Sometimes is pays to do a secodn audition.
I got a full hour with Sevenoaks audio yesterday to audition both speakers. These were both hooked up to the Marantz cd6002 combo.
I loved the gentle crips nature of the RS1, they were very detailed, but slightly light on Bass. Ran through a selection of 5 of my choice cds from Smooth Jazz, Gospel, and finally closing on light funk. I was impressed but not blown away.
Then came the B&W. I was initially a bit apprehensive, cos I had tried these out 3 months ago, with same kit and they did not make an impression, besides @ the time I thought they sounded sluggish. Anyway right from the start, you could tell that these babys were going to sing, and I was not dissapointed. They were extremely clear, bold and just damn fantastic. The detail was just unbelieveable. It looked like both speakers were in totally different class.
Well I have decided that these will do, and contrary to what some people think about the Marantz B&W pairing, I hardly found a flaw. They drove the speakers very well.
Now the challenge is how to get the speakers, decent stands and maybe some cables for about £450.