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Considering a POSSIBLE replacement for speakers. Opinions?

Upfront, this isn't for Home Theater, just two floor standing speakers and a separate subwoofer. So there is full disclosure. The speakers I am considering replacing are 2008 Monitor Audio Silver RS8's.

Sadly, unlike the Neolithic Era of high end audio, it can be very hard to find a brick and mortar store to visit, listen and compare individual components. That's the way it was done waaay back in the day
 Now, comparisons seem easiest to get by asking questions like this and finding a consensus. So, if you were looking to replace 12 year old speakers that are highly regarded for their day, what are some brands you'd consider without losing your mind and deciding you need $4,000 speakers? And thanks as always.

j
stereoisomer
mschott's avatar
mschott
132 posts
 
That’s a real sweet spot for good speakers. There are so many but some are dependent on your electronics. A good place to start is a direct to consumer company like Salk or Ohm. The current Monitor Audio line is highly regarded. 
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio
1,499 posts
 
I would look seriously at the current version of the Monitor Audio Silvers. I spent time with RS6 Silver speakers  about 10 years ago when I was shopping.  

MA has actually improved those speakers pretty dramatically.  As good as the RSs sound, they are not as detailed and transparent as the current Silver 300s which would be the same equivalent model. 

That is what I would look at if I were you as you like MAs house sound and want something that is clearly a step forward and low risk.  

soix
9,453 posts
 
I’m not one to make recommendations blindly, but I’d highly recommend you do an in-home trial of the LSA-20 Signatures available here from the manufacturer for $2299/pr.  You have pretty darn good speakers already IMHO so won’t be easy to significantly beat without a decent cost outlay, but as the LSAs are sold direct they offer extraordinary value and perform way above their price point (read reviews), and I do believe they’ll significantly better your RS8s in pretty much every meaningful way.  Several people here have bought these on my recommendation and have all been surprised and thrilled with how good they sound, and nobody returned them.  BTW, I have no relation to Underwood HiFi (manufacturer/seller), just a big fan of who designed them and how they were designed from the ground up.  Plus, and as you obviously know it’s hard to demo good speakers these days so the in-home trial is a very nice feature of the LSA speakers.  Hope this helps, and best of luck. 
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