I want CES 2011 NOW!!!! New Product Rumours

[JohnMichael]

Adam & JM,

If I'm not mistaken you both purchased the RS6's based on the excellent reviews not because you had done extensive listening sessions with them in a store...

Despite all of those issues, you might really just not like metal drivers or Monitor Audio speakers... They are not for everyone (no matter what a review might claim)... Then again no speaker is for everyone...

I bought mine from the local audio dealer about 1 mile from home. This time I had been to several audio stores and listening to speakers. I thought the MA's were the best of what I heard at the time. I was pleased with them long after a 30 day trial would have lasted. Then I began to be bothered by the sound. Believe me the Krell drives them quite nicely. A friend was visiting one time and I put in some Black Eyed Peas and let the music flow. I continued to turn up the volume and he was impressed that everything just got louder and not distorted. Initially the sound was impressive and they did get an impressive review. There was just something that after a few months began to become irritating.

Then I brought out the OML 1's and oh the music was back. The audio store where I bought the MA's is just a shell of its former self. MA is all he stocks but can order other brands. He deals a lot in used and does new home theater installs. Sadly there was not much chance of trading them in on something else. The MA's helped me realize how good the Mo Fi's are. Oh and the Krell drives them nicely. I should add that the best speaker was the one I bought sound unheard.

[Ajani]

I bought mine from the local audio dealer about 1 mile from home. This time I had been to several audio stores and listening to speakers. I thought the MA's were the best of what I heard at the time. I was pleased with them long after a 30 day trial would have lasted. Then I began to be bothered by the sound. Believe me the Krell drives them quite nicely. A friend was visiting one time and I put in some Black Eyed Peas and let the music flow. I continued to turn up the volume and he was impressed that everything just got louder and not distorted. Initially the sound was impressive and they did get an impressive review. There was just something that after a few months began to become irritating.

Then I brought out the OML 1's and oh the music was back. The audio store where I bought the MA's is just a shell of its former self. MA is all he stocks but can order other brands. He deals a lot in used and does new home theater installs. Sadly there was not much chance of trading them in on something else. The MA's helped me realize how good the Mo Fi's are. Oh and the Krell drives them nicely. I should add that the best speaker was the one I bought sound unheard.

My bad... It was the Krell you ordered unheard online? (I must have mixed that up with the MAs)...

I haven't tried Krell, but the descriptions I've read of their sound just doesn't seem like a good match to Monitor Audio... I could imagine it sounding impressive for awhile and then annoying in the long run... IMO, MA's should be paired with warmer sounding gear... MA speakers are deliberately engineered to be "bright" and "bass heavy" - just check out the frequency response charts from Stereophile & HiFi World... So an amp that won't slightly roll off the extremes / emphasize the mid-range is likely to be a poor match to the MA's...

[atomicAdam]

My complaint isn't the quality of sound of the RS6 speakers - it is more the lack of detail and the in ability to form a cohesive image - where all the frequencies sounds integrated and coming from a central point. I could always here the bass being low to the ground. I think for the price, they are fantastic speakers. But I heard better, and moved on.

I would love to give them another go with some of the speaker cables and gear I have my hands on now. I can tell you for sure the slightly bloated mid ranges would be reduced (I hope) and the detail would increase (i hope). But frankly, there are just speakers out there that are more detailed and better at putting together the sound. Obviously, even MA has better speakers than the RS6... Saying I moved on isn't a knock on the speakers, it is just a fact.

[JohnMichael]

I did not have any problem with bloated bass because the Krell keeps a tight grip on the woofers. I agree they could not deliver a cohesive image. Comparing the RS6's to the OML1's which both retailed for about $1,000 proves what I have always thought about speakers. It is easier and cheaper to make a well damped cabinet for a bookshelf speaker than it is a floor standing speaker. I do not remember which audio writer would say under $5,000 buy bookshelf over $5,000 floorstanders. The OML1's using a smaller well damped cabinet and two drivers can image much better than the RS6's using three drivers and a more resonant cabinet. I am sure the PMC's are doing a better job with imaging.

My thoughts are about dynamic drivers in boxes.

[Ajani]

I did not have any problem with bloated bass because the Krell keeps a tight grip on the woofers. I agree they could not deliver a cohesive image. Comparing the RS6's to the OML1's which both retailed for about $1,000 proves what I have always thought about speakers. It is easier and cheaper to make a well damped cabinet for a bookshelf speaker than it is a floor standing speaker. I do not remember which audio writer would say under $5,000 buy bookshelf over $5,000 floorstanders. The OML1's using a smaller well damped cabinet and two drivers can image much better than the RS6's using three drivers and a more resonant cabinet. I am sure the PMC's are doing a better job with imaging.

My thoughts are about dynamic drivers in boxes.

I've heard a few reviewers and mags make similar statements about bookshelfs versus floorstanders... usually the figure was closer to $2K than $5k though... But logically, a $2K small, 2 way monitor should be comprised of far higher quality materials than a $2K, large, 3 way floorstander (assuming the brands spend similar ratios on materials versus design, advertising, profit margins, etc)...

Generally one would expect a small monitor to have a more refined sound than a tower of the same price... The tower should have greater bass extension, scale and dynamic range. So it should be a matter of user preference...

[Ajani]

My complaint isn't the quality of sound of the RS6 speakers - it is more the lack of detail and the in ability to form a cohesive image - where all the frequencies sounds integrated and coming from a central point. I could always here the bass being low to the ground. I think for the price, they are fantastic speakers. But I heard better, and moved on.

I would love to give them another go with some of the speaker cables and gear I have my hands on now. I can tell you for sure the slightly bloated mid ranges would be reduced (I hope) and the detail would increase (i hope). But frankly, there are just speakers out there that are more detailed and better at putting together the sound. Obviously, even MA has better speakers than the RS6... Saying I moved on isn't a knock on the speakers, it is just a fact.

Your earlier post was in between JM's questioning whether he likes metal drivers and RGA's seeming contempt for Monitor Audio... So it seemed more like you were chiming in on the Monitor's Audios not being good...

As for moving on: That should be expected... The RS6 were very good $1K Towers, but $1K is not the end all of HiFi speakers... The reason I never bought a pair of RS6 is because I heard the GS20... Having heard the GS20, I was never willing to accept the lower sound quality of the RS6... Considering the GS20 were triple the price of the RS6, then it better have sounded superior...

[audio amateur]

So an amp that won't slightly roll off the extremes / emphasize the mid-range is likely to be a poor match to the MA's...

I get confused when people talk about 'rolled off highs' etc. as it's my understanding that modern hi-fi amps all have a frequency response of at least 20-20000 Hz plus or minus 0.5Hz or less.

[E-Stat]

...as it's my understanding that modern hi-fi amps all have a frequency response of at least 20-20000 Hz plus or minus 0.5Hz or less.

while driving a resistor on the test bench. The real world of amps driving speakers with wide impedance swings and reactive components, however, can change the mix.

rw

[Tarheel_]

As a Revel Performa owner, i'm also excited about their new lineup. My local dealer is very cool to allow demos without being in the market.

I for one was seriously let down by the F32 and F50a..only the F52 was on another plane so I expect this new lineup to mimic the 52 and improve on its' sound quality.

Ahh, to win the lottery

[Ajani]

As a Revel Performa owner, i'm also excited about their new lineup. My local dealer is very cool to allow demos without being in the market.

I for one was seriously let down by the F32 and F50a..only the F52 was on another plane so I expect this new lineup to mimic the 52 and improve on its' sound quality.

Ahh, to win the lottery

What did you dislike about the F32? I'm curious since I know I should be able to get a good deal on one when the new series drops, so it would be an option...

[Tarheel_]

What did you dislike about the F32? I'm curious since I know I should be able to get a good deal on one when the new series drops, so it would be an option...

The F32...mostly the mid-range suffered, it just cannot reproduce the sweet airy range the F30 could....plus, the more obvious...bass output. The F32 cannot go nearly as deep or clean as the F30 before it. Bear in mind, with the new- more friendly (WAF) cabinets and the move to smaller woofers on the F32, comprises had to be made.

The F50a is a mess. I never liked either version and was quite surprised by the sound quality when considering their price. For a comparison, this dealer had a new pair of PSB Stratus Silver i's or Gold (cannot remember) which i thought sounded as good or even better overall.

Both were driven with Marantz/Lexicon.

Given a choice I would pass on both and save the funds for a used pair of F52s. A world apart and much, much superior to the F30.