Hey dragonball,
I've been a long time reader of Head-Fi.org, but never posted before today.
I have a set of RX2s (Silver Series) for my PC speakers so I can't comment directly on the BX2s. They weren't out when I was shopping around. I've read a lot good things about the BX series with favorable comparisons with the Silver series. .
I spent a lot of time listening to the RX1s & RX2s at my local dealer and compared them to my HT Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v2 and an old set of Paradigm Atoms (original PC speakers). The Atoms served well for many years, but I decided it was time to upgrade the entire system. I originally considered replacing the Paradigms in the HT with something like the Studio 60s and moving the 20s to my computer system. After I created a new PC around the Xonar STX card, I built the rest of the system from there.
I liked the Paradigms, but I haven't been shopping for speakers in a long time so I thought I'd listen to some new stuff. I really liked the Monitors when I first heard them in the dealer's showroom. Actually, I first heard them from outside the room and they sounded remarkable from the store lobby (there was some jazz on with a horn section).
I liked them so much, that I quickly narrowed it down to the RX1s and RX2s. I selected the 2s for their better bass and slightly better midrange. Both models had surprising bass output for bookshelves - and it was very tight bass with excellent transient response. Midrange and treble are remarkable. I was able to spend a lot of time listening to the Platinum PL300s connected to $150k worth Krell electronics and found the RX models stood up very well in comparison.
I listened to them in the store set up on 26" stands and was concerned about using the as near-field monitors. Luckily, I was able to try them at home before making the final decision. The biggest difference between the 2 locations was bass. I was pretty disappointed when they were on my desk but my desk is positioned where there is no rear wall so I expected it. I heard plenty at the store, so I didn't worry too much. I picked the 2s since I figured I might build a dedicated 2(.1) channel system around them at some point. The BX2s have front ports so they might not be as sensitive to rear-wall distance for bass response and should offer more flexibility in placement for most desktop set ups I've seen posted here.
In reality, your ears are going to be the best judge. No two poeple hear the same so what I like in a speaker may sound like nails on chalkboard to you. The best recommendation, is to listen to speakers in your price range with
your music. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of B&M dealers around and I've heard & read too many horror stories about poor service and bad attitudes. I was lucky to find a store and salesman that actually ordered a set of RX2s in the finish I wanted and hooked them up for a week to break in before I came in to listen and compare against the RX1s! (Reminds me of the days when I used to do that for customers when I worked in retail audio in the early 80s.) I paid full price, but the salesman spent hours of his time and I was thrilled with the entire process.
Some more about my set up: I use an old Velodyne CT-80 sub for help in the bass. It's pretty crappy compared to current subs, but it was free and it's more to deal with the limitations of the room layout's lack of bass in my chair. The RX2s run full range and the sub is crossed over around 50 Hz through a Parasound 2100 pre-amp. I picked it because of its ability to integrate a sub. I can adjust the sub gain from the pre-amp so I can tweak it on the fly from my chair. Once the RX2s were fully broken in, it took me a while to optimize things but I am extremely happy with the set up. I guess that's part of the fun... I can't wait to hear what a really good DAC can do...
Hope that helps a bit. Sorry for the long-winded reply - I guess I have some pent-up stuff to contribute as pay back for all the useful information I've gotten from the members here.
- Bob
Equipment
PC:
System housed in an Antec P183 case for quietness (located behind desk to keep fan noise down)
Intel i5-750 quad core processor, 8 GB DDR3 memory, 1TB WD Caviar Black drive, Asus Xonar STX with LME49720 op-amps.
Windows 7 64-bit with JRiver Media Center 15 running analog out configured as WSAPI Event Style.
Audio ripped to a file server with a 1TB RAID5 array for storage. Format is WMA Lossless or FLAC.
Network is wired gigabit.
(I've been ripping and storing my music collection on a server since 2003 so it's been a long process of learning and tweaking.)
Audio Gear:
Parasound 2100 Pre-amp
Vintage Adcom GFA-535ii power amp (60 wpc)
Monitor Audio RX2 speakers bi-wired
Sony DVP-NS755V DVD/SACD player (used for SACDs only)
Sony ST-S707ES AM/FM Tuner
Headphones:
AKG K702
Audio Technica ATH-AD700
Sennsheiser HD280 Pro
No headphone amp (will be the next purchase).
