Monitor Audio???



I am having difficulty finding any reviews on the new Monitor Audio MR2 (stand mount/bookshelf) speakers. Have any of you heard them or have any impressions of them? They are apparently an upgrade from the outdated BR2.

The BX2 has very similar specs to this new MR2 - the MA dealer in town says the MR2 offer about 95% of what the BX2 does. There is quite a gap in price between these two speakers (MR2 & BX2) so I am wondering if the extra $$ is worth it?

Some of your ears are likely more refined then mine so the differences or similarities may be more obvious to you.

Any thoughts? Greatly appreciated!!

cat9
cat9
My ears are refined to like what I like which isn't better or worse than any refinement of your ears, just different. To answer your question I haven't heard them and therefore I have nothing to say about this new model.
If past experience is any guide they should be good values lest their current price has really sky rocketed. In general, however there is a Monitor product for most budgets and preferences.
Here's a fairly detailed picture of the BX2, and here's one of the MR2. You can see a couple of differences: the BX2 has the aerodynamically sculpted port opening to reduce chuffing; the MR2 appears to use a mass-produced one. The BX2 has a mesh dome over its gold-plated CCAM tweeter; the MR2 does not. Also, notice the difference in frame rings around the woofers. I checked the descriptions here and here, and the BX2 uses the new CCAM woofer where the MR2 uses an MMP II woofer, which is probably previous generation and less expensive. The cabinets have identical dimensions, or nearly so.

The list prices aren't all that different; MR2 is $399, BX2 is $489. I don't know what street price is for the BX2, but current Amazon price for the MR2 is $328.

Thanks Johnnyb53 for your detailed and very helpful response!

The prices for both speakers are a little higher here in Canada but be that as it may, I need to take a closer look at the price differentiation on these two speakers locally and maybe get the gap lessoned a little. I think in the long term the BX2 would be the better choice and more satisfying listening. For about $100 over the life of the speaker, that's not a big deal (I tend to buy a little higher end usually but keep things for a long time making my initial investment worthwhile). This is for a secondary listening system so I won't break the bank but I also want a good listening experience.

Thanks again. I appreciate the feedback from all very much!

cat9