Excellent soundstage, detailed, warm and good bass at low volume. They match my Naim 5 Si integrated amp perfectly. (I used to have Audio Innovations valve amps and they matched those perfectly also. Would never have another valve amp - sound great but unreliable and cost a fortune in electricity bills). When demoing the Studio 20SE's over 23 years ago, I listened to 5 pairs of speakers (including some huge multi-driver Kefs costing about £2k more). The dealers all tended to initially demo all the speakers at fairly high volume. When I asked them to turn it down to background levels, the Studio 20 SE's were best at keeping the bass whereas the others sounded tinny in comparison. Which I never expected because they are fairly compact for the sound. I absolutely love these speakers. They were £3k new in piano black - but they will be the only speakers I will ever need. Also great in my small room, 13' X 11'. I accidentally damaged one of the bass drivers a couple of years ago so I contacted Monitor Audio directly and decided to replace both bass and tweeters on both speakers. Monitor Audio only charged me £250 for all 4 units - and therefore, I effectively have brand new speakers.

No problems whatsoever

The Monitor Audio Studio 20SE's is still to this day 2009 year one of the very best speakers out there. I've had a pair of these for over 10 years and there still GREAT!!! They are so very musical. They simple disappear and soundstage like no other speaker I've ever heard and I've just about heard them all!!!!! . Buy a pair if you can find them and put them with the best electronics you can and you'll never give them up. Also the GS series can't touch the Studio Gold series in sound or quality construction.

Speed, power, transparency and realism. with live music its more impressive yet, just try to listen the cd "nos sobran los motivos" acoustic from Joaquin Sabina (spanish singer) alive and you understand what I am talking about.

Very revealing of the quality of others audio equipments associated and if you got a poor record you just can´t listen the music because the MA are revealing all that lack of quality during the registration.

a long time ago I had a pair of MA Studio 6 mas in that ocasion, I did not imagine that the problem was the power amps and I sold them and I was wrong.
2 years ago I bought this magnificent MA Studio 20 SE and I am delighted with all the fantastic perfomance I got. I am using a valve Dynavox VR 70 E modified by my friend Tube Dude and the source is an also modified California Auido Labs Icon MK II american cd player (dac PCM 61), IC DIY and a Solid Core Cable from Cyrus. The dimension and clarity of voices are atonishing, i can feel the singer inside my room, near me, with details I never heard before with other loudspeakers. I am listening almost all kind of music such as portuguese (pedro barroso, jose afonso, simone oliveira, tonicha), fado (mariza, camané)), irish popular music (mary black, wolfetones, black family, paddy reilly, christy moore), country music (emmylou harris, johnny cash, loretta lynn, nanci griffith, lucinda williams), vocal jazz (madeleine peyroux, paloma berganza, stacey kent, jane monheit) and all all this kind of songs I feel great, they give me a lot of joy. In resume, the best 2 way loudspeakers I just heard in my living room (and I am sure I heard some dozens of them). I bought them for around 1000 euros, a bargain.

Smoothness, clarity, imaging

I would have liked to have the piano finish that my 60's have.

A great sounding tower speaker I purchased new on line but obviously they have been in stock somewhere for an extended period of time. I have the Studio 60's as mains and the Studio Center so the 20's on the sides make a great complementary and timbre match. Since the 20's are nearly the match to the 60's, the system sounds unbelievably fluid and integrated. You cannot locate the speakers by sound at all. It took me about six months to find these matching sets as the Studios are long out of production. But now that I have, I have no desire to upgrade. I'm locked in.

Similar Products Used:

Newform Research ribbons, Ohm Walsh, Kef

Speed, power, transparency and realism

Very revealing (only a weakness with poor equipment or recordings)

I upgraded from Monitor Audio PMC 703 to the Studio 20SE because I was getting frustrated with the metallic and brittle sound from the former. My system consists of;
Arcam Alpha 10 integrated amp
Marantz CD-17 KI-Sig CD Player
(speakers)
REL Storm III subwoofer
Audioquest Topaz II
Cable Talk Reference 2 interconnect
Nordost Flatline Supergold speaker cable.

My problem has always been that I listen to a very wide range of music (Diana Krall and Stacey Kent to John Lee Hooker, Enigma, Schubert, Seal, Crowded House, Prodigy etc) so getting a system to do everying is difficult and expensive.

However I think I've finally found the answer in the speaker combination of Studio 20SE and REL Storm III. The Studio 20s are the most natural sounding and transparent speakers I have ever heard but they also have the guts to really knock you back when necessary. The sub is of a suitable quality and can add subtle but invaluable openness and realism to the sound aswell as the power to rattle the window frames with music such as the soundtrack to "Titanic" or live performances by Erykah Badu.

If you're looking for an open window into music (especially live performances) look no further than the Studio 20SEs. They bring an extra clarity and dimension to all music and particularly amaze with their ability to place instruments/voices and bring previously unnoticed details to the fore whilst never forgetting the overall picture. The PMC 703s have an admiral ability to "scrub the music clean" but the Studio 20SEs do it with so much more subtely, refinement and class that it's initially less impressive but in the long term wonderfull. Take a familiar CD (or DVD?!?) to a dealer and assuming they're run in, listen for yourself!

The Studio 20SE are available in the UK for £1295 from Sevenoaks but are still being sold for £2200+ elsewhere, so my advice is to go to a decent, friendly and helpful dealer who will give you valuable and impartial advice, and then to buy from Sevenoaks.
(They're completely useless unless you're bargain-hunting!!)

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio PMC 703
Ruark Acoustics Prologue One

sound build looks

none

I bought the speakers after my brother inlaw purchased a pair six monthes ago could not beleave my ears the sound was great i took my cd player to his home (primare 30.2) and could not belive my ears there was so much more information coming from the disc which was playing. my system is denon avc-10se amp with denon poa-t10 power amp both thx pioneer dv-717 dvd player all with nordost solar wind cbls.

Similar Products Used:

proac studio 125

Clarity, detail

aesthetics, limited extension

I recently purchased the 20 SEC. Overall, they are the best sounding speaker I have ever heard. They have absolutely stunning separation and detail. The low end is slightly lacking in punch, but is extremely tight and detailed. Female vocals and pianos, two key tests of a speaker, are reproduced with superb realism. I have been losing sleep since I got these speakers home -- it's like hearing my music collection for the first time.

My pair came in black oak veneer (a slight scratch explains the price), which is not the most attractive finish available. If you can find them, the rosewood veneer is a winner.

Also, the Studio 50 SE (purportedly - I haven't heard them)resolves the issue of limited extension, if you can afford them ($6500 MSRP).

As other reviewers note, the quality of your electronics are important -- the speakers will expose any deficiencies in your amplifier.

Similar Products Used:

nht 2.9i, triangle zephyr

Clarity, detail, rhythm and "tone". They sound colourful and powerful yet with a light touch. Useable in smaller rooms, can sound good with less-than-perfect room acoustics. Chameleon-like personality means you can have them sound any way you like, depending on electronics choice.

Very choosy indeed to amps and sources, you will not get away with lesser electronics. Very heavy when sand-filled (optional). Makes music-nights at friends' houses dull and boring, due to friends' speakers lack of definition and drive.

Having heard plenty of high-end speakers, I really have to take my hat of for these. I wouldn't be surprised if these were one of the best speakers ever made.

The point is not how good a certain speaker COULD sound, given this and that; the MA 20's really DO sound great in most circumstances as long as you feed them a quality signal. And best of all; you could have them sound precisely as you like, simply by choosing your electronics with care. They're very chameleon-like in their transparency.

I currently use them in my system which comprises Linn Sondek LP12/Lingo/Arkiv/Naim Aro, Audiolab 8000 Q/PPA/4xM's amps and TaraLabs Master GenII cables.

The first thing that strikes you is the terrific definition, which leaves other high-end speakers sounding like their wooly and slow. The articulation of both voice and instruments are amongst the best out there, a singer will be heard to move the lips and tongue as well as the vocal chords. The pitch-definition over the entire frequency spectrum is also good, certainly much better in the bass than other Studio-models from MA.

Second of all, you'll be stunned about the power that can be delivered with good amps, without the speakers ever sounding heavy or there at all! On the contrary; they have a lightness to the sound that is very addictive.

The amount of detail is overwhelming, but it all seems to make musical sense, rather than beeing pushed at you.

Soundstage depth is natural, also to the sides, and the speakers seem to disappear totally in a good room.

They handle all music, be it opera, heavy metal, chamber music or jazz, with an intensity and a musical nerve that really makes it fun to be an audiophile AND a music lover. And it's just this intens musicality and "drive" that most probably will win you over; these are NOT dull speakers!

On the downside, if you have mid-fi amps and source (typically jap style separates or US muscle high on watts, low on sound quality) you need not apply. Then you're in for an expensive surprise. What you put in is pretty much what you get out; the MA's don't help out lesser electronics by hiding faults. Beeing so distinct and intense, you can easily guess that faults in amps and source also are presented intensly and distinctly! And, due to the Law of Sod, so it is in real life as well.
Further, it'll not give you the famous bottom octave with any power, at least not in a larger room. Well, there are always subs to be had.

If you have the best of amps and sources, these speakers won't put it to shame.

They may not be the cheapest or the most neutral speakers around, but they sound intensely musical and utterly distinct in real-life rooms, the addiction hazard is huge!

These are speakers for life.

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio Studio 10, Epos ES14, KEF Ref.2 and 104/3, Celestion SL700, B&W Matrix 805, 802 and 801, Martin Logan Aerius and CSL, Linn Isobarik, Mission 751 and 753, etc.

A bigger version of the studio6. Sound stage gains power over the studio6 and the bass unit really kicks ass. The transparency and sound separation is amazing and has a beatiful and well acomplished midrange. These are one of the best speakers I've heard and they go on well with tubes and good transistors. Go listen to these babies play, you'll probabily fall in love.

I have not had these speaker for very long but I fell in love the first time I heard them. I was not expecting for them to sound so good. I like them especialy with my tube stuff ( VLT resisance 70 , Audio Research ML2 MKII) They have a very clean quick sound to them that reminds me of a quick snap, if you know what I mean. I have also used these with me Krell 300i and as well as my levinsons ML-2 and they work extremely well with any component i decide to use. These speakers is that type of conponent you just don't want to let go of.