Which one is bassier? MA-BX5 or MA-RX2 for my room and setup?

[hamid_hifi]

Hi there,

I have a pair of ma-bx5s run with my cd/pm6004 kit...I very much like the sound the system delivers but I expected a bit more deep bass and a tad more sound stage. My room is about 35 msq and there is 40 cm clearance to the back wall and almost no side walls. 2.5m space between two speakers and a radius of 4 m to the listening position. Also they're a bit toed-in.

I also feel a bit box colourations on bx5s at low to mid ferquencies(say about between 300 to 600 hz) this would probably go better after well enough running in...correct?

But my most concern is about the lack a bit of attack on very deep bass lines.

Since there are few better quality speakers the amp can drive, the only compatible I could find are probably the ma-rx2s.

So would it be better to switch from bx5s to rx2s. I think the bass from rx2s would be a bit more organized due to its larger driver, more simple 2 channel crossover, and lesser the box. Those rules would probably give me more natural sound comes from the drivers not the box. Am I right?

Or just stick with bx5s and give them a little more time?

Thanks..

 

[plastic penguin]

Firstly, floorstanders generally pump out a little extra extended bass. This is purely down to overall box size/internal capacity (look on the back of the speakers or manual and it should tell you how many litres the BX5 are). Standmounters may not have quite the bass depth but will offer a little more agility.

Secondly, yes floorstanders are proned to a little colouration due to their size. Having said all that, they are both in a similar price bracket so any possible colour will be minimal.

Would i recommend a change? Depends how long you've had the BX5s - they need a two-three weeks of (almost) constant running in to hear them at their best.

 

[hamid_hifi]

Thanks,

They do not have much running in time you mentioned. I can say I only listened to them 1-2 hours a day in three weeks at very low level as I live in a flat.

I also tried the trick MA says on their FAQ page http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/support/faqs/. Put them face to face make one of them out of phase then run in silently. I found it more ridiculous than practical, as tweeters do not shut as other drivers do... and some occasional loud parts of the music makes you jump of your sit.

So, what I got is I should be patient and give them a little more time. I thought that 8" driver on rx2s probably gives me better and bigger bass than those 5 1/2" on bx5s...

Any other ideas?

 

[Stereosane]

I had the Bx5 and I found it lacked a little bit of that lower bass, and for some reason I also lacked a bit of mid-bass, but I'm sure that was more room acoustics. I eventually sold the Bx5 and got the Rx6, there was a huge difference. I had more low end bass and the bass just sounded more full and tight. I would say that you will get a much lower and fuller bass from the Rx2, and it's way more musical than the Bx range. I found the Bx range overly analytical and lacking that emotional connection with the listener whereas the Rx is more engaging and just has that little extra that the Bx range lacks. Don't get me wrong the Bx range is an amazing speaker, you can just get a much better overall balance with the Rx range especially the Rx6.

 

[plastic penguin]

Thanks,

They do not have much running in time you mentioned. I can say I only listened to them 1-2 hours a day in three weeks at very low level as I live in a flat.

So, what I got is I should be patient and give them a little more time. I thought that 8" driver on rx2s probably gives me better and bigger bass than those 5 1/2" on bx5s...

Any other ideas?

Yes, I think you have to give those speakers a chance to loosen up. If you can leave the hi-fi on quietly overnight a couple of evenings - as I've done many times - and that'll give you a better picture on whether the BX5s are for you or not.

Hi-fi components are like making wine: Can take a while but the results at the end will be sweet.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck, pp.

 

[davedotco]

Hi Hamid, as is my usual way I am going to offer a different view.

Your original post suggests to me that you have reasonable idea of what you are doing but that the system is not really giving you what you want. In my view you are simply coming up against the limits of what you can expect from a budget system.

Sure if you keep the volume sensible and the music undemanding then I am pretty sure all will be well, but when you ask the system to do a little more, play a bit louder, play some more comples material or maybe just listen a little bit more intently, you may be asking too much.

Given the point that you are at, I think the issue is primarily an amplifier issue. It simply sounds to me that the amplifier is not really controlling the speakers as well as you want. Unfortunately there is no cheap fix, abetter, more powerful and more controlled amplifier is what is needed and that is not cheap.

Minimum standard would be, a Creek 50a. Some people like the Roksan Kandy or comparable price Arcam but neither really do it for me. If you get the chance to try a much better amplifier (borrow something in the £1000 or better class) do so before spending more money on changes that are really not going to sort out your issues.

 

[JamesMellor]

" I can say I only listened to them 1-2 hours a day in three weeks at very low level as I live in a flat. "

I'm going to say something stupid , like I always do , but if I lived in a flat and cared that much about the neighbours and had 600 quid in my pocket I would maybe live with the speakers day to day and look at a good pair of headphones and a headphone amp for my own enjoyment , not your question I know but maybe another angle of attack

James

 

[his dudeness]

if you can try moving the speakers a little bit,small moves can have a huge effect on the sound,as can your listening position,try forward a bit at a time see if you hit a sweet spot.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

What sort of bass are you expecting?

You own an amp with a 40 to 50watt output and slim speakers what exactly do you expect your set to sound like?

you'll need to expand your budget or decide if you want 'hifi' or your music 'loud'.

 

[BigH]

If you want more bass then I would turn the volume up. HAving said that at low volume a Floorstanding speaker should give more bass and are generally more sensitive than standmounts, check the sensitivity on those speakers.

 

[ID.]

I think the BX5 should give more bass, but as mentioned above, it is a compact floorstander so it doesn't give such huge quantities of bass. When I was considering them I found that they actually went very deep for the size. Part of what gives the extra depth in the floorstanders is the larger cabinet size, so I don't think a switch to the RX-2s would give you as much depth of bass. Potentially they could give more slam in the bass frequencies that contrbute to that feeling of punchiness, but I'd want a better amp with the RX-2s.

I only tried the BX-5s with my own kit and the PM7004, and I think they benefit from better amplification. In fact I'd prefer something a bit better than the PM7004 even. Not that they sounded bad with the PM7004, but they are capable of more.

 

[hamid_hifi]

I eventually sold the Bx5 and got the Rx6, there was a huge difference. I had more low end bass and the bass just sounded more full and tight. I would say that you will get a much lower and fuller bass from the Rx2

Can you just tell me with what amp you running them?

I think you have to give those speakers a chance to loosen up. Hi-fi components are like making wine: Can take a while but the results at the end will be sweet.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck, pp.

Yes I think I would do this before making another stupid decision...

Surely I would post the results

Thanks again

Hi Hamid, as is my usual way I am going to offer a different view.

Your original post suggests to me that you have reasonable idea of what you are doing but that the system is not really giving you what you want. In my view you are simply coming up against the limits of what you can expect from a budget system.

Sure if you keep the volume sensible and the music undemanding then I am pretty sure all will be well, but when you ask the system to do a little more, play a bit louder, play some more comples material or maybe just listen a little bit more intently, you may be asking too much.

Given the point that you are at, I think the issue is primarily an amplifier issue.

Some people like the Roksan Kandy or comparable price Arcam but neither really do it for me

Thanks mate,

But as I described(well maybe) I listen mostly late at nights with very low volume. When I turn the wheel up everything seems better but that colouration is there which is rather small so I would live with that. Could it be because the amp cant deliver the amount of bass I needed at those very low vols? I'm talking about even less than one watt...

I demoed a Kandy set up with some Focals...The setup had a mid which moved my chest realy...But for some reasons Roksans are not suitable for me...

I'm going to say something stupid , like I always do , but if I lived in a flat and cared that much about the neighbours and had 600 quid in my pocket I would maybe live with the speakers day to day and look at a good pair of headphones and a headphone amp for my own enjoyment , not your question I know but maybe another angle of attack

James

Thank James,

No mate, its nothing stupid...Quite frankly, I was a headphones fan before got my first HiFi...Maybe this shows something...Those Ear plugs + Bass boost bottom may ending me up buying a subwoofer which my amp doesn't handle it. And I know sub is not a part of HiFi...

if you can try moving the speakers a little bit,small moves can have a huge effect on the sound,as can your listening position,try forward a bit at a time see if you hit a sweet spot.

Thanks,

I did...And Of course things gets better getting closer to the speakers. But the prob is I've installed my kit on the tv's rack. And the speakers beside it. Sofa at the opposite wall. Room is about 4.5*8 meters...

What sort of bass are you expecting?

The ones you hear on the Eagles' hotel california live concert

Like I said I'm pretty like the overall sound the system delivers, but the lack of very deep bass at very low volume made me think of getting a pair with bigger drivers rather than bigger box, would solve my issue...

If you want more bass then I would turn the volume up. HAving said that at low volume a Floorstanding speaker should give more bass and are generally more sensitive than standmounts, check the sensitivity on those speakers.

So, standmounters have more bass at higher volumes? If so they're not my kind of thing. I want somthing very dynamic. All those MA I mentioned have the sesitivity of 90db/m IF theyre not calculated just by the sound of their tweeters which are a bit on bright side too...

OK, Thanks in advance guys for all of your kind help and info. I decided to live with them a little more trying to runnig them in a little bit more hoping they get better. If that didnt help, I would probably get the amp to a MA dealer to demo it with those RX seeing if theyre suitable for me or not...

I'll let you know all my final decision and if got over it or not

And Sorry for those multiple quotes...

Have Fun :cheers:

 

[hamid_hifi]

Thanks

On the MA-RX2 specs sheet its indicated the amp requirements of 20-100 watts RMS with the impedance of 6 ohms...While BX5s indicated 30-120 watts RMS suggested amp in 8 ohms. Running with 6 ohms the amp would gives me a tad more power too...? Thats why I thought they would be better coice for my amp.

 

[hamid_hifi]

I think the BX5 should give more bass, but as mentioned above, it is a compact floorstander so it doesn't give such huge quantities of bass. When I was considering them I found that they actually went very deep for the size. Part of what gives the extra depth in the floorstanders is the larger cabinet size, so I don't think a switch to the RX-2s would give you as much depth of bass. Potentially they could give more slam in the bass frequencies that contrbute to that feeling of punchiness, but I'd want a better amp with the RX-2s.

I only tried the BX-5s with my own kit and the PM7004, and I think they benefit from better amplification. In fact I'd prefer something a bit better than the PM7004 even. Not that they sounded bad with the PM7004, but they are capable of more.

Thanks

On the MA-RX2 specs sheet its indicated the amp requirements of 20-100 watts RMS with the impedance of 6 ohms...While BX5s indicated 30-120 watts RMS suggested amp in 8 ohms. Running with 6 ohms the amp would gives me a tad more power too...? Thats why I thought they would be better coice for my amp.

 

[Stereosane]

I think the BX5 should give more bass, but as mentioned above, it is a compact floorstander so it doesn't give such huge quantities of bass. When I was considering them I found that they actually went very deep for the size. Part of what gives the extra depth in the floorstanders is the larger cabinet size, so I don't think a switch to the RX-2s would give you as much depth of bass. Potentially they could give more slam in the bass frequencies that contrbute to that feeling of punchiness, but I'd want a better amp with the RX-2s.

I only tried the BX-5s with my own kit and the PM7004, and I think they benefit from better amplification. In fact I'd prefer something a bit better than the PM7004 even. Not that they sounded bad with the PM7004, but they are capable of more.

i used my bx5 with a Nad C316, the bass only really came to the party at louder volumes, which I hated. They do need a lot of time to open up, I noticed a big change in the bass after about 50hrs. Give them time, but in the end you really can't go wrong with the Rx2 or Rx6, they are a big step up all round. I'm currently using an Arcam A18 with the Rx6 and it's got plenty of Bass..

hope you you find your happy spot soon.

 

[BigH]

Well at low volume bass tends to be less thats why some system have a loudness button. As for a sub, if you are concerned about your neighbours I would forget it, if there is sound that will penetrate your neighbours property it is bass, I know when next door put their sub. on it goes right through my wall/floor, in a flat unless you are on the ground floor it will be worse.

 

[hamid_hifi]

i used my bx5 with a Nad C316, the bass only really came to the party at louder volumes, which I hated. They do need a lot of time to open up, I noticed a big change in the bass after about 50hrs. Give them time, but in the end you really can't go wrong with the Rx2 or Rx6, they are a big step up all round. I'm currently using an Arcam A18 with the Rx6 and it's got plenty of Bass..

hope you you find your happy spot soon.

Well I demoed the rx6s...They sounded much fuller than bx5s. But found the amp gets a bit crazy with bass at high volumes...As long as you go no more than 10H they are fine with the 6004...RX6s are a bit out of my budget too.

I also found that by inserting the plugs into the back holes that nassal sound would a tad better but that shuts the mid bass a bit more...Due to the midrange chamber is separated ffrom the bass chamber on bx5s I believe...

Well at low volume bass tends to be less thats why some system have a loudness button. As for a sub, if you are concerned about your neighbours I would forget it, if there is sound that will penetrate your neighbours property it is bass, I know when next door put their sub. on it goes right through my wall/floor, in a flat unless you are on the ground floor it will be worse.

Yes youre right my flat is on the second floor. That make things worse. Also due to rather my good fortune :wall: two old ladies live above at third floor :silenced: Also the walls divided the same floor's flats are solid bricks but I have no idea why I can here the next neighbours' news from their TV in their livinnig room :?

About adding a sub, the amp also doesn't have a dedicated sub out. But how about conneting a sub via rec outs and set its level to a very low value and only turn it on while listening at low volumes?

 

[BigH]

I have found the solid brick walls in our house are not very good at sound proofing, cavity walls I think are better and breeze block also seem better.