Help bookshelf speakers selection

DiNZi

DiNZi

DiNZi

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They both are suitable, however the monitor Audio are more efficient, 85dB versus 90dB, so for a given 1W, the Monitor Audio are 5dB louder. That's almost twice as loud.
Whether you prefer the sound of one or the other is up to you, go and have a listen with your amplifier.

You could buy second hand speakers, you should be able to buy £250-£300 speakers for the same new price as those two above
 
You could consider hundreds of speakers, but general differences

Sound quality
Matching the amplifier
Impedence
Sensivity
Size
Driver size, arrangement, number
Speaker type- ported or sealed box, or combination of the two
Two or three way speakers
Front or rear ported
Size of the room
Whether you have a sub or not
Whether this is for movies, or music or both
Amplifier power
Typical output levels
Distance of listening position
Preference of bookshelf, standmount, or floorstander
Budget
Speaker finish, build quality
 
It's such a headache picking Speakers. They will be used mainly for Music. I picked out those 3 because they are ideally sized 30cm+ in height also solidly well built 5kg won't be easily knocked over.

I'm leaning towards the Monitor Audio MR2's, even though the other two have won awards with What Hi-Fi ect..
 
And you may just prefer certain brand. I've owned

Ruark
Celestion
Kef
Wharfedale
B&W

main speakers

Ignore reviews, but you really need to go have a listen. There's a couple here who have Monitor Audio, but they never seem to mention other brands.
 
All those mentioned are good speakers, so it comes down to preference. Ideally, it's best to go and listen to a few, because different brands tend to have different sound signatures. Recommending one over another is not a world of difference from recommending one brand of clothing over another. Admittedly clothes are more personal, but with clothing brands you have an idea of what you like and what you don't; with speakers, when it comes to the sound, you've got no idea without trying them first.

As above, I wouldn't pay much attention to reviews. Reviewers for HiFi magazines often just spout a load of waffle and nonsense that doesn't really mean a great deal to the common man. They give some of the speakers mentioned higher marks than others. At the end of the day, it's just another opinion based on preference. They are all worthy of consideration.

Do they need to be 30cm in height? If not, then Q Acoustics 2020i are also worthy of consideration.

If you're not in a position to go listen to some at a Richer Sounds store or similar, then just got the ones that appeal to you the most. You never know, they might be the ones you'd go for anyway, if you could listen to them all. :)
 
Also some speakers may not work that well with certain brands of amplifiers, either too harsh or too soft. And depending on your taste and hearing, what I may find untolerable to listen you may find acceptable, or vice verse.

You may go through several speaker/amp combinations over the time of audio gear.

For example the Ruark and B&W speakers didn't match well with my Audiolabs but they were fine with the Yamaha.
 
Good advice there in general and in particular from Hornetstinger.

The key to it is listening. Specs will help narrow down the choices e.g. rear ported speakers aren't going to work so well with their backs hard up against a wall, so you'd eliminate them as a choice if you were limited for space.

The biggest factor with speakers is the listening room. That makes a huge different to the way a speaker sounds. With respect to Richersounds, many of their stores are cramped for space, and if you manage to get a listen in a demo room rather than the open shop floor then it's often in a room also piled high with gear including other speakers. That's not ideal. You really need to listen in-store, then confirm your choice with a home demo loan. This is something that good specialist dealers used to (and still) do. You pay for the speakers (the demo set) then get the cost refunded when you return them undamaged to store.

Personally though I'd go second-hand at your £150. With any kind of purchase there's base cost of manufacturing plus the dealer margin that needs to be satisfied before you start to see some real benefits as the user. With speakers, the biggest cost is the cabinetry followed by the finish. It's no accident then that the entry-level speakers in most manufacturer's ranges use a vinyl wrap rather than solid wood veneers. It helps control the costs so that a speaker can hit a certain price point.

If you have to also buy stands for the speakers then I'd very much recommend going for good s/h floor-standing speakers.
 
One thing about buying used is that you may be able to try at home and sell on for little if any loss, though keep postage costs in mind. Way better than a demo in a shop in my opinion..
 
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