Price Paid:  $385.00 from 385

Summary:
I bough a pair of new b2, and i think this are the best speakers on this price range in Argentina. Are very good, similar to B&W 601.s3, but cost te half. Very good quality sound and construction. I design electroacustically instalations and i have a good ears. But, one thing is very important to obtain te best sound, you hace to remove te grills, if you do that, you'll have an opneness in higs and mids, and te bass is deeper, because the grills blocs the front port, and the clotes aren't acustically transparent for highs and mids. I run this speakers with a Marantz sr 5400 av receiver as stereo mode and a pioneer dv 578 ando a Monitor Audio ASW 100 Subwoofer. Te wires are mosnter cables, god, but don't costs a fortune. The clothes are not good for speakers anda remove them make a terrible difference, do that anda judge for yourselves. If you don't have a subwoofer dont't worry, because the b2 go very deep for be a bookshelf speakers, anda have very good punch, but if you can add a sub going to sound better. I recomend them.

Strengths:
Zise, quality sound, construction, material and design, biwiring and biamp options... An excelent speaker. Very good looking.

Weaknesses:
none... the clothes on mask te highs and make the sound closed and harsh, but this happend in most of speakers.

Similar Products Used:
B&W 601 s3

Price Paid:  $200.00

Summary:
got a pair of used speaker from a owner who used it for a year. the build of this speaker rather classic & rather heavy compared to its size. this speaker delivered a sweet mid & beautiful high. the bass is quite tight & well control & can be boomy if the placement is not right. the vocal produced by this speaker is awesome; clear, powerful, smooth & warm. in order to bring out the fullest of this speaker, you need a amplifer that has a power handling of 80w/ch min. good speaker.

Strengths:
good finishing
sweet & warm
tight bass

Weaknesses:
none.

Similar Products Used:
tannoy m2.
mission 780.
rotel pre-amp, rc980.
old kinergetics power, kba 75.
rotel, rcd 970.
audiolab 8000a.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Precision Audio

Summary:
I listened to these speakers at the shop and it sounded quite good.
Its an all round speakers that does not do anything wrong.
And it doesn't do anything too good also, which may be excellent for some.
But then again you should not expect too much for the price you'd pay for these speakers.
When i compared these to the MA Studio 10 and the new Gold Reference 10 speakers, both standmounts,
I was quite surprised. The GF 10 sounded too forward and bright for my liking and the soundstage was small,
other than that everything else was pretty good.
The Studio 10 were excellent, wide soundstage, deep bass, full-bodied sound, stunning clarity and transparency.
Absolutely no weakness at all, and they were slightly cheaper than the GF 10 they were replacing though the studio 10
were almost at half their original price. So i forked out a 'little' extra to purchase these.

But for those on a tight budget the Monitor Audio Monitor 2 will be a good buy.
Although i strongly urge you to take along your own cds to listen before you buy them to see whether it fits your ears.

Strengths:
all round speakers
good value

Weaknesses:
none at the price

Similar Products Used:
primare A20
primare D20

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Sevnoaks Hifi,Kingst

Summary:
Great for classical and folk.
Really sweet midrange and smooth treble
Precise sound but not for the bass conscious. Needs a ggod amp and needs a bit of driving, sensitivity is high at 90db. I used it with a Teac ref. 300 micro seperate amp. Not a good combination.

Strengths:
Classy Good looks with grills off
Really nice wood cabinet
Beautiful midrange for classical music

Weaknesses:
Don't buy these if you listen to dance, or pop, the bass is very gentle.

Similar Products Used:
B & W 601 s3
Acoustic Research AR18s
Celestion F10
Spendor Preludes
Spendor SP2/2

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Precision Audio in Singapore

Summary:
First off I can't understand the so-called "reviewer" Peck below. He obviously has a system that doesn't gel with these speakers. He then blames everyone including What Hi-Fi magazine and the sales person at Precision Audio at Adelphi. Yet he labels himself an audio enthusiast!!?? The way he conducted his audition shows his lack of understanding. NO ONE in his right mind would buy a product blind - and that's just what he did. Sorry for being so upset but in my 25 years music listening and buying equipment you should always listen to equipment as a system. What HI-Fi clearly states that in every issue. And, a showroom sales staff would be out of his/her mind if they refuse to sell to a customer who obviously buys based solely on reviews. I have bought several products from Precision Audio over the past five years and the sales manager only brings out the magazine review when a customer asks the silly question "Any Reviews?"

Strengths:
A good sounding speaker that does the job with high levels of resolution yet still maintains it's musicality. And at US$250 in Singapore it's a steal! No questions asked. I even used my $3,800 Luxman SQ38 Signature amplifier and it sounded grate. Tested with Rotel RCD 971 CD Player and RA971 Amplifier. Also used a Copland 289 CD Player and Luxman SQ38 Signature. Third combo used was EAR834L Pre-Amp and Cary SLA-70 MkII tube amp. Yeah I have a lot of gear and all I can say is if your system is a little sluggish sounding go for the Monitor Audio Monitor 2 speakers. If your looking more musicality than go for the more expensive Monitor Audio Studio 2 or 10. Alternatively, go for the Vienna Acoustics Hayden (at Music By Design in Singapore). The Tannoy R2 is also not bad but like the VA and Studio series, cost more.

Weaknesses:
At US$250 (S$450), NONE. Use good speaker stands and position at 1- 2 feet away with slight toe in. Long run in time - almost 100 hours.

Similar Products Used:
Mission 780, Castle Tay, Tannoy R1