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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
 
@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...
ma128
10 posts
 
As others have mentioned, you are auditioning systems, not speakers, at the dealers.  I think your best approach would be to determine the best system within your budget at each dealer.  A good dealer should be willing to spend time with you swapping amps, preamps, streamers, etc. in order to best match components to produce the sound you want.  Once you've determined the optimal system at each dealer, you can then choose which entire system to purchase. One thing in particular that the dealer should consider is any limitations your room puts on speaker placement.  Good luck!
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
3,159 posts
 
Speakers make no sound until hooked up to other components.  Often overlooked by many who make declarations about how a speaker sounds.  The room being the biggest factor and of course cables..ugh.  KEF makes great sounding speakers at a fair price.  I have fond memories of my old C5’s.  Get a pair and enjoy...and don’t look back here for validation...too many nutcases!
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.
tim_p's avatar
tim_p
361 posts
 
Monitor Audio ard KEF are good choices, I use KEF in home theatre and have a pair of Monitor Audio Platinum PL300II for 2 channel. I have heard all levels of MA from bronze to gold over the years and find them to be a very musical speaker. When I want a blast from the past I just switch out to my Klipsch LaScalas.
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