Only for Keen Ears…

There are music and there IS music. First there is this ubiquitous “lounge” music or ( if you remember Dudley Moore’s musician role in the eponymous movie “10″) “elevator music” or even “aeroplane music”, which can be played on almost any system. We have learnt to “ignore” this genre. Ditto in this post too.

As it’s unfair to expect a certain category of music-lovers as potential readers of this blog, I would also ignore the type of noise that emenates from numerous sources like an auto-rickshaw stereo, spurious SONY FM radios fitted on taxi dashes or the loud cell-phones. It ’s probably a mistake to classify them as proper “music“.  

The rest, which is also a pretty big slice, shrinks drastically moment we factor-in “keen ears“. Understandably, getting deeply involved in any activity, is not really a “done” thing today! Our growing affinity towards visual media has severely affected our aural senses. We simply don’t “listen” nowadays…

Today I will introduce you to a pair of wonderful loudspeakers. As you’d know, loudspeakers can make or break sound-systems. Even if you do not own any audiophile / Hi-Fi grade system, replacing the default pair of speakers that came with your existing stereo, can significantly improve sound quality.

I paired a SONY CD-System (type that has a CD deck, radio & a pair of cassettes decks in a single housing) with a couple of BOSE 301 loudspeakers almost 6 years back. The result was stunning and I did not feel the need to upgrade for two years. Then the system conked off and I switched, but that’s another story. The 301s are now part of my 5.1 set-up, getting better with age.

The MS Avant 906i is not a very “well-known” product in India. Mordaunt Short (MS) is an extremely media-shy British brand with impeccable track-record in sound reproduction. It’s only after they acquired several other equally solid audio brands (like Cambridge Audio) that their marketing apparatus started kicking in.

The Avant 900i range broke new grounds with their CPC (continuous profile cones) technology. The speaker diaphragm is one single piece of membrane without any central or peripheral joints, like in most other brands. I am just too uneducated to explain more, but, I can safely state that the sound produced by this unique technology is superlative in more ways than one. 

Though this range has all the variants, from compact book-shelf speakers to side-firing sub-integrated floor-standers, the MS 906is are almost perfect for a great stereo experience, to start with. I have added the compact MS 902is as surrounds in my home-theater set up. If you wish, you can get the entire 5.1 or 7.1 speakers from this range itself. We’ll come to that later.

Apart from the excellent output, the 906is tick the right boxes against several other important parameters. First, they look very smart, sleek & sober.

Available in Black or Calvados (brown wood finish), they are about 3 feet tall, 1 foot deep & just about 8 inches wide! With such dimensions, it’s really easy to accommodate them in a regular middle-class Indian household.

Build is simply solid. Even accessories like the spiked-feet or bridge-able (dual source) wiring posts are of superb quality, premium fit & finish, extremely easy to access / operate. At this price range very few other brands offer such workmanship. Though these floor-standers look sexy with their fabric-grilles (front-covers) removed, it’s not advisable unless they are kept in dust-free / air-conditioned rooms. Delhi users can remove them just before guests arrive, to show off the unique aluminium CPC speaker-cones.

906is are comfortable with & forgiving to almost all types of “music” & all kinds of amplifiers / stereos. Even at high volumes they retain control and there is almost no harshness. High frequency / treble is handled brilliantly. Even sibilant  Hindi film music sounds warm through these slim speakers. Try Rahman’s Dilli6 soundtrack for its sheer variety & you’ll realise why the 906is are recommended.

Low frequency (bass) response is surprisingly good considering the small dimensions. Do not expect room-shaking bass though. As the 906is come with a rear-vented bass-reflex port, placing them close to walls will enhance their boom. The ports will accept foam-bungs IF you want your music bereft of bass. For best results one should explore the possibility of using a dedicated sub-woofer in tandem with the 906i.

Please note that like most high-grade loudspeakers, the 906is too require “breaking-in”. So, do not set your amp before you have played these speakers for at least 36 hours (listening time). Frankly I found them sounding the best after 60 odd hours, but that will depend on what kind of music is  played during break-in.

It is also a good idea to place rubber-mats / carpet-mats below the spiked-feet. Placing spikes directly on a hard floor will dilute the integrity of reproduced sound considerably (applicable for all loudspeakers).

MS is slowly phasing out the current Avant range, internationally. Which means that you can extract good discounts on the already low MRPs of the 906i. If you bargain hard, you should be able to get them for around 24K a pair.

To sum it up, MS 906i is a great start in the quest for Hi Fi audio. They match most amplifiers with ease. Are easy on the ears & pocket. It is also part of a full Home Theatre range, which makes it easy to expand from a pure stereo set-up.

Manuals / Set-up / Installation guide  and Customer care

 

DISCLAIMER: This blog has NO COMMERCIAL or other FINANCIAL links with Mordaunt Short / Cambridge Audio / FX Entertainment (India) or any of their affiliates in any part of the world. The author/s have acquired the reviewed item by paying personally, in full, the price mentioned (Sticker Price / Tag / MRP) on the product-package / price-list / on-line catalogue, for retail customers. The views are of personal nature and cannot be interpreted as a sales pitch / promotion. All embedded links are available in the public domain without requirement of any premium / memberships.