MA Apex 5.1 or RX6 AV12 and which AV Reciever?

[admin_exported]

Hi, Just require some advice.

I was thinking of upgrading my Home Cinema system to either a MA apex 5.1 or RX6 AV12 kit. I was thinking of pairing them with either an Pioneer LX73, Arcam AVR400 or a Yamaha RX-V3067.

I just went for a demo of the Apex connected to an Pioneer LX-73 which Ithought was very good, but then i heard them connected to the Arcam and IMO I thought sounded even better especially with Music. Hopefully will be going for a demo next week of the RX6 AV12 kit.

My Living room is approx 2.5m x 4m in size. My main audio source will be programmes from SKY HD, occasionally watching blu-ray movies and also listening to RnB and HipHop music.

Just wanted to know your opinions on what speaker/amp combo would be most suitable to my requirements.

 

[ric71]

hi,

i would go for the apex and arcam combo. i listen to a lot of music through my apex and have heard them with the arcam it was beautiful.

i am planning to get the avr 400 at the end of the year. demo both sets of speakers though as they are both excellent in their own right.i personaly love the apex as they are unobtrusive and work perfectly with both movies and music and can be wall mounted.

good luck and enjoy

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Ric, what level is your crossover frequency set at?

 

[Frank Harvey]

The RX package will be better with music than the Apex package, as will the Arcam over the Pioneer or Yamaha, but it's all subjective, so g yourself along to a demo and see what you prefer. Because of your music, I think you'll prefer the RX package because of the better bass response and fuller sound for music.

 

[Anonymous]

Is there a big difference between the 2 sets of speakers when it comes to music and also movies?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Rish001

If its ultimate performance you require then the Silver RX speakers are overall a clear step up with movie or music soundtracks.

Btw, Yamaha's RX-V3067 AV amplifier works superbly with Apex and Silver RX speakers

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Rick, My local dealer suggests I should listen to the new Kef Q series package (Q500 for the fronts with Q200 as a centre) as in his opinion it sounds better then the MA RX6 package. Any opinions?

 

[michael hoy]

FrankHarveyHiFi:The RX package will be better with music than the Apex package, as will the Arcam over the Pioneer or Yamaha, but it's all subjective, so g yourself along to a demo and see what you prefer. Because of your music, I think you'll prefer the RX package because of the better bass response and fuller sound for music.

Hi Rish001,

I cannot say anything about the RX speakers, but I do agree that the Arcam 500 that I demoed the Apex with did sound very good purchased the Pioneer SC-LX72 to go with my Apex because of the price of the Arcam.

 

[RobGardner]

Before you buy any AV receiver you should make sure you hear one of the new Anthem integrated receivers. The sound quality is stunning (I am already saving for the MX700) the power is awesome and the room sound correction system is spot on. A two year warranty and stable firmware (unlike certain other products) should result in very happy listening. Once the reviews hit the mags I am sure they will be in short supply.

 

[Anonymous]

It depends how important music is, I've have owned both an RX and Apex (fronts) set up and IMO the Apex are better with movie sound tracks, more detailed. And remember movies are authored for sub / sat type systems. The RX did sound better on music, but not by much. Also the Apex are much more wife friendly.

 

[Anonymous]

markjaspi:It depends how important music is, I've have owned both an RX and Apex (fronts) set up and IMO the Apex are better with movie sound tracks, more detailed. And remember movies are authored for sub / sat type systems. The RX did sound better on music, but not by much. Also the Apex are much more wife friendly.

Yeah i agree, my wife would prefer me to buy the apex speakers as they look better and would take up far less room.

Going to listen to new kef q500 set up on Tuesday and then the RX6 set up sometime this week. Will let you know how I get on.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Rish001:

Thanks Rick, My local dealer suggests I should listen to the new Kef Q series package (Q500 for the fronts with Q200 as a centre) as in his opinion it sounds better then the MA RX6 package. Any opinions?

I heard the RX6 and Q500's in stereo before xmas, and preferred the Q500's.........not a massive amount in it though.

Your doing the right thing by demoing.......

 

[ric71]

Rish001:Thanks Ric, what level is your crossover frequency set at?

Hi Rish,

I have my cross over set to 90hz.

I personally prefered the Apex over RX6 as I find them very detailed and precise.

They sound brilliant with the Arcam, (an upgrade I am hoping to make at the end of the year).

Anthem receivers have been mentioned and I also hear that they are very very good and musical. This is something I too will research for possible pairing with the Apex.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'll look into the Anthem receiver, but to be honest I don't think any of the dealers locally stock them.

I've heard MA are about to launch an updated version of the RX range soon, anyone have any details about this?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Some confusion there - Monitor Audio only updated the Silver series to RX two years' ago (and the Bronze series last year). This year it's the turn of their Gold series for an upgrade (previews at Bristol Show).

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:Some confusion there - Monitor Audio only updated the Silver series to RX two years' ago (and the Bronze series last year). This year it's the turn of their Gold series for an upgrade (previews at Bristol Show).

Thats good news, last thing I wanted to do was possibly buy a speaker package that was going to be updated in a few months time, thanks for clearing that up Claire.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Rish001:Is there a big difference between the 2 sets of speakers when it comes to music and also movies?
There's quite a difference with music, as music will always sound better on conventional hi-fi speakers. For movies, they're just different - conventional hi-fi speakers tend to sound a little soft and warm for movies, whereas sub/sat systems tend to be a little leaner and more detailed. With movies, I'd say it's a case of personal preference.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Rish001:Thats good news, last thing I wanted to do was possibly buy a speaker package that was going to be updated in a few months time,
Just because MA are updating the current Gold package, it doesn't mean it's not still a good package. With the price points of the Gold range being increased, a reduced price Gold package will make a significant saving on the new Gold range.

And as mentioned, do try the KEF Q series - im finding them excellent for movies as well as music....

 

[Anonymous]

I heard a demo of the Kef Q500 and Q700 package (with a Velodyne sub) powered by a Pioneer Lx83, and and then with an Arcam AVR400.

Impressions of AV recievers:

I thought the Arcam was very good with music but didnt really excite me when it came to movies, which was a bit of a suprise as ive always been a big Arcam admirer and currently have a Arcam reciever. The LX83 wasn't too far behind when it came to music, but when it came to watching movies IMO the LX83 was far superior, the detail was amazing and made the viewing experience of the movie much more enjoyable.

Impression of Speakers:

Found the Q500 package very good with movies, too be honest when connected to the LX83 I loved it. With music it was good with most tracks but did struggle a little when it came to very high tempo which had lots of bass. But still a very enjoyable listen and with most of the tracks the bass was nice and tight. I also tried the Q700 which sound great until you play high tempo track with lots of bass and it really did suffer in my opinion, also the guys in shop were suprised and also agreed with me.

Hoping to try the LX83 with the MA RX6 package next week and also with the MA Apex 5.1 before deceiding, but at the moment I think i'm going to go for the LX83 as I was really impressed with it.

 

[Anonymous]

Well your doing exactly the right thing by listening to these for yourself. I'm sure which ever package you go for you will be happy MA make excellent speakers. Let us know what you think.

 

[Anonymous]

markjaspi:Well your doing exactly the right thing by listening to these for yourself. I'm sure which ever package you go for you will be happy MA make excellent speakers. Let us know what you think.

Will do Mark, how you finding the Apex with the B&W sub?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Rish001:
Thanks Rick, My local dealer suggests I should listen to the new Kef Q series package (Q500 for the fronts with Q200 as a centre) as in his opinion it sounds better then the MA RX6 package. Any opinions?

Hi Rish001

Firstly i am sorry for my late response.

I really like the Silver RX6 AV12 speaker package as their fuller and even balance (not forgetting the build, fit, finishing and presentation) is very likely to offer you long term satisfaction with music or movie soundtracks. The Silver RX6 AV12 deserves the parise it has received over the last couple of years.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Rish001:

Thanks Rick, My local dealer suggests I should listen to the new Kef Q series package (Q500 for the fronts with Q200 as a centre) as in his opinion it sounds better then the MA RX6 package. Any opinions?

Hi Rish001

Firstly i am sorry for my late response.

I really like the Silver RX6 AV12 speaker package as their fuller and even balance (not forgetting the build, fit, finishing and presentation) is very likely to offer you long term satisfaction with music or movie soundtracks. The Silver RX6 AV12 deserves the parise it has received over the last couple of years.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick for your advice, do you think the pioneer LX83 would be a good partner for these speakers?

 

[Anonymous]

Rish001:
markjaspi:Well your doing exactly the right thing by listening to these for yourself. I'm sure which ever package you go for you will be happy MA make excellent speakers. Let us know what you think.

Will do Mark, how you finding the Apex with the B&W sub?

The Apex integrate very well with the B&W sub, which happen to be the only 2 parts of the system I don't see changing anytime soon. I auditioned lots of subs at home, thanks to a very helpful dealer I use. Inc. a number of MA subs, and the 610 offered me the best plend of ability and value. My room is 3.6m x 6.4m, so not massive. I am considering adding a second just to give a more balanced soundstage.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Rish001:MUSICRAFT:Rish001:

Thanks Rick, My local dealer suggests I should listen to the new Kef Q series package (Q500 for the fronts with Q200 as a centre) as in his opinion it sounds better then the MA RX6 package. Any opinions?

Hi Rish001

Firstly i am sorry for my late response.

I really like the Silver RX6 AV12 speaker package as their fuller and even balance (not forgetting the build, fit, finishing and presentation) is very likely to offer you long term satisfaction with music or movie soundtracks. The Silver RX6 AV12 deserves the parise it has received over the last couple of years.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick for your advice, do you think the pioneer LX83 would be a good partner for these speakers?

Hi Rish001

Your welcome.

Not really as i feel the combination sounds 'cold' and (whilst initially impressive) does not offer long term satisifaction. I feel the qualities of the LX83 are far better matched with speakers which generally use silk/fabric/soft dome HF drive units. Importantly this can then help further minimize or completely avoid the use of unnecessary processing on the LX83 as compensation.

Anyway i wrote the following about a month ago which i feel also applies to the Silver RX6 AV12 -

As impressive as Pioneer's LX83 is overall i don't feel the amp is an
ideal match for Monitor Audio speakers. Tonally a far superior match for
the Apex speakers comes in the form of Yamaha's RX-V3067. The RX-V3067
and Apex speakers together produce (amongst their other qualities) a
sound which is highly detailed, potent, rich with timbre, dynamic, fast
(without being in the face) and has an overall 'feel' which can be
listened to for hours without fatigue with movie or music soundtracks.

I hope this helps.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft