Monitor Audio RS6. Not sure if i have bought the right speaker now I have them home.....

[admin_exported]

OK, after a lot of auditioning, I have invested in a pair of M.A RS6's to replace my B&W 602 S3's that were looking a bit sorry for themselves, after the cat had used them as a scratch post for the last 4 years and finally knocked one of them off the stand putting a hole in the bass cone

So I bought the MA RS6's online, waited 2 weeks, and finally got them today. Out of the box, I am now having doubts as to whether my upgrade has been worth while. I think I actually prefer the sound of the B&W's.

The M.A's sound a little hard and restrained, where as the B&W's seem smoother and have a lot more bass weight. The M.A's definiately have more detail, which is great for well produced CD's, but music not so well recorded doesn't sound so great.

So, will these speakers loosen up and sound better once they have had some use, or is that indeed a myth, and I will live to regret my purchase?

I remember the B&W's sounded horrible when I first bought them, but over time I have come to love them. They seem to have definately improved with age. I just hope the M.A's do the same.....................

Thoughts????

(Current partnering kit. Arcam A65+, Arcam CD 82, Cam audio pacific interconnect and Mordaunt Short silver bi wire speaker cable)

 

[Anonymous]

If to your ears, the highs sound clinical, hard and tinny, that wont change imo. MA seem to be a love it or hate it brand.

Drivers may soften up over the coming months though, and that could even take the edge off the hardness in the treble as the lows become more pronounced.

I think this case shows the importance of demo-ing, especially in your own home!

 

[gregory]

I have br2's and find them to be very detailed and quite low in the bass department but they did take a little breaking in time being a bit hard edged at first but most new speakers are. Give them time to loosen up, a week or so and I'm sure you'll notice a difference.

 

[plastic penguin]

Blueorb:
OK, after a lot of auditioning, I have invested in a pair of M.A RS6's to replace my B&W 602 S3's that were looking a bit sorry for themselves, after the cat had used them as a scratch post for the last 4 years and finally knocked one of them off the stand putting a hole in the bass cone

So I bought the MA RS6's online, waited 2 weeks, and finally got them today. Out of the box, I am now having doubts as to whether my upgrade has been worth while. I think I actually prefer the sound of the B&W's.

The M.A's sound a little hard and restrained, where as the B&W's seem smoother and have a lot more bass weight. The M.A's definiately have more detail, which is great for well produced CD's, but music not so well recorded doesn't sound so great.

So, will these speakers loosen up and sound better once they have had some use, or is that indeed a myth, and I will live to regret my purchase?

I remember the B&W's sounded horrible when I first bought them, but over time I have come to love them. They seem to have definately improved with age. I just hope the M.A's do the same.....................

Thoughts????

(Current partnering kit. Arcam A65+, Arcam CD 82, Cam audio pacific interconnect and Mordaunt Short silver bi wire speaker cable)

I have the RS6's hooked to the A65+ & 73T and after a period of time they will sound wonderful. It'll take, depending on the amount of time you use it, probably around two to three weeks before fully bedded in. The only thing it really lacks is a bit of 'get up and go' but that is down to the amp.

The problem (imo) is when you upgrade, then the deficiencies of other components tend to be highlighted more. The joys of hi-fi. Enjoy!!

 

[drummerman]

They will loosen up a bit and you have to get used to a different sound over a period of time, especially if you have had your previous speakers a while. I'm no fan of MA's silver range but your arcam should match reasonably well.

I actually had a pair of new speakers once which I preferred out of the box! Then the nicely tight bass and crisp treble disappeared together with my interest.

 

[Anonymous]

If it sounds like it's the tweeters making the parts of the sound you don't like, then no luck. If its the woofers, I know the MA's change a lot in that aspect over time.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies guys.

It's not so much as harsh trebble, but more a case of hard sounding mids. I think this combined with slightly less bass weight than that of the B&W's, which I am used to, is causing me to have doubts on first listen.

I really enjoyed these speakers in the shop, I was surprised by how well bass, mids and trebble intergrated. Perhaps it is just because they are new. Perhaps my trusty A65+ just doesn't have enough muscle and it is time to upgrade the amp too?

I will keep running them (8 hours down so far!) and see how they go. If worst the comes to the worst, at least I can sell them on again for about what I paid. I got them brand new for.....well I better not say in case I have to sell them,

 

[drummerman]

... then buy some R3's. Seriously, you need to give them and yourself a bit of time. You might grow to love each other. Then again maybe not ...

 

[plastic penguin]

drummerman:... then buy some R3's. Seriously, you need to give them and yourself a bit of time. You might grow to love each other. Then again maybe not ...

Oohh, that hurt!! Arcam + RS6 = smoothness personified. 007 smooth. If he can't get it from that combination, I can't see R3's out-smoothing it?

 

[Anonymous]

Blueorb:

I will keep running them (8 hours down so far!) and see how they go.

They don't even know they're out of the box yet :_). Give it a week and see how they go. It'll make a difference, i'm sure.

 

[Anonymous]

Having had the BR2's for quite some time and loving it, I tried the RS6 and must admit, did not find it as satisfying as I thought I would. Luckily for me, I was able to take my kit to a friend's place and try it there. I opted for the EPOS M22 instead which I got at a very good price.

You need to give some time to run in your speakers and then do another test of listening. Having had the B&W's, your ears are your best judge. Different people like different qualities in their music. For me, detail resolution is important, and hence, my current combination.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Blueorb:
OK, after a lot of auditioning, I have invested in a pair of M.A RS6's to replace my B&W 602 S3's that were looking a bit sorry for themselves, after the cat had used them as a scratch post for the last 4 years and finally knocked one of them off the stand putting a hole in the bass cone

So I bought the MA RS6's online, waited 2 weeks, and finally got them today. Out of the box, I am now having doubts as to whether my upgrade has been worth while. I think I actually prefer the sound of the B&W's.

The M.A's sound a little hard and restrained, where as the B&W's seem smoother and have a lot more bass weight. The M.A's definiately have more detail, which is great for well produced CD's, but music not so well recorded doesn't sound so great.

So, will these speakers loosen up and sound better once they have had some use, or is that indeed a myth, and I will live to regret my purchase?

I remember the B&W's sounded horrible when I first bought them, but over time I have come to love them. They seem to have definately improved with age. I just hope the M.A's do the same.....................

Thoughts????

(Current partnering kit. Arcam A65+, Arcam CD 82, Cam audio pacific interconnect and Mordaunt Short silver bi wire speaker cable)

I've read that they need a good 200 hours running in time. I don't know about that - they were my first decent speaker and I was happy out the box. Give it time!

 

[drummerman]

plastic penguin:drummerman:... then buy some R3's. Seriously, you need to give them and yourself a bit of time. You might grow to love each other. Then again maybe not ...

Oohh, that hurt!! Arcam + RS6 = smoothness personified. 007 smooth. If he can't get it from that combination, I can't see R3's out-smoothing it?

I try not to make this into an anti MA thread, a lot of people like them and I'm sure the poster of this particular thread will enjoy them but R3's are neither bright, agressive or harsh. Neutral, open, fast and dynamic yes. Good old fashioned evolution/engineering of fine time proven drivers with none of the high tech garble so common elsewhere and, imo, all the better for it.

 

[plastic penguin]

I'm sure the anti-MA theme isn't the case. Interesting though. . .people's interpretation on something that should be pretty fundemental to answer.

One common thing which seems to be running through this thread is that you need to give it time.

 

[Anonymous]

tic tock, tic tock, tic tock, tic tock, tick tock......

 

[Gerrardasnails]

drummerman:
plastic penguin:drummerman:... then buy some R3's. Seriously, you need to give them and yourself a bit of time. You might grow to love each other. Then again maybe not ...

Oohh, that hurt!! Arcam + RS6 = smoothness personified. 007 smooth. If he can't get it from that combination, I can't see R3's out-smoothing it?

I try not to make this into an anti MA thread, a lot of people like them and I'm sure the poster of this particular thread will enjoy them but R3's are neither bright, agressive or harsh. Neutral, open, fast and dynamic yes. Good old fashioned evolution/engineering of fine time proven drivers with none of the high tech garble so common elsewhere and, imo, all the better for it.

You certainly live up to your name! You bang on and on about how great R3s are and how bad RS6s (in particular) are.

 

[chebby]

...

 

[d_a_n1979]

To begin; my RS6's sounded a little tinny and bass-light when i got them home and matched them up with my Arcam Alpha set-up.

Once they had about 50hours running in time they started to sound brilliant. Deep well controlled bass, smooth midrange and the treble, to me, was superb.

After c200hours running in id have said that they were done; they wouldnt be able to get any better. The bass was deep, the midrange was smooth and well timed and the treble was crips and sweet.

Every time i listen now they sound sublime to to me and thats after being a hardcore B&W fan for years.

IMO you need to give them plenty of time to run in. But alsol; id say that your amp may be lacking in the power that makes the RS6's sing as they can.

It may be worth while loooking to upgrade your integrated or possible add an Arcam power amp.

 

[matthewpiano]

Give the MAs time and then look to upgrade the amp. The A65+ was only ever average at best. I had one for a while and hated it. It hasn't really got enough grip for driving decent speakers IMO.

BTW I'm not an MA fan either. I had BR2s for a while and found them irritating. However, now you've got them give them a proper chance because many people love them and the demo pair in the shop clearly impressed you enough to take the plunge.

 

[bigblue235]

As others have said, and as annoying as it is, you need to give them time.

Time to run-in, and time for your ears to adjust to the "new" sound.

I think MA recommend 200 hours, my dealer recommended 100, but it took me a couple of months normal use to be able to appreciate them. And much faffing about with foam bungs!

 

[d_a_n1979]

'Ccchhhhhhhh cccoooccchhh.... Have patience my young Padwan' 🙂

Haha....

Erm i'll get me coat!

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think drummerman has been pushing the Rega R3 at all!

He was telling the lad to give his set-up some time to break in...and if that fails, try some R3's because they do sound vastly different (and that may be the sound he's after).

I wonder if your amp needs to be a bit more powerful to control the RS6's? The A65 isn't the most powerful amp in the world. I've got an Arcam FMJ A22, rated at 100wpc and it only just does the job with my Neats.

Just a thought.

I'm crossing my fingers for ya and hoping you start to love your MA's after a bit of break-in time, mate! Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with everyone who said give them more time, it took mine a weekend of constant running until they were tamed. At first they were tinny and hard but now they are very sweet.

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed: I have the MA BR5s and, out of the box, they sounded ghastly. Sevenoaks Hi-fi recommended around 90 hours of running-in time. After about 3 weeks they sounded great and I've no regrets about purchasing them.

 

[Anonymous]

Give them time and also give the chance to like their sound to your ears...

Your ears are used to the B&W sound, which specially on the bass, are superb speakers. And don't worry they will sound good to your ears after some listening. I can't hear much difference between the sound of my speakers (RS8), after 2 months of using them almost every day, and the sound they produce now. Maybe the bass is a little deeper...., but haven't noticed any significant change in treble and mids. You won't remember how they sounded the first day to compare their sound after the theorical run in period... Simply, you'll get used to their sound. I think changes in run in periods are not that significant as some say. All that is my opinion, and I can not be considered an expert at all.

They're great speakers and maybe the biggest cons they have is that maybe they have been so acclaimed by the press. The more exotic the brand is, the better is for the people in forums.

If you end don't liking their sound I would go back to B&W 6xx speaker range.