The best bookshelf speaker

I have had the Platinum Audio Reference 1 loudspeakers in my system for about two years now. I think I may have gotten the last pair ever made.

I absolutely love them. When auditioning, I got a chance to compare the Solo's to the Mani-2's and preferred the Totems, but not by much. I also was able to compare the Solo's and the Reference 1's side by side. My speaker budget after this went form 2k to 4k because I fell in love with the Ref. 1's. I can't imagine what the Ref. 2's would have sounded like.

- Charlie

thanks Charlie,

How would you compare your reference 1's to the Mani's?

I didn't have a chance to compare the Ref. 1's and Mani's directly, but my reaction to them was quite different.

I listened to the Mani's first and liked what I heard. Amazing bass for a monitor, an impressive soundstage, clean, clear, and detailed.

When I first heard the Ref. 1's, I was blown away. While the bass didn't go quite as low as the Mani's, the bass that was there was glorious. Besides the bass, it was the midrange that really caught my ear. Joni Mitchell was right there in front of me. The Ref. 1's also handled large scale classical music exceptionally well for a small speaker. I also find them to be very elegant looking, especially with more modern decor.

In essence, the Mani's impressed the heck out of me, but the Ref. 1's moved me in a big way.