Monitor Audio RS6 Vs Spendor A5

[plastic penguin]

I know that the Spendors are more neutral, but given the size of the Spendors, do they scale as well? So what will you gain by the Spendors or what will you lose?

The Spendors are twice the price of the RS6's, so is it worth the premium?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

plastic penguin:
I know that the Spendors are more neutral, but given the size of the Spendors, do they scale as well? So what will you gain by the Spendors or what will you lose?

The Spendors are twice the price of the RS6's, so is it worth the premium?

Are you mad PP? The vultures are flocking above, ready to respond to thet post! I love my RS6s and have no idea how good the A5s are but you know there are many a RS6 hater out there...

 

[jaxwired]

Hey PP,

Well, since I have owned the A6 (not A5, but similar) and the RS6, I will throw my 2 cents. I found the A6 to be supremely neutral, but it taught me that I don't want a neutral speaker, I want an entertaining speaker. Don't get me wrong, I want loads of detail and clarity with nice tight (not boomy) bass, but that is not necessarily neutral.

It's hard to think of 2 speakers more different than the A5 and the RS6. With the Spendors you will be sacrificing the big bold sound of the RS6. You will lose much of the mid-bass slam that makes the RS6 so much fun. But the spendors are definately more accurate and with vocals and acoustic instruments, you gain a stunning realism.

I will tell you that I had the A6 and RS6 playing side by side for awhile and I let quite a few people listen to them. 100% like the RS6 better and not just a little better. Now, these were all quick listens and none of these people were audio sophisticates.

 

[Frank Harvey]

The A5's are a better speaker, but do take a little more driving. And as far as presentation is concerned, they're opposite ends of the scale. The MA's are more about frequency extremes, whereas the A5's concentrate less on these areas and more on midrange. Pricewise, the MA's are a bargain.

 

[plastic penguin]

Gerrardasnails:plastic penguin:

I know that the Spendors are more neutral, but given the size of the Spendors, do they scale as well? So what will you gain by the Spendors or what will you lose?

The Spendors are twice the price of the RS6's, so is it worth the premium?

Are you mad PP? The vultures are flocking above, ready to respond to thet post! I love my RS6s and have no idea how good the A5s are but you know there are many a RS6 hater out there...

Yes, I'm completely bonkers

. I love RS6's like you, but I'm picking up my new amp in a couple of weeks, so I was compelled to ask.

 

[Anonymous]

You gain a natural tonal balance, more detail, a faster sound with tighter and more detailed bass, less distortion so a cleaner sound, better imaging and glorious midrange.

With the RS6s you gain treble and bass colouration in the form of a brighter sound and a boomier bass. This helps make it a better party speaker (to some it seems). It may give the impression of a greater scale to the music but this is down to interpretation as the bass is less defined. The RS6 sounds more boxy than the A5.

Are they worth the extra money? They are if you want a neutral sounding speaker that is capable of giving you a huge insight into the music. They aren't if you want to rock it out all the time. Of course, this is just opinion as it depends on what you like! The RS6 are very good value for money. The Spendors are built in the UK to a greater precision and so you pay the premium, e.g. matched mid drivers, etc.

EDIT I'm not an MA hater and have had two pairs in my hifi life so far. Superb value for money and very entertaining speakers. They play music rather than play information so they've clearly got the design priorities right!

 

[Anonymous]

I think I am the only person on the thread (so far at least) who's owned both RS6s and A5s.

I would never go back to RS6s after getting used to A5s.

First day I plugged the A5s I thought I had made a mistake. Gone was the loud bass and in-your-face treble. Gone was also this slam that RS6s provided plenty of.

However I gained a mature and accurate sound. The treble is sweet and precise - I think here is lies a big difference between the two. The bass is accurate and sufficient - you can distinctively hear bass guitars but they don't overwhelm the rest of the music. Voices sound amazing and realistic. RS6s entertained at short listens but I found them tiring. I never enjoyed music as much as I do with A5s and I can play them for hours and hours.

A5s are less efficient so you have to turn your amp a bit higher to get to the same volume so when you first plug them in they sound quiter than RS6s with amp at same volume.

A5s also take less room as they are smaller and can be positioned very close to a wall, whereas RS6s needed a lot more room. I have posted more extensive comments on the comparison but the search function isn't working for me so can't give you links...

 

[plastic penguin]

igglebert:You gain a natural tonal balance, more detail, a faster sound with tighter and more detailed bass, less distortion so a cleaner sound, better imaging and glorious midrange. With the RS6s you gain treble and bass colouration in the form of a brighter sound and a boomier bass. This helps make it a better party speaker (to some it seems). It may give the impression of a greater scale to the music but this is down to interpretation as the bass is less defined. The RS6 sounds more boxy than the A5. Are they worth the extra money? They are if you want a neutral sounding speaker that is capable of giving you a huge insight into the music. They aren't if you want to rock it out all the time. Of course, this is just opinion as it depends on what you like! The RS6 are very good value for money. The Spendors are built in the UK to a greater precision and so you pay the premium, e.g. matched mid drivers, etc. EDIT I'm not an MA hater and have had two pairs in my hifi life so far. Superb value for money and very entertaining speakers. They play music rather than play information so they've clearly got the design priorities right!

Iggle, what have you done to your Avatar?.....Lol

 

[Anonymous]

The old one was what I looked like on the ascent of a mountain, the new one when I got down. Regular occurrence

 

[Anonymous]

Chainrock, I like your thinking there. Maybe it's fair to say that the RS6s do some of the entertaining themselves but the A5s leave it all to the music.

 

[plastic penguin]

igglebert:Chainrock, I like your thinking there. Maybe it's fair to say that the RS6s do some of the entertaining themselves but the A5s leave it all to the music.

Based on what I've observed so far, the best speaker would be PMC GB1is?

No, you're right, I'm barking.....