Monitor Audio Owners & Discussion Thread

[CustomHT]

First post (take it easy on me!)

Would appreciate comment on Speaker cable's for MA PL300's?

(I have ROTEL 1070 Pre, 1080 Power (200w) and 1072 CD using Chord Cobra3 interconnects)

Is Chord Rumour Bi appropriate......salemans said it was (Speaker Cable has been an after thought!)

Many thanks!

C17

(Melbourne)

Hi C17..

I tried to send you a Pm about what cables I'm using with my Pl300's but it wouldnt go through.. you need to make over 5 posts first

you can make some posts in this thread to get your post count up..

Scott

[hi-filover]

Done! Cheers! Edited July 3, 2009 by Compound17

[Guest stwessed]

okay guys & gals,

 

i have decided on getting Monitor Audio's RS1.

 

now i need help in deciding the amp and the cdp. i was recommended Marantz CD6002 together with Marantz PM 8003. the sales person @ KEC said that these 2 complement each other very well.

 

i have tried these two components but i have no idea how they would sound with RS1 since KEC and Precision Audio are two different stores.

 

the sales person @ Precision Audio recommended me the Music Infinity M01 vacuum tube amp. this amp is almost half the price of the Marantz PM 8003 amp. However, this amp has only inputs for the amp and speakers. i have intention to connect a dvd player and fm tuner to this setup. so yeah, this input thing is kind of a concern to me.

 

any opinions or recommendations you guys and gals can offer me? i will need advice on a fm tuner too. thank you.

[sty]

Hi, I have a pair of MS RS1 black sitting around waiting for an amp to set it up again. Have try setting it up with a Rotel RA02 and CA 540 Ver 1 with Belden 1313A and Qed silver spiral as interconnect. Find it a little too forward for my listening. But it may also be that my location of room for the setup is bad.

 

Will be shifting this setup to another vacant room soon and might try to hook it up with a very old rotel 960 pre amp with 2X960 poweramp to do bi-wiring to the RS1 with a CA 640 ver1 CD player. Will be getting twin runs of Belden 1313A and interconnect will be Qed Qunex 2.

 

After listening to stwessed review from another thread, might wanna try out the Music Infinity MO 1 vacuum tube amp as the price is quite comfortable for me. As for the CD player, I will still stick with my CA 640 or 540 ver 1 for now.

 

Also have a pair of B1 but it is slighthy damage with the exterior when I brought it second hand many years back. May try to hook up to test for differences.  :)

[Anthony123]

well i've had my setup for almost two years (glossy black) and im loving it!

Amp: Denon 3808

Centre: Gold LCR

GS10 Bookshelves

SUB: GSW-12

Rears (in ceiling) - Bronze CPC BR

all going to a Pioneer LS508 display

the sound is truly amazing... very clear and dynamic.... definitly recommend them

I got them from CAV which were quite helpfull!

[big bad wolf]

Hi friends

I am on to my 2nd set of MAs, having owned the Bronze series and I love to share their sound with other like minded friends, so I am posting this so others can ask questions and share tips and for owners to log in too.

 

petetherock : MA RS 6, LCR & 1

 

 

 

sorry to disappoint you.

 

the only British HiFi speakers worth listening to are Spendor , B&W , Quad and Rogers BBC LS5/9.

The rest (tannoy, MA, etc) are so so only.  ::)  hahahahaha.  :P  I no bluff you one.

[nichino]

sorry to disappoint you.

 

the only British HiFi speakers worth listening to are Spendor , B&W , Quad and Rogers BBC LS5/9.

The rest (tannoy, MA, etc) are so so only.  ::)   hahahahaha.  :P  I no bluff you one.

 

Dude sweeping statements like that are not going to earn you many friends in a Monitor Audio Owner's thread  >:(

 

But to each their own, such is the beauty of freedom of speech I guess. Whatever you listen to, hope you are enjoying your aural and visual journey!

 

Cheers,

Nick

[Doggie Howser]

sorry to disappoint you.

 

the only British HiFi speakers worth listening to are Spendor , B&W , Quad and Rogers BBC LS5/9.

The rest (tannoy, MA, etc) are so so only.  ::)   hahahahaha.  :P  I no bluff you one.

 

tsk tsk.. wait till you meet the Harbeth owners ;) Or the Quads or the Linns.

[Eric Teh]

Somehow the writing style is very familiar ......  :P

 

sorry to disappoint you.

 

the only British HiFi speakers worth listening to are Spendor , B&W , Quad and Rogers BBC LS5/9.

The rest (tannoy, MA, etc) are so so only.  ::)   hahahahaha.  :P  I no bluff you one.

[big bad wolf]

Dude sweeping statements like that are not going to earn you many friends in a Monitor Audio Owner's thread  >:(

 

But to each their own, such is the beauty of freedom of speech I guess. Whatever you listen to, hope you are enjoying your aural and visual journey!

 

Cheers,

Nick

 

yup, no many people can handle the truth.  ;) ;)

in this case , no many people know what to look out for during listening demo.  :-X :-X

[petetherock]

I think we should get mods to see which ISP address is our new member....

Remember that boseguru chap...

Anyway all comments good or bad are welcome, if they are objective and based on actual Auditions.

 

We buy understanding its limits and sonic signature. One detractor amongst so many buyers... we know that it is a fine speaker, but MA is not for everyone.

 

Cheers from Boston.

[LesPaul]

Guys, just don't feed the troll 8)  Its always a waste of time engaging such trolls  ;D

 

"An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" or "Message Board Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord on the forums.  A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion.  Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.

 

A classic troll is trying to make us believe that he is a genuine skeptic with no hidden agenda.  He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth",  flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him.  Troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them."

[hi-filover]

New MA offerings "PL200"

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/pla...00/your-speaker

[troyn123]

New MA offerings "PL200"

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/pla...00/your-speaker

I wonder what price range they will be in...

Is it now a choice of

"I want the GS60s or should I spend a little more to get the PL200?"

or

"I'm getting the GS60s because the PL200 dont offer that much more but still cost a lot more"

[Gutty]

New MA offerings "PL200"

NICE ! I too wonder what sort of dollars they'll run.

[Geriatric Sod]

SO another contraversial topic

I bought and set up my MA RS-8s. The dealer told me that they sound better (bass response improves) after being run-in for 200 hours or so...

Any truth to it?? Anecdotal and experiential evidence welcome...

[dantan]

SO another contraversial topic

I bought and set up my MA RS-8s. The dealer told me that they sound better (bass response improves) after being run-in for 200 hours or so...

Any truth to it?? Anecdotal and experiential evidence welcome...

There is truth to it.

Loudspeaker drivers, tweeters, etc, are moving parts and will sound better once they have been run-in.

[Gutty]

Yeah, speakers do take a little time to run it. Really anything with moving parts does... it's just the degree of improvement that i'm sceptical of.(CD players etc) But for speakers, yes deffinately will sound better after a few days.

[dantan]

NICE ! I too wonder what sort of dollars they'll run.

My personal guess would be around the $9,000.00 mark per pair.

Dan.

[CustomHT]

My personal guess would be around the $9,000.00 mark per pair.

Dan.

I'm guessing closer to 10k RRP

[bigloop]

hi all,

 

where can I audit the MA rs6? which shop carry them and their address pls?

 

looking for a 5.1 speaker, whats the MA series estimated cost?

 

btw looking for floorstander.

[zenit]

yup, no many people can handle the truth.  ;) ;)

in this case , no many people know what to look out for during listening demo.  :-X :-X

 

:) You sound very old bird audiophile...

 

:) You eat salt more then I eat rice.

 

:) You mean they should get their ears check 1st ??

[Bonn]

hi all,

 

where can I audit the MA rs6? which shop carry them and their address pls?

 

looking for a 5.1 speaker, whats the MA series estimated cost?

 

btw looking for floorstander.

 

The MA only a shop at Aldephi carries. Its called Precision Audio.

[sty]

I just hook up my RS 1 with an on loan Audiolab 8000A from a friend and with my Cambridge Audio 640C ver 1 and more space behind the RS 1, the sound suddenly came out so much clearer and smoother. Now the projection of the vocals are so much more well projected and the seperation of the instruments more detail and pleasent to the ear.

 

I really glad I brought this speaker and I will use it in my new room setup coming Aug. Will try it with my Rotel pre and power to bi amp it and see if there is further improvement.  :)

[Guest stwessed]

A brief read on this monitor audio owners' thread showed that quite a few seem unpleased with edward's service.

 

Recently, i purchased my very first beloved home audio setup, consisting of a Marantz CD6002 cdp with Cayin A-50T vacuum tube amplifier and Monitor Audio RS1 bookshelf speakers.

 

A few may think, "woah this guy purchased 2 items from him, must be a fanboy or some insider trying to speak up for edward by coming up with this home audio facade."

 

I would like to urge all to take this with a pinch of salt and an open mind and heart!

 

1st visit

When i first entered precision audio, i must say i was pretty baffled by edward's disposition. He was entertaining a guest and he took one odd minute to acknowlede my presence and curtly told me he's not free and to come back another day.

 

I must say upon first impression, i was kind of put off by such gestures.

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

2nd visit

As this is my very first home audio setup, i wanted to audition as many setups as possible before laying the dough on the table. So i carried a little of a heavy heart (due to my prior impression of the shop) and entered precision audio for another attempt at auditioning their products.

 

To my surprise, i was greeted with more glee this time round. I brought along my CDs to audition the setup. As i stay there for a longer period of time, edward seems to be more approachable and amiable.

 

My stay there wasn't long since edward had to rush off to a client's house to help check

what's wrong with the client's amplifier.

 

I managed to audition the BR2 speakers only as a customer just bought the last display set of the RS1s. However, the RS1s have already reached the store, still in its orignal brown box package. Edward asked me to come back another time to audition the RS1s which he reckons it's much more worth getting than the BR2s.

 

I must say that i felt a little disappointed that i have to come back another day once more to audition the speakers. I felt perhaps edward could have taken out the speakers for me on that very day rather than wait for another day.

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

It was only upon the 3rd visit to Precision Audio then did i realise that Edward's ideology is such that you have to be given a reasonably long time frame to audition to be convinced that the setup was good and worth your monies.  As such, i find his asking i to be back another day to audition the RS1 was pardonable (since it was 5+pm by then alr).

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

3rd visit

I was back two, three days later (my third visit), ready to listen to what RS1 has to offer. My friend and i stayed there for a pretty long time, 2 hrs or so i think. This time round, edward was even more amiable. He shared with us his experiences and his thoughts. He was at ease with my friend and i treating the shop as home. With a teh peng in hand, CDs sprawled all over the table and dim lights, my friend and i felt very much at home.

 

By the end of the third visit, i was very sure i was going to purchase the RS1 speakers with the vacuum tube amp. purely because i was moved by the sound coming out from the speakers.

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I went to audition @ 8 places. A wide variety of brands.

 

Speakers: B&W, Infinity, Usher Audio, Jordan, PSB, Quad, Mission, Mti, Elac, NuForce.

 

Amplifier and CDP: Amtech, Cambridge Audio, Marantz, NAD, Bel Canto, NuForce, Parasound, Usher, Trend Audio, Sherwood, NuForce

 

Almost all the places i went seem to have good cables connecting their audio components. And a few of the shop places admitted to it. not something unusual though.

 

Of all the places i went, if cost wasn't an issue..the bel canto setup and amtech setup sounded sweeeeet! But ah, the bel canto cdp costs a whooping 3k plus alr! And the amtech cdp and amtech amp setup with jordan speakers cost early 3k. Not to forget, those insane cables in between! though bel canto still won. amtech setup was kinda strange: it sounded like it had flaws but still sounded pretty nice overall.

 

I didn't dare to purchase amtech because i'm not very aware of this brand and the design (as in basic controls of the cdp and amp) seem questionable and illogical to me.

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Choosing the ideal audio setup within a limited budget can be real tough. Some speakers may sound ooolala but they are connected to good expensive amps or cdps.

 

Thus far, only KEC, Alpha Audio, World Audio and Monitor Audio were being realists. No fanciful amps or cdps out of my budget.

 

PS: the setup i heard at Monitor audio was a Cayin CDP (early 1K region) with Music Infinity tube amp and speakers being the only variable.

 

And amongst this all, Monitor Audio won it, for me at least. The key factor that won me over is how every piece falls into place nicely with Monitor Audio speakers. There's no beat or sound that feels out of place. There's just the right amount of emphasis for every individual note.

 

Few other setups (excluding bel canto) sounded pretty nice for some portions but overall, the music doesn't come together to be in unison. Such as, the electric guitar strumming may sound good but somehow it sounded separated from the vocals.

 

Also, the setup @ monitor audio was connected with ordinary cables except one special interconnect diy-ed by edward himself for cdp to amp. I was more convinced that i can achieve a almost similar sound quality at home (where there's no room treatment) should i purchase the monitor audio speakers.

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

4th visit

On my fourth visit to Precision Audio, which was also the day i purchased the RS1 speakers. Prior to entering the store, i already had the intention of purchasing the speakers. And as for cdp, i can't afford the cayin cdps at Precision Audio which will leave my budget bruised. All that was left for me to consider was whether to get the Music Infinity Tube Amplifier or Marantz Integrated Amplifier PM8003.

 

PS: since my preferred way is to have a better amplifier first rather than a better cdp.

 

After purchasing the speakers, i went to audition the speakers (i brought it to a nearby store) with a Marantz CD6002 CD Player (which i already have the intention to purchase from previous auditioning) and the Marantz PM8003 Integrated Amplifier.

 

I liked how the PM8003 meshes with the CD6002. Very sleek and professional look. However, the sound disappointed me.

 

It was far from what i heard at Precision Audio. At that point, i actually wondered if the Caiyn 1000 odd dollars buck cdp and other factors could have tricked me into hearing that the RS1 speakers were good.

 

Next up was a Creek Amplifier (not sure what model) in replace of the PM8003 (600 odd bucks). The sound's better overall, but the price has increased significantly to a 900 odd. Though the sound improved, it still lacked the allure i was attracted to back at Precision Audio.

 

As some of you may have guessed, i went back to Precision Audio almost immediately to try the RS1 speakers with my newly bought CD6002 (i purchased the cdp first from this nearby store) and Music Infinity Tube Amp. My oh my, no bullcrap over here, but the Music Infinity Tube Amp triumphed the PM8003 when it costs almost half of the PM8003.

 

But somehow, it still lacked smth. It didn't sound the same as the setup i auditioned previously (Cayin 1000-odd dollar cdp). The Carpenters and Celine Dion didn't sound the same. These two are my favorites. As a matter of fact, it was actually the initial setup i heard at Precision Audio that made me love The Carpenters all over again.

 

As you may have guessed again, i decided to give the Cayin A-50T vacuum tube integrated amplifier a shot (to see if this amplifier can make up for the sound i heard previously).

 

I was pretty certain that i won't upgrade anytime soon in the future, which is why i was contemplating on upping my budget with this A-50T amplifier.

 

Home audio setup is a tricky issue. It's not like portable audio where you can just connect any portable amp with any earphones in the world. And yes, i got back the same feeling i wanted.  That was how i ended up with my current setup. Though it did bust my budget by quite a bit but yeah, it made me happy.

 

TO BE CONTINUED DUE TO CHARACTERS LIMIT..