Mordaunt Short 902

I've got a Rotel system RA1060 (AMP) / 1072 (CD) and they are perfect with these speakers (i've got also a pair of dali lektor 2) and it's difficult to say what's my preference...

One of the best budget loudspeakers that i've ever known - in my oppinion much better than the 'WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.1'

Alexandre

Great clarity and warmth. Used as L & R in 5.1 system. Really brings the music to life.

10 years on and they are better than ever.

Awesome.

Connected to Cambridge azur 340A SE & Cambridge 640c V2 using quality bi-wire cable. The bass sounds brash but is fine at low volume? Previous speakers were JPW sonatas and I have to say currently they sound better than the 902i. the speakers when cold sound they are in a fog. For the price they are value for money. Hope they improve or they will be on a well known auction site.

I have a humble system at the moment, mostly for financial reasons. However, it's not always been like that. Where my current set up include denon's mid-range amp and cd player with a pair of mordant-short ms10i's (!) on good stands with kimber cabling throughout (I like the neutrality) I have previously owned Audio Innovation valve amplification (mono blocks), trichord clocked Cd player and ruark speakers amongst other lower 'high-end' components incl. cyrus and audiolab. I tell you this so you get the message that I know a little bit about what things sound in context of different systems. Anyway, having read all the glowing articles in certain mags (!) I thought I try a pair of the Ms902i's as they were on special offer. - I didn't have a good time.

I know new speakers especially benefit from running in. This has nothing to do with whether they have metal, paper or plastic diaphrams. Its the motor components and rubber suspension that need 'flexing'. After an initial quick listen (promising, with everything in proportion if perhaps a tiny bit compressed) I did let them run continuously for 7 days phase reversed. Excited, I placed them on my partington stands (very heavy, nothing moves on them!) ... not good!

When I listen critically in order to perhaps audition/change a component I tend to mostly use one cd - KEB MO (just like you). It encapsulates my style of music and is superbly recorded. That and my love for live gigs both amplified and acoustic helped me to understand how instruments are supposed to sound.

Well, I don't want to be unkind to MS, especially in the context of what this speaker costs, but I have the niggling feeling that they (MS) have voiced this product for Home Cinema and not music!

Bass, while plentiful for such a tiny enclosure, is now (after running them in) one-note, soft and ill defined. Its also not very extended despite the 55hz claim (measurement?). The crucial midrange meanwhile is slightly recessed. This has the effect of voices of singers 'melting' into the background ie. a lot of the emotion of a song can be lost. The upshot is the the speaker doesn't scream at you. - Treble, in my experience always well executed in Ms designs (remember, I use a ten year old MS10i) considering they use metal domes, is unfortunately a big step back in my opinion. It's thin with a clear plateau lift which you can hear as sudden brightness. It just doesn't integrate with the mids hence I could never relax into the music. Now, I know full well that my denon's are regarded as bright. Perhaps, but they have an insight and togetherness I rarely encountered unless you spend more money. However, for the sake of giving the speakers a chance I swapped my old marantz pm66ki signature in (lovely amp especially in the mid-high frequencies but not so great in bass slam and impact).

Yes, some of the brightness disappeared but it was still a thin treble. The speakers project a quite open image and place instruments, performers reasonably though I would certainly not call them precise.

To sum this MS902i's up; They have an impressive amount of engineering content for such a low priced stand mount, look good on stands which have a deep footprint (the speakers a fairly deep but very narrow, so measure up when you buy stands) and have a nice vinyl finish compared to the competition. They sound reasonably full but thats at the expense of a tuneful bass and expressive midband. They are probably equal to the majority of competitors available at the price (for example Wharfedales 9.1 - good mids, crap and non-existing bass and a bit boring) and would make a good addition to a HT set up with sub as rear speakers or even fronts, if you're not to critical about music performance.

Here is the problem ... If you're looking for a pair of speakers primarily for music, do yourself a favour and either spend a bit more (my absolute favourite below £500 are rega's R3's and perhaps, if you can't stretch to them, a pair of the new Monitor Audios BR2, though not in the 'same league' as the R3 but available now for £180 or so) ... OR ... try a pair of MS10i or 20i pearls (DONT bother with the floor standers) on a decent stand and be amazed! Clarity, impact, fantastic tight, low bass and great focus. They are simply miles ahead of the new 902i's or, for that matter, most current budget boxes! Real music for peanuts my friends! (and yes, I love rock, pop, jazz, blues and most things you can think off, so for me, a system has to do it all to a greater or lesser extend, depending on how much money I spend on it). I hope this helped but at the end of the day its just an opinion. Go and listen for yourself.

Well I now have 2 Pairs of these Beauty's, 1 pair Powered by the Cambridge Audio A300 and the other Pair by the Cambridge Audio P500 both pairs have been bi wired to the amps and my word they sound Excellent.

The First Song I Played was Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars, I must stress these speakers must have been born for indie and rock as they are so clear at all volume levels.

I would Highly recommend anyone who's considering a stack up stereo and who is struggling for space and on budget to get a pair of Mordaunt Short 902's at a price between £100 - £150 per pair their Amazing!

Not a bad speaker for a bookshelf unit. Warfdales sound a bit better in the treble response, but they are more expensive. For the price, the Mordaunt Short 902 speakers are a winner.

If you get a pair make sure they are MS-902i and not the early MS-902.

They do take a while to run in ( technically they should be used for good 150hours!)Though you can appreciate their sound just after about 30/40h.It's definetely worth the wait. They are excellent value for money,bass,med,high, its all there and can easily handle high wattage amplifiers. The sound depends much on the amp/cd etc that you are using ( and connectors. But if you have spent say about £400/500 for a devent amp/cdplayer,connectors and good speaker cable) you 'll enjoy them at their full capabilities

This Mordaunt Short 902 speaker is one amongst the best I have ever had. It works equally fine(Balanced) on both high and low frequency. However, you need to try the combinations of the placement occordingly. When placed or mounted very near to the wall, this speaker sounds slightly different, may be due to the reflex bass, you will have not that much treble. So keep it atleast one meter away from the wall and 150 cms above ground. This will be breathe taking. A very good alrounder if plced well. Go ahead buy this and enjoy crystal clear music...

I have had the MS 902's for about 1 year and 6 months and am very pleased with them. I am using these in a 5.1 system along with the 905C center and a Polk Audio PSW650 subwoofer. The speakers had lots of low frequency extension when placed near the walls, I now have them on 28"(about 0.75M) tall stands placed away from the walls...this really helped the depth of the soundstage but hurt the bass output. This is not a problem because they blend very well with my subwoofer. I am using an Onkyo TXDS797 with MIT Terminator2 series cables. One of the main qualities of this speaker is the imaging, they provide a very broad, deep, and articulate soundstage. Overall they have a good frequency response. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a good quality low priced bookshelf.

These Mordaunt Short 902s are the first speakers I have ever purchased and they are simply excellent. They have an wonderful bass and the treble is sharp. I've been listening to SACD on them and the music really fills the room. They really are lively and accurate.