Monitor Audio apex

[IGR]

Hi Everyone. I am looking to set up dedicated TV watching room / cinema, it will only be a 5.1 system. The room is about 3x4m and due to the layout of doors, windows and radiators I am going with a sub/sat system. My preferred option for speakers are MA apex A10’s with an A40 center and Apex Sub. Most reviews I can find are very +ve but are quite old. Are the apexes still a good choice ? Are there any recommendations for an AVR for this set up ? My budget is up to £3k but don’t want to waste money on marginal gains so would happily spend less. Thank you
Th

 

[michael hoy]

Hi Everyone. I am looking to set up dedicated TV watching room / cinema, it will only be a 5.1 system. The room is about 3x4m and due to the layout of doors, windows and radiators I am going with a sub/sat system. My preferred option for speakers are MA apex A10’s with an A40 center and Apex Sub. Most reviews I can find are very +ve but are quite old. Are the apexes still a good choice ? Are there any recommendations for an AVR for this set up ? My budget is up to £3k but don’t want to waste money on marginal gains so would happily spend less. Thank you
Th

I had the exact speaker set up for a few years and can highly recommend them, they will easily fill that room size.
I do still have the Apex sub in my current system.
I used them with both a Denon and Pioneer amp, i did prefer the Pioneer but not had any experience of the current models.
When i had a demo of them it was with an Arcam AV850.

 

[IGR]

I had the exact speaker set up for a few years and can highly recommend them, they will easily fill that room size.
I do still have the Apex sub in my current system.
I used them with both a Denon and Pioneer amp, i did prefer the Pioneer but not had any experience of the current models.
When i had a demo of them it was with an Arcam AV850.

 

[IGR]

Thanks Michael, I will have a look at Pioneer and Denon. Do you have any suggestions of what sort of price range avr I should look at to go with those speakers. I wouldn’t want to make a decision purely on price, but would want to do the speaker justice without overspending unnecessarily

 

[abacus]

The sub is no longer available according to the MA website, also they are getting on a bit and most of their speaker ranges have been upgraded in the last couple of years or so, so may be worth waiting to see if a replacement for the Apex comes out.

If you have the room, can make your own stands (Or wall mount) and have the cash, go for Sd40s all round as you will get a way more expansive sound, as to subwoofers then the latest SVS1000Pro seems to be getting good reviews.

For receivers look around the Anthem MRX740 and similar to get the best out of them, most importantly try before you buy to make sure the combination you have chosen actually does what you want. (This is the most important part when choosing a system)

Have fun

Bill

 

[michael hoy]

It looks like the Apex speakers were discontinued in 2020.
Agree with Abacus the SVS Subs are really good.

 

[buzz_lightclick]

I did notice the price of the Apex speakers has gone up recently. Thought it may be Covid related.
I had 4 A10s and 1 A40 with a B&W PV1D sub as my first sub/sat setup, and they were excellent.

Upgraded to 3 A40s across the front, and that was the best sound I’ve heard, but for my room having 3 fairly large speakers on the wall around my 60” plasma TV was too overpowering.

I asked Monitor Audio around 6 months ago if a new Apex range was incoming and they said no.
They update their bronze/silver/gold ranges much more frequently. Only two versions of their Platinum range so far.

 

[bigboss]

Pioneer has been taken over by Onkyo and both Pioneer and Onkyo are struggling currently. I would not recommend them at all.

I've had MA Radius HD speakers between 2009 and 2014 (with MA Apex sub) and now have MA in-ceiling and in-wall speakers which bear the same sound signature as the Apex and the Silver series, and KK DXD-808 sub. I would highly recommend the Marantz, Denon and Yamaha Aventage series of AV receivers. I've had Yamaha RX-V1900 with the Radius HD, then Marantz SR7009 with the MA 200 series ceiling and wall speakers, then Denon X6400 which is my current setup. Marantz has been my favourite so far, followed by Yamaha and Denon. Anthem is also excellent.

MA Apex sub is absolutely brilliant. SVS is a specialised subwoofer brand who make some of the best subwoofers on a value for pound basis.