First impressions are often indicative of the final opinion, and our listening panel's first noteworthy comments were that the GS60s have an electrostatic type of sound quality in the midrange and highs. In other words, listeners can expect outstanding inner detail, crystal clear voices, subtle tonal hues and absolutely no colouration. The top frequencies can sound a little hard, though neither jarring and nor disagreeable; however, beware of poorly recorded material. With the good program material we had on hand the tweeter handled ultra high frequencies in a totally culminated manner and with the utmost resolution. With this system set-up, upper bass couldn't have been better, emphasizing resolution where it counts. Deep bass, on the other hand, was just a bit shy with the lowest possible notes around 20Hz though good control and resolution was evident to around 32Hz.

When we switched the system over to the new Bryston monoblocks we noticed the introduction of a few new sonic elements, namely, somewhat richer though not deeper bass, and softer sounding midrange and high frequencies, which nevertheless sounded smooth and musically pleasing. Midrange information was on par with that of the Musical Fidelity KW combination. Bass, both upper and lower, was considered the best of all the system arrangements in this review. This system combination also introduced more expansive sound stage dimensions without diminishing individual instrument focus and imaging boundaries.

The Topaz amplifier was used for the final GS60 test drive. Though the speaker's specs note that minimum power requirements are 60 watts R.M.S., its sensitivity rating of 90dB called for an experiment. In fact, the Topaz single-ended low-power amplifier introduced the smoothest highs and the most pleasing midrange of the three combinations although, as is often the case with low-watt amplifiers, the bass frequencies did not perform as well as with the other two amplifiers used for this evaluation. While the bass was potent and melodious, it was not as well defined as with the Bryston amps. Midrange information, on the other hand, was smoother than with the Musical Fidelity KW system but, ultimately, not as revealing. Highs, however, would have been difficult to improve upon as they approached peak refinement with the Topaz.

All system combinations revealed the GS60's imaging proficiency with clearly defined focus on instruments and voices, with realistically depicted boundaries.

Synopsis & Commentary
The various system combinations rendered sound through the Monitor Audio GS60s that was neither good nor great; rather, outstanding would be a more apt description. What we didn't mention earlier is that throughout this review the listening panel experimented with two different cable set-ups one from JPS Labs, the other from Nordost. As it turns out, the Bryston amplified system sounded best with the new JPS Labs Aluminata cables, while with the Wyetech Topaz-based system we preferred Nordost Valhalla cabling. Interestingly, the Musical Fidelity KW 500 system split the vote as sonic differences were often not noticeable regardless of the cables used.
For more than two decades Monitor Audio has continued to design its own drivers and, in the process, developed the gold dome tweeter, among other driver innovations. About 18 years ago, The Inner Ear reviewed a pair of MA1200 Gold loudspeakers, which then sold for about Cdn $3,000 and which became one of our favourite speakers. At that time, MA began using metal dome technology, soon developing an aluminum/magnesium dome tweeter anodized with gold. Prior to that time, our Editor recalls, the first Monitor Audio designs imported to North America relied on Kef drivers. The tweeters used in the GS60s represent a further advancement in design, resulting in a quite obvious improvement in the overall sound.

What the listening panel liked about the GS60s was the designer's attention to detail, such as the decoupling arrangement, the solid binding posts and the immaculate cabinet finish. As our system combinations reveal, it's safe to say that the GS60s, with their exceptionally high level of neutrality, can be connected to virtually any good quality amplifier and will reveal its sonic disposition. Ultimately, it is precisely this quality in the GS60s that will allow the end-user to select back-up components and, thus, a sound customized to his/her liking. We recommend listening to these loudspeakers. The GS60s may just provide the sound you are looking for.