Monitor Audio bronze 2 speakers

[ne5]

My brother is staying with me this weekend. We are going to.look at biwiring.

Basically i am getting to the stage where i wonder if i actually like hifi which is ludicrous as ive always loved my large music collection. I had an old aiwa sf5050 music centre for years which was great and most people who heard it were amazed with how good it sounded. I then paired it with some jbl speakers. Great. I then replaced the aiwa with the rotel.amp 20 years ago and also great. For space and age of speaker reasons ive decided to change my speakers and get smaller ones on stands. So for all these years ive been happy. I was happy with a quality at the time fairly expensive all in one system and then an amp and big speakers. I dont think im over fussy i just want to like it. Throwing money like this at it should give you a sound you like especially using an equaliser to tweak it all with. I am more comfortable listening to a CD in the car or mp3 music through my creative speakers for the computer at the moment. Is it that i just prefer midi system type power or something ? Im pissed off to be honest now. How can you spend nearly 300 quid on speakers to go with a good amp good interconnects and speaker cable and not be able to tweak the tone and vocals so you like them.

 

[ne5]

Thanks for that. My brother is a hifi boffin like you...i think he is just going to show me biwiring to shut me up ! He has built his own speakers before and is going to try out a few tricks of the trade too as he calls them. He wanted me to go to.the show in Bristol recently but i had to pull out of it. I badly want to like my hifi again so i will take that and all the comments on here on board. The local richer sounds dont do home loans if they did i would have compared the MAs and KEFQ300 speakers at home with my rotel amp rather than in the shop. They will let me take stuff home aftet buying it and refund if i dont but how many times can you do this .

If i need to spend more on speakers thats no problem. If i need to get a new amp for 500 quid or more for instance thats no problem either i just want to get it right for me. I found in richer sounds Tannoy Mercury speakers lack spark for me they were lifeless maybe the MAs are too thin for my room or amp. What sort of speakers are best for a standard sized living room on stands where the speakers sit at chest height when you sit down. The expansive nature of these MAs is such that you need to sit in exactly the seating position too or they just sound flat. The living room is about 10x12 carpeted and the speakers are about 6 feet apart in a bay window but pulled away from the wall and window with the ports plugged. They do sound slightly better and less boomy with the ports plugged.

 

[Vladimir]

No cable, bi-wiring, tube amp or prayers will fix a piss poor design in a speaker. Maybe half of this forum is consisted of posts with weep for help against the bright and nasty budget MA speakers.

Full review here.

 

[ne5]

What speakers do you suggest ?

 

[kukulec]

http://www.av-online.hu/pictures/gallery/kef-q300_2011-11-15/Q300_1.jpg

The Q300 has a more linear presentation. It's very correct down to 50 Hz.

 

[Vladimir]

KEF Q300 aren't a bad idea.

Also very good word on the street about the new Klipsch RP-160M / RP-150M.

 

[ne5]

What about the kef q500 floorstanders ? What is the difference between floorstanders and bookshelf on stands ? Im happy with the bass on the MAs with the ports plugged and a slight tweak of tge equaliser but its mainly the nice tone and vocals i cant get comfortable with...after a short while i still find it raspy.

 

[ne5]

I am going to richer sounds next week for a dem and taking my Rotel bx930 amp. I've said I will listen to stand mounted speakers and floorstanders. Any more late advice would be appreciated please.

 

[nopiano]

What about the kef q500 floorstanders ? What is the difference between floorstanders and bookshelf on stands ? Im happy with the bass on the MAs with the ports plugged and a slight tweak of tge equaliser but its mainly the nice tone and vocals i cant get comfortable with...after a short while i still find it raspy.

Typically, floorstanders will be more sensitive (louder for a given volume setting), have a warmer, more bassy balance, and project a bigger image. Conversely, the equivalent bookshelf model will be more sharply focussed, less coloured (less box to vibrate), and quicker sounding (e.g. the lower notes start and stop quicker).

I'd need convincing that your old Rotel was a good match, but it seems like your MAs are too sharp and detailed for you. Make sure you are sitting off axis, meaning the speakers aren't beaming directly at you. A Q Acoustics speaker might be more to your taste. They are widely available and not pricy.

 

[nopiano]

I am going to richer sounds next week for a dem and taking my Rotel bx930 amp. I've said I will listen to stand mounted speakers and floorstanders. Any more late advice would be appreciated please.

Take a cd you really like, and also one you don't like much. It can be very informative how you react to each. Good luck!

 

[Vladimir]

'Going and just listening' mantra is how people end up with wrong speakers for their taste and rooms. MA poor sounding budget offering are voiced (and veneered) to be fast movers off the sales floor. At home is where the troubles begin.

With KEF you don't get a dud, ever, at any price. IMO they are firm practicioners of good sound and good engineering first.

 

[ne5]

thank you...I'm thinking about that.

 

[ne5]

thank you...I'm thinking about that.

 

[ne5]

does anybody think there would be much difference between the KEF 300s and the floorstanding 500s ? And if so what ?

 

[Vladimir]

does anybody think there would be much difference between the KEF 300s and the floorstanding 500s ? And if so what ?

Bigger presentation, deeper bass. Differences in scale, not quality.

 

[Al ears]

does anybody think there would be much difference between the KEF 300s and the floorstanding 500s ? And if so what ?

Bigger presentation, deeper bass. Differences in scale, not quality.

+1

It's also going to be quite influenced by room-size / layout .

 

[knaithrover]

does anybody think there would be much difference between the KEF 300s and the floorstanding 500s ? And if so what ?

Depends on the size of your room really, 500's will work better in a large space than the 300's

 

[ne5]

Bigger presentation, deeper bass. Differences in scale, not quality. What does this mean in sound terms. My room is not large or small.

 

[Vladimir]

Test the KEF R300 first. There is always better for more money, but if these make you happy, stick with them.

 

[manicm]

Considering the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 is about half the price of the cheapest KEF, I have to take the crusade against this speaker with a pinch of salt, especially since I had its predecessor the BX2, and now I have the RX1.

Was the finish of the BX2 the greatest? Clearly not. But at the end of my Arcam Solo Mini it was a very clean and bright, but never harsh, sounding speaker. It did tend to give its best at higher volumes though.

As is always possible, perhaps the OP had mismatch. And from what I've gleaned, if he found the Bronze 2 bright, he's going to have the same problem with the KEF.

 

[knaithrover]

Considering the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 is about half the price of the cheapest KEF, I have to take the crusade against this speaker with a pinch of salt, especially since I had its predecessor the BX2, and now I have the RX1.

Was the finish of the BX2 the greatest? Clearly not. But at the end of my Arcam Solo Mini it was a very clean and bright, but never harsh, sounding speaker. It did tend to give its best at higher volumes though.

As is always possible, perhaps the OP had mismatch. And from what I've gleaned, if he found the Bronze 2 bright, he's going to have the same problem with the KEF.

I had the BX2's and they were very good and in many ways better (to my ears) than the Kef Q300's that i bouhht to replace them.

 

[Vladimir]

Considering the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 is about half the price of the cheapest KEF, I have to take the crusade against this speaker with a pinch of salt, especially since I had its predecessor the BX2, and now I have the RX1.

Was the finish of the BX2 the greatest? Clearly not. But at the end of my Arcam Solo Mini it was a very clean and bright, but never harsh, sounding speaker. It did tend to give its best at higher volumes though.

As is always possible, perhaps the OP had mismatch. And from what I've gleaned, if he found the Bronze 2 bright, he's going to have the same problem with the KEF.

The RX sound also nasty. Those aluminium drivers enter breakup mode and it's audible. Maybe the next generation will improve on this.

 

[knaithrover]

Considering the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 is about half the price of the cheapest KEF, I have to take the crusade against this speaker with a pinch of salt, especially since I had its predecessor the BX2, and now I have the RX1.

Was the finish of the BX2 the greatest? Clearly not. But at the end of my Arcam Solo Mini it was a very clean and bright, but never harsh, sounding speaker. It did tend to give its best at higher volumes though.

As is always possible, perhaps the OP had mismatch. And from what I've gleaned, if he found the Bronze 2 bright, he's going to have the same problem with the KEF.

I had the BX2's and they were very good and in many ways better (to my ears) than the Kef Q300's that i bought to replace them.

 

[knaithrover]

Considering the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 is about half the price of the cheapest KEF, I have to take the crusade against this speaker with a pinch of salt, especially since I had its predecessor the BX2, and now I have the RX1.

Was the finish of the BX2 the greatest? Clearly not. But at the end of my Arcam Solo Mini it was a very clean and bright, but never harsh, sounding speaker. It did tend to give its best at higher volumes though.

As is always possible, perhaps the OP had mismatch. And from what I've gleaned, if he found the Bronze 2 bright, he's going to have the same problem with the KEF.

The RX sound also nasty. Those aluminium drivers enter breakup mode and it's audible. Maybe the next generation will improve on this.

My ears disagree, RX1's are excellent speakers in a small room set up imo, they look nice too.

 

[Vladimir]

Considering the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 is about half the price of the cheapest KEF, I have to take the crusade against this speaker with a pinch of salt, especially since I had its predecessor the BX2, and now I have the RX1.

Was the finish of the BX2 the greatest? Clearly not. But at the end of my Arcam Solo Mini it was a very clean and bright, but never harsh, sounding speaker. It did tend to give its best at higher volumes though.

As is always possible, perhaps the OP had mismatch. And from what I've gleaned, if he found the Bronze 2 bright, he's going to have the same problem with the KEF.

The RX sound also nasty. Those aluminium drivers enter breakup mode and it's audible. Maybe the next generation will improve on this.

My ears disagree, RX1's are excellent speakers in a small room set up imo, they look nice too.

My ears disagree. Wouldn't keep a pair even if it was free.