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Speaker advice for first hi-fi setup - Monitor Audio Gold vs. KEF R series!

Hey guys,

I'm going through the exciting process of building my first hi-fi setup, exclusively for music listening.

I currently listen to music in my study (roughly 12ft x12ft) through a pair of KEF LS50W, hardwired into a MacBook Pro. No external application / DAC is used for this setup.

I now want to have a music setup in my living room, which is roughly 16ft by 20ft, with one side opening up to an entryway into the rest of the apartment. The floor is tiled, with a fair amount of furniture. I listen to old and new-age rock, soft rock, indie, with a bit of acoustic / vocals thrown in. 

I've auditioned a bunch of speakers over the past couple of months, starting off at a lower budget and then moving to the mid-price range to get a better sound. These include: Q-Acoustic 3050i; Dali Oberon 5 & &; Dali Opticon 6, B&W 683, 703 & 704; DynAudio Evoke 30; Spendor A4 and A7; Revel F36 and F206; Focal Aria 936 & 948; KEF R7; Monitor Audio Gold 200 (both 4G and 5G).

The two speakers that really caught my ear were the Monitor Audio Gold 200 (5G) and the KEF R7. I enjoyed the warmth of the MA speakers and the soundstage / imaging of the KEF (it was as if the music was floating around me).

I'm confused now and keen to hear some impressions on these two speakers. It's important for me that the speaker sound has a bit of weight (a drum solo should have 'impact' when I hear it), should be warm yet refined and overall 'fun and easy' to listen to.

Thanks!
parabola82

Showing 6 responses by parabola82

parabola82 OP
6 posts
 
Absolutely, I really enjoy listening to my KEFs. They are in my study. My post was more around a new setup that I want to do in the living room.
parabola82 OP
6 posts
 
Well, the Monitor Audio did sound warm to my ears I guess.
Out of the three you mentioned, I had listened only to Spendor A4 and A7. I had enjoyed the speakers but felt that the treble was jumping out a bit. The cymbals on the drums had a bit too much sibilance.

Which Harbeth speaker would you recommend around the $4k mark? I’m based in Singapore and will have to see if there is a dealer available. 
parabola82 OP
6 posts
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Will see if I can audition some Harbeth and ProAc speakers and check their sound.

@photon46 

Agreed! A lot of subjectivity involved here. Out of the many speakers I listened to over the past couple of months, it was the Monitor Audio and KEF that piqued my interest. While I may attribute that to things like ‘warmth’ or ‘kick’, it could be any number of subjectively perceived reasons that these speakers appealed to me.
parabola82 OP
6 posts
 
@hleeid

The LS50W work every well for me and I thoroughly enjoy their sound. My post was actually seeking advice for a new hi-fi setup that I am planning for my living room, a much bigger space. 

With all the Harbeth recommendations coming, I really need to arrange a few demos!


parabola82 OP
6 posts
 
@jtcf 

I hear you mate!

But there are practical challenges here also. All the brands I auditioned are with separate dealers. Each dealer runs it with their choice of amps and cables. For example:

- The KEF R7 were hooked up to NAD M10 and a high-end AccuPhase power amp.
- The Monitor Audio Gold 200 were hooked up to some economical Marantz amp.
- The Revel F206 were hooked up to a BlueSound Node 2i.
- The Focal Aria were run thru a Naim amp.

While I was paying attention to all of this, I could not objectively attribute impact of amp vs. speakers vs. cables to what I was hearing.

So my approach is to choose speakers first. For demos, I try to ensure that speakers are not hooked up to very expensive amps. I will then move to amp next. By the way, none of the dealers here in Singapore have a return policy - once the speakers leave the showroom and get unpacked, there is no room to have a change of mind. 

Fingers crossed...
parabola82 OP
6 posts
 
Thanks for the input guys!

So many speakers (systems!), so little time (and money).

Guess the journey is as much fun as the destination.
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