Monitor Audio RS6

[JohnMichael]

Oh my on-again off-again enjoyment of the RS6's. Well we are on again. An odd thing about my apartment is the windows are not centered in the wall. There is more space between the left wall and the windows than there is between the windows and right wall. When I put my new stand in the room I centered it with the windows. The speakers I placed with the same distance to the side walls. This gave the look of the right speaker being too close to the stand.

Well one day for visual effects I decided to move the right speaker closer to the right sidewall. Now the speakers and stand looked nicer together. I dropped in a cd and holy sh!t there was some bass. Not boomy or flabby bass but deep and controlled bass I did not think the speakers could produce. Imaging was more focused and soundstage deeper and more layered. Both speakers received the same amount of toe-in.

I have been listening to the speakers now for a week and a half and I am still impressed. I thought I had tried about every combination of placement but once I varied the distance of speakers from the sidewalls it all came together. I now agree with the Stereophile review of the RS6's.

[frenchmon]

Those speakers must be really really fussy about placement.

[JohnMichael]

I think in small rooms speakers with good bass are always fussy to set-up. My room is 12x15 and the 12 foot wall is where the speakers are placed. So I am not sure if it is the speakers or my room. Or maybe I am fussy. On the other hand decor is important. Oh I am fussy.

[atomicAdam]

I thought you were gonna say you finally decided to sell those poor SOBs of speakers. Remind me to tell you about 'our' experience in the Monitor Audio Room at CES. Awkward

[JohnMichael]

I thought you were gonna say you finally decided to sell those poor SOBs of speakers. Remind me to tell you about 'our' experience in the Monitor Audio Room at CES. Awkward

I look forward to hearing that story.

[JohnMichael]

I have always listened to my speakers sans grill but with the new dog I replaced the covers on the RS 6's. He runs around shaking hell out of his toys and I was worried he would hit a driver with his toy. Interesting difference in sound. I will report back if I like the change but I am still enjoying the MA RS 6's since positioning them asymetrical in the room.

[JohnMichael]

We are off again. Friday night I dreamt about a time I listened to Reference 3A speakers. I remembered how much I enjoyed the sound. I thought about the sound all day at work and when I arrived home out came the MF OML1's. I had been listening to many of Mozarts compositions and was missing some of the delicacy of the music. The OML1's brought back the sound my dream reminded me I was missing. I think I will be enjoying the OML1's for the foreseeable future. Once again I think the smaller and less resonant cabinet is the reason I enjoy the OML's.

[Ajani]

We are off again. Friday night I dreamt about a time I listened to Reference 3A speakers. I remembered how much I enjoyed the sound. I thought about the sound all day at work and when I arrived home out came the MF OML1's. I had been listening to many of Mozarts compositions and was missing some of the delicacy of the music. The OML1's brought back the sound my dream reminded me I was missing. I think I will be enjoying the OML1's for the foreseeable future. Once again I think the smaller and less resonant cabinet is the reason I enjoy the OML's.

I really think it may be time for you to audition some new speakers... If you keep going back and forth between the OMLs and the RS6, then it's likely that neither speaker meets all your needs...

[JohnMichael]

I really think it may be time for you to audition some new speakers... If you keep going back and forth between the OMLs and the RS6, then it's likely that neither speaker meets all your needs...

I agree but I do not have time to truly audition speakers like I used to do. 35 miles one way to an audio shop and then return trips to listen again. The local shop that sold me the MA's only sell MA's. I would like to hear the Nola Boxer and the Devore Gibbon 3's. Then I would like to relisten to the Reference 3A Dulcets. I even thought about ordering a pair of MMG's since they are inexpensive. If I do not like them I can send them back.

I did place the OML 1's exactly where the RS6's had been. That placement benefits both speakers.

[frenchmon]

JM...I like a speaker that has a rich midrange, and lively top end with a little sparkle without being fatigue, and a bottom end thats not in the range of Dynaudio... that some how after a while seems, to my ears... to be over powering as to have more of a presence than everything else in the music. ...but I do like my bottom end to still have presence with articulation.

I like my lower to higher midrange to also have great music dispersion that seem to bring out the subtle sounds that many speakers fail to amplify. I've listened to a lot of speakers in my life time and I can tell you its hard to find that speaker. Either they do this but they dont do that.

System matching is very important with speakers and the character of the everything else in a system...at lest in my experience with hifi. Now you've seen my signature, I got what I could afford paired with the sound that I wanted....and I know what sound I want. Let me say, I hate a boring sound! I like the Rotel sound...can be a little bright with some recording, thats why I got the A+ cable being a slightly warm cable to tame the Rotel a bit. But I really lucked up after doing a lot of reading about a speaker thats not really well known and respected in America. After reading through countless reviews with many people saying they where a little bright, but still seem to always have very favorable reviews...pro and consumer alike. They do seem to have a small following on a few forums but thats about it. So I took the chance and bought a Pair of this speaker...not the model that I wanted but because I did not want to spend a bundle on a speaker in a hunch, I got one of the lower models to get a feel for the Character of the speaker, and man did the research in reading the reviews pay off. The nature of the canton 403 is just what I was hoping for. Though the bottom end could be a little lower, I was assured that as I move up in that speaker teh bottom end would have more punch....My dream model is the Canton Reference 1.2 DC
but I will never be able to aford that speaker and remain a married man. So I will have to settle for a Veto 820 for the space I have in my listening room.

So this brings me to the Reference 3a. I told a friend about the Canton's I have and he bought a pair. He then latter made comments that the Canton's have a sound in the tweeter like the Reference 3a. I am just dying to hear a pair of these speakers. I cant find any place to take a listen...and they dont have a model cheap enough that I would be willing to dish out on a hunch. If you like the sound of the reference 3A speakers , I am willing to bet you taste in sound is similar to mine. but I do agree with Ajani...if you keep switching them back and forth, then you may need to find that ultimate speaker that will do it for you....go ahead and get the Reference 3a and let us know how fun they are.

[blackraven]

I even thought about ordering a pair of MMG's since they are inexpensive. If I do not like them I can send them back.

If you have an inkling to try out the MMG's, consider listening to a pair of MG 12's if you have a Magnepan dealer nearby. The MG 12's are a step up from the MMG's but the difference is not night and day (deeper bass, larger sound stage and presence). This way you can get an idea of what the MMG's sound like and decide if you like the Planar sound without actually having to buy the MMG's. The MMG's will definitely need a decent subwoofer. They will also sound better with a slight modification of their stands, tilting them slightly forward and raising them 2-4" off the floor.

[JohnMichael]

This is how I am listening tonight.

[frenchmon]

This is how I am listening tonight.

Very nice JM...and may I add nice eye candy! I would love to come and sit and take a listens to your system....I know the power of the clean articulate control of Krell from listening to Peabodys....I have been a Marantz lover from back in the late 70's so I know the sophistication it can add to the right system...and I have as ways kept and eye on LSA1 speakers which look like your Mobile Fidelity OML1's....but I don't know the character of that speaker....they sure look very nice....looks to be in a different class than your MA's. What are the Mobile Fidelity OML1's like? Deep bass? dispersion of sound in the mids? What are they like...what strong good characteristics do they have?

[JohnMichael]

Very nice JM...and may I add nice eye candy! I would love to come and sit and take a listens to your system....I know the power of the clean articulate control of Krell from listening to Peabodys....I have been a Marantz lover from back in the late 70's so I know the sophistication it can add to the right system...and I have as ways kept and eye on LSA1 speakers which look like your Mobile Fidelity OML1's....but I don't know the character of that speaker....they sure look very nice....looks to be in a different class than your MA's. What are the Mobile Fidelity OML1's like? Deep bass? dispersion of sound in the mids? What are they like...what strong good characteristics do they have?

First the bass which is not deep but very textured and tuneful. There is enough bass for a balanced sound. The midrange is rich in tone and the soundfield begins at the plane of the speakers and is deep. The sound is not forward or in your face. Typical silk dome highs with detail and non fatiguing treble.

The cabinets are small and cross braced horizontally and vertically. The lack of large panels and the bracing reduces resonances that blur the sound with the MA's. It is when I start missing details in the music that I tire of the MA's. Of course the MA's are more fun when playing hard rock or The Black Eyed Peas. The OML1's are detailed but not etched. The MA's have deeper bass but a less defined sound in complex music.

[frenchmon]

Yes..I like what you have discribed of theOML1's ....I listen to mostly Jazz. Acoustic Jazz, old school R&b and some classical now and then. Thanks...I dont think MF makes the OML1's speaker any more. But I would suspect its the very same as the LSA1. Thanks, I would not be afraid of a LSA1 purchase now if a great possibility arose having some understanding of the character.

[harley .guy07]

Yeah I would be looking for new speakers if I were you because it seems that you have just as many off times as on times and that is not a good thing for a person to have with their system. It will just make you hate listening to it eventually. I was like that with my Paradigms before I modified them when I owned them, they were just too damn bright and fatiguing. My Dynaudio's aren't fatiguing and give me the detail I like with out being too strong in the highs and making my ears bleed. I have very sensitive high frequency hearing so to much high end makes my cringe.

[Ajani]

I agree but I do not have time to truly audition speakers like I used to do. 35 miles one way to an audio shop and then return trips to listen again. The local shop that sold me the MA's only sell MA's. I would like to hear the Nola Boxer and the Devore Gibbon 3's. Then I would like to relisten to the Reference 3A Dulcets. I even thought about ordering a pair of MMG's since they are inexpensive. If I do not like them I can send them back.

I'm in a very similar situation: I used to a lot of auditioning when I lived in Canada, but since I returned to the Caribbean I have to do most of my ordering without an audition...

The advice I can give on ordering blind is to read both pro and user reviewers for descriptions of the sound characteristics (not whether the reviewer liked the gear)... I find that if enough reviews consistently describe certain characteristics in a component, then you have a decent idea of what to expect if you order it...

[JohnMichael]

I'm in a very similar situation: I used to a lot of auditioning when I lived in Canada, but since I returned to the Caribbean I have to do most of my ordering without an audition...

I currently have 3 pairs of speakers and the MA RS6's were the only ones I auditioned. They are not bad speakers but not to my taste. They reinforce my thinking that a tower speaker at the $1,000 price range will have too many cabinet resonances. So my next pair of speakers will be stand mount.

When I am ready to shop for speakers I think I will plan a vacation in a large city. Spend my days going to audio shops. I do not want to take the risk of buying sound unheard.

Luckily neither the MA's nor the MF's are unenjoyable. The asymmetrical placement that improved the sound of the RS6's is also helping with the OML1's. I will continue to enjoy one of the pairs until I hear my dream speakers.

[Hyfi]

This is how I am listening tonight.

Nice pic.

But, if those guys are rear ported, the big glass windows are possibly sucking the bass out of the room.

Have you ever tried hanging a big blanket over all three windows?

[Hyfi]

JM...I like a speaker that has a rich midrange, and lively top end with a little sparkle without being fatigue, and a bottom end thats not in the range of Dynaudio... that some how after a while seems, to my ears... to be over powering as to have more of a presence than everything else in the music. ...but I do like my bottom end to still have presence with articulation.

So you have just described what a Von Schwiekert speaker sounds like as well as my Clearfield Continentals, which are VS's when he worked for Counterpoint.

LOL, then my 82s

[JohnMichael]

Nice pic.

But, if those guys are rear ported, the big glass windows are possibly sucking the bass out of the room.

Have you ever tried hanging a big blanket over all three windows?

I am not sure if I think the ports contribute much to the sound due to it being very narrow. I think it would mainly lower internal pressure.

[JohnMichael]

The Mobile Fidelity OML1's are singing sweetly in the asymmetrical placement that helped the MA RS6's. I also gave the right speaker a little more toe-in and the left a little less to compensate for the off center positioning of my listening chair. It is too early to tell but I think I will be more pleased with the sound. I do not know if it is the room but I am surprised how difficult it has been to find the best placement for the speakers. I think now I have found it.

[TheHills44060]

Use the Monitor Audio's for firewood and enjoy those OML's Mr. JM!

[JohnMichael]

Use the Monitor Audio's for firewood and enjoy those OML's Mr. JM!

Or better yet I have a nephew who is having a birthday soon.

[JohnMichael]

Today is the first chance I have had to listen to vinyl since switching back to the OML 1's from the RS6's. I thought the power supply upgrade was an improvement but I am really hearing how good it is today. The resonances of the RS6 cabinets blocked much of the detail and now that I am listening to the OML's I am very happy.