5.1 speakers that are great with music

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I've already had good advice from you on matching a AV amp with DVD recorder to achieve the near-best of both worlds with movies and music - but what about the speakers?

I know from the magazine that you recommend the Q Acoustic 1010s as the 'budget' package - but they are still around £500. Should I consider these the best at this price, or are there alternatives you can recommend to sing in stereo as well as surround?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hello again,

The Q Acoustics 1010 5.1 is an excellent all-rounder at £500, and certainly far more musical than the typical multichannel system. The only suggestion to make it even better would be to forego the Q1000S subwoofer it comes with in favour of Wharfedale's class-leading SW150 (you can buy these separately).

Don't forget to also budget for stands, or you won't get the best out of your system - Soundstyle's Z2's (£60/pair) should do nicely for the fronts/rears and maybe your AV rack has a good space for the centre channel.

However, if you could possibly scrape together a tad more money, Tannoy's Mercury Custom F1 package - at £799 - would provide a significant step up in sound, both with music and movies. It's an exceptional set-up for the money.

Hope this helps!