Monitor Audio Radius R90HDs; an (attempt at) an unbiased review.

So a while back I went to pick up a NAD integrated amplifier. It came with these speakers, which sat unused for a while before I decided to give them a go. Well, to say I was very surprised is an understatement. I immediately realized these were more than your average mini speaker (these things come in at 7 and a 1/2 inches tall!) Their little 4 inch driver throws out a surprising amount of bass, but what it does above ~120 hertz is awesome.

Anyways, I’ll start with build. These things are built like tanks. Well, very small tanks. They are about 6 pounds a piece, which doesn’t seem like a lot, until you remember just how tiny they are. The cabinets are well braced and are very solid, with 1/2 inch MDF sides, baffle, top and bottom. Crossover components seem to be of good quality; electrolytic capacitors are used so there is room for improvement. The midbass driver uses a plastic basket, but with a driver that small, I don’t think that is really something to worry about. It is otherwise a well built driver, with a big magnet (about as big as it can be while still fitting in the cabinet) with good quality terminals, a surprisungly large VC, and a nice shiny polymer cone (Monitor Audio has a specific name for the material, but I cannot remember for the life of me what it is.) the tweeters are a C-CAM (also Monitor Audio specific, but a different material than the midbass drivers) composite which is then gold plated. The covers are metal, which gives excellent protection and elegant looks. The finish looks great as well.

Now, on to the important part; sound. The highs sparkle. Very crisp and clear, But not bright, leaning more to the warm side of the spectrum. The tweeters are very smooth, and don’t sound congested at higher volumes.
The vocal range is really great. It is once again very clear and accurate, although not as much so as the high frequency. Placed closer to the wall as MA recommends gives a very notciable boost to midbass frequencies, and muddies the entire speaker.
The bass is, well, underwhelming. But you can’t expect great bass from speakers of this size. For what they are, it is incredible. With the loudness switch it can fill my room easily with bass, although still nothing deeper than 70ish hertz. Playing bass through them does seem to mess with the higher frequencies, so I would highly recommend pairing them with a nice subwoofer and using a crossover to keep them out.
The soundstage is stellar, when placed correctly. Once again, MA’s recommendations leave the soundstage nonexistant, with everything localized to the speakers, and just overall giving a flat boring experience. Pull them out a few feet from the wall however, and the sound stage opens up. It is wide, extending about 3 feet past the speakers, and very deep, although the height is a bit lacking.

They do like current, although you can get away with lower powered receivers and amplifiers. They have sounded very nice on just about everything I’ve tried pairing them with, with my Yamaha RX-v665 AVR being a low point.

Overview
Looks: I give them a 8.5 out of ten. They look very nice, although the badges do seem a bit cheap. Otherwise they look great.
Build: I give them 9/10. They are solid, well braced, non-resonant, and feel durable. Grills are very sturdy and feel like they would offer great protection.
Sound: I give this an 8.5 out of ten, because even though they do sound great when placed well, placed even a bit worse gives a lot of compromise in this area. The lack of lows don’t help in this. Otherwise they seem to do everything right.
Overall, I’d say a 9/10 set of speakers, because even though they do have their drawbacks, they are a speaker designed for WAF (or MAF AKA Mom Acceptance Factor ) first, while still offering great sound. These get a solid recommendation from me.

Note: Do not take my experience as the final word, because while I do have nice gear, some parts just don’t do justice to others (like cables, I am severely lacking in that department). You should also try to do your own listening, and get to hear them yourself before you buy them, as everyone has different tastes in sound. (This is not directed to anyone in particular, just thought it worth mentioning in case someone is looking for reviews on these.)
So, how’d I do for my first ever review? all thoughts are welcome.