Monitor Audio Gold Signature Gs60

[betty boop]

Well, I could not swear he meant literally a couple of weeks, but he may have known some were on their way or that he could get some.

On the other hand they could have been metaphorical weeks!

I was only interested in the Natural Oak finish as the others would not look as nice in the room. and I was only talking bookshelf and centre.

it could be dependant on frequency of thei shipments if somethign they dont normally get in. either way if keen on this speaker it woudl have to be rose wood for me. and if really keen wouldnt mind waiting. jsut gives more time to save and build the anticipation

[cyberplank]

If I decide to go this way I too would wait, but I do have a history of that. I would prefer to get it right.

On a slightly parallel topic. Prowse did say that although the Golds were great the Silver series would suit my needs more than adequately.

[glennb]

I have the Silver RS8 mains and centre and have really enjoyed their sound, looks, and quality. I'm not doing them justice at the moment with the AVR i'm using, but I know that will get replaced soon. Mine are in the Walnut and look fantastic, although i've got a subwoofer in Cherry and the red tones through it are better again.

I found that the Arcam gear was a good match for powering the RS8's and didn't emphasise the brightness (unlike my present Yamaha AVR), but I didn't try them with the MF gear. The pricing and value of these speakers is VERY hard to beat though and i'd expect that to carry through to the Gold series as well.

[hired goon]

G'day,

I might check out the Monitor Audio series again.

After trying out lots of high-end speakers and not getting satisfaction, maybe I should drop back to "value for money" brands where I can listen without being critical of short-comings. I just want to enjoy the music, and with mega-expensive speakers one tends to focus on the short-comings ("I paid $10,000 and the mid-range is still not quite right!!!") but with sub-$2000 speakers one tends to just listen for enjoyment as any design faults are expected (and therefore subconsciously ignored, at least if such faults are not too obvious).

Dunno if I'll go for Gold, but the RS6 may be next on my hit list ... unless the Gold Signature series are present in BrisVegas?

--Geoff

[betty boop]

G'day,

I might check out the Monitor Audio series again.

After trying out lots of high-end speakers and not getting satisfaction, maybe I should drop back to "value for money" brands where I can listen without being critical of short-comings. I just want to enjoy the music, and with mega-expensive speakers one tends to focus on the short-comings ("I paid $10,000 and the mid-range is still not quite right!!!") but with sub-$2000 speakers one tends to just listen for enjoyment as any design faults are expected (and therefore subconsciously ignored, at least if such faults are not too obvious).

Dunno if I'll go for Gold, but the RS6 may be next on my hit list ... unless the Gold Signature series are present in BrisVegas?

--Geoff

interesting you say that geoff s the last speaker I demoed the focal 1027be a $10,000 speaker I came away with that impression gees a $10k speaker and though happy with the top end and the mid range I'm not really comfortable wiht the bass.

perhaps I am being more forgiving with these MA G60s at nearly half the price of the focals. but from what I heard thought the MAs a more even handed speaker across the freq range. And did demo both speakers with the same source and integrated with the usualy caveats of hearing them in different rooms, music different times plus the variable of my ears. probably never know how much better one is than the other without doing a demo of both in the same room

[betty boop]

If I decide to go this way I too would wait, but I do have a history of that. I would prefer to get it right.

On a slightly parallel topic. Prowse did say that although the Golds were great the Silver series would suit my needs more than adequately.

good on prowse for saying that rather than pushing you up the range. system matching is defintely somethgin to be explored to pick whats best for yoru system/ears.

[betty boop]

I have the Silver RS8 mains and centre and have really enjoyed their sound, looks, and quality. I'm not doing them justice at the moment with the AVR i'm using, but I know that will get replaced soon. Mine are in the Walnut and look fantastic, although i've got a subwoofer in Cherry and the red tones through it are better again.

I found that the Arcam gear was a good match for powering the RS8's and didn't emphasise the brightness (unlike my present Yamaha AVR), but I didn't try them with the MF gear. The pricing and value of these speakers is VERY hard to beat though and i'd expect that to carry through to the Gold series as well.

I totally forgot you had the Silver RS8's wackoo, think I remember reading a review of those done iwht my MF pre-pwr. I'm sure the silvers are sensational value jsut as the gold signatures are and probably pick up a large slab of goodnesss of hte gold signatures.

theres some nice arcam gear to pick from as well. what arcam gear did you like with it. did you try the arcam a90 integrated, dont think the fmj had a ht bypass. the arcam AVRs, AV pre-pro- pre-pwrs are very god quality as well.

[glennb]

I totally forgot you had the Silver RS8's wackoo, think I remember reading a review of those done iwht my MF pre-pwr. I'm sure the silvers are sensational value jsut as the gold signatures are and probably pick up a large slab of goodnesss of hte gold signatures.

theres some nice arcam gear to pick from as well. what arcam gear did you like with it. did you try the arcam a90 integrated, dont think the fmj had a ht bypass. the arcam AVRs, AV pre-pro- pre-pwrs are very god quality as well.

I had a listen to the RS8's with the Arcam AVR-300 downstairs at CAV which pretty much had me sold, but then went back the next week and they had them upstairs hooked up to the power amp, which I think would have been the P1000. The sound blew me away. It had lots of detail up high but not harsh and the mid and bass was really tight and musical. The MA's have a reputation for being overly bright but I think they are better described as being more transparent and you will hear more of the Amp / AVR coming through so the overall sound will depend on component selection more than the speakers. They are not harsh or overly bright like Klipsch's for instance.

[betty boop]

I had a listen to the RS8's with the Arcam AVR-300 downstairs at CAV which pretty much had me sold, but then went back the next week and they had them upstairs hooked up to the power amp, which I think would have been the P1000. The sound blew me away. It had lots of detail up high but not harsh and the mid and bass was really tight and musical. The MA's have a reputation for being overly bright but I think they are better described as being more transparent and you will hear more of the Amp / AVR coming through so the overall sound will depend on component selection more than the speakers. They are not harsh or overly bright like Klipsch's for instance.

nice stuff there wackoo, interesting re the discriptions of sound charecter. good to hear with arcam which can sometimes make a speaker sound edgy and harsh there is none on this with the MAs. I cant personally handle overly harsh/bright eg the klipsch so glad the MAs nothign like them yet bringing out a lot of detail up high..

found this Monitor audio owners thread on AVS here which is interesting reading, only past the first few pages of what is a 35 page thread !

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....;highlight=GS60

[Anthony123]

where else in melbourne apart from CAV do they sell monitor audio's?

[betty boop]

where else in melbourne apart from CAV do they sell monitor audio's?

both CAV and secher audio have always been monitor audio dealers, if you can find out the agent in oz probably find out all the specialist stores retailing the brand.

[ritesh]

I had quite a few extensive sessions with the new model (plano black) recently at CAV. I was not buying the speakers, but was demo'ing amps and chose the MA for its extremely neutral character. Needless to say I was very impressed with the new range. Heard them with the Arcam A90, MF X100T, MF 3.5, Creek Evo, Creek Destiny, Cyrus 6vs, Cyrus 8vs, Cyrus 8vs + PXR, CA 840A and a couple more.

I was very impressed with the speaker, and with a high-end integrated like the Destiny and the Cyrus 8vs+PXR, it was unreal !

Ritesh

[ausnew]

I think it is quite interesting that the Mission owners all rate the MA's.

Al, I even thought the Gold centre was very worthwhile. As I already mentioned in a previous pm, one of my mates stopped looking at alternatives immediately after listening and purchased straight away

[Spearmint]

G'day,

I might check out the Monitor Audio series again.

After trying out lots of high-end speakers and not getting satisfaction, maybe I should drop back to "value for money" brands where I can listen without being critical of short-comings. I just want to enjoy the music, and with mega-expensive speakers one tends to focus on the short-comings ("I paid $10,000 and the mid-range is still not quite right!!!") but with sub-$2000 speakers one tends to just listen for enjoyment as any design faults are expected (and therefore subconsciously ignored, at least if such faults are not too obvious).

Dunno if I'll go for Gold, but the RS6 may be next on my hit list ... unless the Gold Signature series are present in BrisVegas?

--Geoff

A great post Hired Goon. I agree listening to the music is a very important part and is something I believe a lot of us lose site of sometimes when looking for new gear.

Alebonau, thanks for bringing these speakers to my attention, I’ll certainly put them on my audition list.

BTW what is the RRP of the GS60?

[betty boop]

I had quite a few extensive sessions with the new model (plano black) recently at CAV. I was not buying the speakers, but was demo'ing amps and chose the MA for its extremely neutral character. Needless to say I was very impressed with the new range. Heard them with the Arcam A90, MF X100T, MF 3.5, Creek Evo, Creek Destiny, Cyrus 6vs, Cyrus 8vs, Cyrus 8vs + PXR, CA 840A and a couple more.

I was very impressed with the speaker, and with a high-end integrated like the Destiny and the Cyrus 8vs+PXR, it was unreal !

Ritesh

great to hear ritesh that you had a listen to these with a variety of amps and they impressed. Certainly the very even handed ness of this speaker was the stand out for me that nothing top end, mid range or bass was overblown.

[betty boop]

I think it is quite interesting that the Mission owners all rate the MA's.

Al, I even thought the Gold centre was very worthwhile. As I already mentioned in a previous pm, one of my mates stopped looking at alternatives immediately after listening and purchased straight away

and thanks for bringing this speaker to my attention aus. especially given your perspective as you have the same speakers as me. and your quite right there is something in the MAs that as a mission owner draws me to them !

[betty boop]

A great post Hired Goon. I agree listening to the music is a very important part and is something I believe a lot of us lose site of sometimes when looking for new gear.

Alebonau, thanks for bringing these speakers to my attention, I’ll certainly put them on my audition list.

BTW what is the RRP of the GS60?

hi spearmint, you are quite re the enjoyment side of things. and after all this is what all this is about.

re price the guy at CAV mentioned Five something for the GS60

pymble hifi have them for $5495 on their website

http://www.pymblehifi.com.au/MonitorAudio.htm

really reasonably priced I think for the speakers they are. and such gorgeous finishes and they dont charge any extra for any finish including the black laquer which really looks superb.

[Spearmint]

BTW what is the RRP of the GS60?

It’s okay I found it on the Pymble HiFi site. RRP $5495.00

EDIT, I see Al posted the info for me

[ausnew]

Hmm, Perhaps we should organise a gtg for a demo with all this interest

What do you think Al ?

[betty boop]

Hmm, Perhaps we should organise a gtg for a demo with all this interest

What do you think Al ?

hadnt thought of a store gtg aus. my intention was to do a bit more indepth store demos and then try get a pair home for a listen if they seemed to fit the bill. but yeah if there are a few people interested I could ask the likes of cav or secher if they were keen for somethign like it.

[ritesh]

I should add, further to my previous post, that I also had a listen to the bookshelves at Secher, again due to the very neutral nature of MA. I was suggested to have a listen to the Proac (can't remember the model number), the salesman and George were very upbeat about the Proac suggesting that it betters the MA. I stuck to the MA, as I wanted to listen to the amps, and wanted to keep the speakers same as the one I listened to at CAV.

In short, some model/s of Proac may be the natural competitor, as are some of the Dynaudios....

I personally haven't listened to the Proac, so will leave for someone else to comment on them, but both MA and Dynaudio are fine speakers... The neutral nature of these means they may not be immediately likeable, but there isn't anything to complain once you pair them up with good electronics and start listening......Even for bookshelves, I like both the MA GS20, and the 52SE, excellent speakers, hard to fault them really....

Ritesh

[hired goon]

G'day,

I personally haven't listened to the Proac, so will leave for someone else to comment on them, but both MA and Dynaudio are fine speakers... The neutral nature of these means they may not be immediately likeable, but there isn't anything to complain once you pair them up with good electronics and start listening......Even for bookshelves, I like both the MA GS20, and the 52SE, excellent speakers, hard to fault them really....

The more I read about the Monitor Audio speakers (RS6, RS8, GS60, etc) the more it seems that the tweeter is a bit aggressive (there's a nasty resonance peak just below 20Hz for example in the RS6/8, which the Gold series avoids by pushing that peak beyond normal hearing), and the speakers are more suited to rock and/or roll than jazz or classical. So I'm still keen to have a listen, but a bit more wary, and skeptical of claims of "neutrality" (unless yer using a very laid-back amp).

But the proof is in the listenin' rather than the readin' so they say, and hopefully soon I'll get the local haute fidélité emporium for a listen meself. However, I'd be very interested if any others agree with the top-end tizziness, or if such reports are alarmist tosh.

--Geoff

[ritesh]

G'day,

The more I read about the Monitor Audio speakers (RS6, RS8, GS60, etc) the more it seems that the tweeter is a bit aggressive (there's a nasty resonance peak just below 20Hz for example in the RS6/8, which the Gold series avoids by pushing that peak beyond normal hearing), and the speakers are more suited to rock and/or roll than jazz or classical. So I'm still keen to have a listen, but a bit more wary, and skeptical of claims of "neutrality" (unless yer using a very laid-back amp).

But the proof is in the listenin' rather than the readin' so they say, and hopefully soon I'll get the local haute fidélité emporium for a listen meself. However, I'd be very interested if any others agree with the top-end tizziness, or if such reports are alarmist tosh.

--Geoff

For what it is worth, I didn't find the top-end aggresive, and we did play a fair bit of jazz and female vocals (Diana Krell), no problems there... can't comment on the silver series, as I had a listen to it quite a while back and that too just casually......As I mentioned both the Creek and Cyrus are not quite the laid-back amps, if anything Creek especially is more of Naim type.... I agree with Classical though, I might have pair them to something like YBA (which I also had a listen to), for me it just didn't have the details of the Cyrus or the Creek.

Anyway, would be interested in hearing your comments, once you have had a play with them...

Ritesh

[betty boop]

top-end tizzines ?

never heard any in my one encounter with the gs60. though the cd source was the mf a5cd which has valves on its output stage so not sure if was smoothing any such tendencies. imagine partnering equip has a part to play in things.

like your self trust my own ears than what I read. keen to spend bit more time with these, and a bit more listening to do.

great if do get a chance to check these out geoff, and look forward to hearing how you find them.

[betty boop]

found this review of the gold reference(predecessor to the gold signatures) 5.1 speaker set.

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/reviews/hc...ldReference.php

appears this speakers because they utilise the CC-CAM drivers also require a very run in period before they sound their best.