Anyone listening to Monitor Audio S1 in Stereo

[azzo]

Just had my first dem of real hi-fi for years. I am listening to music only and not multichannel.
Tried the MA Silver 1 with a linn classik and some cyrus gear.
Also tried the Quad 11Ls.
I was not so impressed with the Quads (although they looked superb) , but I did like the MAs. However I am worried that they may be too bright for me. (I listen to rock/alternative music)
What amp/cd players are you guys listening to on your S1s.
I was thinking of the Rotel or Arcam entry level gear.
Would these tame the MA S1s or should I try alternative speakers/equipment.
Ideally I would like the linn classik and MAs, but I am not convinced. Is anybody listening to this combo.
Any help greatly received.
Azzo.

 

[Pulsar]

Hi Azzo,

I use MA S1's in stereo, and love them. I too auditioned them with Quad 11L's, and found them to be superior (IMO). I purchased them along with a Rotel RA-01 amp, and a Rotel RCD-02. I found that these made good parteners for the S1's. When I first set my speakesr up, I did notice a very bright trebble, but this soon went after a number of hours running in. I have removed the little grille from the tweeter, but have left the outer grille on them.

In a word, I love them.

Cheers

Rob

 

[azzo]

Thanks for the recommendation, Rob
The metal grill is of attraction to me as I have a baby come soon to be todler!
Do you have them on stands. I will probably have to put them on bookshelves.
How do you find the bass? The appeared to lack some - But them I'm sure that was with the Linn source.
Sorry for so many questions.
Azzo.

 

[Godfather]

I had a pair of MA S1 which I used for stereo. When I used an AV receiver to drive them, they were definitely too bright, the treble being crystal clear but a bit harsh. I then got an Arcam amp and they sounded much smoother at the top end. Their bass output is fairly decent for their size, but the S2 are better.

 

[Pulsar]

I agree with godfather. I found the bass out more than adequate when positioned correctly, using a wall to enhance them.

I use some very heavy soundstyle speaker stands with Auralex Mo-Pads between them and my S1's, so I am unsure how your shelf will sound. If you find they are vibrating on the shelf, you should try to insulate the speaker, and for this Mo-Pads are great.

I now use a Velodyne sub for all <80Hz sound, so my S1's have a slightly easier life, and they just keep sounding better and better.

Cheers

Rob

 

[Gizmo 76]

I use Monitor Audio S1 and i think they are great speakers. I run them off a Denon 2803 and while i'll agree in stereo they can be a bit on the brighter side, but i still love the sound. I listen to other not so bright speakers, i quite honestly find them dull and lacking.

Maybe it's due to getting use to their sound, but these are a very revealing sweet sounding speaker with a very good tight bass output as well.

I also tested the S2, but prefered the S1 in the bass department, they sounded puncher and more tuneful!!

One word of caution though, i would advise at bit of space behind the speakers otherwise the bass becomes a bit uncontrolled and over blown. But with this space and some running in these are in my opinion a superb speaker.

Giz

 

[azzo]

Thanks for all of the advice guys.
I will try to get another dem with more modest equipment (than the cyrus)
As always getting HiFI passed the wife and kid is a big challange, especially in the positioning department.
Will LYK how I get on, the MA S1s are top of my list.
Azzo.

 

[bobbypunk]

I tried the s1's with loads of different amps and it worked really well with most
Notably
NAD's C320BEE
Roksan Kandy MKIII
Nad s300 (OOOH yes)
and best compared to price with these Marantz PM7200!!
I had to try hard to make these sound bad!