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Am I missing something?

I have a system that I consider wonderful. It consists of Musical fidelity A3.2cr amp/pre, cambridge audio d300se cdp, Music Hall mmf 2.1 turntable, and Monitor Audio Silver 4i speakers on custom stands. I know it is mostly a budget based system, and I have never heard of anyone else saying anything possitive about these speakers, but I couldn't point out a single thing that they do wrong. I have heard Martin logans, sonus faber, vienna accoustics, paradigm, athena, and some others, and I know this sounds crazy, but I like my $850 Monitor Audio Silver 4i's better than them all. I have a very long listening room (almost 30ft by 13ft, speakers on the short wall) and they fill the room with a very pleasant sound. I know there are better speakers out there, but if I was unsatisfied with the other speakers I mentioned, what speakers do you think would fit my listening taste? I know stereophile auditioned my amp/pre with Sonus faber cremonas and said that the combo was "one of the best", and I didn't get a chance to listen to the cremonas, so these may be a good choice. Any other suggestions?
sksfreund
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Another way of saying "the best is what the best for you".
stuartbmw3
91 posts
 
I don't think you are missing a thing. I have an old pair of Monitor Audio MA700 Gold speakers (6.5" two-ways with the gold tweeter). They are great. I have had them for about 12 years and never was really tempted to upgrade that part of my system. They are astoundingly good. Recently a woofer started to go bad on one. I am not sure what I will do......in checking with MA the only option sounds like replacing both woofers at about $350 just for the drivers since the original speaker is no longer manufactured. This may drive me to change speakers, but without the "help" I would not consider changing them. I would probably have to spend at least $2-3k top make any real tangible improvement other than reinforcing the lower octaves. My opinion? Enjoy your good fortune in building a dynamic system that works.
horseface's avatar
horseface
222 posts
 
It's an odd dynamic - We often sit in these forums and argue/agree on the merits and/or demerits of specific components but the truth of the matter is it has a lot more to do with the "system". I believe in "synergy". I once slammed B&W 804's because I thought they sounded shallow ... after taking my beating in this forum I went back and listened to different music on a different system and my opinion changed - in fact I couldnt believe I was listening to the same speakers. I will have a hard time saying anything bad about a specific component in regards to sound again.

Sounds like you have a great combination for whatever reason and I would keep it in tact: but I also like to play with tweeks. I like the idea of cleaning up the AC power. Isolation transformers can stablize voltage - filters can clean noise off the AC line and protect components.

Cables can make subtle differences as well - I found a used audio store in Portland OR (Echo HiFi) that will let me "try stuff out" at home before I buy. It's helped me make decisions and avoid a closet full of stuff that didnt work.
opalchip
355 posts
 
Happy with what you've already got? Why... that's un-American! I suppose the emperor's not got any clothes, either?

Maybe what you need is the all new Class A VonGallo 397-Moons Audio Hype Machine (Reference Version). It performs auto-Fremerization and makes any $25,000 "budget" system sound like a $40,000 budget system, according to all the reviewers.
robm321
932 posts
 
Wow, I don't remember a thread with such a strong consensus.

Creeper makes a good point. If you like what you have but feel like you want to better it. Do the "not so fun, at least for some people" stuff and work on speaker placement, room treatment, isolation, etc. It will make what you have better instead of changing the sound.

Rob
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