My new speakers
After owning Monitor Audio PL500 II speakers for 10 years, I’ve purchased my last speakers, YG Acoustics Sonja 3.3s. They are definitely different than my Monitor Audio PL500 II speakers. In my opinion, Monitor Audio PL500 II speakers offer a great value and do many things well. BUT, the Sonja 3.3s are clearer, tonality is improved, more dynamic and instruments/singers are more palpable. I’m not suggesting a night and day difference, but easily discernible differences. Unfortunately, Incremental improvements are very expensive in this hobby. I would say that I’m done, but I’m sure I’m going to change my Chord Dave DAC.
After demoing many speakers at audio shows and stores, Magico and YG consistently resonated with me as my favorite. Unfortunately a used YG Sonja was unaffordable and a used Magico s5 or better was a budget stretch. Lower model YGs just seemed like a significant drop from Sonja. On my journey, I did give Monitor Audio PL300 several serious store demos before continuing my search. Congratulations! |
@ricred1 - do you already have ideas for a DAC upgrade yet? If not, I can offer suggestions. My analog rig was finished to a high level, so it was a struggle getting a DAC that was high enough sonically within budget. |
ricred1, congratulations on the speaker upgrade! I see Jeff Rowland gear, some nice components. I beg to differ with your conclusion, "Incremental improvements are very expensive in this hobby." In my book The Audiophile Laws, I discuss how incremental improvements are not hard to achieve. Fundamental improvements are usually more difficult to achieve and may be costly, especially as one climbs the ladder in terms of quality of the system. However, it is rather easy to find fundamental improvements when one changes genre of speakers. Of course, enjoyment of a particular genre of speaker is a matter of taste. Given the spectrum of speaker designs available, the Monitor speakers are not that different than the YG Acoustics, which I believe is one reason you have concluded that incremental differences are costly. Given a different genre of speakers, i.e., dipole, or full range/concentric, the differences would be pronounced. In reviewing various models of genres of speakers, it is more difficult to obtain a perceived fundamental improvement by changing speakers when the genre and driver configuration is more similar than if changing the genre and driver configuration. Whether that change of genre and driver configuration is appreciated/enjoyed is another question. :) Another reason why the two speakers might not sound fundamentally different is because their bass response is within a couple dB. If a person moved from a speaker with shallower bass, i.e., 35Hz +/-3dB, to one with far lower bass, i.e., 22 Hz +/- 3dB, the differences would be more pronounced. Theoretically, a person could change from an expensive bookshelf speaker with shallow bass to a less expensive floor standing speaker with deeper bass and hear a fundamental difference between them. The question would be whether they have overall improved the sound quality. |
