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victemizer
02-29-2008, 08:07 PM
Well it finally happened! My trusty Boston Acoustics CR85's melted down! One of the cones where it connects to the center post cooked!

I wasn't really ready to spend any money on speakers, as I wanted to do a few other upgrades first. Funny how things work, now I don't have much choice.

I have considered trying to buy a set of used B&W 603 s3's and a set of 602 s3's as rears. A buddy of mine has some Monitor Audio Silver series speakers and he really likes them.

First what is a good price for the B&W's? Second what do you guys think of the Monitor Audio Silver series. What is the best bang for the buck speaker?

I run a B&K AVR 101. I spend most of my time listening to music, but want to have speakers that work well for both. I mostly listen to rock and blues.

If you guys have a good recommendation that is not the B&W or the Monitor Audio I would love to hear that as well.

Any feed back is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Vic

bobsticks
02-29-2008, 08:30 PM
Hey Vic,

You're going to find that B&Ws are very different from Boston Accoustics, and it may be a telling thing that they are often used as studio monitors to master classical recordings. Many would claim them to be a bit brittle for Rock "N Roll, especially if not amplified correctly. Many swear by them. To each his own, but they would not be my choice for longterm rock listening.

Monitor Audio is highly regarded. I haven't heard the magic but my time with them has been limited to the showroom.

I personally have a set of KEF Q7s that I keep around specifically for rock and blues. Love 'em and their great midrangeThey can be had relatively inexpensively over the internet.

A couple more options would be Paradigm and Dynaudio. The Dyne model 52 is a great all-around speaker. I heard them with Rotel gear, which is usually used in conjunction with B&W, and found them to outperform said Beemers. I would imagine they'd do just fine with B&K.

Peace

--sticks

Les Adams
03-01-2008, 04:09 AM
Have you made enquiries about getting the damaged unit re-coned or repaired? I guess if you were thinking of a change anyway that may not be an option, but you might be able to sell them if they were restored to working order thus providing funds towards the replacements.

I am a firm believer in buying second hand gear, although with speakers you really need to listen first which is sometimes not possible, especially if you go down the ebay route.

I purchased my Audio Vector M2's from a local dealer. They were ex-demonstration models in "as new" condition and I saved £700 against the retail price. For the money I paid nothing new compared. It might be worth phoning round some dealers to see if they have any special offers worth consideration as they are usually prepared to demonstrate them before you buy and may even take them back if you don't like them.

Jack in Wilmington
03-01-2008, 04:34 AM
Hey Vic,
What is available in your area as far as speaker brands? I did see some real good deals on Monitor Audio over on Audiogon if you don't mind going the used route. Even if you hear something locally that you like and can't afford, you might find it there at a huge savings.

Brett A
03-01-2008, 04:59 AM
It's really not a big deal to get drivers repaired.
I have had repairs done before at New England Speaker. The guy there does careful work. I bet you could get your driver fixed for under $100 even after shipping.

New England Speaker Incorporated
219 Main St Ste R
Stoneham, MA 02180-1620
Phone: (781) 438-1786

Rock On!!!!:yesnod:

victemizer
03-01-2008, 03:02 PM
I checked Boston's website, and it seems I should be able to get replacement parts easily enough. Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't even think of that. I guess I really was excited about getting a better set of speakers. So I guess I get to looking.


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Hey Vic,
What is available in your area as far as speaker brands? I did see some real good deals on Monitor Audio over on Audiogon if you don't mind going the used route. Even if you hear something locally that you like and can't afford, you might find it there at a huge savings.


I live near Seattle WA. The major dealers in the area are Magnolia Audio Video, and Definitive Audio. Definitive offers B&W and Paradigm. Magnolia offers Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Def Tech, and Sonus Faber. I think I am going to head out with a friend tomorrow and take a look around.

I did find a set of used Martin Logan Aerius for sale locally. Any one here have any experience with the Aerius? From looking at the reviews it seems like there are mixed emotions about them.

O'Shag
03-01-2008, 07:24 PM
Monitor Audio Silver RS6 is a decent speaker, as is the KEF iQ7