Monitor Audio BR2 or RS1

Clare Newsome

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A close call, i'd say.
At £200, the BR2s offer better-performance-per-pound than their bigger, £350 brothers - but the latter offer you more drive (though like any stand-mounter, won't offer lashing of deep bass), and are better-finished, too. (Not that there's anything wrong with the BR2s - they're more impressively built than any in their price-class).

Both will also only sound their best on decent speaker stands. If you've only got, say, £350 to spend, i'd buy the BR2s and spend the difference on some great stands (Custom Design RS300 at £85; Target HR60 at £120; Partington Trophy £130) - the combination would most likely sound better than the RS1s on the floor/bookshelves/cheap 'n' nasty stands.

Have you heard both speakers in action?
 

Cypher

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Well I have the BR2 at the moment and they are very good for the money.
I just want something better.........maybe the B&W 685 are a good choice. I hope they are better than
the BR2 so I'm going to audition them next week..........:)
 
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Anonymous

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Hi, I have the MA RS1's and I'm looking for a good stand. In the above message it talks about the 3 stands from £85 to £130, is there much difference betwen them? Should I spend the extra £45 for the Partingtons or is it not really worth it?

Cheers,

AlexG
 
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Anonymous

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Hi, I recently had an extensive demo session at sevenoaks in glasgow and the speakers we listened to were the BR2,SR1,S1 abd B&W 686.

The BR2's are not in the same league as the others.The soundstage is smaller, stuck to the speakers, compared to the other speakers we listened to, and they just sound like much cheaper speakers.We only gave them few minutes as they were completely outclassed.

The SR1's were superb with a stunning mid and treble with plenty of bass.My only real gripes were that they are perhaps lacking in slam and are ruthless when it comes to production quality.If a cd is not perfectly recorded you will know all about it.

Tthe best speakers though, in my and my friends' opinions, are the new B&W 686s.They are awesome.All the mid and treble clarity of the SR1's but with punch and drive that is quite superb.The soundstage was more 3D too and they had as much bass depth as the SR1's.Myself and my friends were blown away by them.

Of course the SR1's have a real wood veneer but they also cost £70 more.IF you are planning on spending £200 on the BR2's try and reach for that extra £80 and get the B&Ws.They trounce the BR2's.i have a set of S1's, which are too poilite for my taste, and they are currently being advertised as i have to get a set of the B&Ws.

By the way, my pal got a set of BR1s.They are superb.Better than BR2s and they kick out an astonishing level of bass for the size.
 
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Anonymous

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meant to say also that we used custom design rs300mk2 stands, which were pretty good and look great too.mission stance are also good and not too pricey.
 

Cypher

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Isn't the sensivity of 84db a problem ? I think you need a lot of power from your amplifier. I'm talking about the B&W 686. Thanks for your input BTW
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Cypher"]
Isn't the sensivity of 84db a problem ? I think you need a lot of power from your amplifier. I'm talking about the B&W 686. Thanks for your input BTW
emotion-1.gif


[/quote]

I thought that might be the case and could not say for sure that it would not be as we used a Roksan kandy amp in our demo and it has huge power to drive anything.I would be surprised if it is though as they are budget speakers designed for budget/low mid priced equipment.The impedance is higher than the SR1s.I do know that they are the best sounding speakers i have heard, by some margin, in that price range.
 

Cypher

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I bought the RS1 today. I will get them next year though, they were not in stock. IMO they are a lot better than the BR2 I have now. I also heard the B&W 686 but they could not convince me, they sounded boring compared to the RS1 which were clear and very articulate. I hope it's 2008 soon
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Anonymous

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just out of curiosity, which amp did you use to demo the 686's? what finish did you get the RS1's in?
 

Cypher

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The Rotel RA-04. I got the RS1 in black, I always choose black speakers. The RS1 is a beauty for the money, they look so damn good.
 
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Anonymous

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just curious as the 686's have low sensitivity and if the amp was not powerful enough to drive them properly they could sound a bit flat or even dull. I demo'd them against the RS1 using a kandy, which as i am sure you know has loads of power.they sounded anything but dull.Initially i thought they were better than rs1's as i like punch and wallop in speakers but having heard them again i felt the rs1's were, although not quite as punchy, more refined sounding, especially in the treble. I need to demo them both with my own amp.The rs1's look very nice in black and the light oak colour and the build quality is superb
 

Cypher

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Maybe the RA-04 isn't powerful enough for the 686. But I'm not a B&W fan, I've never liked their speakers. Even the 685 didn't convince me.

The RS1 are very easy to drive, their sensitivity is 90 db. Even at low volume they were sounding great, such clarity and detail. Another point is the looks, they are made of real wood and look so much better than the 686.

But sound is such a personal thing, maybe you like the B&W's better, no problem. The only thing I don't understand is why the 686 have such low sensitivity (84db). The 685 are 88db.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Cypher"]
Maybe the RA-04 isn't powerful enough for the 686. But I'm not a B&W fan, I've never liked their speakers. Even the 685 didn't convince me.

The RS1 are very easy to drive, their sensitivity is 90 db. Even at low volume they were sounding great, such clarity and detail. Another point is the looks, they are made of real wood and look so much better than the 686.

But sound is such a personal thing, maybe you like the B&W's better, no problem. The only thing I don't understand is why the 686 have such low sensitivity (84db). The 685 are 88db.
[/quote]

Not sure i do like the 686's better.i did at first but on second listen they are not as good in the treble.Apparently they are not fully run in yet but the rs1's were so that could have been the reason.I will wait a few weeks and go back with my amp and demo them both when they are fully run in. I thought the midrange was v similar between the 2 though but 686's were definitely harder hitting in the bass. Could be a hard one to decide between them. It is interesting that the 686's are only 84 db as they are clearly designed for the budget/lower midrange market and generally amps at that level are not real power houses. A balls up by b&w perhaps? Its certainly making me think twice.
 
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Anonymous

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what cd player and amp do you have cypher? I have just just sold my monitor audio S1's for £150. now to demo those RS1's and B&W 686's with my own amp.
 

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