Monitor Audio RX2 with Roksan/Rega

[shaunj_uk]

Hi,

I currently have a Roksan K2 amplifier, Rega Apollo cd player and Monitor Audio RS6 floorstanders. I am looking to change the Monitor Audio's, just feel like trying standmounts, as the floorstanders seem bit too much for my room which is roughly 4m x 3m.

I have been looking at the Monitor Audio RX2's, they seem to be quite highly regarded, but will the bass on them be too much for my size room, as I dont like it too overpowering? I listen mostly to rock music, at moderate levels, but would like the speakers to go higher if needed without a struggle >) , hence me looking at the RX2's. My budget is around £450 new or second hand.

Any help or suggestions would be gratefully accepted.

Kind Regards

Shaun

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Off topic I know, but thats why I would never buy an amp without tone controls, £450 to turn the bass down....... :O

 

[danrv]

Hi

I had the RX1's for a while in my 4m x 4m bedroom. Due to the size of the room I had to have the speakers in the corners and the bass for me was too much. I now know that speakers in this position are better if they're front ported of sealed.

Sold the RX's in the end and now have a pair of front ported Dali Lektor 2's which sound great with my K2. I would guess the RX2's with a larger LF driver would be overpowering in the bass in that size room.

Bass traps also help to reduce boom in empty corners.

 

[SteveR750]

Off topic I know, but thats why I would never buy an amp without tone controls, £450 to turn the bass down....... :O

To go even more OT, this is why we need to take subjective assessments with a huge caveat. I wouldn't buy an amp with tone controls ever again, because they sound S****

 

[stevebrock]

Off topic I know, but thats why I would never buy an amp without tone controls, £450 to turn the bass down....... :O

To go even more OT, this is why we need to take subjective assessments with a huge caveat. I wouldn't buy an amp with tone controls ever again, because they sound S****

agreed I detest tone controls

to the OP think you should take a look at Rega RS1 speakers, lovely and musical and not at all boomy, I couldn't cope with RX1

 

[omnibeard]

My Onkyo TX-8050 has tone controls - never use them, always on bypass, but not sure it's necessarily a bad thing.

There must be a stack of (maybe historic) great amps with tone controls. I wouldn't dismiss it so quickly.

You might think the 8050 is not a good amp - well, it is a very good amp - drives my Monopulse A up to very high volume before it starts to lose grip. For the money, it's a fine amp.

And it has tone controls!

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Oh...you wanna go there...o.k...we can go there....

I'd challenge any decent no tone controlled amp with a decent tone controlled amp, the no tone controlled amps I auditioned earlier this year were not impressive. Although the amp I bought with tone controls ain't all that etheir imo - modern amps, sounded great turned up in the demo room but under scrutiny......not good.

But when a manufacturer decides what you must listen to its not right,.... and 450 to turn the bass down a little is a joke.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

to add, if you have the time you can adjust your tone controls to sound like the bypass setting.

 

[SteveR750]

No amount of room adjustment will make a crap amp sound good, but it might make a good amp sound like it should do. I haven't heard anything other than cheap budget amps that sounded better with tone controls, and all that had them (NAD 3130, 352, CA azur 640) were worse off with them deployed. I'm not against tonal changes, just that doing it in analogue doesn't make for great hi fi. Doing it in 64 bit digital is another thing altogether of course.

Sorry, but I disagree that a £300 receiver is even close to the best £700+ amps (Roksan, Naim etc) tone controls or not. Just my opinion of course

 

[omnibeard]

Sorry, but I disagree that a £300 receiver is even close to the best £700+ amps (Roksan, Naim etc) tone controls or not. Just my opinion of course

I'd have to agree with you generally - but if you're talking about a £300 receiver, I guess you might be talking about the Onkyo.

I have to say, I am absolutely amazed by how well it drives some very expensive speakers. It only starts to betray its humble price at extremely high volume.

And it has tone controls! (I don't use them!)

 

[stevebrock]

My Yamaha av amp sounds shockingly bad compared to Brio R, both cost the same money

 

[omnibeard]

Not sure that's a relevant comparison - the TX-8050 is not an AV receiver.

For the record, a friend brought round his Brio R to drive my Monopulse A's. As I've commented previously, I absolutely love his all-Rega set up (Brio R, Apollo R and RS5) - it's a fantastically musical set up. Fantastically. But the Brio R really didn't do anything better with the Monopulse than the Onkyo did. Neither of us thought the Brio was better in that set up.

 

[omnibeard]

Sorry, that's really off topic!

 

[stevebrock]

Just proves how good the synergy is with Rega gear

 

[omnibeard]

Agreed, but that wasn't really my point. My point was I own a very good amp, that cost very little, that has tone controls, that does a lot of stuff very well. Sometimes as well as kit costing a lot more. And it has tone controls. Did I mention that?

 

[stevebrock]

I agree had a Rotel RA91 mk2 what a fantastic sounding amp for less than £300

 

[omnibeard]

But did it have tone controls?

 

[stevebrock]

Yes but never used them

 

[Sizzers]

To go even more OT, this is why we need to take subjective assessments with a huge caveat. I wouldn't buy an amp with tone controls ever again, because they sound S****

And some CD recordings sound S*** without them.

I very rarely use tone controls myself but I do have some particularly poorly recorded albums which would be all but unlistenable without them. They have their – occasional – uses and I would rather have the option of them than not. Each to their own, or course.

 

[Campaign]

Personally I never bother playing with the tone controls on my Rotel, but given that even Marantz' top amplifiers include them I think its a sweeping statement to assume that only cheap, rubbish amps have them.

I agree that they make the sound worse in most instances although you can always use the bypass button on any of these amps so its really no great issue in my mind to have them there if you can bypass them anyway.

Back on topic i think i'd be looking at Dynaudio 2/6 or Rega speakers for your setup unless you prefer the MA sound in which case i'd look at the RX-1 or even the KEF Q300.

 

[shaunj_uk]

Hi,

Thank you all for the replies so far.... I will keep out of the tone controls debate!! :silenced:

If any of you have the Rega RS1's, can you tell me what they are like at higher listening levels?

Many Thanks

Shaun

 

[richardw42]

Is your budget 450 after the sale of your RS6s, or can you add that too.

My listening room is larger than yours. I swapped RS6s for GS10s. The overall sound was more pleasant and listenable, but there was a drop in bass which I missed. The RS6s can definitely bettered.

A good second hand pair of GS10s might be around budget, but think about stands as well.

 

[shaunj_uk]

Hi,

I was looking at GS10's, but dont seem to be many around. I would happily give them a try, I am a big fan of the MA sound to be honest. Think second hand they go for around £400-500, but its just finding a pair!! By the way the £450 is with the sale of the RS6's, but could push it up a bit if needed.

Kind Regards

Shaun

 

[RS0882]

Hi Shaun,

To get back on topic I've had the RX1s for over a year and loved them in combination with my Marantz PM8003 after I got a good DAC. I had to place them 30-40cm from the wall but the sound and imaging was really spot on. I wouldn't go with the RX2 for that size room if I was you, as the RX1s will deliver plenty. You can turn them up really loud and they will still hold a clean and airy sound. I moved to GX50s now, which are basically even more of the same great sound although the bass has dropped slightly but is now punchier...

So: RX1 highly recommended as can be confirmed by WHF and Hifi Choice in the 2012 July issue, where the RX1s came out on top compared to Kefs and Quad speakers. I'm also not mentioning the very impressive build quality and good looks, especially with the magnetic speaker grilles off.

Cheers,

R

 

[shaunj_uk]

Thanks for your help. I currently have the Monitor Audio RS1's in my second system and they are fantastic, but would like something different in the other system. I have looked at the GX50's and must admit I am quite tempted to wait a couple of months and get a pair of them, have only heard good things about them!! Maybe their will be some ex demo pairs around for a good price soon? You never know.

Kind Regards

Shaun