Difference between Monitor Audio and B&W

Gtiracer

Gtiracer

Gtiracer

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Without the hassle of going down my local Hi-fi demo shop approx +25mile away.

Can anyone describe / explain the difference to the best of their ability about these speaker manufacturers - what types of audio they excel and lack at.

Would really appreciate any advice about them - My personal interest is Gaming, Movies and a little bit of music.
 
Well that's a "How long is a piece of string" question. :rolleyes:

Personally I find the Monitor Audio sound more musical and involving, but quite honestly both brands are top quality. Speakers are a very personal choice. You'll get as many opinions as there are listeners. Each one is valid, but also highly individual.

I have to say though, if you're really thinking of buying gear of this quality but consider going to the store to listen to it as "a hassle" are you really sure it's the right choice for you?
 
lucid said:
Well that's a "How long is a piece of string" question. :rolleyes:

Personally I find the Monitor Audio sound more musical and involving, but quite honestly both brands are top quality. Speakers are a very personal choice. You'll get as many opinions as there are listeners. Each one is valid, but also highly individual.

I have to say though, if you're really thinking of buying gear of this quality but consider going to the store to listen to it as "a hassle" are you really sure it's the right choice for you?
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Im not thinking of buying anytime soon - not got the funds, hence there being no need to go down a shop and bother a salesman, I'm just gathering opinions for my own benefit to help myself make a choice when it comes to buying.
 
a lot will depend on the amp.

with B&W you dont want a smooth amp you want something more punchy. i much prefer onkyo amps with my speakers than denon for example. yammy would also be a bit too smooth.

thats why you need to audition. you can then try and track down cheaper after if you like.
 
realBabelfish said:
a lot will depend on the amp.

with B&W you dont want a smooth amp you want something more punchy. i much prefer onkyo amps with my speakers than denon for example. yammy would also be a bit too smooth.

thats why you need to audition. you can then try and track down cheaper after if you like.
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Thanks for the info - I currently have an Onkyo SR605 - will that suffice or will i need an amp upgrade would you imagine?
 
How a pair of speakers 'sound' will be determined by how they interact with the rest of your system, your room and your ears!

If you're planning to make a substantial investment then I'd say a home listen is a must!
 
I have monitor audio, floor stander and center.

I auditioned a lot of different speakers over a 3 day period at a sevonoakes hi-fi center.

You take your own cd's etc, of course you can take your own components as well.


It is all so personnel, I did not find the B&W equivalents (at the time) as filling/deep when I heard them.

It is all down to you, your equipment, the room it is going on and of course how YOU hear it.


Speakers + Music in general is a very personnel thing I find.
 
Demo them. I was about to comment with the complete opposite of Magic x uk :) They're both good, but listening to them back to back is the only way to make the ultimate decision for you. I demo'd the BW686 against the similarly specced Monitor Audio, played through a Rotel setup (RA / RCD 06) and felt the MA speakers were too bright to my ears. Also at a SevenOaks branch (Grays Inn Road).
 
Personal wouldn't touch either..... Find them unnatural, sterile and tweaked to impress in a short demo.... Even the top end PL's with the ribbon tweeter were a little to contrived for my liking.
Check out what else is about in specialist dealers, but matching to amp and more so the room is key to getting a good balance.
 
ive just had some monitor audio bx2 speakers to go with my Yamaha 667 and all i can really say if wow they are very good and sound a lot better then the Mordaunt Short AVIANO 1XR i had before, if u like a nice clear sound and to me sound very natural the monitor audio bx2 i would recommend.
 
I've got a pair of B&W 601 S3's hooked up to my Yammaha 667 as fronts, which soulnd gorgeous to my ears. Also have just got a pair of 600 S3's which are hooked into an ageing Sony amp which runs my decks, put on a few tunes last night and was properly impressed with the sound considering the amp is a cheapy one and about 8 years old.

I find the B&W 6 series to have a nice, warm, enveloping sound. Feels like your being hugged by sound! :)

But as others have said, it's all subjective, best to demo if you can.
 
9designs2 said:
Personal wouldn't touch either..... Find them unnatural, sterile and tweaked to impress in a short demo.... Even the top end PL's with the ribbon tweeter were a little to contrived for my liking.
Check out what else is about in specialist dealers, but matching to amp and more so the room is key to getting a good balance.
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Interesting. I will soon be demoing for a new front three, with recommendations of B&W CM5, MA GX50/100 and Kef R300 currently being given to me. From my searching around there doesn't seem to be too many other options up to the £1000 mark for standmounts with a matching centre that would work well with a Yamaha AVR. I do have an AudioT near me but they constantly push Focal on me and I'm not too impressed so far, I think they stock Dynaudio but I've never heard them so couldn't comment, are there any other options at this price range?
 
PMC, Spendor, Qudos, Proac, Focal

All good alternatives to the B&W and MA depending on budget, all very subjective of course.

Not a huge fan of MA, a bit too forward and aggressive for my ears, PL range is pure bling IMO (and not in a good way).
 
PMC's are likely to be the wrong side of £2500 with the twenty.21 and twenty.c, so it seems likely to be too costly. Heard they are superb though so will probably have to try them and see anyway ;)

Focal as I said I just didn't get on with never liked the sound I've heard, plus I wasn't impressed with the rep at AudioT when he had no clue what my amp was (Yamaha RX-V3900), not sure if there are any local stores that stock qudos and proac or spendor. Waiting to hear back from Sevenoaks regarding a demo and possible home demo, so might ask if they have any other alternatives, but think I'm pretty limited as I can't fit in floorstanders.
 
Jano said:
PMC's are likely to be the wrong side of £2500 with the twenty.21 and twenty.c, so it seems likely to be too costly. Heard they are superb though so will probably have to try them and see anyway ;)
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They are simply superb. ;)

Don't forget the 'i' series is still in production, and given that the Twenty series is now getting rave reviews it may give you the opportunity to negotiate a little on price if the dealer already has stock.
 
I did ask about the DB1i's but they didn't have stock, and stated they had stopped production! I've sent off a little mail asking about the possibility of a home demo and its been deadly silent so may have to look elsewhere anyway, not that im really blessed with local stores here.

Joys of upgrading! I've had my Mission's for the best part of 15 years now and I feel like I need to hear something that will completely blow me away to force me to spend the money, yet I haven't managed to hear anything yet that has done it, and no one seems too bothered about trying to take my money from me ;)
 
Your dealer is talking nonsense. ;) I have it direct from the horses mouth that so long as demand is there the i series will still be produced.

If you're determined to spend some money have a listen to some
FB1i Sigs or some OB1i hehe :)
 
If I had the room for floorstanders... :)

There is another company nearby I think that does deal with PMC speakers, will have to drop them a mail I think. Sticking point certainly seems to be the need for a home demo :( Dealers don't seem to understand when I listen to speakers I really struggle to get any sense of improvement over my M71's.

I've upgraded the amp over the years from entry level Yamaha's, Denons, then to mid level Marantz and Yamaha's and now a top notch Yamaha AV Amp, but the missions still work well. I've demo's £500ish Quads, £500ish B&W's, and listened to relatives Epos ES14's and Monitor Audio Radius HD set ups, and they are all somehow beaten by my (supposedly) rubbish set of £250 missions. Dealers turn their noses up when I explain what I have, yet are flummoxed when what they offer me to demo don't improve on the sound. Even my poxy headphones i carry to work every day cost more than my speakers!
 
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