I have owned the Monitor Audio 9is for approximately 3 to 4 years and used them for my main fronts in HT with a Monitor Audio Studio Series Center Channel. I was totally happy with the speakers in HT driven by a Denon 3806 AVR. Then one day my wife and I put in a CD and, well, the speakers were not dynamic, they actually sounded pretty bad. I think I then started seriously browsing the HT sites on the web and somehow came across AudioCircle. On the Circle I learned that the problem with my speakers was probably not the speakers but was the weak amp section in the Denon AVR. Since then I have purchased 2 Odyssey Mono SEs, an Odyssey Candela, a Squeezebox 3, a linear Elpac Power Supply, had Wayne of Bolder do the Analog Mods with Platinum Caps to the S3 and mod the power supply and purchased SP Technology Timepiece 2.1s. The Grovers will replace Bolder and Groneburg ICs. Next purchase will be new speaker cables and then power cords (a friend has recommended Black Sands Power Cords and Straley Speaker Cables). Oh, I forgot as I was collecting the pieces I "had" to purchase amps stands, speaker stands and racks from Core Furniture. You know what, I be darn, the Monitor Audio 9is now sound so good for music (with the amps, preamps and Modded S3) I am becoming less annoyed at the long wait for the Timepieces.
Sorry, but just had to get the above off my chest! I listen to the music and say to myself, damn that sounds great and then I think it should because I have the equivalent of the cost of a 200HP Outboard sitting in my living room. Thinking of it in that way --- wish I could use it to catch a lunker!
Ken
