MA R225 HD upgrade

[ric71]

Guys I need some advice. I currently have a MA R90HD 5.1 system hooked up to a Denon 3310. It sounds great. Would it be a worthwhile to upgrade the L C R to MA225HD's. My room is 4m x 5m.Should I stick with what I have and invest the £ into a second R370HD sub?
Thanks

 

[bigboss]

Yes, definitely! You will notice a significant improvement in performance with the R225HDs. Go for it.

If at all you want to buy a 2nd sub, consider the RSW12 which is much better than the R370HD at a bargain price (hugely discounted as it's been discontinued by Monitor Audio).

You'll notice better improvement with upgrading your speakers than adding a 2nd sub.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

bigboss:

Yes, definitely! You will notice a significant improvement in performance with the R225HDs. Go for it.

If at all you want to buy a 2nd sub, consider the RSW12 which is much better than the R370HD at a bargain price (hugely discounted as it's been discontinued by Monitor Audio).

You'll notice better improvement with upgrading your speakers than adding a 2nd sub.

Hi bigboss

Good post.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[bigboss]

MUSICRAFT:
Hi bigboss

Good post.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick

 

[Frank Harvey]

For the extra little bit that the R250HD's are, you may as well go for those, especially if you have a 50" screen (same height if fixing to wall). Same drivers but slightly bigger cabinet volume, ensuring a slightly fuller midrange.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in a similar situation and currently run a Denon 2310 and a 32" Panasonic LCD. Due to space issues, I can't really have floor standers or even reasonable sized bookshelf speakers, so I find myself drawn to systems such as the Monitor Audio Radius series and the Kef 3005 speakers series. I have a Rel subwoofer at the moment so I'm only interested in the satellites.

The radius series look great and the R225 and R250 would fit perfectly either side (and under) my tv according to the tape measure. The R250 would be considerably bigger than the tv, but it's currently in a cabinet and i'm not sure they'd look horrendous.

The R225 would be better, but perhaps doesn't have the same bass performance as the R250's.

My big question is, as has already been asked, 'Are the HD versions worth 3 x the price?'

If I can get 3 non HD R250s for 240 GBP, should I go for it and just enjoy the sound? I'll be moving in 1 1/2 years, so I can re-evaluate what speakers I can fit into my new house at a later date.

Sorry for the long winded post!

Thanks for our advice.

Simon

 

[bigboss]

1) If you have such an excellent subwoofer as the REL, you really don't need the extra bass of the R250HD. I could've gone for the R250HD, but there's no performance difference between that & the R225HD if you have a good subwoofer. So I went for the R225HD (they were being enclosed in the cabinet in my case anyway).

The R250HD is designed to match 50-inch TVs, while the R225HD matches the 42-inch screens.

2) The Radius HD series is definitely worth the upgrade over the older Radius series.

 

[b33k34]

The improvements in the HD version are going to be very minor so, personally, I'd keep the other £400 in my pocket - that sounds like a bargain. If the 225's are a better fit aesthetically you'll probably find that the difference between them and the 250's will not matter much either so long as you have a good sub and it's set up well. You don't say which Rel sub you have but that could be where your saving could be spent. My BK XLS 200 made a huge difference to my Radius system in place of the MA sub I had previously.

 

[ric71]

Guys, I upgraded to the R225HD LCR. It has made a huge difference more depth,detail and presence. Now I know the 225's go down to 55Hz but I have crossed them over at 80Hz as they sound better imo and have crossed the sub at 80Hz. All sounds great. Going to use the R 90HD's for the back surround for 7.1.

 

[Frank Harvey]

They'll not reproduce 55Hz to an audible level while it's producing loads of other, louder frequencies. This is why you're finding they sound better at 80Hz. You could also try 90 or even 100Hz.

 

[ric71]

Thanks for that, I will give it a go.

I have the sub at 80Hz through the AVR 3310. According to Auddessey they say it should be set at 120Hz.I have found a better response at 80Hz any views would be appreciated.