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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
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.
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,620 posts
 
As phototon mentioned,remember you were listening to 'A System' when you were auditioning.Find out what components and cables were matched with the speakers you liked.Choose carefully!
chorus
976 posts
 
You might enjoy the Klispch Cornwall 4s. Bass is there.

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 
harbeth compact 7 or super hl5

newer spendors may have a little more sizzle, they like other classic speaker makers try to stay current with a 'modernized' sound

try spendor sp1/2
hleeid
219 posts
 
@parabola82 - Agree 100% with pjr801 on the LS50s.
I have a pair that, after some placement adjustments, sound great in terms of warmth and a bit of weight.

On another note, I also have Harbeth SHL5+40th Anniversaries that do what the LS50s do but better, bigger and a bit more refined.

If you absolutely cannot make the LS50s work for you, I strongly suggest the SHL5+s for your room size.   I got mine used for close to 4k.  
The C7ES is another good choice.

Good luck in your search!
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