linn v. tyler acoustics v. monitor audio speakers

auditioned linn and monitor audio speakers last year when putting together my current system. i thought the monitor audios imaged better than the linns, but that the linns had a warmer, more musical sound.

i was in a similar situation to you and asked about the monitor audios on one of the web forums (either audiogon or audioasylum). i received a few comments noting that the monitor audio build quality isn't up to par for the price (if you do a keyword search for monitor audio on these sites, you may still find the thread). please realize that i haven't torn these speakers apart myself and I'm just passing on what I heard, but the poster seemed quite knowledgable. That said, the monitor audios sounded good to my ears.

in the end, i ended up getting thiels (i bought the cs 2.3s, but the cs 1.3s were more in the price range of the linns/Monitor audios that i was auditioning). i found the thiels to image better than both and to have a deeper soundstage. that said, the thiels need to be driven by lots of power, and i'm not sure how good of a match they'd be with the b&k. also, even though i like my thiels, i sometimes long for the more musical sound of the linns.

in the linn/monitor audio range, you also might want to audition Paradigm or PSB speakers

hope this helps

I had a pair of Tyler Accoustic Ref. Monitors. These speakers did not sound good (no air, felt as if there were layers or filters on the sound) with my tube gear (Graaf GM20 OTL amp, Graaf 13.5B preamp, Copland 289 HDCD, FMS cables). In comparison, my 15-year old ProAc studio-2s sounded many times superior. To be fair the Studio-2 are (24-H X 11-W X 12-D), quite a bit larger than these.

Man you are all over the place here. These are all so different I have to assume you haven't heard them all or you'd already have a preference or at least ruled one out. One thing I'll say about Linn is if you like it you like it a lot and if you don't you don't. Kind of like The Doors. They may also not open up with your current amplification, so that's something to consider as well.

I have not heard Tyler Acoustics yet, but I've also never heard anyone say anything bad about them either, and that is extremely rare. Lots of stuff out there competes well with Monitor Audio.

Without knowing what you're looking for in speakers or how much you want to spend it's tough to make any specific recommendations. That said, there is absolutely no substitute for going out and listening for yourself using your music, and better yet, bringing speakers home(once you find the ones you really like) to see how they sound in your room with your equipment. This will do more for you than any recommendation you'll get here, and your answer will become obvious fairly easily, especially with speakers which are so personal to begin with. Best of luck.

Tim