|   How are Monsoon Audio Planar speakers? | Chris009
Jul 26, 2002 4:10 PM | | Has anyone here have or has auditioned these Monsoon Audio speaker?...i'm talking about their home theater models and not the multimedia speakers. Looks pretty good for a speaker that starts at 700 bucks . I just wonder how it sounds? |
| re: How are Monsoon Audio Planar speakers? | boomin_nova
Jul 26, 2002 7:09 PM | | I own a pair of B&W 602 s3 ($600 you might want to check it out) but i do have some monsoon computer speakers (yeah you dont wanna know but here it is) they are amazing! They are VERY clean especially from a noisy source like a computer. They beat my B&W's sometimes, but thats because they are planar speakers. Just remember if you do decide to get them or something like a magnepan mmg ($500 Floorstander planar, maybe even better than monsoon) you need a VERY clean source and usually over 100wpc. |
| re: How are Monsoon Audio Planar speakers? | raindance
Jul 27, 2002 4:08 AM | | I wrote a very inconclusive review at www.audioasylum.com, seeing as there was nowhere to post at audioreview.com.
I had the FPF-600's. Personally, I found them harsh and the bass quite muddy. I am not a fan of 3-way speakers and think some of the problem was the multiple crossover points not quite blending. They are not particularly well designed from an audiophile perspective, although they appear fairly solidly made.
They are efficient, which allows you to use them with an inexpensive receiver.
They do not image very well, once again probably due to all the phase shifts introduced by the crossover between the planar drivers and the cone bass unit.
They only sound decent placed in the middle of a very long room. Go figure this one out - they do not like to be near any rear wall boundary at all; sie wall is fine.
I recommend that if you are going to get into planars and you can get these very cheaply, they are a fair introduction into the world of planars and you will soon decide whether you can live with them or not.
Unfortunately for you, to mess up your choices, the Magnepan MMG is a vastly superior transducer and is $550 from the factory with a 60 day return - you cannot beat this. It requires a POWERFUL amplifier that can deliver high current and it is remarkably inefficient. It is also easier to place satisfactorily in a room.
These are musical and image beautifully. You do need to invest in your source and amplification equipment, but it is worth it to get just that much closer to perfection.
And one more thing - the Maggies DO reproduce bass. People keep harping about the low bass - I have had 4 sets of Maggies and they pump out low bass (to 50Hz) as long as you drive them properly and sit within the sweet spot. Bass below 50 Hz is truly subsonic & should be handled by a sub-woofer. |
| re: How are Monsoon Audio Planar speakers? | drmoles
Aug 25, 2002 6:57 AM | | Any speaker that can handle the complexities of home theater sound like the sound of thunder + backgroung music + mid and backgroung detail and their share of dialogue; in my way of "hearing things" will have no trouble reproducing the sowewhat less complicated scheme of live and studio recorded music. Keeping this in mind, I went on a search for some decent new technology in the home theater front that may aid me in capturing some nuances I have been missing in my 2 way audio system. Then, a technical cold analysis of the Monsoons 1600's gave me a glimpse of hope of finding the answer. Comparing the specs to my room dimensions I felt that they would be capable of pleasing my now "hungry for new stuff" ears.After unpacking, I armed them with a set of Harmonic Technology Pro 9 Plus cables at a 3 feet run in a biamp configuration, each speaker driven by a Threshold S500 rated at 250 wx ch (speaker rated at 300 watts max) and utilized passive preamplification (if you want to call it that)using a single disc low budget cd player. In more than 20 years of search for a full spectrum sound I had the sense of having arrived. The imaging was precise and the soundstage huge and deep but without false echoes, the bass was tight and was delivered in a selective manner respecting the source recording that I have come to know so well. To this day I think that the magic is in the design of this great CHINESE!!!, Yes Chinese Speakers and the fact that they were constructed with the home theather market in mind and finding a niche for a planar speaker in that arena. This is great opportunity for any audiophile to enter the planar world in style and without regrets. |
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