Superb mid and high. Clear and tight bass. The build quality, put simply is work of art! It's worth comparing to speakers twice the price.

At AU$1200/pair? None! Or if I had to I'd say they make me feel that they deserve a lot more than my amp can offer. They are 'asking' me for a better amp. But that's a problem I'm happy to deal with.

I was at the local Polk dealer checking out the Polk RTi70. I liked the refined sound of the RTi70. But the AU$2200 price tag was outside my budget of AU$1500. The sales person suggested that I audion the Whatmough C31 at A1 Audio and I might like them. I loved them after I heard the first note of music from them. Better than the RTi70 at AU$1200 less.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RTi70, Polk R50, Mission.

Smooth, well balanced, easy on the ears.

A bit of midrange blurring (not really too bad, though) and a bit of midbass emphasis.

This is a review of the Magnum HT system, which consists of the M30 towers, M10 surround, and M05 Center. My musical tastes are very eclectic. I use my system for both video and audio. My main system is a $20K retail system that I have put together over many years. I prize clarity, soundstaging, dynamics and speed over warmth and euphonics. I own 4 stereos, and don't really need more, but at the price offered this system was something I couldn't refuse to check them out. The speakers are made in China, and designed by a long time Australian designer. The cabinets are built like most modestly priced speakers, comparable to Axiom, Sound Dynamics, and NHT. The vinyl veneer is as good as any, and the overall finish is as good as any in this price range. The speakers use a coated fabric woofer cone, with no foam surrounds(good!), and cloth dome tweeters. I was most pleasantly surprised to find they are very neutral, pretty detailed, with an overall very smooth and well integrated sound. They play fairly loudly. All the models here have very similar voicing. I actually prefer them to the NHT 1.5, Sound Dynamics RTS3, and Axiom M3ti and M22ti(all of which I've owned). Although they all have strengths and weakness, I find the smooth, detailed top end easier to listen to, while the mids are generally comparable. What you give up compared to more expensive true high end speakers is the inner voice separation and clarity. While very good for the price, the inner voices sound veiled, blurry, and indistinct compared to my $2k plus VMPS 626R ribbons (not surprisingly). There is also a bit of midbass emphasis, which also tends to blur the lower mids. I'm experimenting with adding some dacron stuffing, which seems to help matters. They have no nasty flaws, though, and are easy and enjoyable on the ears, something you usually don't get for the $ that these are offered at. Very tough to beat for the $, IMO.

Similar Products Used:

Owned 150+ pairs of good speakers over 35 years in hobby.

tight, crisp highs, mids and bass....one of the more beautiful cabinets made, although the addition of lead in the stands makes for a very heavy speaker to A-B when showing off...

none other than the limited availabilty of the dealers in this country

Hello Everyone: First, after reading all the reviews from here in the states and from down-under, I am amazed at all the expertise from individuals who do not own, never have owned, nor probably will ever own a Whatmough speaker. (Shame on you Mr. Bennett for your diatribe, when you attempted to fight someone over something that quite frankly is none of your business.........not to mention that you have not even listened to the speakers.... Second..I own a pair of 303's, a pair of 302's and a pair of the P11 monitors. I was one of the first in the US to buy these fantastic speakers from A. Sportis and have been very pleased with them ever since. Another point is that I have spoken with Albert probably 30-40 times over the past two years, and have found him to be very knowledgeable, willing to help and stands behind his 30 warranty...I consider him to be one of the better dealers in the high-end audio business.... Third...I have found that good power, from a good power amp is not necessary for the 303's to sound good, however, the better the power, the better the speakers. I have used Krell, Rowland, Dynaco Mk VI's (120W monos), Aragon and Red Rose by Levinson. I presently use around 200W in stereo from my amp and the speakers get great raves when my friends are over.....Yes, they do not have a lot of bass, but what can you expect from an 8" driver. The bass is very tight and lifelike, which is what a true audiophile is seeking...I have been to many concerts and do not ever remember the lower reigster notes on the piano sounding like a subwoofer...I sold a pair of Aerial 10-T's after auditioning the 303's, so this should tell you a little about the musically quality of the speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Speakers: Aerial 10T's; Joseph Audio RM25's; Lowther Medallion II's; Jerico Fostex; Meridian A500's, D600's and 5000 series; Vienna Mozart's; and more..... Amplifiers: Krell, Rowland, Red Rose, Levin

Good customer service Great value for money Spectacular sound production

Still looking...

Last week, I happened to drive pass the Whatmough retail store in Melb, Australia. With a little curiosity I walked in to see what they have. My little curiosity quickly turned into one of the most enjoyable experience I have ever had talking to a true technician, music enthusiast and a real nice man. To my embarrasment, the person I first thought was a salesman turned out to be Colin Whatmough himself and he talked with passion and enthusiasm about the Whatmough speakers. He showed me the whole range of products from the Audiolabs series to the flagship monitor series explaining their design and letting me listen to them. I was truly impressed that he spent more than an hour with me eventhough I was clearly not planning to buy anything. He even gave me a number of tips to improve the system I have. I have absolutely no difficulty recommending Colin and his products.

Unlike Dan Bennett, I do not regard myself as a pivotal member of the online hifi community, however his ridiculous exchange with Colin Whatmough has gone on long enough. Dan, our country has a well-developed loudspeaker industry, albeit one based around European drivers built into immaculate Aussie cabinets. Whatmough is no exception, and the impression I get of Colin W. from the retailers who represent him is that he is a perfectionist who would not put his name on any product that was second-rate. This is a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of speaker engineering, who rightfully feels that he owes you NO APOLOGY for some vague pricing discrepancy overseas. Furthermore, what is your problem with prices in Australian dollars? With current exchange rates, AU$999 is approx. $650 US which would be a steal for a product of this quality. Do us all a favour and don't undermine the credibility of this fine Forum site again. One of the more down-market HT sites may be more to your liking. JB

Unlike Dan Bennett, I do not regard myself as a pivotal member of the online hifi community, however his ridiculous exchange with Colin Whatmough has gone on long enough. Dan, our country has a well-developed loudspeaker industry, albeit one based around European drivers built into immaculate Aussie cabinets. Whatmough is no exception, and the impression I get of Colin W. from the retailers who represent him is that he is a perfectionist who would not put his name on any product that was second-rate. This is a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of speaker engineering, who rightfully feels that he owes you NO APOLOGY for some vague pricing discrepancy overseas. Furthermore, what is your problem with prices in Australian dollars? With current exchange rates, AU$999 is approx. $650 US which would be a steal for a product of this quality. Do us all a favour and don't undermine the credibility of this fine Forum site again. One of the more down-market HT sites may be more to your liking. JB

Colin Whatmough’s side of the story: after a run-in with Dan Bennett. Whatmough Monitors have been manufacturing loudspeakers for 25 years and I believe we have earned an enviable reputation during this time. No company can or should be able to survive and expand for this period of time if they are treating genuine customers badly. I always try to give people the respect they deserve and I believe I gave Dan at least as much respect as he deserved. Internet forums, are and should be, a wealth of information to the general public. They are too valuable to spoil by using them to conduct nasty threats. I would like to thank those who have sent in emails supporting me on this matter, I am amazed at how rapid the reaction was. I thought you might be interested in the full sequence of events as they occurred over three days: Comments: I ahve(sic) contacted your company on several occasions to try to clear up a matter with your US authorized dealer (Albert Sportis in Chicago). I am under the impression that you do not want to resolve this matter as he is still advertising his items as retailing for amounts that are in AUS dollars while not noting that anywhere. I want this remedied by the weekend (this weekend). What is going on is fraudulant(sic) behavior and is illegal. The appropriate legal actions will be taken on Monday if my concerns are not met tomorrow. I will expect a response immediately. (From Dan Bennett) Dan, Who do you think you are to tell me what I must do and when? If you have a problem with Whatmough’s US distributor, talk to them. We export our speakers to many countries. Because of the extra costs involved (freight, duty, wholesale margin etc) they always sell for more in real terms than in Australia. American products sell in Australia at much higher real prices than in the US, yet we don’t complain. One doesn’t need to be Einstein to understand that it will cost more to sell a product on the other side of the world than in its native country. Colin Whatmough Mr. Whatmough, Your failure to take care of the situation, as well as your inability to make a good name for your company by treating customers with the respect they deserve, is exactly why I will make sure that there are no longer sales of Whatmough product in the United States. Being a respected member of the online home theatre community, you can also be assured that your name will be pasted (along with this email response from you) throughout the online communities that I am a member of (including but not limited to AVScience/AVSForum, Audiogon.com, Audioauthority, Audioreview.com, HometheatreHIFI.com, etc…). I have made the attempt to contact you about the matter several times, as well as your representative in the US (and that IS what Albert Sportis is, a REPRESENTATIVE and a direct reflection on your company). Thank you for your time. Dan Bennett Dan, Do the world a favour, GET A LIFE (from Colin Whatmough) Mr. Whatmough, Thank you for your kind words. Since you have shown me how you like to handle matters, I will begin by showing you how I handle things. You may want to start looking for a new line of work. (from Dan Bennett) Dan, If I were you, I would be very careful, in fact I would seek legal advice. If we deem necessary, we will take legal action against you. I hope you are well prepared for the legal costs. Colin Whatmough Mr. Whatmough, A lawyer will not be needed to deal with someone that is practicing the tyoe(sic) of business you are. I am simply restating everything that you are telling me and recounting(sic) everything that I have experienced. The fact that I want to share this with an entire online community is my business. If it hurts your business then maybe you should reconsider how your react when a customer has a complaint instead of belittling them and threatening them. Dan

debennett2 you really do need to get a life. who the hell are you to "give mr whatmough a chance to take care of the situation"? i hate little computer nerds like you who, when online act as if they are god but in reality probably are middle aged men who still live at home with their parents and are physically incapable of face to face human interaction, have nothing better to do with their time than to sit on their computer and complain about things! if you don't like the speakers just say so and bugger off! whats the point in trying to bad mouth a well respected company like whatmough. i have personally dealt with colin in the past and found him very helpful and honest. i wouldn't mind seeing a copy of what you wrote to him in the first place. for him to tell you to get a life, which, by the way is a perfect example of his honesty, there must have been something pretty nasty written to him first. colin gave you a very reasonable explaination as to why the prices are higher over there so as far as i can see you need to get your left hand off the keyboard, your right hand off your crutch and go and get a life you jerkoff!

debennett2, you are a complete tool. get a life, review something if you have heard it, pull your genitalia out of your mouth if not.

nice looking speakers

management

I am not an owner of this speaker rather I wanted to share my experience with whatmough: I hate to put a dark shadow on these forums like this but I thought it would be in the best interest of everyone in the forums to know of my experiences with the company "Whatmough" from Australia. Recently, I foolishly bid on some Whatmough speakers (modem M30's to be exact) from a high-end audio auction website (I probably should leave exact websites out of this). The individual auctioning these speakers had them listed with a retail of $999 and also had an online store. There I found out that he is in fact an authorized dealer of Whatmough speakers and that is pretty-much all he carries. Prices were listed with the owner's price as well as the "retail" price as well. After discussing these speakers with a few other members of the AVSForum, I found out that the "retail" price that the US dealer is listing these speakers for is in fact in AUS dollars and not US dollars. Considering he is based in Chicago and specifically states that he only ships in the US, one would think that he has to either advertise retail prices in US dollars or specifically state that prices are in AUS dollars. I first tried contacting Whatmough about the matter via their online support webform. After a couple days without a response, I decided I would call them. I first asked if the indivdual in question is in fact an authorized dealer of Whatmough speakers and the young woman on the other side told me that he was and also gave me the impression that he was also the ONLY US contact for Whatmough. I them stated that I have a complaint that needs attention (reasonable, I thought). I told the young lady what the issue was and was told that the individual that takes care of these matters was out of town (Sydney I guess) and that she would have him call at the beginning of the following week. That call never came as I had feared. Instead of just throwing a fit, I emailed Whatmough once again about the situation and was given this response from Colin Whatmough himself: " If you have a problem with Whatmough's US distributor, talk to them. We export our speakers to many countries. Because of the extra costs involved (freight, duty, wholesale margin etc) they always sell for more in real terms than in Australia. American products sell in Australia at much higher real prices than in the US, yet we don't complain. One doesn't need to be Einstein to understand that it will cost more to sell a product on the other side of the world than in its native country." I found that fairly rude and responded accordingly, although with some amount of immateurity that I am not proud of... I let Mr. Whatmough know that I was giving him a chance to take care of the situation and that he took it upon himself to belittle me instead. I also stated that I would make sure that others in the community are aware of this type of behavior. This is what I got back from our beloved Colin Whatmough: "Do the world a favour, GET A LIFE" I hope someone can learn something from this (other than me) and hope this thread might end up making future speaker buyers think twice. Thanks for your time....

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cattle prod and chinese water torture.