AudioBanter.com - View Single Post - Speakers: B&W 601 S3s, Tannoy MX2M, KEF Q1

(Puneet Tanwar) wrote in message
I'd be happy with 601s, but to find out if they can be beaten at the
price (£200), I have also decided to audition the Monitor Audio Bronze
2 - a bit cheaper and seem to have a good frequency response. The MAs
are easier to drive too. I like the specs a LOT - lets see how they
sound. I read one review where they were mentioned as 'B&W-killers'.
Anyone that owned both of them? The audition is tomorrow - will post
the decision and the reasons.

I went for the Monitor Audio Bronze B2. The 601s seemed to have some
negatives, the B2s had none. I spent over 1 hr listening to the two.
Heard the B2s first (the amp + cd separates were Rotel, 35 wpc); after
hearing the 601s for about 20 min, I went back to the B2s and never
felt like switching back. To my ears, the B2s had much more life and I
daresay I'd have gotten tired of the 601s if I played them for long in
one sitting because of the lack of a wholesome sound. B2 were
distinctly better as stero speakers for my tastes. Cost about the same
- £10 less than the 601s. I can imagine purists prefering the 601s for
(say) a violin solo or stuff like that but I'd not be convinced about
their superiority in rock/pop music play.