Monolith by Monoprice Encore B6 Bookshelf Speaker

[Les_H]

It seems that positioning the R200 with their ring tweeters is the opposite of the Monoprice B6 - the Polks you want to be sure to point right at you while the Monoprice you want to be sure to point away from you. LOL

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Interesting. They are less peaky in the upper midrange (though still more than I prefer) but now the major peakiness has moved up to the highs so that I'd describe them as more"sizzly" than peaky. Less objectionable than they were before. These might like a very mellow, rolled off amp with tubes or soft MOSFETs.

You must have focused on that area more than before, because the speakers certainly didn't change. I can't agree with your statement that they might make good monitor speakers because they would allow you to hear what's wrong with a recording. The purpose of a monitor speaker isn't to exaggerate a portion of the frequency spectrum in order to spotlight technical deficiencies. You want to hear exactly what's on the recording and make adjustments accordingly. If you use a peaked up speaker as a studio monitor, you would probably produce recordings that would sound rolled off of an accurate speaker.

 

[Les_H]

Yes. I didn't mean literally but figuratively they are like monitor speakers. They do emphasize recording errors, and not musical content. Of course they lack the accuracy of true monitor speakers.

I could have some room reflection issues that are changing their response. They do seem quite sensitive to placement and positioning.

Many good qualities but hard for me to love because of their kinky frequency response.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Yes. I didn't mean literally but figuratively they are like monitor speakers. They do emphasize recording errors, and not musical content. Of course they lack the accuracy of true monitor speakers.

I could have some room reflection issues that are changing their response. They do seem quite sensitive to placement and positioning.

Many good qualities but hard for me to love because of their kinky frequency response.

I pm'd you in case you didn't see the alert.

 

[Chromatischism]

Another serial thought: these may be very good as monitor speakers. They allow you to hear what's technically wrong with a recording. Lots of monitor speakers use waveguides, too. I haven't tried these in nearfield listening yet, however.

For me they are not as successful at letting me hear what's good about the music because they highlight the technical errors.

I guess if used in mid to far field, but then you get more of the room involved. Typically monitoring is done near-field, so a big waveguide separating the drivers isn't the right design.

 

[More Dynamics Please]

I tried toed out and that didn't seem to work well at all. Toed in seems a bit smoother.

Bottom line (for me) is that these are clinical speakers, detailed and revealing of recording problems. Could be successful as studio monitors. But to my ears they lack the warmth and musicality that brings out the musical content in less than stellar recordings (as most recordings are, regrettably).

Of course your mileage may vary.

Every time I see a comment like this my brain subconsciously translates it to "speaker flaws trying to offset recording flaws." Toole's Circle of Confusion indeed.

 

[Les_H]

I was trying to be polite about these speakers. So I'll be direct. These speakers have discontinuities in the critical midrange area that make them difficult for me to listen to even on the best recordings. Unfortunately those errors coincide with errors commonly found in many recordings. The result is that they are unlistenable on many recordings.

I'm not asking for speakers that correct recording flaws. I'm just asking for ones that don't accentuate those flaws.

 

[mhardy6647]

I see very good things about the R200. I'll have to check them out. How do they compare with the Elac you have right next to them?

I prefer the Polks. I've grumbled quite a bit about the ELACs. They are not bad, and they do achieve a nice transparency (with a good stereo image) that's pretty impressive for their price* -- but tonally they just don't quite do it for me, and I've fiddled with amplification, sources, and placement quite a bit in the couple of years I've had them**.

_____________________
* I bought the pair I have for $199 when there was a big sale on them via many vendors (Amazon, in my case). I believe it was Fall 2019.

** I originally bought them, and have continued to play with them, for one primary reason. One of the hifi gurus in the Boston Metro area returned from the big Montreal audio show a few years back and reported that he heard ONE product that, to him, was the single outstanding audition of the show: these little ELACs. This is a guy whose ears and taste in sound reproduction are well known to me, so I jumped at the chance to buy a pair when they were heavily discounted (some months later). They're OK, but nothing special to my tastes. It is always possible that with other equipment, or in a different space, I might feel differently about them.

It seems that positioning the R200 with their ring tweeters is the opposite of the Monoprice B6 - the Polks you want to be sure to point right at you while the Monoprice you want to be sure to point away from you. LOL

Polk does indeed recommended to point the tweeters towards the listener in their "manual", but I didn't find them markedly better when so aimed, so I went back to no toe-in (FWIW).

 

[Les_H]

Thanks for the input on the Elac. As I expected.

Speakers are like houses. First, the one you really want usually costs more than you are able (or willing) to spend. Second, they all have faults. Third, once you live with them for awhile you see their faults that were invisible at first - which can be difficult to overlook once recognized.

At least it's easier to switch speakers than houses.

 

[mhardy6647]

We built a new house for my real loudspeakers a few years back.
Well -- we were going to build it anyway, but the speakers were designed, built and constructed with the goal of putting them in the "listening room" of the new house (since the old house didn't have one per se).

Of course, in the interim, I have also filled said listening room up with all kinds of miscellaneous hifi and other electronic junk -- but that's pretty much to be expected (of me).
It started out real nice(ly), though.

 

[Les_H]

You have a much more tolerant woman than most. I'll bet your system sounds great. But I'll show your photos to the woman here and tell her, "See, it could be worse."

 

[Les_H]

FYI: She says if I brought those speakers into the house they would go in the closet and I'd be locked in with them.

 

[mhardy6647]

FYI: She says if I brought those speakers into the house they would go in the closet and I'd be locked in with them.

When she saw them , the wife of the woodworker who built the big cabinets for me said to him:

Oh, they can both use them as coffins when they die.

This is absolutely true.
They are both very dear friends of ours (still)

Photo taken on Delivery Day at our old house in MA. They did live in our living room prior to moving to our new house in 2013. Yes, my wife is a saint among women.

 

[Les_H]

Not many saints so good for you.

A question though: not clear from the photo, but your L/R speakers appear to have only one driver. Is that a coaxial driver or full range? What are you using? Thanks.

 

[Les_H]

Also - how are the turkeys integrated into the system?

 

[mhardy6647]

Not many saints so good for you.

A question though: not clear from the photo, but your L/R speakers appear to have only one driver. Is that a coaxial driver or full range? What are you using? Thanks.

The cabinets were designed for and for many years contained a pair of Altec 604E Duplex (coaxials).
Here's the original design link

Billforts Audio Obsession

In recent years, they've morphed a bit. The LF drivers are currently "real" Altec 515B woofers (the Duplex LF section is - sort of - a 515) but the treble drivers & horns (which sound very good but have limited dispersion) have been replaced with EMILAR EH500-2 horns and JBL 2441 treble drivers.

... but these are rather different beasts than the titular Monoprice bookshelf loudpeakers.
Sorry for the digression, all you Monoprice fans!

 

[Les_H]

I'm confused. The photo is the first incarnation with the Altec Duplex? Not of the current version with the horns and treble drivers?

Monoprice fans may already be upset with my criticism of the kinky midrange of the B6.

 

[dreadknot]

would driving a pair of these with my crown xli 800 @4ohm at 300 per channell be to much at full gain

i really like the cost an i think two sets of these one set per amp would make some good surrounds in my ht room

my receiver is the outlaw audio 976 balanced with a 10band peq eq per channel so i dont think eq'ing these will be a problem

inmy 15ft by 15ft room

 

[Chromatischism]

would driving a pair of these with my crown xli 800 @4ohm at 300 per channell be to much at full gain

Why would you even ask this? Just to show off how powerful the amp is? Don't use it at full gain.

 

[Les_H]

If you're lucky maybe the 300 watt amp will blow them so you won't have to listen to the kinky midrange. LOL