Audition Impressions: Monitor Audio RS8, PSB Image T65

[Asr]

Visited a local dealer today to audition some speakers before heading off to RMAF.

Source component: Marantz DV6001 (DVDP)

Amplifier: Marantz SR5003 (A/V receiver)

The dealer had a sweet setup, a bunch of speakers were all lined up against the wall and there was an electronic switch panel to switch among them at will. Speakers I listened to:

- Monitor Audio RS1 (bookshelf)

- Monitor Audio RS8 (tower)

- PSB Alpha B1 (bookshelf)

- PSB Image T55 (tower)

- PSB Image T65 (tower)

Scattered impressions:

First I'll start by saying I vastly preferred the Monitor Audio RS8 among all the others. It took a while for me to develop the preference, there was a wow factor that got in the way with the PSB Image T65. The T65 was a whole lot of punchy bass, and it had a huge, direct mid-range that was like an assault on the ears. A very theatrical-sounding speaker and I immediately felt it's probably a great speaker for movies.

I started out casually switching between all five speakers but shortly realized there was going to be a time black-hole if I didn't start eliminating some, so I spun a reference CD, Andrea Parker's Kiss My Arp, to eliminate the ones that sucked at low bass. These included the Monitor RS1, PSB Alpha B1, and PSB T55. I stopped listening to these speakers after I ran through some tracks off the CD.

So it was between the RS8 and T65, and I certainly was knocked out by the T65's mid-range and bass - they were omnipresent and filled the room with authority. However, in comparison to the RS8, it had a really narrow soundstage, as if it was projecting a 20-30 degree radial off its axis. The bass also went out of hand on several occassions - it was punchy but it also seemed unnecessarily boomy, and there was a complete lack of control on it. I hate lack of bass control and this quickly got on my nerves. Oh it was fun, I gave it that, but I want more than just "fun" from Porcupine Tree (In Absentia) and The Crystal Method (Vegas).

The RS8 took a significantly more laidback seat than the T65 and sounded downright conservative in comparison. It didn't "rock out" quite as well (and required more amp volume to rock), but it had a much larger soundstage that spread out radially very nicely. There was a much greater illusion of the speakers "disappearing" with the RS8 than any other speaker in the room - the music filling space, with absolutely no sense it was being pushed from somewhere. The RS8 also sounded clearer than the T65, with no muddying of mid-bass or lower-mids, while the T65 did sound muddy in that area. The RS8 also had a very balanced frequency response and very controlled bass - maybe a little too controlled, at times I wished it had more low bass.

The RS8 impressed me but it didn't bowl me over. I suspect it would've bowled me over if it had been fed by a better source and amplifier...

And now, post-first day of RMAF 2008, I can also say that all five speakers sounded better than two speakers that I heard at RMAF. Which is pretty sad, considering all five are under $1.5K MSRP, and the two I heard at RMAF cost thousands. And I can also say that while I can hear the benefit of very expensive speakers, the difference can range from slim to land-slide (as in, you'd have to be tone-deaf to not hear the difference). There's definitely a cost-benefit ratio somewhere...

[Augsburger]

So let's hear (npi) who made up the disappointment list.

[Asr]

The PSB T55 was a definite let-down. For a floorstander - with 6.5" drivers especially - it had very weak low bass. The RS1 and Alpha B1 had an excuse being bookshelves, the T55 had none.

I was also hoping the RS1 to sound good based on some reviews I read, but it didn't perform that great and seemed a bit hollow in the mid-range.

[laxx]

Thanks for the review. I've always been interested in the Monitor Audio Silver series (mainly the 6's before) and it's good to read about the 8's, especially from someone else who enjoys the K701's. =]