Blueorb:
Hi Guys, Well its been 2 years since I bought the RS 6's. I have upgraded the cables to kimber and recently upgraded my amp to a reasonably priced second hand Arcam A22.
The change in amp made a huge difference to sound. Everything became more neutral and the 100w per channel gives so much more control than the A65+.
Anyway, sorting through the loft, I came across my old B&W 602 s3's and thought I would hook them up to compare the MA vs B&W sound again after my initial concerns about the MA's. Guess what.....I think I still prefer the B&W's, although both speakers have pros and cons.
The B&W are so much smoother, and all C.D's sound great regardless of their production quality. This is great in as much as I can play any artist and enjoy the music. Bass is also great and the speaker seems to intergrate well across the frequency range.
The M.A's on the other hand can sound stunning with certain recordings, but a lot of my CD collection is less enjoyable. I find myself only playing well produced material. Rock music sounds horrible. The bass on the M.A's is also powerful and more taught than the B&W's but I am not sure if it sounds too much (Hard to describe). The treble is fast and articulate and well produced electronic material such as Shpongle sounds fantastic. The problem appears to be in the mid range. Back to back with the B&W's, the mids sound too forward and vocals sound horribly colured. The B&W's are so much more neutral and smooth.
Listening to the speakers back to back, I prefer the sonic balance of the B&W's although the MA's sound and look a better quality speaker.
So now I am thinking, what do I upgrade to? I am after the smooth neutral sound of the B&W's but with a more refined articulate sound. I think drummer man recommended the Rega R3's sometime ago. Are these still a good choice for second hand money?
Comments appreciated........
Matt
The RS6s must be bad if some 602s with a hole in the driver! still sound as good/better.
And I thought Kevlar was bullet proof.
I had to put the grilles on my own 602s last weekend. A friend and his family came over to see my Wife, and their 2 year old kept climbing on the arm of my sofa and grabbing the phase plug! Not having kids myself, it's hard to judge the appropriate amount of OI! for a 2 year old.
Could have been worse I guess. No lasting damage and at least he couldn't reach the tweeter.