Monitor Audio Radius 45/360 or KEF 2005.2 vs Bose Accoustimass 10 vs ?!?!

tavueni

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Hi Everyone/Anyone!

I'm in the process of upgrading my home cinema/music speakers and I would appreciate some advice.

Up until now, I had a (don't laugh) Sony DAV-SC5 All-in-One Home Cinema. I'm now in a position where I'm building up my separates and but I don't know what to speakers to upgrade to. I'm now running a Yamaha DV-S540 and RX-V2500 which is used for a combination of movies and music.

Due to space restrictions, I have to go for a set of sub/sat speakers and I've seen the Monitor Audio Radius 45's and the 360 sub which looks like they'll do very nicely. I've also seen the KEF 2005.2 and the Bose Accoustimass 10 (of which I've heard mixed reviews) and I'm a bit undecided on which to go for. i

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which to go for? I'd be interested on hearing any views on the Monitor Audio set as they seem quite new and I can't find much about them.

I'd appreciate any advice!

Thanks!

tav
 
hi
my experience is very limited and was in same boat as u few weeks ago
i had a look at monitor audio radius 45 and imho radius 90 is much the better package if size allows u to have,
my brother has a bose am10 which is fine but i feel for same money there are better products
 
Thanks for the feedback 123orth. I was planning to demo all the Radius 45's, the Bose and the KEF speakers on Tuesday so I'll add the Radius 90's on to the list as well (if they'll let me. I've already got an hour booked to demo at the store :blush: )

In the meantime, I'd appreciate anyone elses experiences/advice on these speakers. Hopefully, I'll be able to reciprocate and help others when I've demo-ed the speakers and make my choice.

Thanks again!

Tav
 
1) Mordaunt Short Genie
2) M&K K series (start with 5 k5s which are the cheapest but may be the best set you'll hear :) )
3) JMLab Sib&cub (much cheaper than the others and sounds much better than the KEF you mentioned imho)
4) Castle CC3 (Compact)-I have not heard it but the reviews on it are very good.
Tell us what you think after your demos.
 
I've demo-ed the Bose AM-10's (a little earlier than I thought I would) and to be honest, I'm not sure if I'm impressed or not. It sounded very nice, clear and punchy for music in stereo (just Front Left/Right and the sub) but once you go multi-channel, the sound is quite strange.

I think it was because of the satellite speakers are a pair and when they each of the pair point in different directions, it sounds like it blurs the sound field a little. You get a good feeling of surround (it really encloses you in) but it's hard to isolate things. I used Phantom Menaces' Pod Race as a surround test and when things fly overhead, it doesn't sound QUITE right, even compared to my old Sony DAV. Maybe it was the way they were setup.

They're not bad by any means but I think I'll need to hear the others to compare.
 
Hi Again!

Right! I finally got around to auditioning all of the speakers and here is what I found out overall. I didn't get to audition the M&K, Castle's and JMLabs Sib/Cub combo because the shop would have had to order them in.

For the Bose, as I said, they were good and produced a nice sound but IMO, not AS good as their marketing department leads you to believe. There are just as good other products out there and cost less.

The KEF's were very good indeed. The treble and mid range were clear and sharp and the bass was nice and punchy. They're very solidly built. My only slight gripe with them is that they're probably not as small as I'd have liked and do stand out very much in a room, especially if you're going to have a 5.1 system.

The Mordaunt Short Genie was similar in style and quality to the KEF but something about the design didn't appeal to me.

The speakers that surprised me the MOST were the new Monitor Audio Radius 45's and it is these I've decided to go for. I initally just demo-ed a pair of these with the 360 sub and I have to admit, I was blown AWAY by the sound. The speakers were placed on top of floorstanders in the demo shop and all of people walking into the shop, they thought the sound was coming out of the floorstanders and were all shocked when they found out they weren't.

The bass from the TINY (but bloody heavy) sub and the clarity and range of the satellite speakers was amazing. The tiny rear-firing speaker at the back of each satellite makes a HUGE difference if the speaker is near a wall and realy enhances the depth of the sound (it's even better when you find it comes with the wall mounting brackets free).

The build quality of each speaker is what capped it off for me. Each speaker is solid and feels "meaty" and with a choice of 5 different finishes (Black or White laquer, Beech, Rosewood and Silver), I found what I wanted and the colour I wanted it in (trust me, in the Black Laquer finish, the speakers look REALLY sexy) I was going to demo the Radius 90 package but I felt there was no need as I LOVED the sound, style and compactness of the 45's and so I made my decision.

In the UK, most places I spoke to sell the Radius 45 satellites at £70-£80 and the Radius 360 sub between £250-£350 (depending on the finish you go for) but you can always go for a different sub if you prefer. I just went with it because it sounds great and matches the satellites.

Though it's all down to individual taste, if you're auditioning sub/sat speakers, I'd definately recommend having a look at the Monitor Audio Radius 45's with the 360 sub.
 
hi there
wanted to know which place u found doing the monitor audio sub for 250£
i have not managed to get a price below 350£
might help my budget consideration
thanks
 
I went down the Radius 90 route but decided the MJ acoustics Ref 100 sub was a better fit. I am very pleased with the system. I got the whole lot from Vickers in York who were very competitive on price. I have to admit if my wife had seen the 45's I would have had to have those. You cant imagine the number of Bose questions I have had to respond to! Also black is the best finish by far.
 
123orth,

I got the prices by calling a LOT of different shops and haggling a bit based on the fact that I was going for a whole set of speakers.

One of the shops I went to was Harrow Audio in North London (www.harrowaudio.com) and they offered me the Radius 360 sub for £199. I was like :eek: at that price, the reason being they could only supply the sub at that price in the beech finish. I didn't go for it because I wanted the silver finished one to match the 5 R45 speakers I was buying. It might be worth dropping them a line and seeing what they say. They might still have it available and I don't remember them saying it was part of a deal of any sort. Check it out.

On another note, I agree with jaybee6 in that the black speakers are EASILY the nicest finish but they would stand out too much in the room I'm putting them in and I wanted to keep the install discreet.

tav.
 
Try the Infinity Oreus speaker system, just bought them after auditioning against others including bose and they are in a different league
 

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