Monitor Audio Owners Thread - Page 275

Just bi-amped my RX6's. I am using a Yamaha RX-A2000 as it can bi-amp and still allow 5.1. The extra speakers were taking up valuable floor space. I was expecting improved sound, but got more than I expected. The midrange and bass seemed to come to life and is better balanced with the tweeters. The sound stage seems wider for both music, especially Diana Krall and movies. Master and Commander had more depth than I remember from its last viewing. Really impressed me.

nevermind..

I used the "contact us" form through the MA website to get a quote on a plate amp for a sub. You can try that.

Hi Hamp and everyone that was kind enough to give me advice, I did not get a chance to hear them side by side but I do remeber that I was more impressed with the RX than RS. I confirmed this when I went to listen to them again. I feel that the RX is more laid back which I like and is less bright. On the bass side, I also felt that the RX was tighter. The dealer that was selling the demo RS was not giving much of a discount so the price difference was not that much and made my decision easier. I pulled the trigger on a pair of RX6s and just got them in and set up today. Listened to a few cds and am really loving them.

I cant wait to get upgrade my center, surrounds and sub to round out my home theater set up. I am currently using my old HTIB center, surrounds and sub. With this in mind, what do you think I should upgrade next?

Thanks and looking forward to your input.

Thats a tough one. Definitely sub or center. I would go with the sub first, but there are arguments 'for' and 'against' either ...

Congrats!!! I am wondering which receiver your using? If just about everything was in place and you were upgrading something other then what you told me, I would say the sub first. Upgrading subs would produce the biggest improvement of any other part.

In your situation, upgrading your center channel will be your next best upgrade. In a Home Theater the center channel is utilized about 70% of the audio, and I think the combination of having the center with both your left & right, with having the proper timbre match will bring you much more happiness.

So, I would get the center channel, and then get the subwoofer. Depending on your reply about the receiver, it will give an idea what should be next after the subwoofer.

Thanks, Hamp. I am very happy with my decison on the purchase. I am currently using a Denon 2112 as my receiver and am really satisfied with Audyssey. As usual, thanks for the help and I will now price the center.

Monitor Audio PL InWall

Anyone using these speakers? I am going to build a new home theater and I am considering these for surrounds (7.1). I am currently using GRFX's and GR10's with my PL300's and PLC350.

I will pick up a set of PL100's this week for the great room. I could consider PL100's for surrounds maybe...

I have another room with my old GR20's, GRLCR, and three GRFX's.

I also have GR10's at work and in the bedroom.

I want to get some silver series in-walls as heights for my system. I don't think you should go down a level by putting in in-wall PL's instead of using the current GRFX's.

Actually as I'm typing, I had to re-think that idea, and I believe that might be a tough one. I was thinking the GXFX's at first and I wouldn't change those.

My reasons are a little bias toward di/bi-pole speakers. I have the RXFX's and I love'em

Hi All, new to this forum.
I'm upgrading from PSB B25 fronts to RX6 fronts and I'm wondering if the RX6's will sound okay paired with my PSB C40 center. I'm trying to save money but if there is a noticeable sound mismatch then I'll go ahead and buy the RX center.
Any thoughts?

Only you can make that call. Odds are they won't sound the same

My setup consists of MA RX6's, RXC AND RXFX's hooked up to an Onkyo 809 and using a Bic Acoustech PL200 sub. The room is wired for the four rear speakers but just have a 5.1 setup for now. My room is a dedicated room that has a treadmill as well lol. Dimensions are 11w 19L and 8 h. For the size of my room the Onkyo handles them well. I have the speakers in rosenut and prefer the grills off. The contrast of the rosenut and white woofers is pretty sexy. If anyone is considering getting some RXs go ahead and you will not be disappointed. If you are running a sub or going to be, opt for the Rx6 and use the money saved on a better sub over an Rx8. They are both great speakers and I prefer the rx8 longer grille cover length over the one used on the Rx6. My sub is a cheaper sub that sounds pretty decent with music but outstanding for movies considering the price to Canada was $350 everything included.

My previous setup consisted of Paradigm Monitor v5. I had the 11's, cc290 and mini monitors. I sold them to help fund the purchase of my new MA setup. I love the fact there are no screws to be seen on the speakers anywhere. Nice and clean looking. The new Paradigm Monitor series 7 speakers seem to take a cue from MA rx line as they have cleaned up the front baffle as well. I have not heard them yet though.

I auditioned comparable speakers from PSB both the image and imagine lines, b&w 600 series and cm line, axiom vp 150 and m60 v3 and sent them back paying the shipping there are many to choose from in this price range but for me I was most impressed by MA's quality even though it's made in china, the design is clean and looks fantastic and of course it sounds great to me at a price I was willing to pay. I like to see my dollar being stretched as far as it can go because at the end of the day it is a pretty good chunk of change to plop down on a basic 5.0 setup. My other favorite would be Paradigms Studio line. I still preferred my MA over them but they are pretty impressive as well and pricy.

I also agree with others saying to look elsewhere in the sub department. For the price of a MA sub you can get some amazing ones from SVS, HSU, OUTLAW, EMOTIVA, PARADIGM, Elemental Designs etc.

Anyway I enjoy my system very much and am lucky to have a dedicated room in my new house I built. With that being said I am always curious how other systems would sound in there. Lol.

hey wiggy, did you get the MA's at glubes?

Good advice, but to save even more, would be to buy the RX2's instead.

+1. I think the RX2's are the best speaker in the range. They way out perform the RX6 and 8 in every aspect except for low Bass and if you are using a sub you dont need that. Its a pity Ma didnt make a floor stander using the RX2 8" driver, would have been awesome IMO

I'm curious on your opinion about the power handling of the RX2 vs the RX6 or RX8. If both the RX6 and RX2 were crossed over to a sub at 60-80 Hz, do you think that there would be a significant difference in power handling between the two?

The RX6 is a 2 1/2 way speaker. According to the specs, one of the RX6 woofers is rolled off at 700 Hz, leaving the other woofer to operate alone from 700 Hz up to the crossover with the tweeter. So, between the bottom end and 700 Hz, the RX6 has two 6.5" woofers speaking while the RX2 has a single 8" woofer for the same range. Or, in radiating area, the RX6 has 32% more capability than the RX2. The difference seems to be reflected in the stated power handling of the speakers, which is 125 watts for the RX6 and 100 watts for the RX2.

In my case it may not matter. My room is fairly small (17x14x8). I was originally going to purchase the RX8 or RX6. I have heard the RX8 (in a room much bigger than mine) and I thought it sounded fantastic. But all this talk from laughalot and HAMP about their experiences with the RX2 have me mostly sold on the idea of going with it instead.

I intend to try the RX2 for LCR, all behind an acoustically transparent screen and supplemented by a pair of Rythmik 15" sealed subs. I guess I'm curious to hear laughalot's and HAMP's opinions on how well they handle power compared to the floorstanders, or whether you guys have ever been able to push the speakers hard enough that they were audibly straining. What do you guys think about my proposed setup, wrt the RX2? Thanks.

Power doesnt blow speakers distortion does. I am driving the RX2's with a Musical Fidelity A5.5 Amplifier and it is 250W PC into 8 ohms. True I never listen at very loud volumes but more than enough to get full effects of both TV and music

See Post #8050 on page 269 of this thread

No I never Caper. I'm new out here to the Maritimes from out west.

I have checked Glubes out and they have a pretty decent selection in there and the guys are pretty good to deal with.

laughalot seem to have answered part and then some with the other posting he provided.

I just will add that my room is 13x34(will be enclosed in half) with 6.5 ceiling.

I am using (2) SVS PB12-plus(each SPL @ 80db's). At no time is the bass overpowering the rest of the system... Everything blend very well together.

Your front stage will sound great, I'm wondering what your surrounds will be?

Nice. Welcome to the Maritimes. My sub is a MA rx-w12. Great little sub but price tag is tooooo high Bought mine from a guy in the city for 4 bills.

Thanks for the reply. I will use RX1 for the side surrounds and either RX1 or RXFX for rear surrounds.

My prior room configuration used wall-mounted bi/dipole speakers for the side surrounds. However, when I switch to this new setup I will be reversing the room and will not be able to wall-mount the side surrounds.

The jury is out on whether I prefer monopoles or bi/dipoles for surround. I have limited experience with monopoles in that position so it will be interesting to see how it goes. I will probably get the RXFX for the back surrounds and alternate between that and another set of monopole speakers I have to see which I prefer before making a final decision. It will definitely be easier to use the RXFX since I will have to wall-mount for the back surrounds and that would be much more difficult with the RX1.

I see you use the RXFX. How do you like them? I keep reading good things about them.

Honestly, I don't like'em, hell I love'em, and that's no joke!!! They are amazing. I love the timbre matching all the way around.

Hi Guys!

I just picked up a pair of Monitor Audio Gr60's and a Polk Lsic center for under a k. Just wondering what you guys think of these speakers? I think they sound incredible hooked up to a old Onkyo receiver. The center doesn't seem to mesh well with these speakers. Is there a better center channel to match other than MA Gold Ref? I can't seem to find the matching one anywhere.

There is a matching center on ebay right now. Search using monitor audio gold.

Hi,
my local dealer is offering me a good price for a set of BX2 5.1 system. My question is should I take BX2 or buy BX5 instead? I'm thinking of pairing a Samsung series 5 46" LED tv and Onkyo TX NR 609 receiver. I prefer to spend less on receivers and tv because the new models are rolling out in every six months with more features. Do I need an amp to power all 5 speakers? 2 surround, 1 center and 2 floor stands.

Thanks

The Onkyo TX-NR609 will power any Bronze BX speakers with ease. I have the TX-NR709 for a Silver RX setup myself. On the BX2 versus BX5 it really depends on how big a speaker you want. The BX5 will have more bass capability and be able to go a little louder. The BX5 doesn't require speaker stands (which may or may not be an issue for you). To me it depends on where it is going. I don't like bookshelf speakers on stands myself, especially in the home theater in my living room. So I buy tower speakers there, even if it is the smallest one, I don't have to deal with stand issues that I have. Now for my "computer" setup I have Silver RX1 bookshelf speakers on my desk. Either way you can't go wrong. Your room, preferences and budget will dictate that of course. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the quick feedback Gary.
Forgot to mention my tv room is 12ft x 15 ft. I watch tv rather than movies most of the time. For Action movies such as Transformers or Avatar, I'd rather watch them in a THX movie theater to get the full surround sound, 3d experience and the pop corn as well.
Which begs the question if I really need to invest in a full set of Minitor Audio Bronze 5.1 system or invest in a pair of quality floor stand speakers such as the silver, or even platinium series and get a set of cheap pioneer 5.1 to complete the so called 7.1 system.
I preferred the high vocal mid range from the tv speakers when I'm watching tv sitcoms, news and espn. Anyway to make use of the 7.1 watching tv programs? If not I can still live with a garden variety Pioneer eventhough it's no where close to the fine looking Bronze series.

I would go with the Bronze. The Onkyo receiver you have is not good enough IMO to drive the Silver, never mind the Platinum. Dont waste money on the Platinum unless you are prepard to spend a good chunk on decent amplification.
I know others will say buy the best speakers you can and all will sound great, but thats not my experience (been doing this since the early 70's). A good Amp with fair speakers is going to sound a whole lot better than good speakers with an amp that cant drive them properly. Remember power doesnt blow speakers distortion does. I have the RX2's and was driving them with a Yamaha RX-V3800 (A pretty Decent Receiver) and was not happy with the sound. Tops were a liitle harsh and Bass was muddy. I added a Musical Fidelity A5.5 (250W PC) into the mix and all of a sudden the speakers became smooth and a pleasure to listen to. All the harshness was gone from the tops and the Bass is tight and clean. Just my 2P YMMV

I have both the BX5's and the BX2's, in a 2.0 and a 5.1 setup, respectively. I have tried both in the 5.1 setup (briefly, I must say), and I couldn't see a benefit in keeping the BX5's in the 5.1 setup, with the sub there, but in the stereo setup they made all the difference to me. I'm very happy with the BX2's and BX-Centre in the HT. The receiver is a Yamaha RX-A1000, the room is small. And I use it 90% (or more) for movies, and 10% (or less) for concert DVDs. I listen to music in the stereo setup.

VMat

I think the Onkyo TX-NR609 is good enough to run silvers. My 709 is good enough to do it with my Silver RX1 5.1 setup with a Velodyne HGS-10 subwoofer. The 709 is only 10 watts more per channel in stereo and that doesn't add to much more loudness or headroom. I tried some other speakers I had access to (various vintage Polk Audio towers and some Definitive ProMonitors) and they sounded just fine. Remember that in a 5.1 setup most of the power hungry bass frequencies are going to get routed to a subwoofer, easing the burden on the receiver. The 709/RX1/HGS-10 combo has loads of detail and dynamics. This is what I have been using for my "computer" A/V setup now and I love it.

I RARELY go to the movies. Been that way for awhile, but the Blu-Ray era has really reduced the want. I can rent a movie from RedBox for $1.50 so if it is crappy I only threw that away, not $15 per person, etc. I've been to many "THX" Dolby/DTS theaters and all I can say is I have any one of them beat in terms of sound quality. All they have on me is ear bleeding loudness capability, which I would never listen at given a choice. The Onkyo TX-NR609 with a whole setup of bronze or silver speakers will have way better accuracy and sound quality compared to probably any theater you have access to. If you can afford a Silver RX setup (like RX6's with an RX Center, etc.) I would totally recommend it. I'm going with the Gold GX300/GXC350 soon with my Velodyne F-1800R Subwoofer for the main living room system. I can't wait!