Monitor Audio for classical music

Dorningarts,

You say you're looking for speakers in the $2K range, but have a long-term budget of $10K. Does this mean you're looking for $2K speakers to anchor a $10K system, and the other $8K will go to electronics, cables, possibly a sub, etc.?

I suspect you're trying to figure out whether to put your money into something close to a full-range floorstander or put the money into a faster, smoother tweeter, such as a ribbon or beryllium and use your upgrade money later to fill in the bottom octave of bass.

When shopping electronics, I suggest you look at the Marantz Reference series of integrated amps. Even the entry-level one, the $999 PM8004, is natural, neutral, fast, and detailed with a -125 dB noise floor. I heard one powering a pair of $10K Sonus Faber Cremona Ms and the amp was in complete command of those speakers, showing speed, linearity, grainless transparent midrange, and clarity and control over the bass that you don't expect from a $1K integrated amp.

The PM8004 and Monitor Audio Silver RX6 or RX8 would be a tremendous combination. It would also power the GoldenEar Aon3 or Triton Two or Three very well. Remember, the GoldenEars have excellent motion transformer ribbon tweeters and very fast, transparent midranges.

Another approach would be to spend the $2K on a pair of Magnepan 1.7s and use some of your upgrade money for a good subwoofer. This would expand the soundstage and dynamic range.

I was not too clear, I have a short and mid term plan, start out with say a $2000 model of X, and in a year or so upgrade, hopefully in the same speaker, if I like it. This is based on my financial situation. Right now I have a Parasound setup, but I really want to head over to Mcintosh ($$$) at some point. I do like Marantz, I have a Marantz SACD player which I really enjoy. The RX8 sounds great, thanks for your expertise

The monitor audio silver 8 is a very nice speaker 

First of all the latest Gold even uses a ribbon tweeter. The new Platinum uses a different technique in ribbon tweeter. 

In sound realims it is the best tweeter I ever auditioned. Beside the sound I never auditioned a speaker what is able to create such a deep and wide soundstage.

The authority and control it has in the high frequencies is of a level most people never experienced. A client of mine  received his PL-200 set this week. He only listens to classical music.

Before this he owned the Wilson  Audio Sasha loudspeakers. Which is not a great speaker for classical music. He was never happy with it. He also visits regular classical live concerts.

The sound of violins was not as he hears it live. He said: this speaker is able to creat a much more realistic sound as I experience during live concerts. I can hear things which I never could hear with the Sasha.

More layers in the middle frecuencies he said and also a much deeper and wider stage compared to the Sasha.  In the past I had the Wilson Audio Sophia 2 for over 4 week. I compared it with the old PL-300. Also in this shootout the stage of the Pl-300 was so much deeper and wider compared to the Sophia 2.

I own the Pl-500 and it brought me to a level most people only can dream of. I never auditoned a speaker who is able to let you hear so easily the differences in height of instruments and voices. 

I also love classical music. In the past I owned the B&W 800S. But this speaker is superior in each part you judge sound for. I auditoned the new B&W 800D3 and Platinum Pl-500 at the same day. The 800 is a hifi stereo speaker with stage depth of 1 metre. The Pl-500 is a highend speaker with one of the most exciting 3 dimensional holographic stage. Beside this it owns a physical appearance of voices and instruments just as tangible and intimate as in real. 

The realism and physical appearance of voices and instruments is of a level to die for. The Magico and Wilson Audio speakers are not able to create such a deep and wide stage either.

The thing what makes it unique is that the new tweeter is able to give an instrument a 3 dimensional shape. Beside the huge deep and wide stage it can create much more space also in front of the loudspeakers.

When you listen to Miles Davis So What in DSD by the Lumin S1 you go back to 1959. The piano played by Evans plays full loose of the left speaker. The drumms on the right plays also loose from the right speaker. And the height of the high hats is a lot higher compared to the same recording with highend speakers with a dome tweeter.

You also can hear much more easy the space of the room. The trumpet fills the room in reverb but still is very tangible.

Miles stand about 2 metres to the back. The space the Pl-500 can create is stunning and so much  bigger than the best highend loudspeakers I auditioned in over 18 years of time.

It is an addictive sound. The timing is even better than the S series of Magico. In realism the Pl-500 is superior to the clinical sounding Magico speakers.

When you know how classical music sounds in real you never would buy a Magico or Wilson Audio loudspeaker.

Anthor client of mine is selling his Sasha 2 loudspeaker also based on the fact that he never was satisfied with the speaker.

I would never buy a highend speaker with a dome tweeter. In the last 3 years I met several new cleints with highend speaker who all had the same dome tweeter issues.

Even the best highend dome loudspeakers are not able to place an instrument fully free infront and beside the loudspeaker. They are able to build  an instrument beside the loudspeaker.But not in front and free form the speaker. A dome tweeter is not able to build such a big stage.

But with the Pl-500 it can play beside and in front of the loudspeaker. I call it highend ++. This makes you smile all the time. And it gives the instrument much more a 3D shape. This brings music much more a life than ever before.

Instruments like a trumpet sound more real with the Pl-500 than with any other dome tweeter speaker. Read the review of the Pl-500 in the outcomming Absolute Sound of September.

Having measured a pair of smaller Radius speakers, and lived with Silver 6s, they Radius are quite neutral. The ceramic/metal composite tweeters are very smooth and do not audibly ring unlike say all of Focal’s metal tweeters, nor do they have the jagged response of the B&W diamonds. If they ring at all it is quite far out of the audio band.

As for the mids and woofers, there are some VERY good metal cone drivers out there. The speaker designer MUST carefully integrate them but they can play with the very best, and within their usable frequency, may have very low stored energy.

While I can understand the biases of cheap, poorly integrated metal drivers, Monitor Audio does not suffer any of those issues.

I have not listened to their ribbon tweeters. Also, earlier MA speakers were a little more rock/jazz biased.

As with anything else, listen for yourself as YMMV.  Make your own wallet happy.

Best,

Erik