Bowers & Wilkins 683S2 or Monitor Audio Silver 200

[Bolddoggie]

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone has heard these two sets of speakers in terms of a comparison. i want to replace my KEF LS50 for something with a little more grunt. i love the sound of the LS50 but they just dont push out the bottom end to my liking. i am using an arcam alpha 10 + the 10P in a pre power combo at the moment as the LS50 only have a single pair of binding posts on the rear. So with either of the aforementioned speakers i can bi-amp which appeals. my room is a decent square sized lounge, approx 5m x 5m. my main source is a planar 3 with exact2 mm and a bluesound node 2. i home tested the dali opticon 6 but couldnt live with the overpowering bass. i have heard the the 683s2 at the dealers but i havent yet heard the silver 200. i am liking the reviews online though, and their relatively small footprint. any advice on these or any other similar speaker suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance!

 

[insider9]

How are the speakers positioned in your room? How far apart, what distance to back and side walls? What is the distance to listening position? Is the lounge really square-ish or is it more rectangular?

Have you tried any other floorstanders in there? And the Dalis you mentioned how were they positioned? Finally what volume do you usually listen at?

 

[Oldskool1976]

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone has heard these two sets of speakers in terms of a comparison. i want to replace my KEF LS50 for something with a little more grunt. i love the sound of the LS50 but they just dont push out the bottom end to my liking. i am using an arcam alpha 10 + the 10P in a pre power combo at the moment as the LS50 only have a single pair of binding posts on the rear. So with either of the aforementioned speakers i can bi-amp which appeals. my room is a decent square sized lounge, approx 5m x 5m. my main source is a planar 3 with exact2 mm and a bluesound node 2. i home tested the dali opticon 6 but couldnt live with the overpowering bass. i have heard the the 683s2 at the dealers but i havent yet heard the silver 200. i am liking the reviews online though, and their relatively small footprint. any advice on these or any other similar speaker suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Hey Bolddoggie (Love the name)
I can only comment on the MA Silver 200's predecessor the Silver 6's.
I know the 200's are a tad smaller but if they have similar traits you wont be dissapointed with the scale/bass. They are effortless with my backup 45 watts per channel amp. The Arcam pre/power should match lovely with the MA silvers.

 

[Bolddoggie]

Hi there,

Thanks for coming back to me. my speakers are currently positioned 3m apart with 30cm of space behind and beside, when listening, (Critical listening) i sit on the pouffe about 3m away dead centre, the speakers being slightly toed in to tighten the image, the room is proper square, there is a chimney breast on the right hand side but i dont feel it impacts, i could be wrong.

Ive had B&W CM7, great midrange and treble but underwhelming bass, and the Dali opticon 6, extraodinary room shaking bass that IMO altered the music in a way i couldnt live with, e.g. "come together" by the Beatles sounded like a different recording. they were positoned in the same way my current set up is.

Ive 4 kids so my listening volume is moderate, my preference is take the roof off volume but hey ho..

 

[Bolddoggie]

Hi Oldskool1976,

My wife calls me Bolddoggie, no idea why!

Cheers for the advice, i am edging toward the B&W as i have owned 6 sets over the years but i have tried to broaden my horizons, i dont want to miss a trick on this hi fi Journey! as i say the smaller footprint of the MA silver appeals, the 683s2 are big boxes..

cheers,

 

[newlash09]

Any reason why you are limited to considering the b&w / Dali only. I'd suggest to add the qacoustics concept 40's to your audition list. Very smooth and refined speakers.

 

[newlash09]

speaker placement a bit. The Dali's are rear ported and will need more room behind them to reduce room induced bass gain. And the b&W's being front ported can be pushed up further closer to the wall till their bass sounds right. Plonking both in the same location will not suit either. Just my 2 cents

 

[Bolddoggie]

Any reason why you are limited to considering the b&w / Dali only. I'd suggest to add the qacoustics concept 40's to your audition list. Very smooth and refined speakers.

Hi newlash09,

I'm open to anything really. my main aim is sonic performance, then looks.. ive had large speakers and small. im looking for a happy medium. I've seen the MA silver and i liked their relatively diminutive size. but as ive said i have always been a B&W fan. Q acoustics havent been on my radar for my main system.. i do have a pair of 2020i in the back room hooked up to an old Music Fidelity A-X1 and i do like them. I'll have a listen to some in town at the weekend, thanks for the tip!

Cheers

 

[rainsoothe]

Check out Focal Aria 926 and the new Spendor A2 or A4. Or the A5R if you can find a clearance or something.

 

[davedotco]

As always this is really about which speaker suits you, your amp and your room.

As a B&W fan I would suggest that you look at those first, audition against the MAs if you can and then, if you prefer the MAs, you will not be thinking 'what if'. We all have our different preferences here, try as much as you can using the B&Ws as a reference, try not to be too swayed by reviews or opinions, the LS50s are very highly regarded but clearly do not work for you, bear that in mind.

Do not worry overmuch about the bi-amping option, you gain very little in performance, but then, since you have the option, give it a go. Some people react very positively to setting up in this way.