£1000 speakers for hip hop, dance, electronica

[pixa]

Hello Everyone

My first post here on the forum. I am looking to upgrade my Acoustic Energy AE120 floorstanding speakers to a bookshelf speaker. We simply don't have the room for the floorstanders and they shake to much air when cranked up that half the street know about it. I need a speaker that will play well with Hip Hop, Minimal Techno/House, Downbeat (Ninja Tunes etc) and even a little Soul/Funk/Jazz from time to time. I like to play music loud but most of the time I keep things to a reasonable level. The equipment I have so far is an Arcam Alpha 9 amp, Arcam Alpha 9 power amp and an Arcam Alpha 9 CD with Ring DAC, all recently refurbished by Arcam. Im not looking for a system that is going to blow the walls down but a detailed punchy sound thats musical. I love music and I have a £1000 for some new speakers.

My shortlist so far is as follows...

B&W CM5

ATC SCM11

Dynaudio Excite X12

..

Any advice?

Thanks all

 

[d_a_n1979]

Welcome to the forums

Your Arcam set-up is superb( I had exactly the same set-up about a year ago before moving on to the Arcam Alpha 10's).

For your tastes in music I'd look to demo the following speakers:

Monitor Audio RX6's or the RX8's
B&W 684's or the 683's
Dali Ikon 6's
QUAD 22L2's

I have just recently bought the system below that you can see in my sig. I listen to a wide range of music but it's usually stuff like Massive Attack, Beastie Boys, Fischerspooner, Layo & Bushwacka, Vampire Weekend, Hed Kandi, Prodigy, Delphic etc...

I ended up with the M/A RX6's as they sound absolutely superb and they've got hell of a bass kick

I really liked the B&W 683's and the QUAD 22L2's as well but I got a deal on the M/A RX6's that I couldnt turn down!

Your Arcam gear will drive the above speakers easily (more so as they'd be bi-amped)!

The B&W CM5's are very good standmounters as are the ATC's but for your budget I'd deffo be going for a replacement floorstanding speaker.

 

[pixa]

My main source is CD via the Arcam Alpha 9 CD player with ring DAC

 

[Craig M.]

aren't all of those floorstanders?

i'd go for the atcs, easy to position and the tightest, truest bass at the price. and they'll handle going loud, while still staying tight and accurate.

 

[pixa]

Thanks for your replies. I have to buy bookshelf speakers, maybe I'll add a sub at some point but thats not a part of the plan just yet.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Ah fair enough (apologies I mis-read the OP's post)

I'd highly recommend the Dynaudio DM 2/7's and even the Monitor Audio RX2's

They're both under budget but they're superb!

 

[plastic penguin]

pixa:My main source is CD via the Arcam Alpha 9 CD player with ring DAC

Hi

Yup, pretty much agree with dan. However, I'll give you some standmouted options:

Ruark Sabre III

Monitor Audio GS10

PMC DB!S

I've heard these with my system and they sound great.

 

[Frank Harvey]

If you wanted to play at ridiculous levels, I'd not be making the following recommendation, but I agree with Craig. The ATC's are very uncoloured, and don't really add anything to what they're presenting you. The Alpha 9 system, although quite punchy, is quite warm and smooth, and I think adding a few of the already recommended speakers to your system will result in a system that's either too warm or way too bassy. Or both.

The SCM11's would be fine on the end of what you have, but if you can stretch to it, and have the room, go for the SCM19's. Their larger cabinet volume helps dig much deeper, but still retains the same neutral sound. Personally, I prefer the 19's to the 40's. If you have to settle for the 11's, the recommendation for ATC still stands, but the 19's are justifyably worth the extra. Maybe ringing around for an ex demo pair will get you a pair nearer your your price bracket.

I listen to a lot of Ninja Tune/G Stone/downtempo/trip hop etc as well as stuff like Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and I think of the speakers mentioned, the ATC's would get the most from these, as they have a canny knack of being able to reproduce anything you throw at them.

 

[MattSPL]

I can vouch for the scm19's also.

I play everything from Drum n bass, Techno, Trance, break beat, hip hop, chill out, Latin club, Pop and Rock. Everything except classical music really.

They play anything with ease and go very loud with the right amp.

 

[d_a_n1979]

SCM 19's deffo and PP's suggestion too; the M/A GS10's would be a worth listen

Superb speaker on decent stands!

 

[pixa]

Thanks for all of the recommendations, food for thought indeed. I will definitely audition the SCM11s and the SCM19s (although they are way over budget) on the advice given by you all - thanks for your help. If anyone has any further suggestions I will be checking this thread over the next few days. I will also let you know what I end up purchasing and do my best to describe why.

 

[shooter]

You mentioned Dynaudio in your OP how about the DM 2/10 around the £800 mark.

 

[the record spot]

I see ATC are the only ones out there...

Just for a change, have a think about Leema's Xero speaker. A standmount, very well regarded, was £650 on release, but you might need to dig around - does rock very well by all accounts. Good punchy speaker that might work well with the Arcam gear.

The Arcam gear's not as warm and smooth as some think, so I wouldn't go out with the mindset that it is. It might not be brash and as harsh sounding as some of today's kit is, but that, equally, is no bad thing either.

The Alpha 9 and 10 gear was very well rated on release and there isn't a whole lot about that that will have changed in the last decade. Keep enjoying it!

 

[Escapism]

Where do you intend to place these new speakers.? I only ask because a standmount speaker on a stand takes up just as much foot print as a normal size floor stander. So, perhaps don't totally rule out floor standers.?

 

[Frank Harvey]

the record spot:I see ATC are the only ones out there...

I'm not one for blatantly plugging one manufacturer as though none other exist, I'll just recommend what I feel is suitable for the specific job in hand

 

[Craig M.]

FrankHarveyHiFi:
the record spot:I see ATC are the only ones out there...

I'm not one for blatantly plugging one manufacturer as though none other exist, I'll just recommend what I feel is suitable for the specific job in hand

i would've also suggested dynaudio, but the op's post made me think space might be tight, and dyn's like a bit of room.

besides, i only recommend what i've actually heard, otherwise it's someone elses recommendation, not mine.

plus, atc are the best at the price in every situation.

 

[pixa]

Interesting point 'escapism' (see comment on previous page). I am not sure where I am going to place these new boxes. Stands would be the obvious and conventional choice and I take your point about the footprint being the same as a floorstander. Wall brackets would be ideal as they would keep the speakers up out of the way of the kids and give us a little more floor space. A friend of mine has done this and although the sound quality has been compromised slightly his system still sounds great. I can always get some stands in a couple of years when the kids are a little older (and we've thrown away one of our sofas and knocked down a wall). Not an ideal situation I know but that's the one I find myself in at the moment. Given this, it sounds like the ATCs would be the best bet. From the reviews that I have read; they are a little less fussy about positioning than other brands. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[MattSPL]

If your wall mounting them, be aware that each scm19 weigh's at least 16kg and an scm11 at least 9.5kg.

Ive never weighed my scm19's but the shipping weight of the 2 boxes was 42kg.

And i have read that somebody weighed one of their scm11's and it weighed 15kg. ATC's website states 9.5kg per scm11 in one place on the site, and 15kg per speaker in another?

But they will work better than any ported speaker in small rooms and close to walls.

 

[d_a_n1979]

pixa:Interesting point 'escapism' (see comment on previous page). I am not sure where I am going to place these new boxes. Stands would be the obvious and conventional choice and I take your point about the footprint being the same as a floorstander. Wall brackets would be ideal as they would keep the speakers up out of the way of the kids and give us a little more floor space. A friend of mine has done this and although the sound quality has been compromised slightly his system still sounds great. I can always get some stands in a couple of years when the kids are a little older (and we've thrown away one of our sofas and knocked down a wall). Not an ideal situation I know but that's the one I find myself in at the moment. Given this, it sounds like the ATCs would be the best bet. From the reviews that I have read; they are a little less fussy about positioning than other brands. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I know it's bit of a long shot AND way under budget but if you are thinking of wall-mounting some speakers for the short future ahead; why dont you consider saving a lot of your budget and getting some speakers like the Q Acoustic 2020's which have their own dedicated speaker wall brackets!

The only problem with your ideas are that you can demo the speakers above but they'll be in an audio shop and on stands more than likely so if/when you buy them you may get them home and they just dont sound right at all!

Esacpism did make a very good point; small floorstanders like the Neat Motive 2's or the Rega RS3's would be a very good compromise due to their height/overall size but again; that takes you back to floorstanding speakers.

 

[the record spot]

Oh, and if you can find the Quadral Pico, about £850 two years back, it would be an excellent consideration. Small standmount, well reviewed in another UK title, which considered it one of the picks under £1000 too.

EDIT: Had posted the review from another site, but Google it and you'll find it on the first page of listings. It picked up a five star review.

 

[Anonymous]

Been following your 752/au717 adventure the last couple of months. Quite the journey. Have a couple of pairs of 751's fished out of ebay uk (Nothing of that calibre at that price really available in Canada) over that last few months along with a couple of AU 717's through ebay US (thought I'd need one for parts) and an aging NAD AV716. To date the AU 717's have been disappointing - neither is producing well - various problems with both - though the NAD has been brilliant. I had expected it to be the one that was problematic based on what I had read regarding reliability - got it for a song. Am looking at a pair of 752's. Will listen to them with the NAD to see what they sound like. You seem to be sold on them. Love the 751's. Crisp, exact, delightful.

Hope things go well with your repairs for your 717. Not sure about mine.

 

[the record spot]

Hi maclab, welcome to the body of the Kirk!

Amazed to see my witterings and thankless trail to find the amp of my dreams gained an audience in Canada!

The 751s were great speakers. Had a pair back in the early 1990s and loved them. Not sure how they stack up against the newer batch just now, but I think any speaker up to £500 would have a hard time trying to beat them. Many happy memories and long nights listening to track after track.

The 752 is simmilar. A bit fussier over positioning and the like, but get that nailed and it's the same all over again. Big soundstage, precise but allied to a good sense of the music rather than overwhelming you with forensic levels of detail. Wouldn't swap them in a hurry at all.

The amp, well, such is life. You pays your money...and you pay more money trying to get the damn thing to work! I had some good news about a work contract yesterday, which looks like it'll be continuing through to the end of the year, so I might have a chat with Mrs. R_S to get her views on agreeing a budget for a new amp if I need to get one. I could live with the Sansui 217 but when you know that better could be had, well, it's that last "nth" you want to go for sometimes. Current thoughts are if the 717 doesn't make it, the likely contender is a Leema Pulse.

We'll see. And no doubt, I'll pop something on here to keep any interested parties up to date!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

pixa:Interesting point 'escapism' (see comment on previous page). I am not sure where I am going to place these new boxes. Stands would be the obvious and conventional choice and I take your point about the footprint being the same as a floorstander. Wall brackets would be ideal as they would keep the speakers up out of the way of the kids and give us a little more floor space. A friend of mine has done this and although the sound quality has been compromised slightly his system still sounds great. I can always get some stands in a couple of years when the kids are a little older (and we've thrown away one of our sofas and knocked down a wall). Not an ideal situation I know but that's the one I find myself in at the moment. Given this, it sounds like the ATCs would be the best bet. From the reviews that I have read; they are a little less fussy about positioning than other brands. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Hi pixa

The ATC's will be well suited as they closed box designs and more importantly are flat and honest in their presentation. Their flat and honest presentation greatly helps with room positioning enabling them to be placed close to walls without the bass in particular getting itself into a twist.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[MUSICRAFT]

MattSPL:
If your wall mounting them, be aware that each scm19 weigh's at least 16kg and an scm11 at least 9.5kg.

Ive never weighed my scm19's but the shipping weight of the 2 boxes was 42kg.

And i have read that somebody weighed one of their scm11's and it weighed 15kg. ATC's website states 9.5kg per scm11 in one place on the site, and 15kg per speaker in another?

But they will work better than any ported speaker in small rooms and close to walls.

Hi Matt

The SCM19's do weigh 16kg each however each SCM11's weighs 8.5kg.

Btw, if you are not already aware the SLMT mid/bass drive unit used in your SCM19's weighs more then a complete SCM11 at 9kg! which helps explain why the SCM19's weigh that much.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft