I have an aging Arcam A85 that was partnered with B&W 602S3 speakers. My overly excited dog knocked a speaker stand over when the grilles were off and the tweeter of one speaker is severly damaged. Now, I can purchase a single 602 to replace the damaged one, but I figure that this is the right time to upgrade. I love the Arcam A85 and would like to keep it. I was thinking about Monitor Audio RX6 to replace the B&Ws. I listen to almost all kinds of music, but rock definately dominates. Can anyone comment whether the Arcam + MAs will be a good match?
Arcam A85 + Monitor Audio RX6?
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scene
Well-known member
Sorry to hear about your B&Ws. Arcam and Monitor Audio are pretty natural partners for each other.
I bought my Arcam A85 with a pair of MA Silver 8i and it sounded superb - I listen to a fair amount of rock :rockout:
I've heard A85s with RS6s and RX6s and they sound pretty marvelllous. Only thing I'd say is that you need a fair amount of space to listen to the RX6 - away from a wall and a decent size listening room to do them justice...
EDIT: I would recommend taking your A85, source and some representative music down to your local dealer and having a good long demo before splashing out on the RX6 to be sure. The metal tweeters and c-cam mid/bass cones on the MA take a while to run in, so make sure you're listening to a nicely run in pair.
Also, if you do go down the MA route, make sure you run them in yourself before passing judgement - they can have a harsh edge (for want of a better term) to them fresh out of the box... Once run in they will sing.
I bought my Arcam A85 with a pair of MA Silver 8i and it sounded superb - I listen to a fair amount of rock :rockout:
I've heard A85s with RS6s and RX6s and they sound pretty marvelllous. Only thing I'd say is that you need a fair amount of space to listen to the RX6 - away from a wall and a decent size listening room to do them justice...
EDIT: I would recommend taking your A85, source and some representative music down to your local dealer and having a good long demo before splashing out on the RX6 to be sure. The metal tweeters and c-cam mid/bass cones on the MA take a while to run in, so make sure you're listening to a nicely run in pair.
Also, if you do go down the MA route, make sure you run them in yourself before passing judgement - they can have a harsh edge (for want of a better term) to them fresh out of the box... Once run in they will sing.
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
Arcam has always gone well with Monitor Audio. The smoother sound of the Arcam has always calmed the MA's down a little, providing a better balanced sound. But, as Scene has mentioned, get a demo with your amp, as there's only one way to be sure. You'll also have the option of trying other speakers should they not be quite what you're after.
Thanks for your reply!! 
Your comment regarding the space has made me think twice, I am in Japan, so my listening space is not large.
Your comment regarding the space has made me think twice, I am in Japan, so my listening space is not large.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Jas819 said:
Firstly can say that I sympathise with your dilemma. Before buying my RS6s I was concerned because we had a young toddler and I was apprehensive about speakers falling on her. I found, after a lot of research - and pestering dealers - that standmounted speakers were generally more stable. One of the deciding factors at the time was that RS6s were the best of the bunch when it came to stability.
Personally, I think MAs are a fabulous match with Arcam. The only time I would be undecided is if your room acoustics are on the reflective side. However, after hearing, quite recently, the RX6s with a Cyrus system at a dealers, they sounded quite sweet.
I would also consider Focal and PMC. Both, again, are impressive with Arcam.
Before splashing money at a new pair, contact B&W (Worthing) and see whether they can give you a quote for a new tweeter unit. http://www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/contact_us/contact.html
Buy some RX6s in gloss white. Send them to me and I'll send you my mint 602 S3s in return....... Simples......
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Ben K. said:
It was 8XPD amp and CD8SE. He had already set it up for someone else for a dem. I must of been early, while he was fiddling with his fingers. I heard the RX6 and GX100 and was surprised that the overall presentation was lively rather than bright. Sounded good.
How did you find the GX100? I have yet to hear the GX range as my local MA dealer has closed down. I did hear some GS60 playing off sonos and some pl100 powered by cyrus mono's before they closed down. If only I had more money at the time!!!
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Ben K. said:
It's hard to give a definitive answer because I'm not that familiar with Cyrus amps* (and it was his dem room, not at home), but compared to the RX6s domed tweeter it sounded quite sweet. There was a lot of info coming from the Cyrus but not to the point of harness.
*I only visited to talk about DACs. I spyed the GX range, and one thing led to another. I spoke to him about everything but DACs. Such is life...
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