The Monitor Audio Silver RS6 Speakers:

[JPM]

Hi, I'm new here. The reason I decided to join this website is someone was posting about the Monitor Audio Silver RS 6 Speakers which I just bought yesterday,-used. The listening room is my painting studio which measures about 16' X 28' with 12' ceiling peak on the third floor of our house. These speakers will be replacing Spendor 100SLs, which, by the way, are wonderful speakers but big and ugly, especially with the grills removed. The Monitor Audios will be using the same associated gear I have used with the Spendors. The Spendors have a 90 dB efficiency, while the Monitors have a 91 dB, which means I should be able to use the same low wattage amps. I've used an integrated 10 watt 300B Set amp. which worked wonderfully with the Spendors and expect the same for the Monitors.
However, presently I'm using the VTL 25 watt tiny triads and a Reference Line passive preamp and a Lehmann Black Cube SE II phono stage, all with the shortest, 18", Kimber solid silver interconnects. The CD player is an Arcam and the record player is Rega's Planar 25 with a Walker speed controller.
So, after listening to the Monitor Audios yesterday, these are my impressions and how I came about choosing the Monitor Audios. Firstly, we have a wonderful audio dealer here in Seattle that sells used gear. I made a list of all the used speakers he had in his store that were priced under $1000, -my budget. Then I did a Google search of all the audio websites, including this one, that reviewed these speakers on my list. The Monitor Audio Silver RS6's seemed to have the most rave reviews, including Stereophile and What HiFi, so I took them home to review myself. These speakers are small for towers, they have a beautiful rosewood finish and they even look nice with the grills off. I bi-wired them as their manual suggested. So, how did they sound compared with the Spendor 100SLs? The Spendors seemed to have a warmer sound, the Monitors seem very clear and articulate in detail. They did a good job of fill a large studio with sound, as did the Spendors, but for a much smaller and prettier enclosure. For speakers costing only about $700, -used, they are a steal. I think these speakers will be keepers, with means I shall have to move the 90 plus pound Spendors to our favorite audio dealer in town.:hey:

 

[Mike]

Welcome to AS!

 

[JPM]

Sat., May 26: After auditioning my three sets of speakers; Quad ESL 57's, Spendor SP 100's and now the Monitor Audio Silver RS6's, using the equipment I have on hand; the VTL Tiny triods with Reference Line Passive Preamp and the Pathos Integrated Classic II, this is my conclusion; the best of the three speakers is the old Quad ESL 57 electrostatic speakers, followed by the Spendor's and the Monitor Audios come in third. This means the Quads are still exceptionally good, the Spendors are very good and the Monitor Audios are good. Since I have only two systems, the big question is, which speaker gets the boot? Which would you pick? I decided to give the Quads the boot. The reason; they are the oldest components in my system and would probably be the first to break down. They also don't look as good in my living rm. as the other two, and they take up more room with a bigger footprint. The Monitor Audios are very pretty for a living rm. have a very small footprint and are easy to place. They also seem to match up with the Pathos amp. very well and my idea is to downsize my audio system as at my old age, I might be looking for a retirement center. I suppose some of you will think I'm out of my mind for giving the best speaker I have the boot. Maybe tomorrow I will change my mind, decisions, decisions, decisions..........

 

[JPM]

I finally gave up on the Monitor Audios, after listening to it for nearly 3 weeks. I heard my son-in-law's PBS speakers, and I knew right away that I was less impressed with the Monitor Audios. The problem with them is that the top end is just too shrill. I tried my all tube VTL tiny triods and audio Illusions M3 pre-amp, but tubes didn't help too much either. I went back to the dealer and auditioned Sonus Faber Conistinas and the KEF SL 50s but was not too impressed with either. Then I noticed a used pair of Spendor S9s just came in. Without even auditioning them the dealer help carrying them to my van where I struggled to get them into my living room. The reason I didn't bother to audition them was because it was a Spendor, where I have the SL 100s in my studio and still love them. After positioning them I then auditioned them and my jaw dropped to the floor. These mothers are definitely keepers. I no long have Quads but I think these Spendors really beats them. I would now place these Spendor S9s over the Spendor SL 100s. The 25-watt VTL tiny triods worked amazingly beautiful with them.