Monitor audio RX2 or Kef Q300?

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:hifilover1979:
I demo'd the M/A RX2's, Dynaudio DM 2/6's and 2/7's as well as the KEF Q300's and the M/A RX1's when looking to build a 2nd system with my NAD C355BEE amp and Arcam DiVA CD72 CDP...

The leading speakers straight away were the Kefs, M/A RX2's and the Dynaudio DM2/7's...

All sounded superb with my NAD amp but I also demo'd them with the Yamaha AS500, AS1000 and the Rotel RA06SE amps with my Arcam CD72 CDP

The Kef's are great speakers but I did find them a little brash at times at the top end and for me, the midrange wasnt as well timed as the M/A RX2's or the DM2/7's

The M/A RX2's were superb as were the DM2/7's but the overall soundstage of the RX2's and their massive bass-weight but well timed and detailed midrange and treble led the pack fairly quickly.

The DM2/6's and DM2/7's were also superb speakers but there was just something about their soundstage that did gel with me... Couldnt really put my finger on it but they seemed a little off balance at times

For me the Kef's are ugly as well and that's a no-no really...

I used the Tron: Legacy Daft Punk soundtrack as well as the Late Night Tales: Back to the Movies CD's to do the demo's (both superb CD's to have in your collection IMO)

I demo'd the DM2/7's again with my NAD C355BEE amp as well as the M/A RX2's and the Kef's and found that the RX2's overall soundstage was bob on. Very detailed, VERY punchy with superb bass from, all be it, a huge standmount speaker but their agility and top end is very VERY good indeed. Very detailed and well timed but not in your face as I soumetimes found the Dynaudios and Kefs

Hi hifilover1979

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

Btw, there is a massive oversight in your review

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Yup; I've mis-written that... It's should read as the leading brands of speakers (for my demo list) were the Kefs, M/A's and Dynaudios (as in they all get rave reviews so need to be demo'd etc...). If any of them were to lead from the off it would have been the Dynaudio's TBH but the M/A's really took control

 

[MUSICRAFT]

sivanessen:The MA RX2's are quite something.

The size of the soundstage -> 8" bass driver and overall fit & finish are outstanding at it's price point.

Just wish I had a pre/power to do it justice...

Good luck Jez, let us know how you get along!

Hi sivanessen

The RX2's are indeed excellent. I am glad you are enjoying their performance and liking the superb standard of their build/finish

Btw, the NAD C370 and C160/C270 are worth bearing in mind as these amplifiers will quite happily bounce the RX2's around the room!

All the best

Rick @ Musicaft

 

[Anonymous]

sivanessen:JezBaker:I listen to a huge amount of dance music so maybe that can help other people to pursuade me which one is right for me

Pick one depending on your room size...IMO, if you go for the RX and the bass is too much, simply move it out into the room? I used to have the old Kef iQ3's and the bass was always tight and well defined, but I can't really comment on the new lot.Btw, here is a sample of what I listened to this weekend:Tiesto - In Search of Sunrise 6Faithless - Greatest HitsArmin Van Buuren - A State of Trance 2010Kaskade - The GrandGabriel & Dresden - Gabriel & DresdenThose 8" bass drivers are lots of fun, but cultured as well.

Thanks for the reply. I listen to a huge amount of trance as well. +1 for the RX2's

 

[Anonymous]

JezBaker:hifilover1979:
I demo'd the M/A RX2's, Dynaudio DM 2/6's and 2/7's as well as the KEF Q300's and the M/A RX1's when looking to build a 2nd system with my NAD C355BEE amp and Arcam DiVA CD72 CDP...

The leading speakers straight away were the Kefs, M/A RX2's and the Dynaudio DM2/7's...

All sounded superb with my NAD amp but I also demo'd them with the Yamaha AS500, AS1000 and the Rotel RA06SE amps with my Arcam CD72 CDP

The Kef's are great speakers but I did find them a little brash at times at the top end and for me, the midrange wasnt as well timed as the M/A RX2's or the DM2/7's

The M/A RX2's were superb as were the DM2/7's but the overall soundstage of the RX2's and their massive bass-weight but well timed and detailed midrange and treble led the pack fairly quickly.

The DM2/6's and DM2/7's were also superb speakers but there was just something about their soundstage that did gel with me... Couldnt really put my finger on it but they seemed a little off balance at times

For me the Kef's are ugly as well and that's a no-no really...

I used the Tron: Legacy Daft Punk soundtrack as well as the Late Night Tales: Back to the Movies CD's to do the demo's (both superb CD's to have in your collection IMO)

I demo'd the DM2/7's again with my NAD C355BEE amp as well as the M/A RX2's and the Kef's and found that the RX2's overall soundstage was bob on. Very detailed, VERY punchy with superb bass from, all be it, a huge standmount speaker but their agility and top end is very VERY good indeed. Very detailed and well timed but not in your face as I soumetimes found the Dynaudios and Kefs

Thanks for the excellent reply and thanks everyone else for the responses.

Its a really hard decision for me, i initially wanted the RX's and was so set on getting them nothing could get in my way. After reading reviews of the new kef's im really on the fence now :S

Personally i think i prefer the look of the RX's, the build quality seems much better and im not sure i like the look of the all in one tweeter and midrange. In the end though, It doesnt come down to build quality or looks, im more interested in the sound quality in the end and from what i have read, their are many mixed reviews of both speakers, Neither speaker has any negative points (apart from maybe the rx2 can be a bit bassy if not positioned well) but what i think it comes down to is personal taste.

I listen to a huge amount of dance music so maybe that can help other people to pursuade me which one is right for me

The RX2's are superbly bass stong and yes; too close to a rear wall or a corner and you'll get a lot of bass bloom BUT as you would with most speakers TBH

Mine are on Partington Super Dreadnought stands; mass loaded with atabites and about 40cm from the rear wall and about 2m from side walls; no bass bloom whatsoever

As for music; I listen to a lot of the likes of Massive Attack to Air to Daft Punk to Deadmouse as well as the 'Back to Mine' and 'Late Night Tales' series of CD's. I do listen to some Jazz and Blues as well as film soundtracks and bits of Swing/30's & 40's music. Even have some Metallica and System of a Down in my collection!

The RX2's cope VERY well with all the above so I'd highly recommend they get demo'd...

Also, for me, the Chord range of cables do very well with the M/A speakers but the QED Revelation speaker cable is also one to look out for.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

hifilover1979:MUSICRAFT:hifilover1979:
I demo'd the M/A RX2's, Dynaudio DM 2/6's and 2/7's as well as the KEF Q300's and the M/A RX1's when looking to build a 2nd system with my NAD C355BEE amp and Arcam DiVA CD72 CDP...

The leading speakers straight away were the Kefs, M/A RX2's and the Dynaudio DM2/7's...

All sounded superb with my NAD amp but I also demo'd them with the Yamaha AS500, AS1000 and the Rotel RA06SE amps with my Arcam CD72 CDP

The Kef's are great speakers but I did find them a little brash at times at the top end and for me, the midrange wasnt as well timed as the M/A RX2's or the DM2/7's

The M/A RX2's were superb as were the DM2/7's but the overall soundstage of the RX2's and their massive bass-weight but well timed and detailed midrange and treble led the pack fairly quickly.

The DM2/6's and DM2/7's were also superb speakers but there was just something about their soundstage that did gel with me... Couldnt really put my finger on it but they seemed a little off balance at times

For me the Kef's are ugly as well and that's a no-no really...

I used the Tron: Legacy Daft Punk soundtrack as well as the Late Night Tales: Back to the Movies CD's to do the demo's (both superb CD's to have in your collection IMO)

I demo'd the DM2/7's again with my NAD C355BEE amp as well as the M/A RX2's and the Kef's and found that the RX2's overall soundstage was bob on. Very detailed, VERY punchy with superb bass from, all be it, a huge standmount speaker but their agility and top end is very VERY good indeed. Very detailed and well timed but not in your face as I soumetimes found the Dynaudios and Kefs

Hi hifilover1979

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

Btw, there is a massive oversight in your review

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Yup; I've mis-written that... It's should read as the leading brands of speakers (for my demo list) were the Kefs, M/A's and Dynaudios (as in they all get rave reviews so need to be demo'd etc...). If any of them were to lead from the off it would have been the Dynaudio's TBH but the M/A's really took control

Hi hifilover1979

No your oversight was that you forgot to mention cables

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Hi hifilover1979
No your oversight was that you forgot to mention cables

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Bah...

 

[Anonymous]

hifilover1979:JezBaker:hifilover1979:
I demo'd the M/A RX2's, Dynaudio DM 2/6's and 2/7's as well as the KEF Q300's and the M/A RX1's when looking to build a 2nd system with my NAD C355BEE amp and Arcam DiVA CD72 CDP...

The leading speakers straight away were the Kefs, M/A RX2's and the Dynaudio DM2/7's...

All sounded superb with my NAD amp but I also demo'd them with the Yamaha AS500, AS1000 and the Rotel RA06SE amps with my Arcam CD72 CDP

The Kef's are great speakers but I did find them a little brash at times at the top end and for me, the midrange wasnt as well timed as the M/A RX2's or the DM2/7's

The M/A RX2's were superb as were the DM2/7's but the overall soundstage of the RX2's and their massive bass-weight but well timed and detailed midrange and treble led the pack fairly quickly.

The DM2/6's and DM2/7's were also superb speakers but there was just something about their soundstage that did gel with me... Couldnt really put my finger on it but they seemed a little off balance at times

For me the Kef's are ugly as well and that's a no-no really...

I used the Tron: Legacy Daft Punk soundtrack as well as the Late Night Tales: Back to the Movies CD's to do the demo's (both superb CD's to have in your collection IMO)

I demo'd the DM2/7's again with my NAD C355BEE amp as well as the M/A RX2's and the Kef's and found that the RX2's overall soundstage was bob on. Very detailed, VERY punchy with superb bass from, all be it, a huge standmount speaker but their agility and top end is very VERY good indeed. Very detailed and well timed but not in your face as I soumetimes found the Dynaudios and Kefs

Thanks for the excellent reply and thanks everyone else for the responses.

Its a really hard decision for me, i initially wanted the RX's and was so set on getting them nothing could get in my way. After reading reviews of the new kef's im really on the fence now :S

Personally i think i prefer the look of the RX's, the build quality seems much better and im not sure i like the look of the all in one tweeter and midrange. In the end though, It doesnt come down to build quality or looks, im more interested in the sound quality in the end and from what i have read, their are many mixed reviews of both speakers, Neither speaker has any negative points (apart from maybe the rx2 can be a bit bassy if not positioned well) but what i think it comes down to is personal taste.

I listen to a huge amount of dance music so maybe that can help other people to pursuade me which one is right for me

The RX2's are superbly bass stong and yes; too close to a rear wall or a corner and you'll get a lot of bass bloom BUT as you would with most speakers TBH

Mine are on Partington Super Dreadnought stands; mass loaded with atabites and about 40cm from the rear wall and about 2m from side walls; no bass bloom whatsoever

As for music; I listen to a lot of the likes of Massive Attack to Air to Daft Punk to Deadmouse as well as the 'Back to Mine' and 'Late Night Tales' series of CD's. I do listen to some Jazz and Blues as well as film soundtracks and bits of Swing/30's & 40's music. Even have some Metallica and System of a Down in my collection!

The RX2's cope VERY well with all the above so I'd highly recommend they get demo'd...

Also, for me, the Chord range of cables do very well with the M/A speakers but the QED Revelation speaker cable is also one to look out for.

I will be using Chord Odyssey with the RX2's. I recently contacted Chord and they advised me that Chord odyssey would go extremely well with the RX range.

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Hi sivanessen
The RX2's are indeed excellent. I am glad you are enjoying their performance and liking the superb standard of their build/finish

Btw, the NAD C370 and C160/C270 are worth bearing in mind as these amplifiers will quite happily bounce the RX2's around the room!

All the best

Rick @ Musicaft

Thanks Rick - will check 'em out!

Regards
Siva

 

[MUSICRAFT]

JezBaker:hifilover1979:
I demo'd the M/A RX2's, Dynaudio DM 2/6's and 2/7's as well as the KEF Q300's and the M/A RX1's when looking to build a 2nd system with my NAD C355BEE amp and Arcam DiVA CD72 CDP...

The leading speakers straight away were the Kefs, M/A RX2's and the Dynaudio DM2/7's...

All sounded superb with my NAD amp but I also demo'd them with the Yamaha AS500, AS1000 and the Rotel RA06SE amps with my Arcam CD72 CDP

The Kef's are great speakers but I did find them a little brash at times at the top end and for me, the midrange wasnt as well timed as the M/A RX2's or the DM2/7's

The M/A RX2's were superb as were the DM2/7's but the overall soundstage of the RX2's and their massive bass-weight but well timed and detailed midrange and treble led the pack fairly quickly.

The DM2/6's and DM2/7's were also superb speakers but there was just something about their soundstage that did gel with me... Couldnt really put my finger on it but they seemed a little off balance at times

For me the Kef's are ugly as well and that's a no-no really...

I used the Tron: Legacy Daft Punk soundtrack as well as the Late Night Tales: Back to the Movies CD's to do the demo's (both superb CD's to have in your collection IMO)

I demo'd the DM2/7's again with my NAD C355BEE amp as well as the M/A RX2's and the Kef's and found that the RX2's overall soundstage was bob on. Very detailed, VERY punchy with superb bass from, all be it, a huge standmount speaker but their agility and top end is very VERY good indeed. Very detailed and well timed but not in your face as I soumetimes found the Dynaudios and Kefs

Thanks for the excellent reply and thanks everyone else for the responses.

Its a really hard decision for me, i initially wanted the RX's and was so set on getting them nothing could get in my way. After reading reviews of the new kef's im really on the fence now :S

Personally i think i prefer the look of the RX's, the build quality seems much better and im not sure i like the look of the all in one tweeter and midrange. In the end though, It doesnt come down to build quality or looks, im more interested in the sound quality in the end and from what i have read, their are many mixed reviews of both speakers, Neither speaker has any negative points (apart from maybe the rx2 can be a bit bassy if not positioned well) but what i think it comes down to is personal taste.

I listen to a huge amount of dance music so maybe that can help other people to pursuade me which one is right for me

Hi jezbaker

Your welcome.

The RX2's fuller balance will be far better suited to the qualities of the A-S500 and as a combination is also more likely to offer you long term satisfaction

The RX2's excude class and ultimately ime Monitor Audio inspires confidence.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Clare Newsome]

Rick, now you are overdoing the salesman job - you've had more than enough say on this thread; think people can be in no doubt of your opinions

 

[Andrew Everard]

And all those nested quotes are making our eyes hurt!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Clare

Just being enthusiastic. Fair enough though.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the excellent replies rick!

Im siding more with the RX's but i still have 2 weeks until payday so im not going to make a final decision till then! Interested to see if any others have had experience with both speakers.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Andrew Everard:And all those nested quotes are making our eyes hurt!

Hi Andrew

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

JezBaker:
Thanks for the excellent replies rick!

Im siding more with the RX's but i still have 2 weeks until payday so im not going to make a final decision till then! Interested to see if any others have had experience with both speakers.

One thing (with looking at your system spec as well); have you tried the system without the Tacima?

That's one thing I've done recently is remove the Tacima from the hifi set-up and just kept it with my AV system.

Removing the Tacima on the hifi gave for a better clarity of sound and a much punchier bass etc... Worth trying just to see if it has an effect on your system or not IMO

 

[Anonymous]

Actually ive only recently just added the tacima and i noticed better detail from the music, although the bass does not sound so full.

When i buy speakers, i will be testing my system with and without the tacima again to see the differences.

 

[ear]

Jezbaker I see your pug..

 

[The_Lhc]

ear:Jezbaker I see your pug..

Jeez, get a room!

Or something, I've no idea what you just said!

 

[The_Lhc]

MUSICRAFT:
Andrew Everard:And all those nested quotes are making our eyes hurt!

Hi Andrew

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Rick, don't take this the wrong way but you don't have to say "Hi" to someone every time you reply to them and you don't need to when you're quoting someone, we can see who you're talking to, especially in an on-going conversation, it's just odd (you wouldn't do it in a face to face conversation), similarly we know you're Rick @ Musicraft and we know you wish us all the best, you don't have to keep saying it (and if you insist just put it in your signature, that way it's not there when someone quotes you).

I know people will think I'm being an *** but you've typed 32 characters just to put a smiley down, it's ridiculous, unnecessary and, speaking personally, really irritating. Just let it flow, be more natural, you're not writing a letter or even an email to a customer, we're just chatting, shootin' the breeze, chill out, put your feet up, relax a little...

 

[manicm]

Phew the_lhc - I'm guessing you're having an extremely bad day? Or really irritable to take such detailed note of Rick's online etiquette?

Take a chill pill today.

 

[The_Lhc]

(The following is meant as friendly advice by the way, so I hope nobody reads it as if I'm ranting, I'm not, I'm just trying to help someone communicate more efficiently, so set your tone controls to "passive", rather than "rage" when reading!

)

No this is a good day! I'm just saying is all, it's weird, unnecessarily formal, I find I can't engage with Rick properly (there's nothing to take "detailed note" of, it slaps me in the face everytime I read Rick's posts).

Imagine if you walked into his shop and Rick greeted you:

"Hi, I'm Rick, how can I help you today? All the best Rick@Musicraft."

"Err, Hi Rick, John, I'm looking for some AV speakers?"

"Hi John, ok, good, what sort of budget did you have in mind? All the best, Rick@Musicraft."

"Umm, about £1500 quid."

"Hi John, cool, what AV amp have you got at the moment? All the best, Rick@Musicraft."

"...... er, the Sony DTH800..."

"Hi John, ok, well you probably don't need to spend as much as that to get the best out of that amp but were you looking for style speakers or the more traditional sort? All the best, Rick@Musicraft."

Do you see what I mean? I'd have left by now, probably thinking "This guy's a nutter! Oi nutter!" in a Harry Enfield Dime bar ad manner.

Maybe for the first reply to someone then fine, introduce yourself so they know who you are but after that or when talking to one of the regulars, it isn't really necessary and, for myself at least, introduces a barrier to informal discussion, I don't want to read the same thing over and over again, so now, unfortunately, I skip most of Rick's posts, which I'm guessing isn't his intention.

 

[Anonymous]

There is a subtle difference between face-to-face conversation and that on a forum, the_dhc.

Perhaps also you should look at the quality of the advice, too.

 

[The_Lhc]

Grottyash:There is a subtle difference between face-to-face conversation and that on a forum

Must be very subtle because I don't see any distinction, could you explain? This is supposed to be a friendly, all-inclusive discussion I think and I just find Rick's top and tails sets up a barrier of formality between him and the rest of the forum, as if he's saying "I'm not here to be friendly, polite will do but nothing more" and I'm pretty sure that's not the intention.

Perhaps also you should look at the quality of the advice, too.

Whose, Rick's? That's the point, I can't, I won't read his posts anymore.

It's a bit like if someone just tapped you lightly on the forehead every time they spoke to you, it doesn't hurt and in the grand scheme of things isn't important but it is a little odd and after a while it's going to get annoying. That's kind of where I am right now...

But I'll just have to keep ignoring him I guess, which I think is a shame, I imagine I could learn some useful information from him. My loss I suppose.

 

[Helmut80]

there's only one way issues such as these can be solved to everyone's satisfaction. meet up and fight.

 

[Frank Harvey]

That sounds good....