Monitor Audio Ref 60's or B&W 804'S

[gross30]

Just looking for a little input on which way to go. I am looking to upgrade my Monitor Audio S9i's to either gold reference 60's or b&w 804's. The monitors are supposed to be a bit faster than the 804's, and the 804's are a bit lacking in the bass department. I will be running 2 subs with the speakers regardless. Most of my listening is 80% music, 20 % movies. Anyone who knows about the 60's or 804's and has any goods/bads/or uglys let me know. Thanks.

[iceman]

Go with the Monitor Audio Gold Reference 60's. I use a whole gold reference pacakge with halo amps for my home theater and the experience is nothing short of breath taking. The b&w stuff is also nice, but like you mentioned they lack in the bass department. Also, I think you do pay somewhat of a premium for their name. Monitor Audio is a hidden bargain in that I will give you the incredible imaging like the b&w, but very dynamic in the low end. I almost considered not having a separate sub in my system because it can handle the LFE effectively.

[iceman]

One more thing, they do take break in time however. You must remember that and be patient with them.

[gd]

Another vote for the MAs.

Every time I audition B&Ws -- and I've heard most of the models over the years -- I just shrug my shoulders... maybe I just have not heard them properly powered, I dunno.

MAs, meanwhile, tend to sound good to me regardless of amplification or room setup, for some reason... detailed, dynamic, spacious, musical... I'd also suggest auditioning the Silver line -- really not a great departure from the Gold's for considerably less money.

One man's opinion... B&Ws enjoy a good reputation, especially on this forum.

[Cracking Oboe]

And another vote for the MA golds.

After comparing various B&W models back to back with the MA golds, we chose the MA's, even though I had been dreaming of owning B&W's for over 20 years. It was a tough blow to take, but I have no regrets at all. The MA's are the way to go IMHO.

Cracking!

[gross30]

Thanks for all the input. Although I have had the same thoughts as to always wanting to own a set of B & W, I am leaning towards the MA gold 60's. I am going to be auditioning the MA's and the 804's next week in EDM. I am considering using the MA S9i's that I am replacing for rear surrounds. Will it be too much for a rear surround speaker ? They have been a great listen for a few years and I would much rather try to keep them included in the system.

[Cracking Oboe]

I am considering using the MA S9i's that I am replacing for rear surrounds. Will it be too much for a rear surround speaker ?

If you listen to any High Res formats (DVD-A, SACD) then I think that your S9i's are not "too much" at all, and you'll apreciate having them. If you don't (or don't plan to...) listen to High Res. then the S9i's will be a healthy/desirable excess. (We are talking about surrounds for a 5.1 system... not centre backs for 7.1 aren't we?)

Cracking!

[Cracking Oboe]

One more thing, they do take break in time however. You must remember that and be patient with them.

Iceman brings up an important point. The MA's must be broken in. I was fortunate with my auditioning. All the models I listened to were broken in. I purchased the demo's. But when I got the new MA's (for a 5.1 set-up) I found them hard sounding with lumpy bass (after about 60 hours they were sweet and smooth - just like my first pair). So, new MA's are not speakers you'd want to do a direct A/B comparison with. Another problem with the MA's is that they are so involving I often find myself being drawn in from what I am supposed to be doing and end up sitting, listening and enjoying. Oh yeah, I almost forgot... for the first few months my wife would call from the other room asking, "What did you say?" with my reply, "Nothing, it was the stereo!". Or, I'd be the one calling from the other room with the same question. How many speakers can you say that about?

Cracking!

[gross30]

The MA S9i's will be in a 5.1 set up, although there is room for a 7.1 set up I haven't got that far yet. I listen to SACD quite often through an ELITE 47Ai and the sound is like "wow,who woke that music up ? " It is good to know that the S9i's would be a good fit for 5.1 rear surrounds. The sales rep in EDM. is telling me that there is a recomended break in time for the GR 60'S of 150-200 hours. He also noted that his demo sets of GR 60's, 803D, AND 804'S are all broken in. As mentioned in other threads, it is good practise to audition any equipment with my own listening preferences as opposed to whatever "they" happen to be playing at the time. So with music in hand, "a listening I will go." thnx

[gross30]

MA GOLD REF 60'S & B&W 804S

Just Demo'ed The Ma Ref Gold 60's And B&w 804s W/krell Amplification,all Who Replied Were Very Correct In What They Would Sound Like, The Ma's Were Very "fast" Sounding, And The 804s Were Not That Far Off Either. As For The Bass Department, I Was Not Dissapointed In Either Speaker Sets, Although It Was 2 Channel Audio Only, I'm Sure There Would Be A Difference In An Ht Setup. Then I Made The Mistake Of Agreeing To Hear A Set Of B&w 802d's With 1 Classe Ca-m400 And Sim Audio Moon Cd Player. I Shouldn't Have Gone There But In All Honesty,the Recordings I Brought And Listened To Just Wanted Me To Hear More. Sound Is A Very Personel Preference, And To My Ears They Sounded Incredible Together.i Am Going To Save All My Pennies For This Similar Set Up.maybe Not The Sim Audio But The 802d's And Classe Amplification Were Ashtonishing. I Just Want To Thank All Those Who Replied And Gave Me Some Input On Which Direction To Go. Thank You...dg

[tboooe]

ahhhhh...you did the classic mistake of listening to speakers up the food chain. I intentionally did not allow myself to hear the 802D speakers because I knew I would love it. Instead, I tried with all of my will to listen to the 804 and 803D/S only as they were in the ragne of my budget. I knew that if I heard the 802D I would somehow justify blowing my budget and find a way to get them (bye bye kid's college fund). I know myself too well having done this on several occasions. One time I went in to buy a Rotel cd player for $700 and left buying a Cary player for $4000. Damn this hobby!

You cant go wrong with the 802D, they are awesome (so I hear)!!!

[Legairre]

As an MA Silver s10 owner I'd have say go with the MA Golds, but I'm biased.

[gross30]

I know I should't have listened to them, but they were in the showroom, all set up, and I swear they were calling me in. I don't regret it at all. It won't become reality until spring, but I know when the time comes, I am not going to be disapointed. As for the MA Golds, no disapointment there at all. Price-wise the MA Golds are an incredible deal. It's just something that is unexplainable, and luring me towards the 802d's. It is also going to be a hard pick for amplification. Classe or Krell most likely. This will be a whole new level for me, and I am going in with both feet, (AND WALLET). In order for permission to pass, I had to make a pact that this would be the last set,amp combo that I would be purchasing. So I might as well make them some good ones ! It is just getting too hard to try and "HIDE" expensive audio purchases anymore.

[r100gs]

GR60's are some great speakers. I was very close to buying some but fell in love with a pair of Joseph Audio RM25's.