Do most of you that have the Silver fronts, either RS or S, have the Silver center or did you upgrade to the Gold center?

I hope to add the center to my system in the next month or so, and am curious which you guys have.

Thanks

While on the topic of MA speakers, AVguide says MA showed an all new gold series at Cedia. http://www.avguide.com/cedia2005/cedia2005_index.html

"Monitor previewed prototypes of its new flagships-the Gold Reference series speakers-- which expand upon industrial design themes set forth in the more affordable Silver RS line. Monitor is famous for its expertise in building exotic metal-alloy drive units, and the Gold Reference series features two signature metal-driver technologies: Monitor's famous gold dome tweeter and the distinctively dimpled RST (rigid surface technology) mid-bass drivers. We're eager to hear these."

Anyone else have any info on there?

Do most of you that have the Silver fronts, either RS or S, have the Silver center or did you upgrade to the Gold center?

I hope to add the center to my system in the next month or so, and am curious which you guys have.

Thanks
I use the Silver S LCR center with my Silver S10 fronts and it works great. My fronts are 9 feet apart and everything sounds very well balanced even when panning from left to right or right to left.

Looking at posts on the MA silver series, a number of people have said there seems to be almost no difference in sound quality between the S and RS series, but I notice on the spec sheets the S6 is lighter than the RS6 (like 26 lbs vs 40 lbs). Can anyone confirm that? Seems it would make a difference? Also, interested in comaprision between the S (or RS) 6 and 8. Is the 8 worth the extra money? Thanks

I found an authorized Monitor Audio dealer in the internet offering discounts on the discontinued silver S speaker line, and I was wondering if $950.00 + shipping is a good price for a pair of brand new Monitor Audio S10

Not sure if you got lucky or if they increased the price. I just got off the phone with them and the price was $1300+shipping.

Not sure if you got lucky or if they increased the price. I just got off the phone with them and the price was $1300+shipping.

I received my silver S10 speakers today, they are beautiful,that warm beech veneer finish looks great. I connected the speakers to my Vectuer I-4 integrated amplifier (80 watts per channel into 8 ohms) and played some Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Buena Vista Social Club. All sounded great, I am in love with these speakers. I was worried my 80 watts amp could not drive these speakers properly, but I was wrong, 80 watts of clean power and high current is enough.

sprtfan

If they gave you a price of $1300 they either increased the price or they made a mistake with my order, just to make sure I checked my credit card online statement to make sure they didn't overcharged me.
They charge me a total of $1039 that is $949 for the speakers and $90 shipping.

Just wondering what speakers all you MA owners auditioned before you decided on the Silvers or Golds?

Just wondering what speakers all you MA owners auditioned before you decided on the Silvers or Golds?

Before purchasing my RS6, I auditioned the PSB Image series, Paradigm Monitor series, Polk RSi and KEF Q series. In the end I preferred the sound, look and imaging that the MA gave me. I can't wait to add to my system to get the full 7.1 system.

Just wondering what speakers all you MA owners auditioned before you decided on the Silvers or Golds?
I auditioned the following:

Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 (I was all set to buy these until I heard the MA Silver S10)
Paradigm Studio 60
Klipsch RF-3
Klipsch RF-7
B&W 604s3
B&W 703
Axiom m80

I auditioned the following:

Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 (I was all set to buy these until I heard the MA Silver S10)
Paradigm Studio 60
Klipsch RF-3
Klipsch RF-7
B&W 604s3
B&W 703
Axiom m80



Legairre,

I was wondering what your thoughts were of the MA's compared to the Paradigms?
I have been reading around many different forums, dont know what the rules are here about mentioning other forums, but I found one where the topic of the MA's came up and I believe the word "crap" was used to describe them. I was shocked having never heard them described that way. They went on to state that the company was a shell of its former self basically. Just wondering how you thought the MA's compared to the Paradigms, which seem to get good reviews most everywhere.

Upping the gain does help, but I can still discern a little difference if anything pans from left to right. I was figuring that the ported back should replicate the design of the rest of the line.

I guess the best way for me to find out is to bring my center into a store and compare.

Unless of course someone else here can chime in. ;-)

I've had the RS 8's along with the RS LCR for a few weeks now and find that the front "soundstage" is seamless. I would imagine that as much as the front speakers should have the same drivers, that "ported" vs. "not ported" would have a similar effect to using different speakers from different manufacturers for your center and mains

I'm using Bronze B1's as surrounds, but am looking forward to upgrading to some RS1's in the near future. My Velodyne SPL 1000 as a sub (never needs upgrading!!) is a great match for the RS's.

A little off topic, but...

BTW, my new pick for music DVD to show off your system to friends and family....

3 Doors Down, Live. There's a new Monster Music DVD out that has an interesting DTS mix that put's you "on stage" with the band. It takes a song or two to get used to, but WOW, it sounds great. This DVD has the highest bit rate I have ever seen. It seems to hover between 8Mbs and 9.5Mbs. The DTS track is 1.5Mbs vs. the DD track which is 448kbs. I assume that this is standard for these formats, but if not, it really does show that the DTS track is superior.

I was on the Monitor Audio website to get some info on the fx surround speakers, but what I am looking for is not available. Can anyone tell me what type of speakers are they, bipole or dipole? Also, those of you that have them, how do you like them?

Thanks

You can configure the fx (I have the bfx) surrounds as either bipole or dipole. Just change the straps on the back of each surround. And I think they sound great with my Silver S8 (mains) and SLCR. I thought the bfx matched up with my S8's as just well as the sfx's after trying both.

Mike

Bipole or dipole, which one sends the sound out the sides of the surround speakers, I always forget?

I demoed the RS1 today briefly and came away impressed. Gone is the midbass bloom that I thought the Silver S2 suffered badly from. Very smooth, extended in the HF without being harsh (I now know that is possible:) ) I thought it was very listenable and engaging. made me want to listen more. Driven by brand spankin' new Arcam separates which the dealer believe may have been responsible for a touch of crispness for they have not been broken in.

I might consider 2 pairs for surround application eventhough I think it is overqualified for such duties.

Kevin12586. Maybe this will help.



Imagine a speaker with drivers on the front and back, placed on a stand in the middle of the room. If you were to play sound through that speaker and walk all the way around it with a SPL meter, you'd discover something interesting: the volume level of the speaker would stay roughly the same all the way around. That's right, even though the drivers are only facing two (opposite) directions, the sound volume remains consistent in a 360 degree radiation pattern. This is a bipole speaker.

Now, with the same speaker, let's take one set of drivers and wire them out of phase (we'll switch the + and - wires so that as one set of drivers are pushing outward the other set of drivers are pulling inward). This is a dipole speaker. When you walk around the speaker with your SPL meter, you'll now notice that the sound volume changes dramatically. Whenever your are on axis to (i.e., directly facing) either set of drivers, the volume is loud. As you start going off axis, the sound starts to drop off. When you're right in between both sets of drivers (exactly at the speaker's side), it will be really quiet. As you continue walking towards the opposite set of drivers, the volume level starts getting louder again. These quiet zones (at either side of the speaker) are the speaker's nulls.

If you want to simulate the difuse sound of an array of surround speakers, like you hear at a movie theatre, you can place a dipole speaker on the wall directly to either side of your couch. With the drivers facing forward and backward, the speakers' nulls will be pointing at the couch. This means that all the listeners will be sitting in the null of each speaker. As long as everyone is sitting in one row, all the listeners are covered by the null (pretty convenient). Sitting in the null means you'll get very little of the direct sound from the speakers (you're in their quiet zone after all). The majority of the speakers' sound will spray along the walls, so most of what the listeners hear will be reflected sound. Each of the side speakers themselves won't be localizable; you'll just hear a large, diffuse left wall-of-sound vs a right wall-of-sound (i,e., you still get the L-vs-R stereo effect in the surround field, but very diffuse). This is similar to what you'd hear in a movie theatre, if that's your goal. Personally, I'd use the centre of the layout (middle of the love seat) as the sweet spot for my calibration point. This way, both seats are roughly equal. However, if you always sit on the left cushion (whether you're with your wife or listening alone), then use the left cushion as the calibration sweet spot. That would be the best solution. Move the love seat so that the left cushion is in the sweet spot rather than off-centre.

Best,
Sanjay

Kevin12586. Maybe this will help.

Thanks for that Mike, that does help out a lot. Since the fx can be either one, I will wait until I get them and try it both ways to see which works best, but I believe that Dipole will work best for my situation.

Those of you that have the fx as side surrounds in a 7.1 set-up, do you prefer to have it set as dipole or bipole?

How do the Radius series sound compared to the Silver series? I want to use a Radius center channel for my fireplace mount plasma.

How do the Radius series sound compared to the Silver series? I want to use a Radius center channel for my fireplace mount plasma.

Which model?

Go with the 225 as opposed to the 180 if you must use the radius

I found the radius and silver to have a very different sound IMO

Thanks for the reply. What center channel (in compact form factor) would be the closest match for the Silver 8s?

It's going to be very tough to place a honkin' center channel like the LCR series.

Hi Kevin12586,

Have you tried to Bi-Amping your MAs? If you were, would there a difference?

Hi Kevin12586,

Have you tried to Bi-Amping your MAs? If you were, would there a difference?
No I haven't, what are the advantages and disadvantages of bi-amping?

Looking at posts on the MA silver series, a number of people have said there seems to be almost no difference in sound quality between the S and RS series, but I notice on the spec sheets the S6 is lighter than the RS6 (like 26 lbs vs 40 lbs). Can anyone confirm that? Seems it would make a difference? Also, interested in comaprision between the S (or RS) 6 and 8. Is the 8 worth the extra money? Thanks


Depends on the sound that you like. The 8's are fuller and have more extension. The 6's are also good, but lack a little in the lower end. If you listen to a little music and will mainly be using them for HT then go for the 6's since you will more than likely be utilizing a sub. If you enjoy alot of 2 channel music as well as HT then go for the 8's. That is the descision I made since I like to listen to alot of 2 channel music as well as movies, SACD's and DVD-A's. If this is only for HT then just go for the 1's as it really would be the best choice price wise and you will not miss the extension at all with a x-over normally at 80hz or so.

Again, it is all up to your preferences and your budget.

Budd

I've had the RS 8's along with the RS LCR for a few weeks now and find that the front "soundstage" is seamless. I would imagine that as much as the front speakers should have the same drivers, that "ported" vs. "not ported" would have a similar effect to using different speakers from different manufacturers for your center and mains

I'm using Bronze B1's as surrounds, but am looking forward to upgrading to some RS1's in the near future. My Velodyne SPL 1000 as a sub (never needs upgrading!!) is a great match for the RS's.

A little off topic, but...

BTW, my new pick for music DVD to show off your system to friends and family....

3 Doors Down, Live. There's a new Monster Music DVD out that has an interesting DTS mix that put's you "on stage" with the band. It takes a song or two to get used to, but WOW, it sounds great. This DVD has the highest bit rate I have ever seen. It seems to hover between 8Mbs and 9.5Mbs. The DTS track is 1.5Mbs vs. the DD track which is 448kbs. I assume that this is standard for these formats, but if not, it really does show that the DTS track is superior.


Thanks for the reply. I figured that could be the main difference between the two lines. Everyone is saying how similar they sound...I may try and pick up a new RS LCR and use that as my center. Normally I do not notice the difference using the S LCR, and it is only if I am being critical of my set-up. Otherwise I could not be happier.

Thanks again for the reply,
Budd

Hi Kevin12586,

Bi-amping for better crossover performance on your speakers. It separates high & low frequencies to Hi & Low terminals in the back of your RS6 and RS LCR.

That is what they said. I'm wondering if any of the Silver Series owners has tried it yet.

Thanks.

Hi Kevin12586,

Bi-amping for better crossover performance on your speakers. It separates high & low frequencies to Hi & Low terminals in the back of your RS6 and RS LCR.

That is what they said. I'm wondering if any of the Silver Series owners has tried it yet.

Thanks.

Have you noticed a difference between bi-amping and not?

I did try. However, it turned out that all low frequencies were sent to LF woofers of RS6 instead sending them to the Subwoofer. The net effect of these are not attractive because now low bass is identifiable or appears localize comparing with low bass coming out of subwoofer which is not identifiable and more punchy as well when not bi-amping.

I am not sure if other people have the same result or I did not do it right.
Thx.

Just picked up a pair of MA S8's at Good Guys for $700 brand new in box. They also had RS8's for more money but opted for the S8's. I couldn't really hear a difference in sound although they did look somewhat different. Has anyone else heard the RS8 vs S8 and if so what was your observation?

I have the S10 and had a chance to listen to the RS8 and S8 and the RS8 and S8 sounded they same to me too. Even my dealer agreed they sounded the same.

The new issue of Home theater Magazine has a complete RS speaker setup on the cover consisting of the RS6, RS LCR RS FX and RS w12 sub. I haven't read the review yet though.

The new issue of Home theater Magazine has a complete RS speaker setup on the cover consisting of the RS6, RS LCR RS FX and RS w12 sub. I haven't read the review yet though.

I just read the review the other day. It was very nice, and I believe they rated the system an overall "95".

The new issue of Home theater Magazine has a complete RS speaker setup on the cover consisting of the RS6, RS LCR RS FX and RS w12 sub. I haven't read the review yet though.

I just read the review the other day. It was very nice, and I believe they rated the system overall a "95".

I also picked up some Monitors at GoodGuys a couple of weeks ago (only got 20% off) but wanted a matching set of RS's across the front. Got the RS LCR and the RS8's in Walnut (beautiful finish) I'm glad I picked them up when I did, because they're all gone now at the 4 GoodGuys in my area.

In making a final decision though, I did listen to the RS8's, the Silver 8's and the Silver 10's. They did sound the same to me in the GG's listening room. I really didn't need a speaker the size of the 10's and definitely liked the look of the RS's over the regular Silver's. I've got some Bronze B1's that I'm using for surrounds, but will be wanting to upgrade to the RS1's as soon as I can find some in Walnut.

My prior center channel was a Monitor Audio Bronze and I can't believe how much better my system sounds with a larger center that has a much wider dynamic range. I'm also using a Velodyne SPL-1000 with a Yamaha rxv3300 receiver. The RS8's are much easier for the Yamaha to drive than my old main's (a/d/s L990's).

I also picked up some Monitors at GoodGuys a couple of weeks ago (only got 20% off) but wanted a matching set of RS's across the front. Got the RS LCR and the RS8's in Walnut (beautiful finish) I'm glad I picked them up when I did, because they're all gone now at the 4 GoodGuys in my area.

In making a final decision though, I did listen to the RS8's, the Silver 8's and the Silver 10's. They did sound the same to me in the GG's listening room. I really didn't need a speaker the size of the 10's and definitely liked the look of the RS's over the regular Silver's. I've got some Bronze B1's that I'm using for surrounds, but will be wanting to upgrade to the RS1's as soon as I can find some in Walnut.

My prior center channel was a Monitor Audio Bronze and I can't believe how much better my system sounds with a larger center that has a much wider dynamic range. I'm also using a Velodyne SPL-1000 with a Yamaha rxv3300 receiver. The RS8's are much easier for the Yamaha to drive than my old main's (a/d/s L990's).


Ive been looking for the walnut RS at GG and havent been able to find any other than an LCR with a bunch of chips out of it which the wife quicly vetoed. Any pics?

The new issue of Home theater Magazine has a complete RS speaker setup on the cover consisting of the RS6, RS LCR RS FX and RS w12 sub. I haven't read the review yet though.

I can't wait until it comes in the mail

Every review in HT mag gets a 95. Read it for fun cuz the advice here is worth more to me than that rag. I haven't read it but I could probably tell you how it's going to read.

It'll start with how well received the S series were (a "97" if i remeber correctly) and how hard it must be for MA to top that. Blah blah Blah. Then he will review DVDs and he'll tell you how enveloping the system is and how realistic rain sounds. Bullet will have a piercing quality to it as if it was hitting you and it's a testament to how good the tweeter is and it's lack of coloration. More blah. It end off with how MA was able to improve on the S series and how amazing afforable gear can sound these days. Very highly recommended.

Are you sure you don't write for HT mag?

Good one Bing!

Only the guest writers like Steve Guttenburg seem to be any good on the HT staff.

I am a long time MA fan with the original MA Silver 5i setup. I need to update, but am reluctant to buy MA again. Anyone else moved from older Silver? If so what did you like?

I am in the process of completing (upgrading) my 7.1 system and I currently run MA S10, SLCR and S1 for rear surround. I am fighting whether to go with the SFX for the side surrounds or get another pair of S1's. I use my system for HT, but also listen to alot of multi channel recordings (SACD and DVD-A).

If anyone needs to know my system and/or room configuration, it is:
Outlaw Audio 990 Pre/Pro
Outlaw Audio 770 Primary Amp
Adcom GFA6000 Secondary Amp
Marantz DV6400 DVD Player
Monster HTS5100 Power Conditioner
Yamaha EQ70 Equalizer

Room size: 14' X 16'

I would sincerely appreciate comments from the forum.

Thanks!!!

Just wondering what speakers all you MA owners auditioned before you decided on the Silvers or Golds?

I just installed my RS6s about an hour ago and am listening to them now as I write this. I'm quite happy. I am using them for just 2-channel music, no sub and they sound great. I auditioned:

Vienna Acoustics Bach Grand
Linn (can't remember model, around $1800 a pair though)
Definitive Technologies
Sonus Faber Concertino Domus
M&K 750THX Select (w/ Sub)

While the Vienna Acoustics sounded a tiny bit better and was still in my range it didn't sound anywhere near $900 better. The Definitive stuff was nice because of the sub but suffered a very muddy sound upon closer inspection. This Sonus' were weak on bass and we crazy expensive to boot. M&K I've always liked but I really didn't want the sub. Linn was moderately impressive but couldn't counter the price advantage of the Monitors.

Hope this helps.

Grom

Congrats grommond!

I'm interested in the Gold GR20s or RS8s.

So read this whole thread but I didn't find any reference regarding the country where Monitor Audio speakers are currently being manufactured :confused:

Well since you asked:

Monitor Audio has been in the business of designing speakers in Cambridge, England since 1972. It was founded by Mo Iqbal who designed all their products up until about 5 or 6 years ago when the company was bought out by Dave Collins and some other interests. Collins brought in a new designer, Dean Hartley, the founder and designer of Keswick Audio. Dean introduced Silver series, Bronze series and the Gold Reference series, which replaced Studio series.

In June, 2000, Monitor Audio consolidated manufacturing into a single large facility in Rayleigh, England from three separate ones in Cambridge. The three factories had been split between driver manufacture, cabinet making, and assembly functions and now all manufacturing is done in the Rayleigh facility.


Sorry, but you did ask :D

Legairre,

Thanks for your response.

In fact I knew MA was en english company, but until very recently I auditioned the GR60 and the RS-8 and they really took me by surprise.

They sound great! In fact both models sound much better than my B&W 604s and I have no worries to state they sound even better than the B&W 703s :eek:

So I was wondering if MA was amongst the companies that have moved its manufacturing facilities to Asia.

I mean, they're too good for the price ;)

Anytime Jorge they truely are amazing speakers. I auditioned the 604 S3 too before buying the silver s10. It wasn't even close. I also auditioned the 703 and to me the s10 was the better sounding speaker too. It's great the MA speakers are still made in England, but I have no idea how they do it at these prices?????

Checkout the review of the RS8 review in Absolute Sound - comments by both the reviewers were not flattering. One of them panned it from the get go!

Drhack;

Thanks for the info. I read the review but I'm still thinking the RS-8 is a terrific speakers for the price. Of course there are better sounding speakers, but not at 1,495 bucks.

And the GR60s sounded even better to my ears ;)

I must say I usually do not trust reviewers, particularly TAS and Stereophile reviewers. Nevertheless, I think Chris Martens did a decent job this time.

But Salli Reynolds comments make me wonder if she actually auditioned the RS8..... :rolleyes:

Jorge,

How do the GR60s compare to the RS in the highs? The usual MA rap is that they are bright, I enjoy this on some recordings, but on others it does seem excessively so (eg. many tracks on Kill Bill Vol 1).

I could not figure out what they meant by "under-damped" bass - do they mean "loose" and not tight?

I have a pair of MA Silver S2's now, and while they are overall a pretty nice speaker, I find the mid's too recessed. I have a few more speakers to listen to, but I have pretty much narrowed down my next pair.
Love their finish though!

Jorge,

How do the GR60s compare to the RS in the highs? The usual MA rap is that they are bright, I enjoy this on some recordings, but on others it does seem excessively so (eg. many tracks on Kill Bill Vol 1).

I could not figure out what they meant by "under-damped" bass - do they mean "loose" and not tight?

Yes, I think under-damped bass is referring to boomy bass, not very tight, not very accurate and /or controlled bass.

But IMO this specific characteristic depends mainly on the amplifier, not the speaker itself.

Regarding the GR60, it seems to me it is not bright at all. The highs are pretty similar to the RS8, but the GR60 definitely has a much better middle range. In fact I think its sound is somewhat laid back :cool:

As usual, the only way to assess if a speaker will fulfill our tastes and expectations is a thorough auditioning session ;)

Jorge,

Did you audition GR60 for music only or HT as well? How does the Gold LCR compare to the Silver LCR? I currently run MA 5i, SLCR and SFX and looking to upgrade soon - so I want to know how the Gold would sound.

I will audition the Gold in a week or so. So far I tried the Revel Concerta - good but I wasnt blown away. I am close to Wisconsin, so I am planning to drive to ACI for an audition.

-Chak

I just picked up a pair of MA Gold GR 20's from GG,open box.Having the RS 8's for some time now,loving there sound,I couldn't pass up the Golds.It's hard for me to imagine anything sounding better than the RS 8's, but they do. I've now moved my RS 8's to Surround and the RS 1's to Back Surr.
The louder you play them,the better they get. They seem to like,and absorb lots of power.They are power hungry.I had purchased a HK 635 for the RS 8's,but after a time decided to move up in watts per channel.I purchassed a 150 W/ per Channel Amp (X 5). I feel them still wanting more.
.
I believe tommarow GG will officialy shut there doors for good. All ( there's not much)inventory will be sold at 90% of MSRP. There was still a few ( ?) MA's left yesterday. RS 1's, Bronze and Radius speakers.A few JM Labs,Klisph and Energy. Mostly open box ..( Bakersfield Store)
It seems everybody wants the K Mart speakers,while the higher end stuff they sell just sits.

Jorge,

Did you audition GR60 for music only or HT as well? How does the Gold LCR compare to the Silver LCR? I currently run MA 5i, SLCR and SFX and looking to upgrade soon - so I want to know how the Gold would sound.

I will audition the Gold in a week or so. So far I tried the Revel Concerta - good but I wasnt blown away. I am close to Wisconsin, so I am planning to drive to ACI for an audition.

-Chak

Drhack,

I auditioned those MAs only in stereo music mode. You know, my current B&W 604s3 are great for HT but I think the RS8 is better for music. The GR60 will make a terrific pair for music auditions :cool:

I didn't auditioned centers nor the stand sized models, BTW :(

So IMO you'd better audition the whole GR series before any decision ;)

Good luck! :)

I just picked up a pair of MA Gold GR 20's from GG,open box.Having the RS 8's for some time now,loving there sound,I couldn't pass up the Golds.It's hard for me to imagine anything sounding better than the RS 8's, but they do. I've now moved my RS 8's to Surround and the RS 1's to Back Surr.


BMO,

Nice move!

What center are you using now?

The louder you play them,the better they get. They seem to like,and absorb lots of power.They are power hungry.I had purchased a HK 635 for the RS 8's,but after a time decided to move up in watts per channel.I purchassed a 150 W/ per Channel Amp (X 5). I feel them still wanting more.


I completely agree with this. I have the silver s10 and the louder you play then they tighter the bass, & clearer midrange andd highes. I power them with a Rotel RMB-1095 amp (200x5) and they just love the power. In testing the Rotel made 250x5 so it powers them with ease. MA are great speakers and they excel with lots of power.

I once hooked them up to my old Denon 3300 receiver(105x5) that in testing made 85x5 and the s10 and the bass was very muddy and the mid range was recessed. I can't speak for the S8 or RS8, but the s10 loves power to sound it's best. The right amplification makes a world of difference.

Jorge,

How does the Gold LCR compare to the Silver LCR?
-Chak

I felt the Gold LCR was much better than the Silver LCR IMO. I have not heard the new RS LCR which is ported vs the sealed silver LCR.

Legairee,I have the Silver RS center..
And yes, I beleive it was a good move. I'd had rather waited a day or two, but I just couldn't.

I finally pulled the trigger! :D

I've just bought a new speaker's set consisting of a pair of Gold GR60s, the Gold LCR and a pair if Silver SR8s :)

Tomorrow I'll have a confirmation from my dealer regarding a piano gloss black finish for the Gold speakers :eek:

This finish is a little more expensive, but is is well worth the extra bucks :cool:

Congrats Jorge! What are you planning to drive them with?

I recently saw a post about the new Gold series from MA - couldnt find them on the website.

Drhack,

Thanks a lot.

I currently own two Rotel power amps. The RB-1080 (200x2) and the RMB-1075 (125x5).

I think I'll keep the 1075 but I'm planning to replace my 1080. The Pass Labs X150.5 is the candidate :cool:

BTW I think this is the thread you're looking for: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611912&highlight=Monitor+Audio+Gold

Good luck

Has anyone demoed the RS8's v the kef iq9's?

Any thoughts/opinions?

Also RS8's v GR20's as now I can pick these two up for the same price?

cheers

Anyone? :)

Anyone? :)

Id pick the GR20's over the RS8 especially for the same price. Care to PM me where? ;)

Here......... Sorry its the UK though so I don't know that it would be any good for you.

Whoops.... the link would help :rolleyes:

http://www.audiot.co.uk/html/listings/index.php

I have both the GR-20's and RS 8's.The GR-20's are my main front speakers.I use the RS 8's as surround.As both speaker models sound fantastic,the Golds sound a bit better IMO.

I'm demoing the RS8's v Kef iq9's tomorrow with the Denon 3806 and the Arcam AVR300 (wanted the 4306 but they have not got one in the shop).

I'll be demoing with the RS center / Kef iq6c and due to the layout of my lounge will be using the Dipole rears in both makes. Reading up I see that the RS's can be wired for Dipole or Bi pole. What is the difference between these two modes?

cheers

I'm demoing the RS8's v Kef iq9's tomorrow with the Denon 3806 and the Arcam AVR300 (wanted the 4306 but they have not got one in the shop).

I'll be demoing with the RS center / Kef iq6c and due to the layout of my lounge will be using the Dipole rears in both makes. Reading up I see that the RS's can be wired for Dipole or Bi pole. What is the difference between these two modes?

cheers

I just got back from my auditioning session. My impressions:

Music

Kef IQ7/9: open and spacious mids and highs with good bass performance (IQ9 understandably somewhat more powerfull then IQ7).
Overall sound is slightly warm which results in instruments slightly melting together. This is most noticable with classical and jazz music.
Rock music seems to suit them better - just awesome what comes out in this case.

RS8: metal used in the speakers provides a very analythical soundstage, very detailed as if you were amongst the performing musicians. For classical and Jazz - TOP!
I found the bass performance, especially at higher volumes, to be slightly better than KEF IQ.
The soundstage with rock music was equally clear and clean, to my ears even somewhat too clear with a touch of brightness which might lead to fatigue, especially in longer listening sessions (at least to my ears).

Film-Surround

The audible differences in stereo suddenly became far less obvious in surround mode (DTS and DD). Both Kef IQ and Monitor Audio RS performed extraordinary well both providing amazing sound stages. Had a really hard time hearing audibmle differences. TOP!

Note
I immediatly noticed that the Monitor Audio RS8 required more power to drive in comparison to the KEF IQ7/9. Both Pioneer VSX AX2 and Denon AX11 required a cranking up of the volume to maintain the same output levels as when the KEF IQ were connected.
Stereo listening was performed in direct mode.

WAF

My wife was present during the listening tests. She prefered the Monitor Audio RS8 for stereo and had no clear winner for surround.
However, from a design point of view, she prefers the looks of the KEF IQ to the Monitor Audio RS8, because of the V shaped body and the more attractive grille.

My conclusion

We have thouroughly enjoyed listening to both KEF IQ7/9 and Monitor Audio RS8.
We are going to use our setup mainly for HT use but of course, stereo listening is not excluded (80/20). WAF is important, but not decisive, so at this point I can only conclude that it will boil down to getting the best bang for the buck, purchasing both setups is no option

Should there be others wanting to share their experience, please do, you might have tested these speakers with different receivers (yamaha, Onkyo?)

PS. Does anyone of you have pictures of the RS8 in video silver?

My conclusion

We have thouroughly enjoyed listening to both KEF IQ7/9 and Monitor Audio RS8.
We are going to use our setup mainly for HT use but of course, stereo listening is not excluded (80/20). WAF is important, but not decisive, so at this point I can only conclude that it will boil down to getting the best bang for the buck, purchasing both setups is no option

Should there be others wanting to share their experience, please do, you might have tested these speakers with different receivers (yamaha, Onkyo?)

PS. Does anyone of you have pictures of the RS8 in video silver?

:)

Have just ordered a full set of Monitor Audio RS speakers in Video Silver!
Expected delivery is end of january.

Need to decide on which receiver I am going to combine this with.
Preference for Yam 1600 and Pio VSX AX2 (in my budget) but good matching is more important!

I would suggest you try the Harman Kardon avr635, you can get it online at a great price, its an excellent receiver I use one in my home theatre with monitor audio silver S12 front speakers and they sound wonderful,harman kardon is a great match for monitor audio speakers.
but if you want to wait a couple of months I recommend the new harman kardon avr740, it will be release in late february or early march but retail price is about 3000 dollars. you can get a avr635 right now for one fifth of that.

I would suggest you try the Harman Kardon avr635, you can get it online at a great price, its an excellent receiver I use one in my home theatre with monitor audio silver S12 front speakers and they sound wonderful,harman kardon is a great match for monitor audio speakers.
but if you want to wait a couple of months I recommend the new harman kardon avr740, it will be release in late february or early march but retail price is about 3000 dollars. you can get a avr635 right now for one fifth of that.

I have heard HK but not in conjunction with MA RS and I have to admit the sound is really admirable.
However, I have read tons of discussions around different issues from which all of the models seem to suffer.
One common: build quality seems to be average and some units seem to suffer from a white noise problem.
The 635 had a major issue when it was first launched - I believe in the mean time this has been resolved with a new firmware.
Reliability is very important to me and after reading a lot of real life experience I am kind of reluctant to go for HK.

Well, after several hours of listening yesterday, I have definitely added MA to the top of my list - and I hadn't even gone out looking to hear them. The day started with the intent to listen to a Klipsch RS35 7.0 system, Def Tech bookshelf configuration (CLR 2000, SM450, BP2X, and SM350), and a Paradigm Mini Monitor system.

My use for my new system is almost 100% HT and I am looking for bookshelves because of the small form factor. I am upgrading from a Mirage 895 / 595 5.0 system, which is actually moving out of the HT and into the TV room.

The first store I went to carried the Paradigms. After listening for about 5 minutes to a mix of movies and music I had to make them stop. My impression: muddy. There seemed to be virtually no distinction in the various sounds, be it dialogue or background sounds. Music was even worse. The soundstage was cramped and again, no separation.

After explaining this to the salesman, he suggested I try a set of Focal Choruses. Wow, what a difference. Very detailed in both HT and music without sounding harsh. To be certain, my wife even commented on the difference and she is by no means a critical listener. I asked for her opinion before I shared mine and surprisingly, she even picked up on the same sounds from the movie that really crystalized the better performance of the Choruses over the Paradigms.

At that point we left with the Focal's clearly in the lead and went onto dealer #2 for the Klipsch and Def Tech audition. This dealer has been around for over 30 years where I live and I cannot see how he stays in business. This has got to be the worst auditioning location for HT gear I have ever seen. Unfortunately, he is the only dealer for these products within 60 miles. Nothing againt the guy personally, he was very helpful (as you will read), but his shop really needs some work.

The Klipsch's were first. I couldn't really pinpoint anything that I didn't like about the Klipsch series, but I did not feel involved during the audition. My impression was very ho-hum, could take them or leave them.

Next came the Definitive Technology audition. Unfortunately, he did not carry any of the models I wanted to listen to as the only bookshelves he had were their HT series, so I auditioned some floorstanders with the center and BP1.2Xs, both of which were a model below what I was looking for. With that in mind, for all of their hype, my impression was less than favorable. The Def Tech's sounded very hollow and lacking in detail. Before anyone says, that's because they are bi-polar, keep in mind I am currently using Mirage bi-polars, that do not leave the same impression.

It was time to leave and I mentioned I wanted to try some B&Ws before making a decision, at which point the salesman said "have you considered Monitor Audio?". I told him I had heard of them, but never really looked into them. Now, I fully understood that he was trying to up-sell to a degree as the MAs are a bit more than the Klipschs, but only slightly more than the Def Techs, but I agreed to take a listen. Unfortunately, he only had the RS6s in stock from the silver line, but he did have a full compliments of Bronze's, so I ened up listening to a pair of B4s, a B Centre, and the BFXs (just a 5.0 audition).

After listening for a while, my reaction was similar to the Focal Chorus at the other dealer. I couldn't believe this was the same lousy audtioniong room. The MAs were clear without any harshness at all and the soundstage was full and rich. I couldn't believe the difference and this was only the BRONZE series, which are actually cheaper than the Def Techs and on par with the Klipsch's, but there was no comparison sonically. At this point, I asked him to give me a quote on the Silver bookshelf series, so he came back with about a 12% discount on 2 pair of RS1s, an RS Centre, and a pair of RSFXs. I think he can do much better.

Needless to say, I am narrowed down to the Focal Choruses or the MAs, with the Focals being ahead on price and the MAs being ahead because of the available FX speakers. Sonically, they are both very good and from what I can remember, very close, again realizing I was comparing the Choruses to Bronze MAs.

So, just a couple of questions for the forum. Has anyone been able to directly compare the Bronze and Silver series? Was there a significant difference? What about comparisons to the Choruses? I had been heading down the Axiom path, which I have ready compares favorably to the Silvers, but really, they are not that much difference in price and the MA Silvers are much sexier.

i bought the rs8's, as the second driver served to add some weight to the rs6's, which are nice, but needed some low end. Basically, the bronze series has the same flat frequency response but with a slight bump in the mid range, which was terrible for me because the midrange on the bronze is the worst part. So, the silver line refines the midrange and of course the rs8's give the whole line the low end all of those speakers need. But if you like the focals and the MA's, bottom end is not what you are looking for.

Think about it this way, the silver are a more transparent version of a bronze that colors and boosts the midrange.

Right, for HT use I am not worried about bottom end in the mains as I have a dual 12" SVS sub for LFE. Clear, defined mids and highs are exactly what I am looking for. The silvers sound perfect. I actually found the 2004 Silvers still on sale, so I may go with them if the price is right.

dont forget tho... just to throw a wrench in the whole thing... the most amazing speaker IMO is the gold reference 10 bookshelves... they probably match well to silver center and surrounds. reviews have raved over these for years. :)

I'm demoing the RS8's v Kef iq9's tomorrow with the Denon 3806 and the Arcam AVR300 (wanted the 4306 but they have not got one in the shop).

I'll be demoing with the RS center / Kef iq6c and due to the layout of my lounge will be using the Dipole rears in both makes. Reading up I see that the RS's can be wired for Dipole or Bi pole. What is the difference between these two modes?

cheers

Sharger,

What was your impression?

As a happy Silver RS owner, I can say that compared with the Bronze, the Silvers are noticeably superior in most respects, while the Golds were superior to Silvers, but at twice the price...not superior enough to justify the money, IMHO. The cherry cabinets I chose are absolutely gorgeous.

As a happy Silver RS owner, I can say that compared with the Bronze, the Silvers are noticeably superior in most respects, while the Golds were superior to Silvers, but at twice the price...not superior enough to justify the money, IMHO. The cherry cabinets I chose are absolutely gorgeous.

I second that!

I have a 7.1 MA system consisting of rs8 fronts, rscenter, rsfx sides, and rsLCR for rears, running off an NAD T-773. I use a Sunfire Sig. Eq sub. I love the monitors because they sound like much more expensive speakers and have a way of making the room dissapear like the good ones usually do.
As a MA dealer I like the many choices in finishes throughout the lines they offer. It has really been working well for us. Having a speaker line that sounds outstanding yet is also pleasing to the eye is always helpful. Very well built.
The new gold line is coming and you should see this stuff...

I am not an MA reseller, merely a very satisfied MA user (2*RS8, 1*RSCLR, 2*RSFX on the way - all in video silver which btw looks amazing in a modern living room :) )

Here are some great pictures of the Gold series
http://www.goldsignature.co.uk/index.htm

...very satisfied.

Sweet with Yammie 2600.

I just listened to MA's rs1 bookshelfs and found them to be refreshing, fast, and accurate for such a small design. Now to find a dealer. Legairre from Ct. found his MA's at 22 % off. I live in upstate N.Y. which is pretty close. Any recommendations out there for good Monitor audio dealers.
While we're at it, would my Pioneer VSX-1014tx-k, rated at 110wpc into 8 ohms -(direct energy mosfet-whew hoo!) drive these 6 ohm rated speakers fairly easily. I understand there are no nasty impedance dips below 6 ohms for these fine speakers.

I am in CT and I've ordered MA speakers from Sound City in NJ. I've been pretty pleased with them, but you might want to look around for a closer dealer. Your receiver should drive them with no problem.

The RS are great but the best deal in the whole world of A/V is on closeout Gold Reference right now. Go find some. They are awesome.

The RS are great but the best deal in the whole world of A/V is on closeout Gold Reference right now. Go find some. They are awesome.

I 100% agree

I just listened to MA's rs1 bookshelfs and found them to be refreshing, fast, and accurate for such a small design. Now to find a dealer. Legairre from Ct. found his MA's at 22 % off. I live in upstate N.Y. which is pretty close. Any recommendations out there for good Monitor audio dealers.

Steve I just sent you a pm. Tell Gerry I said hello. :)

I 100% agree

I 200% agree :D

The Gold Reference floorstanders are terrific speakers for the price. :cool:

Now I'm looking forward to hearing the new Gold Signature series ...

Has anyone have any experience with the RSW12? I've just picked one up to replace a Polk-sub a friend had given me. The RSW12 sounds leaps and bounds better, so smooth... however I am finding a buzz, similar to a fluorescent fixture. Any troubleshooting suggestions, or similar experience? This noise is found both with the (HK-AVR630) receiver on or off...

Also picked up a pair of RSFX's! Any suggestions as to go bi/di-polar???

Try a power conditioner/line filter for the power on the sub.

No, early runs of this sub had some defects, the humming you speak of is one of them. I would bring it back to the dealer you bought it from and get it replaced. I had one on demo and I didn't like it at all. It's tight and accurate but no real low end and they (monitor subs) seem to have knack for distorting horribly when they are really called on to deliver. Not a good HT sub in my opinion, but great for music. Depends on your taste I suppose. I also own an Monitor FB-212 that is currently collecting dust in my office. I was majorly dissapointed in this one as well. I replaced it w/ a Sunfire True Subwoofer Sig. EQ. Problem solved. I have an unusually large room so this might be part of the problem I have had w/ them.

I was thinking about getting a pair of GS10s to replace my old Infinity's up front. Do you think this setup would sound good? I am just a little worried that the front soundstage would sound uneven with the MA Radius 225 as the center. I have been very happy with all Radius speakers so far, but I think the GS10s are in a different league. Any thoughts?

The RS are great but the best deal in the whole world of A/V is on closeout Gold Reference right now. Go find some. They are awesome.

I couldn't agree with you more. I've upgraded to a 7.1 ma gr system and couldn't be happier. Monitor audio should be on everyone's 'short list' when auditioning speakers, especially for music.

I've gone through 3 major upgrades to my equipment since this hobby hit me. I'll never forget my very first boston acoustic thx speaker system. It was a whole new world back then, 15+ years ago, and at the time they were wonderfull little speakers. It made for so much fun having all the friends over each weekend for movie night. Very few of my friends had even heard a 5.1 system before, so it was all new. The only problem with the speakers was that they were way to directional, and really killed listening to music. I doubt I listened to a single cd on the system for a few years it was so bad... but movies were pretty good, especially for the time.

About 5 years later I made my way to my local hi-fi dealer, for a needed 'fix' to my new habit. After listening to everything they had, I decided to go with the, at the time, top of the line M&K ss150 5.1 setup. Well movies sounded 10x better than the old system. We added a couple of sunfire mkII subs, and the entire sound range just kinda came together.
I enjoyed that system for years to come, but still found myself never listening to music, as those speakers really sucked when it came to music. Now they were nowhere near as bad as the bostons, but still something was definately missing.

Well last year I ran into a huge surprise. One of our local retail chains was going out of business, and their prices were to good to pass up so I stopped by. During the next 2 weeks I upgraded just about everything in my system except the speakers.
With only a few days until they finally closed the doors, I decided to stop by again and see what may be left. The store manager, a good friend by now, told me I should seriously consider these monitor audio speakers he still had left. Now understand there was no way to audition these as literally the store was empty with the exception of a few speaker systems.

I took a moment to think about it, knowing that anything purchased could not be returned, but was under warranty. Afterall this guy was becoming a pretty good friend, and I knew he knew a thing or two about audio.

After some 'serious' negotiation, I walked out with 4 ma gr10's for somewhere around $150 (bought so much don't really remember exact costs).

I took them home and immediatelly unwired my front 3 m&k speakers and replaced them with the monitors. I fired up the system and threw in a dvd, master and commander. Within seconds my jaw dropped. I could hear details that were never there before. The soundstage was so amazing I ended up watching the entire movie.

Then came the real test.... music LOL.
Now remember I haven't listened to more than a handfull of cd's over the past 15 years, as I hated the sound.
I started with a few oldtime jazz cd's and was just amazed at the 2 channel sound stage. After about 5 or 6 solid hours of listening and tweaking speaker placement, I ran out and bought a handfull of sacd's and dvd-audio disks.

First came the eagles hotel california.
From the opening track I was in love. The song starts out rather 'shallow' with only a few instruments, but slowelly builds up to the biggest soundstage I have ever heard from a 'budget' system. I remember staying up till 3 or 4 am just listening to music. I was in love.

Well the next day I drove back to the store just to say thankyou to my friend for such a good deal. He quickly said, if you think those are good....... check out the gr60's, btw the only set of speakers left in the store as it was closing day.

Long story short I walked out with yet another pair of speakers, the gr60's, still not knowing what to do with the speaker collection I had. I believe the price was somewhere around $300 but they did throw in a velodyne 12" dps sub, which i also had never heard before, they just wanted it gone.

My family has always thought I was a little crazy when it comes to home audio/video, but after hearing the new setup, they are all now hooked. With no exceptions, every single person that has come over and heard the system, has inquired into building their own now. One friend has even duplicated my system setup so that he could enjoy it in his own home.

Bottom line is I'm now completely in love with music again. Almost every night I find myself in the theater just listening to music for hours before bed. Movies are just as great, and I've found I can keep the volume at a decent level and still hear everything perfectly clear.

If your in the market for spearkers, definately consider monitor audio. If they are in your budget you would be doing yourself a huge favor by trying them out.

I was thinking about getting a pair of GS10s to replace my old Infinity's up front. Do you think this setup would sound good? I am just a little worried that the front soundstage would sound uneven with the MA Radius 225 as the center. I have been very happy with all Radius speakers so far, but I think the GS10s are in a different league. Any thoughts?

You definately need to match your center speaker to the gs10's to get the full effect. Until I added the matching center channel, I was using the M&K s150 as my center, and in no way could it keep up, even though it's a great speaker by most standards. The radius center may be closer to the gs10's than the m&k was, but still....

Bottom line... save up and get the matching center, you'll def love it.

Check out the new issue of Stereophile. A great review of the RS-6. The reviewer basically said these are the best speakers he has reviewed ever.

Check out the new issue of Stereophile. A great review of the RS-6. The reviewer basically said these are the best speakers he has reviewed ever.

As much as I love MA speakers, that review means nothing

You definately need to match your center speaker to the gs10's to get the full effect. Until I added the matching center channel, I was using the M&K s150 as my center, and in no way could it keep up, even though it's a great speaker by most standards. The radius center may be closer to the gs10's than the m&k was, but still....

Bottom line... save up and get the matching center, you'll def love it.

Dreamhost,

How would you compare the GS10s to the M&Ks ? I currently own the M&K 850's, and was debating upgrading.

Dreamhost,

How would you compare the GS10s to the M&Ks ? I currently own the M&K 850's, and was debating upgrading.


I think he answers this pretty emphatically in his previous post.

As much as I love MA speakers, that review means nothing

My thoughts exactly! I really like the MAs (own them) - but come on, nothing to nitpick? Hardly any comment on the rapid 15db rise before 20khz. The RS8 review in TAS a few issues ago really tore into it (both Chris Martins and Sue somebody) - claiming it was bright at the top & muddy down low. They liked the RS6 a little better (to ensure they dont lose MA ad $?)

I have a pair of MA RS1 as my front mains, I want to use another single RS1 as my center. If any of you are going to use a single RS1 as front center or rear center, we can split a pair. MA sells them only as pairs.

My thoughts exactly! I really like the MAs (own them) - but come on, nothing to nitpick? Hardly any comment on the rapid 15db rise before 20khz. The RS8 review in TAS a few issues ago really tore into it (both Chris Martins and Sue somebody) - claiming it was bright at the top & muddy down low. They liked the RS6 a little better (to ensure they dont lose MA ad $?)

We have been finding that the RS6 has been a more accurate sounding speaker overall than the RS8. The RS6s are tighter and combined with a good sub seem to produce the best overall package for both music and HT. The RS8s are good for larger rooms where the extra low end that the larger cabinet and extra driver provide is needed for helping with bass localization, or as a stand alone pair they are good full range speakers. But they aren't as tight and controlled as the more focused RS6s. It sounds like the reviewers also found this to be true from what you said.

The same goes for the GR 60 and GR 20, combined with a good sub, the GR 20 seems to be a better sounding choice for most people. The sales numbers for GR-20s back this up.

Bigger isn't always better in this case.

We have been finding that the RS6 has been a more accurate sounding speaker overall than the RS8. The RS6s are tighter and combined with a good sub seem to produce the best overall package for both music and HT. The RS8s are good for larger rooms where the extra low end that the larger cabinet and extra driver provide is needed for helping with bass localization, or as a stand alone pair they are good full range speakers. But they aren't as tight and controlled as the more focused RS6s. It sounds like the reviewers also found this to be true from what you said.

The same goes for the GR 60 and GR 20, combined with a good sub, the GR 20 seems to be a better sounding choice for most people. The sales numbers for GR-20s back this up.

Bigger isn't always better in this case.

Eric,

While your comments about the better accuracy of the RS6 seems to be shared by many people, it is not true in the case of the GR20.

I think this is mainly due to the much better crossover design in the Gold Reference series speakers.

The GR60s are the best MA speakers in terms of sound quality. No doubt about it.

The success of the GR20's might be due to its lower price. I mean, most bang for the buck;)

Dreamhost,

How would you compare the GS10s to the M&Ks ? I currently own the M&K 850's, and was debating upgrading.

I have never listened to the 850's personally. I was running 3 s150's up front, and 2 ss150's in the rear in my prior setup. At the time, prior to the s250's, they were m&k's top of the line.

BTW, I own the gr10's not the gs10's as they are brand new, and it was only this thread that even let me know they were coming out.

I think the best way to describe the difference imho, is that the ma speakers are so much more 'open' and the soundstage is so much more 3 dimensional. All speakers blend together really nice and 'disappear' into the room. It really is hard to tell where the speakers are located when listening to high quality recordings. This is especially true for sacd and dvd-audio. I run a little test for people that come over for the first time where I have them close their eyes and try to locate the speakers. Everyone swears up and down that there are speakers in between the side and rear speakers as the front soundstage is so huge.

A perfect recording for this is the eagles hotel california -the last resort track 9.
The song starts out with only a few instruments playing up front, and slowely adds in more instruments and vocals to the surrounds. By the end of the track there is an entire 'choir' that just seems to envelope the entire room. It really is a great demo for surround, and quickly becoming one of my favorites. These speakers sometimes have the soundstage appearing 10' behind the fronts, and sometimes right out in front of you depending upon the recording. Tierney Sutton for example is right there in your face, where Jane Monheit seems further back. Either way, it's kinda impressive that both can be achieved with the same speaker.

The gr10's play decently low, though I do not know the exact specs. The gr60's go down what seems to be much lower and are really tight. If you use the 10's a sub is definately needed for the low end, and I even suggest a sub for the 60's.

The m&k's play the same range quite easilly, though they seem to be way to directional for proper music staging, though many I'm sure strongly disagree there. I hated the small sweet spot, which would be lost by only moving my head a few degrees. I do not have that problem with the monitor setup. The 'sweetspot' is probably 5x what M&K is imho.

The downside to the ma series is I have heard that they can easily be overdriven and damaged, though it's not happened to me, and I like my music loud at times. As always with 'high' end speakers definately use a very good and clean amplifier/receiver setup. For me I'm still stuck with my denon 5800, running through monster conditioners/stabilizers. I hope to upgrade my reciever in the coming months, that is if the hdmi video switching issues go away.

Anyhow, I hope this helped a bit. You really should go out and hear them for yourself before deciding on an upgrade.

Finally dont forget.... Treating your room properly is just as important as the speakers you choose to go with. Simply throwing new gear into the mix does not always solve issues like some good absortion panels can do. Properly treating the room will have a guaranteed improvement, more so than new speakers in many cases.

Eric,

While your comments about the better accuracy of the RS6 seems to be shared by many people, it is not true in the case of the GR20.

I think this is mainly due to the much better crossover design in the Gold Reference series speakers.

The GR60s are the best MA speakers in terms of sound quality. No doubt about it.

The success of the GR20's might be due to its lower price. I mean, most bang for the buck;)

Since upgrading I have heard the gr20's as well as my own 60's and frankly there is no comparison between them. The 60's are much clearer in the lower middle end than the 20's. You especially notice the difference with bass instruments. I can easily tell the difference between bass notes and can even hear it as the strings are plucked. The 20's are great but definately not the same as the 60's. I also believe it's just the price point that makes them sell. They're very hard to beat in that price range. Even the 60's can compete with others in their range.

It looks like DigitalCraze.com is selling the Gold Signature series for decent prices. Does anyone have any experience with these guys?

It looks like DigitalCraze.com is selling the Gold Signature series for decent prices. Does anyone have any experience with these guys?

In my experience you can get equal or better pricing from an authorized dealer if you do your homework

In the process of buying (from Legairre's guys) a pair of GS10s to replace my current fronts... Tks Legairre.

ghislain , can you please post or email me pics of you speaker setup in Video Silver color.
Thanks
Mike

In the process of buying (from Legairre's guys) a pair of GS10s to replace my current fronts... Tks Legairre.


No problem Jim. Hey for anyone who's interested the dealer I use is authorized , gives 20% - 22% off and he does ship. Now the disclaimer, I'm not affiliated with him in anyway. It just turned out that when I was looking for MA speakers no one in my state sold them. Heck the closet dealer was in NJ. Then I found Jerry on the MA site's dealer list.

Just trying to help you guys out who don't have an authorized dealer close that gives good prices.

I love my Monitor Audio speakers!!! Silver "i" series 9, 12, 10, 5, 3, FXi on multiple systems
I've own the Silver "i" series since 2000 after I meet David Solomon(MA-VP) at a trade show and these speakers were not discounted very much. I just haven't found a better retail speaker for the money, especially at the discounted MA prices today.
The Silver series are nice but the newer RS series, I believe, are better sounding than the Silver.
I like my Silver "i" series better than the Silvers also.
I think that the phase plug does make a difference.
One thing you will find with MAs is that you can buy too much speaker for your room. Even RS-1,S2, S3i & S4i with a sub, in stereo mode, will blow you away.
I tried some MA Gold 60's and they were way to much for my H/T but I just love them in stereo mode- BEAUTIFUL sound!!! I powered with Denon 140w/ch and I just couldn't balance enough to keep the fronts from running all over the rears. Two mid/woofers will give you a lot of sound. Also remember that these C-CAM speakers need a tonal balanced amp, a bright amp will not work well. They do need break-in and mellow with use.
No matter which MA Silvers you get, they will impress!
I don't like the bronze at all.
Many other companies are copying MA's designs, which is a great compliment to MA.
Does anyone know what the Gold GFSX are selling for?

I demoed the RS8 vs S8 and couldn't tell the difference. I have Silver S10 mated with a Rotel RMB-1095(200x5) amp. The Rotel is a really nice match with the MA speakers. The Rotel amp is pretty neutral but does tend to roll off the higher freqs a bit which is a good thing when mated with the MA speakers. MA makes great speakers and with my dealer giving 22% off it was a no brainer.

I could have gone RS8 but the S10 just won me over with the extra bass for 2 channel without a sub. If there's ever too much bass just throw in the plug, and for low to moderate listening I leave the plugs on the rack, but for louder listening I like the way the plugs keep the bass under control. The S10's bass, mid and highs are just soo well balanced and as the volume increases the bass gets tighter and the mid and highs just get more detailed, with no listener fatigue at all. These speakers just excel as the volume increases when other speakers break up.

I also don't care for the Bronze.

Legairre
I know exactly what your saying about turning off the sub for music!
I stopped by my local hi-fi shop after the Silvers came in & thought the S10 were really nice stereo speakers, better than I expected, much more bass than the S9i.
The S9i are really good with music, but they are deligated to my H/T. The Gr60s are orgasmic and strickly stereo. I've never heard the Gr60 with a sub, don't need to!!! For me, they do everything well.
Someone in an earlier post mentioned listening to Hotel California on Monitors for the first time and how great it sound. That was the first cd I played with my first pair of MA (S5i) and I felt the same way. MA image so well, some models better than others.
I will say that MA has ways to go with their subs
Rotel was on my future upgrade list. Thanks for the mention.

I just picked up a pair of GR10's and they are amazing. Thanks dreamhost for your feedback. I like them much better than my M&K's (which I like quite a bit). Now I need to track down new or used center and surrounds.

BTW, for anyone interested, Magnolia Audio has a bunch of the black gloss GR10's brand new that they are selling for $599 a pair, which is just nuts.

Greg

Hi all,

I'd like to ask your opinions / experiences to help me decide between the RS6 and the older S8. I've read in this thread that this new silver series (RS) isn't much different from the older silvers (S).

So, does it mean that the S8's, having 2 bass drivers and 1 mid-range driver, would be better than the newer RS6 (with only one bass driver and one mid-range)? Is it even a fair comparison at all?

Considering the upper mid-range up to the highs, which would be the winner among the 2?

You see, I bought the RS1 a couple of days ago and I'm truly impressed with it's detail. So I thought of selling it so I could upgrade to either the S8 or the RS6, I would have the same detail or even better, plus more bass extension for sure.

By the way, I'll be using these for purely 2-ch audio set-up.

Thanks for any input.

Hi all,

I'd like to ask your opinions / experiences to help me decide between the RS6 and the older S8. I've read in this thread that this new silver series (RS) isn't much different from the older silvers (S).

So, does it mean that the S8's, having 2 bass drivers and 1 mid-range driver, would be better than the newer RS6 (with only one bass driver and one mid-range)? Is it even a fair comparison at all?

Considering the upper mid-range up to the highs, which would be the winner among the 2?

You see, I bought the RS1 a couple of days ago and I'm truly impressed with it's detail. So I thought of selling it so I could upgrade to either the S8 or the RS6, I would have the same detail or even better, plus more bass extension for sure.

By the way, I'll be using these for purely 2-ch audio set-up.

Thanks for any input.

I dunno, but in the literature, the English mag 'What HiFi' rated the S6 5 stars, but no rating on the S8. I could be only that they didn't test them though.

The S8 is more comparable to the RS8. Anyway, I have the RS6 for my fronts and my Sister has the RS1 for fronts. They sound almost alike minus the thump the RS6 puts out. I'm sure the S8 or RS8 would put out a bit more thump due to the extra driver. Beside the change in cabinetry I don't know if there was much change to the drivers.

Nuz

The dealer I got my RS6's from stated that in his opinion the RS6's sound better than the 8's. I also did read a slightly negative review of the RS8's on avguide.com

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'll give it more thought and I'll experiment more with my RS1s. If it's almost alike with the RS6, then it would probably be better to use the money in investing on a better sub?

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

I chose the RS1's for my sister because she had a nitch for her TV and there was no room for RS6's. But they ended up sounding great like the RS6's without the thump. Since she was running a sub (Outlaw LFM-1) crossovered at 80 it sounded good. But if you like the RS6's and have room for them and have the cash then its really up to you. I have the RS6's for fronts and like both setups. My whole speaker setup consist of RSlcr, RS6, RS1, RSfx powered by a B&K AVR 507 S2 and SVS PB12/2 ultra sub. RS speakers are nicely made. Hope this helps.

Nuz

Thanks Nuz!

I think I'll try to convince my dealer to get a pair of RS6 out of the box for demo, so I can actually hear it side-by-side with the RS1 and the older S8 as well.

Eric

After endless hours online and in shops auditioning speakers, I finally auditioned the RS-6's. My search ended in an instant. I use a pair of Legacy Focus at work and have had some trouble listening to music on systems costing thousands less. These were the first speakers that were musical. I'm not an audiophile who picks apart the electronics, but know music. I've been a professional musician for 15 years and have very picky ears. I started listening to Mahler's 9th and moved through the LA Chorale, Jane Monheit, Kenton and some rock/pop stuff. With the exception of the 4th Movement of the Mahler, I was filled with excitement and joy. I think the Mahler would require a sub to really build the bass on the recording I was using. The bass in all other recordings was SUPERB. Not too much, not too little. But I did want more in the climax of the Symphony.

This is the start of my system for sure. I need some help on what to do next. I'd like to build the system into 5.1 eventually because I only have one room in the house for any AV stuff so the RS-6's will be used with DVD's and TV. In the $1000-1500 range, would you buy Amp + Pre to start or get a receiver? I've heard great things about Outlaw and Denon receivers and have had personal experience with Rotel and NAD which despite other reviews here, I've liked. Suggestions? Thanks

Congrats zimm25! Welcome to the club.

For a 5.1 setup I would stick to Monitor Audio if you already the RS6 and like it. Add the RSlcr and maybe RSfx or RS1 for surrounds. For the Receiver or pre+amp I would test listening to them just like to did the speakers. I myself ended up with a B&K AVR 507 S2, it was very close to the B&K Ref50 and amp. With the price difference I ended up with the receiver. The salesman told me that the Avr507 is mistaken by a lot of people being just a receiver. After listening to it I really enjoy it til this day.

Nuz

I chose the RS1's for my sister because she had a nitch for her TV and there was no room for RS6's. But they ended up sounding great like the RS6's without the thump. Since she was running a sub (Outlaw LFM-1) crossovered at 80 it sounded good. But if you like the RS6's and have room for them and have the cash then its really up to you. I have the RS6's for fronts and like both setups. My whole speaker setup consist of RSlcr, RS6, RS1, RSfx powered by a B&K AVR 507 S2 and SVS PB12/2 ultra sub. RS speakers are nicely made. Hope this helps.

Nuz
I'm considering buying a pair of RS1 fronts for myself as I prefer bookshelf speakers and I have a good sub.

Loved them powered by a friend's Meridian processor and Advance Acoustics amps, besides usualy liking MA sound

What amp is your sister using?

I'm considering a Marantz SR5600 and maybe later add a 2ch power amp if it's worth it.

Thanks!

I've decided to keep my RS1s as well. I'll just invest on a better sub to take care of the lower end.

I'm considering a Marantz SR5600 and maybe later add a 2ch power amp if it's worth it.

Thanks!

for what its worth... Im not really liking the marantz 7500 / rs8 combo. Maybe its just mental but I was a little more happy when the silvers were run by arcam. (or maybe any other english amp)

I'm considering buying a pair of RS1 fronts for myself as I prefer bookshelf speakers and I have a good sub.

Loved them powered by a friend's Meridian processor and Advance Acoustics amps, besides usualy liking MA sound

What amp is your sister using?

I'm considering a Marantz SR5600 and maybe later add a 2ch power amp if it's worth it.

Thanks!

She is also using a B&K AVR 507 S2, Marantz is also a great choice.

for what its worth... Im not really liking the marantz 7500 / rs8 combo. Maybe its just mental but I was a little more happy when the silvers were run by arcam. (or maybe any other english amp)

I like the Marantz / MA combo because Marantz has a more british sound then japanese and work very well together and is a perfect match for the MA metal tweeters...

I heard the Denon AVr-*11 + RS8 and was a little thin for music but good for movies...

You would be better served with the RS6 or RS1... and the SR7500 is a great sounding amp!Are you using the biamping option?

RS8 need power and control and at that price I would prefer the Gold series.

for what its worth... Im not really liking the marantz 7500 / rs8 combo.

Why not?

I have the 8400 and was considering the RS6 or RS8s.

Why not?

I have the 8400 and was considering the RS6 or RS8s.

I cant put my finger on it... but since mose disagree with me, I can easily recant my statement. The arcam that I am referring to that "sounded better" with MA's cost more than twice as much as my 7500, and really gave the RS8's and the RS6's the life that they desire.

To me the combo is not as dynamic... probably because the low end and upper low end (80hz - 180hz) suffers. It is not easy to tell if this is the speaker or the amp in my house. But when listening to these same frequencies in a demo environement and with british electronics that low end is present, fast and accurate. HEAVEN!

OTH, Im coming from 15 year old paradigms with dual 8" woofers and silk domes, so my whole audio world is screwed up right now :(

You would be better served with the RS6 or RS1...

Due to my complaint with this setup, going to either of these would make it worse. The 7500 has unacceptable audio performance when in "stereo" mode IMO so I must switch to "pure audio." When in "pure audio" the subwoofer is disabled, making it necessary to have the extra driver.


Are you using the biamping option?

RS8 need power and control and at that price I would prefer the Gold series.

Yes, I am using the biamping solution. and for that, the imaging and placement of instruments is superb (in pure audio).

Back to my last comment, only the GR-10 comes at the same price point as the rs-8, and comparing these two speakers is impossible. They have different purposes (bookshelf vs floor standing etc). I had the gr-10's (used and broken in) and traded them for the RS8's.

If anyone is comfortable spending 4k on speakers, then they would be crazy NOT to buy the amazing gr60 / gs60's !!! :D

In pure audio, and with a proper musical sub like a REL, MJ Acoustics or BK you can use the high level input and obtain awesome results in bass, control and speed, much better than big floorsanders with many units and Xovers like the RS8, RS10 or maybe even the RS6.

Like I was telling you the RS8 need too much power to control them, more then a very good AV Receiver that costs less then that pair or speakers can give.

So the proper route for you is using a stereo power amp for the fronts... ;)

I am looking at replacing my current receiver Denon 3803 with the Outlaw 990/7700 and wonder what kind of improvement I will see with my Monitor Audio Silver S10's and SLCR. I am also considering getting rid of the Silver and going with the older GR60's as they now have some really good pricing on them with the new series coming out. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

spent a couple of hours placing my sub somehwere else and tuning the crossover point. Got a really good sound finally. I was being stubborn about the crossover because it seemed unreasonable to have the crossover past 80Hz... I mean the rs8 has 2 drivers! But no... did some eq tests and the rs8's just dont have the guts below 110Hz. Set the crossover to 100Hz, put the sub in a good place and FINALLY I love my speakers.

Now i just have to get over the whole "pure audio" thing.. I wont be able to use it.

And BTW, Rel is not my cup of tea either. God Im picky :(

Like I was telling you the RS8 need too much power to control them, more then a very good AV Receiver that costs less then that pair or speakers can give.


At the level I listen to them, power is not an issue. Power doesnt factor in unless the cones cannot be driven by the available power due to high listening levels. My house isnt that big!

Like I was telling you the RS8 need too much power to control them, more then a very good AV Receiver that costs less then that pair or speakers can give.



I had them demo'd using an AV receiver 1/3 the price of RS8 and I felt that they were pretty loud with no sign of compression.

Loud is one thing... :p

Power is nothing without control... :rolleyes: