I'm contemplating these as I've seen a lot of good reviews of them. They'd be an upgrade from my M-Audio BX5a speakers.

I'm keeping an eye out for an used pair and am wondering how to tell the difference between the v1 and v2 if I see some, as I'd obviously rather the later v2 if possible?

And if I find a pair, are the v1 (1st Wave) versions worth it or pay the extra for the v2 (2nd Wave)? I think I've found a paid of 1st Wave locally for £150 for a pair, as a guide of whether they're worth that or not.

 

Get 2nd wave

 

if I remember correct, newer V2 should hiss less, should have different material of the woofer to handle higher SPL with less distortion, and tweeter might be soft dome so shouldn't get damaged if pinched (don't try tho) - all those features are nice, but if you get noticeably better deal on v1, those are still great monitors for the price

 

What are the physical differences? In some cases, I will only have photos to go by before deciding whether to travel to pick up. Did they change the design or look at all?

 

Wave 2 has a different driver. A paper cone driver I think. The 6" is shiny 1st wave and paper (none shiny) 2nd wave. It sounds a tiny bit tighter. But to be honest it is really a small difference.
The significant upgrade from wave 1 to 2 is -12 dB self-noise. The rest is basically the same. Wave one is really noisy. It depends on how far you are away. I sold wave 1 because of the noise. I used them as nearfield - about 80 cm away. it was too much noise for me.

 

Last edited: Apr 21, 2023

if it's V2 it's clearly written in the back below the power plug, if not then it's V1