Monitor Audio RS6 Review

As most of the original posters will know I've been an admirer of these speakers since I purchased them in the mid-noughties. Having sat in the attic for most of the time since buying the PMCs, I decided to bring them down and see how they compare to my current speakers. Due to the fact I couldn't be bothered to put them back in the attic before the festive period, I left them in situ over the period and beyond, and only had the PMCs back last week.

What do they sound like with the Leema? Sensational in a word. I'm not saying for one moment they are better than the TB2is, but I'll come back to this later.

I know and appreciate that many will have their preferences, while others will turn their noses up at the thought of Monitor Audio Silvers. They look fabulous in real wood finishes, and a rarity in the sub-£1000 floorstander playground, they just don't have a mid/bass driver but also a dedicated bass cone.

Despite being quite neutral, when playing Level 42s first album, Mark King's distinct bass comes through with warmth, while demonstrating realism in his voice. Having tried other genres from my collection, whether it's CD or vinyl, the RS6s came up with the same pleasing results. Also pulled out Bee Gees album 'Spirits Having Flown', the eponymous track "Tragedy", and the synths used are conveyed with realism and great depth and, unsurprisingly, subtlety.

Contrary to some reviews they are an easy listen, good levels of detail, well defined bass and a decent dollop of naturalness to the whole soundstage.

How do they comapre to the PMCs? Good question, not a huge difference if I'm very honest. The only real crack in the RS6s's amour is on certain remastered CDs, especially those that have been over compressed, they can sound slightly mechanical. Although detail levels are not quite at the level of the PMCs, and the latter brings out layers of sound, whereas the RS6s trades a little realism for excitement. Having had these nice looking speakers for over a month there's little to fault.

The PMCs demostrate more realism or more organic presentation. The gap isn't huge.

If you're in the market for a second hand pair of sub-£300 compact towers or floorstanders, assuming your amp is of decent quality (Creek Evo2, Roksan Kandy or something similar as a starting point), I've not heard better for the price.
 
D

Deleted member 160668

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As you know PP, I'm fully with you on this.

I had my set for a long time and they perform far far better than they should for what is now a 300 tops pairs of speakers. Also finished really well so look good too.

As a self confessed box (and speaker) swapper, I've had these side by side and they've equalled or seen off various other speakers, some of which cost far more.

Mine are now long gone. Absolutely mint condition and for 300 squids to a lucky chap who collected them.

If you are on a budget, or in the market for cheap (that don't sound cheap at all) floorstanders, you can't go wrong with a pair of these.

Just don't pair them with any Cyrus kit 😂
 
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As you know PP, I'm fully with you on this.

I had my set for a long time and they perform far far better than they should for what is now a 300 tops pairs of speakers. Also finished really well so look good too.

As a self confessed box (and speaker) swapper, I've had these side by side and they've equalled or seen off various other speakers, some of which cost far more.

Mine are now long gone. Absolutely mint condition and for 300 squids to a lucky chap who collected them.

If you are on a budget, or in the market for cheap (that don't sound cheap at all) floorstanders, you can't go wrong with a pair of these.

Just don't pair them with any Cyrus kit 😂
There's only one pair on eBay currently for under £400.
Still not a bad price though
 
D

Deleted member 160668

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For anyone that's interested... I had them on watch on ebay for about a year before I relented and finally sold mine, as they just weren't getting used at all.

400 is too much. Don't pay that. 300, perhaps 350 at a real stretch if your particularly keen.

Edit - and for this higher end they should be boxed and in stunning condition. If you hold out you can pick some up for 250-300.
 
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Think we need to put this into context. The RS6s are, like any component, budgeted for certain market, therefore I'm not going to say they are great or the best ever speaker. But in terms of VFM, for around £200-250 on average, they are hard to better. I would quite happily put these up against similar priced Tannoy, Focal...

Thing that impresses me is how transparent they but never gets harsh or brittle`. Add that into a taut, well defined LFs, that's a hard to trick to pull of for a floorstander that costed, when new, £600
 

john1000000boy

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Hey PP. Still running them with my Pioneer SC LX 82. No intention of moving them on. Did you think there was a big difference between them and RS6? Currently considering a node 2i. Not getting a great deal of use out of my system as the lock down & kids watching their stuff in sitting room!!
 
Hey PP. Still running them with my Pioneer SC LX 82. No intention of moving them on. Did you think there was a big difference between them and RS6? Currently considering a node 2i. Not getting a great deal of use out of my system as the lock down & kids watching their stuff in sitting room!!
I couldn't really say for sure as they were being used with a Cyrus and it was in a dealers demo room. But having demoed RS6s with Cyrus 8VS2 at home (courtesy of WHFI "Reader Rescue" in 2008), the combo sounded too mechanical for my taste.

As I'm not a gambler I wouldn't even like to guess.
 
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Horowitz

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May 12, 2023
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As most of the original posters will know I've been an admirer of these speakers since I purchased them in the mid-noughties. Having sat in the attic for most of the time since buying the PMCs, I decided to bring them down and see how they compare to my current speakers. Due to the fact I couldn't be bothered to put them back in the attic before the festive period, I left them in situ over the period and beyond, and only had the PMCs back last week.

What do they sound like with the Leema? Sensational in a word. I'm not saying for one moment they are better than the TB2is, but I'll come back to this later.

I know and appreciate that many will have their preferences, while others will turn their noses up at the thought of Monitor Audio Silvers. They look fabulous in real wood finishes, and a rarity in the sub-£1000 floorstander playground, they just don't have a mid/bass driver but also a dedicated bass cone.

Despite being quite neutral, when playing Level 42s first album, Mark King's distinct bass comes through with warmth, while demonstrating realism in his voice. Having tried other genres from my collection, whether it's CD or vinyl, the RS6s came up with the same pleasing results. Also pulled out Bee Gees album 'Spirits Having Flown', the eponymous track "Tragedy", and the synths used are conveyed with realism and great depth and, unsurprisingly, subtlety.

Contrary to some reviews they are an easy listen, good levels of detail, well defined bass and a decent dollop of naturalness to the whole soundstage.

How do they comapre to the PMCs? Good question, not a huge difference if I'm very honest. The only real crack in the RS6s's amour is on certain remastered CDs, especially those that have been over compressed, they can sound slightly mechanical. Although detail levels are not quite at the level of the PMCs, and the latter brings out layers of sound, whereas the RS6s trades a little realism for excitement. Having had these nice looking speakers for over a month there's little to fault.

The PMCs demostrate more realism or more organic presentation. The gap isn't huge.

If you're in the market for a second hand pair of sub-£300 compact towers or floorstanders, assuming your amp is of decent quality (Creek Evo2, Roksan Kandy or something similar as a starting point), I've not heard better for the price.
Totally agree, PP. I bought mine c. 2007 and have loved their all-round performance ever since. I will (honestly) only look to upgrade if anything catastrophic happens to them. They handle anything I throw at them (folk, folk-rock, heavy rock, choral, prog, jazz-rock, blues-rock... the lot) with aplomb (or 'a plum' as one of my younger mates think it is) - loud or quiet.
I moved to these from some delightful Castle Severns; these now languish in my brother's garage as his good lady apparently won't let him 'clutter the lounge'). Some people really NEED assertiveness training ;)! The Severns were gorgeous but moreso with classical stuff which, bizarrely, he loves and I can take or leave. The MAs just seemed so much more agile, vibrant and punchy at all volumes...
 

Zakhele

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Feb 21, 2015
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As most of the original posters will know I've been an admirer of these speakers since I purchased them in the mid-noughties. Having sat in the attic for most of the time since buying the PMCs, I decided to bring them down and see how they compare to my current speakers. Due to the fact I couldn't be bothered to put them back in the attic before the festive period, I left them in situ over the period and beyond, and only had the PMCs back last week.

What do they sound like with the Leema? Sensational in a word. I'm not saying for one moment they are better than the TB2is, but I'll come back to this later.

I know and appreciate that many will have their preferences, while others will turn their noses up at the thought of Monitor Audio Silvers. They look fabulous in real wood finishes, and a rarity in the sub-£1000 floorstander playground, they just don't have a mid/bass driver but also a dedicated bass cone.

Despite being quite neutral, when playing Level 42s first album, Mark King's distinct bass comes through with warmth, while demonstrating realism in his voice. Having tried other genres from my collection, whether it's CD or vinyl, the RS6s came up with the same pleasing results. Also pulled out Bee Gees album 'Spirits Having Flown', the eponymous track "Tragedy", and the synths used are conveyed with realism and great depth and, unsurprisingly, subtlety.

Contrary to some reviews they are an easy listen, good levels of detail, well defined bass and a decent dollop of naturalness to the whole soundstage.

How do they comapre to the PMCs? Good question, not a huge difference if I'm very honest. The only real crack in the RS6s's amour is on certain remastered CDs, especially those that have been over compressed, they can sound slightly mechanical. Although detail levels are not quite at the level of the PMCs, and the latter brings out layers of sound, whereas the RS6s trades a little realism for excitement. Having had these nice looking speakers for over a month there's little to fault.

The PMCs demostrate more realism or more organic presentation. The gap isn't huge.

If you're in the market for a second hand pair of sub-£300 compact towers or floorstanders, assuming your amp is of decent quality (Creek Evo2, Roksan Kandy or something similar as a starting point), I've not heard better for the price.
Great review, How do the RS6 floorstanders compare to the modern Silver 300 floorstanders ?
 
Totally agree, PP. I bought mine c. 2007 and have loved their all-round performance ever since. I will (honestly) only look to upgrade if anything catastrophic happens to them. They handle anything I throw at them (folk, folk-rock, heavy rock, choral, prog, jazz-rock, blues-rock... the lot) with aplomb (or 'a plum' as one of my younger mates think it is) - loud or quiet.
I moved to these from some delightful Castle Severns; these now languish in my brother's garage as his good lady apparently won't let him 'clutter the lounge'). Some people really NEED assertiveness training ;)! The Severns were gorgeous but moreso with classical stuff which, bizarrely, he loves and I can take or leave. The MAs just seemed so much more agile, vibrant and punchy at all volumes...
Old thread this....., luckily PP is still around
 
Totally agree, PP. I bought mine c. 2007 and have loved their all-round performance ever since. I will (honestly) only look to upgrade if anything catastrophic happens to them. They handle anything I throw at them (folk, folk-rock, heavy rock, choral, prog, jazz-rock, blues-rock... the lot) with aplomb (or 'a plum' as one of my younger mates think it is) - loud or quiet.
I moved to these from some delightful Castle Severns; these now languish in my brother's garage as his good lady apparently won't let him 'clutter the lounge'). Some people really NEED assertiveness training ;)! The Severns were gorgeous but moreso with classical stuff which, bizarrely, he loves and I can take or leave. The MAs just seemed so much more agile, vibrant and punchy at all volumes...
In my opinion, they still some of the best sub-£1000 floorstanders I've come across, only significantly bettered by Totem Arros but they are 3 x the new price of the RS6s.
 
Okay, just wired up the RS6 just for a giggle.

One thing that hits you immediately, for obvious reasons, is the extra bass extension. They don't have the clarity or the insight of the Dalis, but, again, this is pretty apparent.

For a floorstander that costs £300-400 on the used market, they are amazing quality, both build and the overall soundstage.

If you like what the RS6s do, nothing betters them.
 

matthewpianist

Well-known member
No idea. The last MA Silver floorstander I compared them to was the RX6 many moons ago. Since then I've only owned different brands of standmounts.

My experience of MA has been that the BX and RX series models achieved a pretty much perfect balance for a relatively affordable speaker, but that since then, and especially with the current Bronze and Silver ranges, the speakers have started to sound a little bloated and lacking in detail. I've had Silver 100s, Silver 50s and Bronze 200s, and didn't like any of them as much as the older MAs I've owned. The Silver 100s were very boomy in all sorts of positions and in several different rooms.
 
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My experience of MA has been that the BX and RX series models achieved a pretty much perfect balance for a relatively affordable speaker, but that since then, and especially with the current Bronze and Silver ranges, the speakers have started to sound a little bloated and lacking in detail. I've had Silver 100s, Silver 50s and Bronze 200s, and didn't like any of them as much as the older MAs I've owned. The Silver 100s were very boomy in all sorts of positions and in several different rooms.
Having heard the current Gold 100 last year, I was underwhelmed. Wasn't a bad speaker but nothing really to make you go "wow".

Think the Silver range hit the sweet spot, certainly older ones such as the RS6 had the opposite effect, especially with the price difference.

The manager at Richer Sounds said she owned the Gold 100s, so maybe there's an in-built bias from me. I don't know....

Just know the RS6s sound the biz for a relatively inexpensive floorstander.
 
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Also important to mention these RS6s need good quality amplification. Originally had them with the Arcam A65 which as many of you know I have a real soft spot for. The combo is a very good one indeed in terms of tonality, lashings of detail, silky midrange etc etc. However, the big fly in the ointment is the RS6s have quite a dip in ohms (nominal 6 ohms, minimum around 2.5 ohms). If the volume was cranked up the A65, not the balliest of amps, struggled big time, and one of the main reasons for replacing it with the Leema.

In fact, in terms of ohms, the little A65 didn't struggle with PMC DB1i.

If considering buying the RS6s, not suggesting for one minute spend thousands, but something on the lines of a Creek Evo2, Arcam A85, any Roksan Kandy... any amp with a clean current and a little welly behind it.
 

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