philb163

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I have owned and listened to many ( too many) floor standing speakers over the last twenty years. Most I have found to be over priced and over hyped (in most popular hifi magazines). They say things in their reviews which gets you motivated to visit your local outlets and spend some of your precious life listening to them, only to be disappointed in their performance. I have purchased some examples which have been highly rated and run them in, lived with them and still leaving me thinkingsome time later, they still don't capture my perception of how my music should sound.
I have purchased a set of Monitor Audio RS8 after much deliberation and listening. I must say that they sound very bright on the top end when new and not run in. Give them time and they start to perform and bring in parts of your music which you have never heard before, along with very healthy amount of well controlled bass. They deserved a good performing amp and in fact their 6ohm impedance should tell you all you need to know when amp matching.
I finally have found a great performer for a decent price (£850) that looks fantastic with or without the grills attached. Don't believe what all the magazines say, go and listen to a run in set, then enjoy!

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Sarah International

Summary:
I really liked these speakers in the store. Of course, they had very expensive electronics (Roksan CD Player and Amp, Nordost Cables $3000 of equipment) behind them in that setting. I auditioned many speakers (JMLab, Martin Logan, JBL, Polk, Vandersteen, Magnepan, B&W, Avantegarde, Klipsch Heritage and Reference, Boston Acoustics). These were the only ones that really gave me chills when listening to the same song over and over while auditioning (Pearl Jam, Yellow Ledbetter).

It was a different story once i got them home. They gave me a headache everytime I listened to them. I looked up the frequency reponse on Stereophile.com. You can see the spike in response from 12khz all the way to 20khz (and very little mention of this in the Stereophile comments). Part of the problem came from my room. It is very big with wood floors and very little to absorb the sound, so the high frequencies were most likely bounced all over the place. But, this does not excuse the overemphasis that you will see on stereophile.com.

I did like the base and especially the dynamics, but a headache kills the deal. Besides, a speaker is supposed to reproduce the sound waves, not emphasis a particular frequency to stand out on the show room floor. I think the old Monitor Audio's and the new Gold Reference versions are good in this department, but not these.

I am just saying to be aware of the problem when buying and make sure you can return them. I think Monitor Audio is becoming more of a marketing based company anyways, so they may not put out same quality as they have in the past.

I endedup with Vandersteen 2ce Signatures, and am very satisfied. They give me chills with the NAD 321BEE cd player and Jolida 1501RC hybrid amp.

Strengths:
base, clear highs, great dynamics and timing

Weaknesses:
clear highs come from overemphasis, this causes listener fatigue.

kevyo

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.57 of 5, 23.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from Electronics Expo

Summary:
I just replaced my vintage Ohm I loudspeakers that I had for twenty five years. My Old Ohms came with a 12" subwoofer so I thought that there would be a significiant loss in the bass extension with my Monitor Audio RS8. I have been very impressed with how much bass the two 6" bass drivers can create. The midrange is very pleasant and smooth. I always thought that my old speakers were a little harsh but again the technology has changed in twenty five years. The RS8's make a very nice soudstage and with the grill covers off I find them attractive. These speakers at first look seem small but the sound that they make is anything but small. Monitor Audio has done a great job with an attractive price to boot. These speakers come with nice 5 way binding posts and can be bi wired.

Strengths:

extended bass and sweet midrange. A small foot print in your room. In other words these speakers are wife friendly.

Weaknesses:
None at this point

Similar Products Used:
Proac 3.8 Response
Martin Logan SL3
Definitive Technology BP 2000
Ohm I Loudspeakers