Dissapointed with my new speakers

Agree with all Johnnyb53 says. I would also suggest lugging them out to the room where your larger Klipsch reside and trying them in that system to see how they do there. - could be the current room size is too small for the 603s to open up, or the Denon is not as good a match as it seems on paper. Agree there could be a problem with on of the woofers - I always thought these speakers had a little too much bass!?!

Part of the problem is the Klipsch speakers are super efficient, so comparing their performance to the B&W straight across is like tying two arms and a leg behind your amplifier's back. Not trying to defend the B&W 600's, but this is not an apples to apples comparison.

Question: do you really want floor standing speakers? If so, quality floor standers for around $1000+- I would look at these:

Infinity Beta 50
Monitor Audio Silver RS6
Monitor Audio Bronze BR5
Axiom Audio M60 v2
Focal Chorus 716V
Paradigm Monitor 7 (Great Deal)
B&W 684 (yes, really)
Klipsch Reference Series RF52 (why not?)
Aperion Audio Intimus 5T
Polk Audio RTI A5

Agreed.

Another speaker that might be a stretch new but is gorgeous looking and sounding is the Quad 21L2. These little two ways look like they came out of the Steinway piano production facility and have a marvelously balanced sound to go with the stunning looks. Not bass monsters, but clean bass and midrange and treble to die for. Look for used - worth the shipping to HI if you can find.

Mb9061,

Just curious, what were you using to drive the Monitor Audios? The Silver RS6 is a pretty balanced speaker - I auditioned several times with large Denon receivers which are not the last word in amplification. Sounded pretty good overall even with that driving them - don't recall them being overly bright... but definitely not dark either.

Interesting. Because there seemed be some concern about bass weight, I completely skimmed over the Totem Arros, but Mapman knows I am a huge fan of those. Agree on the power requirements for that speaker, but the imaging is fantastic and the attractively finished skinny boxes have huge WAF. The slightly larger Sttaf has a bigger sound, but for a lot more money (would be surprised to see these for under $1000).

For the asking price of the VR2s, you could almost buy a new pair of Totem Forests which are a SERIOUS speaker. I do recommend you go listen to the Totem line of products if you can - you may find that you would be quite happy with one of their compact speakers like the Rainmaker or Model One instead of a pair of floorstanders.

I think the Denon should be adequate for use with most of the Totem models except maybe the Hawks and the Mani II.

All Totems I have listened to have terrific imaging relative to other speakers of similar size and cost.

I think what large floor standers can provide has more to do with the "weight" and "Scale" of the presentation than imaging. Difficult for me to enjoy large orchestras or Rock at near concert volumes on anything other than several hundred watts of amplification pushing large or multiple bass drivers - which usually means a system with a great subwoofer or larger floor standing speakers.

For most other kinds of music, particularly in smaller rooms, quality monitors that are well placed on stands with good amplification can be very enjoyable. In fact, because of their usually smaller face area and the closer physical proximity of their smaller drivers, monitors typically "disappear" in the sound field better than floor standers.

One exception is the Totem Arro which is a super slim floorstander that images more like a great monitor.

In larger rooms, bass and overall "scale" and "weight" of the presentation can be lacking in monitor-based systems without the addition of a well integrated sub.

Mb9061,

If you are talking about the MA Gold series - they have a reputation for being overly bright - while the Silver and Bronze series (less expensive!) sound pretty darn good.

Mb9061,

Great answers! Sounds like you gave the MA's a chance to shine and they couldn't for you.

I like the Gibbon 8's. Better than the Quads - but not by that much. The Quads are a REAL STEAL.