Monitor Audio Silver RX2: a short review

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Finally installed my Monitor Audio RX2s
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I bi-amped them with the QED XT Evolution cables on my Yamaha RX-V663
receiver and put them on the Atacama Audio SL600 speaker stands. Here's
what I have to say after a full day of listening to them:

The Monitor Audio RX2s sound amazing. Truly impressed with these
speakers. The bass has a lot of weight and punch as if it's coming from
a decent floorstander. The slightly forward midrange sounds beautiful
as well, and don't forget the treble. In fact, every part of the
frequency range sounds amazing. I played all types of genres and they
seem to be perfect for every one of them, even for movies and games. A
true allrounder.

The QED XT Evolutions with Atlas banana Z-plugs also impressed me.
Though I couldn't compare them with any other speaker cable, the XT
Evolutions didn't make the sound bright at all. In fact, with my
current system, they sound perfectly balanced.

The Atacama Audio SL600 speaker stands compliment the RX2s perfectly.
The top plate's width is almost the same as the RX2's and they're
perfectly stable (even when they're not filled). It's like they were
made for these heavy RX2s. I didn't like the spikes though. No matter
what I tried, the SL600s were a lot more stable without the spikes, so
I took them off...

So in short... the Monitor Audio RX2s are perfect! (for me at least
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Frank Harvey

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ATHFan:The bass has a lot of weight and punch as if it's coming from a decent floorstander.The RX2 is the first large bookshelf budget speaker for some years to use an 8" bass driver, and with the larger than usual cabinet, it does produce the sort of sound that many people are now used to only from floorstanders. I think it's a bit of a gamble to replace a £500 floorstander with a large £500 bookshelf speaker......time will tell!

The Atacama Audio SL600 speaker stands compliment the RX2s perfectly. The top plate's width is almost the same as the RX2's and they're perfectly stable (even when they're not filled). It's like they were made for these heavy RX2s.The SL's, along with the HMS2's, are the perfect stands for these speakers with their larger top plate, giving more support than the average stand.

If you've only just set them up, they're going to need a good 40/50 hours running in, so expect them to get better!! They'll also get better if you upgrade your amp at any point
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Enjoy.....
 

Ajani

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FrankHarveyHiFi:The RX2 is the first large bookshelf budget speaker for some years to use an 8" bass driver, and with the larger than usual cabinet, it does produce the sort of sound that many people are now used to only from floorstanders. I think it's a bit of a gamble to replace a £500 floorstander with a large £500 bookshelf speaker......time will tell!

My thoughts as well... I wonder if there really is much of a market for large monitors (outside of say a recording studio)... Since a major benefit of monitors is usually their WAF due to being relatively small... The RX2 are going to be about as visually obtrusive as a floorstander....
 

Ajani

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ear:
I think they've aimed at the kef IQ30 with the rx2.

You mean the IQ50 Floorstander? The IQ30 is approximately the same size and price as the RX1...

The RX2 replaces the RS5 Floorstander which was competition for the IQ50 and Monitor Audio's own BR5 as well...

Hmmm... maybe that's why they went for a bookshelf design... to stop competing with themselves....
 

Ajani

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ear:nah.the iq30 in sound and in size.

Since the RX1 is already direct competition for the IQ30 (both use a 6.5 inch woofer and cost about 400 GBP), I don't think that the RX2 (with an 8 inch woofer, costing 500 GBP) is really aimed at the same product... it's seems more like an alternative to a small floorstander, such as the IQ50 at 600GBP... Though I suppose it would also compete with potential IQ30 purchasers who want extended bass in a bookshelf...
 
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I never liked KEF's Q series speakers. I find that their brightness make them a bit too fatiguing to listen to, even when matched with warm amplifiers like the Yamaha RX-V797.

When I was auditioning the RX2s speakers, I was also able to compare them with floorstanders like the Monitor Audio BR5 and RS5s, and IMHO, the RX2 sounded better in both cases. The RX2s are still cheaper than the RX6s (even with the included speaker stands), so I do think there's a market for them. Also, you don't give people the impression that you spent a crazy amount on speakers (the BR5s look more expensive than the RX2s, but they're not), which is a good thing to some people.

The RX6s are also good speakers, but they just have a bit too much 'attack' for me, which makes them more exciting (especially at lower volumes), but can be a bit too fatiguing at times.

I wonder how the RX2s would compare with to the EB Acoustics EB1s though. Obviously, I couldn't audition the EB1s since they aren't available in stores, and with shipping costs over 60 euros, they were a bit too risky to try out (if I didn't like them, I had to pay over 60 euros for the import costs, and probably a bit more to export them back to the manufacturers), but I still wonder... Maybe What Hi-Fi will put these two speakers in their next group test?
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Frank Harvey

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To be fair, an AV amp isn't the best amplifier to use to get the best from any speaker, regardless of it's tonal balance.

Many people have carried the common misconception that KEF is bright across to the new iQ series - wrongly. The new ones are much smoother, far from bright. Granted, KEF have a leaner sound, which does shift balance towards the mid and higher frequencies, which may come across to some as 'being brighter', but it's just a balanace they're not used to. I usually find people ho like B&W don't like KEF.

Because of their balance, I do find KEF are a little more of a love/hate type of speaker. I think many have not heard KEF's in the right system to make a genuine comment about their qualitites.

One of my customers went for a Cyrus pre/power system with KEF iQ50's and they sounded amazing.
 
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Anonymous

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FrankHarveyHiFi:
To be fair, an AV amp isn't the best amplifier to use to get the best from any speaker, regardless of it's tonal balance.

Many people have carried the common misconception that KEF is bright across to the new iQ series - wrongly. The new ones are much smoother, far from bright. Granted, KEF have a leaner sound, which does shift balance towards the mid and higher frequencies, which may come across to some as 'being brighter', but it's just a balanace they're not used to. I usually find people ho like B&W don't like KEF.

Because of their balance, I do find KEF are a little more of a love/hate type of speaker. I think many have not heard KEF's in the right system to make a genuine comment about their qualitites.

One of my customers went for a Cyrus pre/power system with KEF iQ50's and they sounded amazing.

I heard the KEFs with the Yamaha RX-V797 stereo amplifier, which is not an AV receiver. I won't disagree with you though, since I haven't heard them with anything else really. I was looking for the best speakers for my own amp of course, and the RX-V797 was the closest thing to my own amp.
 

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