Please help re: bookshelf

[Audio2004]

Hi guys,

I have been in market for couple months to look for bookshelf speaker around $1,000 to $1,500. And now I choose Monitor Audio Gold Ref. 10 and B&W 705 over other speakers by reading articles and reviews on internet. Have anyone had chance to listen both of them? Please give me some opinion!

Thank you very much in advance!

 

[hootie10]

Hi audio2004,

Both are very good monitors. Have you auditioned either of these speakers? If not, I would strongly suggest doing so. The 705's tweeter is a little brighter than that of the Monitor Golds, whereas the tweeter on these are little bit smoother IMO. Pick on your personal preference....They would even sound great for both movies and music.

Considering your price range, I would strongly suggest that you give the Energy Veritas v2.2's a try. EXCELLENT speakers!!! You will love them especially if you are using them for mostly music.

But to answer your question, if I had a choice btw the 705's and the MA Golds.....I'd go for the B&W's.

 

[cornelius]

I would also go for the 705s, although in that price range you might want to try the Reference 3A Dulcet or Green Mountain Audio Europa.

 

[zumbo]

I would also choose the B&W. Both are superb. You could save a few bucks & try MB Quart for 30 days. You would have a hard time choosing BTW the three side by side. But then factor in the cost & it's a no brainer! I have all MB Quart in my 5.1 with a NHT sub. They are superb!

Look here: http://www.yawaonline.com/mbquqls530bo.html

 

[Redbone]

I would not make a decision until you listened to a few more speakers like the Focal JM Labs Cobalt S 806- Which one top honors in the Perfect Vision last year or the Totem Rainmaker. Both are superb and in your price range. I think B&W are more hype but that is for you to figure out. I listened to both the Monitor Audio Silver 8i and Gold Reference 30 and was only moderately impressed. On the other hand Focal is superb and very underated because they mainly make very expensive speakers. Few people know that they often detune components from their expensive speakers and use them in the entry level line.

Totem Acoustics is just plain awesome- The Forest Floorstander is incredible-Though I have my heart set on a pair of Focal Utopia Beryliums.

 

[forumtroll]

I would give the new M&K B-1500 and B-1600 a serious look. It's both a sealed and unsealed enclosure, giving you the option to upgrade to a sat/sub woofer configuration latter if you wish. The B-150 ($399 each) plays cleanly down to 35Hz and the B-1600 ($499 each) plays cleanly down to 30Hz. Each can latter be set to play down to 80Hz for sub crossover. Impressive sound from both. The only problem with them I can see is they don't offer nice wood veneers--but if your interest is in sonic performance rather than aesthetics then each speaker merits your time.

 

[djoxygen]

I assume you already have an amp. If not, you may want to also consider some actives like Genelec or Mackie HR series.

 

[flyv65]

You may want to consider the Roan 5 monitor from Roan Audio (out of Beaverton, Oregon) and the Spendor S3/5se as well-I think they compare quite favorably with the B&W 705...after all, these speakers are about $1500 (well, the Spendors are a couple hundred less, IIRC). To me the Roans sounded quite similar to the B&W; warm, perhaps a touch more range to the bass. The Spendors are just completely transparent. The finish on all these speakers is very well done.

Are you looking for bookshelf speakers because you'll actually be putting them on a shelf? If you're going to be buying stands for them you might as well consider floorstanding speakers; they cost about the same (if you factor in the stand price) and you *typically* get much better bass out of a larger cabinet.

Bryan...just something to think about...

 

[cornelius]

Oh yeah, the Spendors are another good one. It's true, this is a good price range to begin looking for floorstanders.

 

[Abacus]

I would give the new M&K B-1500 and B-1600 a serious look. It's both a sealed and unsealed enclosure, giving you the option to upgrade to a sat/sub woofer configuration latter if you wish. The B-150 ($399 each) plays cleanly down to 35Hz and the B-1600 ($499 each) plays cleanly down to 30Hz. Each can latter be set to play down to 80Hz for sub crossover. Impressive sound from both. The only problem with them I can see is they don't offer nice wood veneers--but if your interest is in sonic performance rather than aesthetics then each speaker merits your time.

M&K is making some serious frequency response claims for their B1500 and B1600 speakers. Since you have listened to them, do you believe the bass goes as deep as they claim? I have never heard of a speaker of this size with that kind of response except the Totem Model 1 at more than twice the price of the B1500s. What Totem claims is true because they were measured by Stereophile magazine. The M&K B1500s have not been measured by anyone yet.