A couple of hours with my new speakers.....

womble72

New member
Sep 19, 2012
26
0
0
Visit site
Loooooong story cut short, My brief was to find a small pair of wife friendly speakers to go with my wife friendly Marantz M-CR603 :) I have had demos, with my marantz, with as many of the big name budget bookshelf offerings between the £180 - £300 price range. I finally settled on a pair of Monitor Audio BX2's and had them running in and playing at home for about 6 weeks.

I really liked the BX2's at first, they were much better than my old Kef floorstanders (cresta 30's). I left them playing all day, everyday for about 1 week and whilst the sound had improved I found myself not really enjoying them as much as I should or thought I would. I can't explain why but perhaps it was the novelty of new speakers or maybe that initial improvement over my old speakers had something to do with it, or just good old room/system incompatibility but I just couldn't relax with them.

I was given the opportunity to buy a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers for £300, without a proper demo I knew the risks but thought I could move them on without too much damage if they were not what I wanted. Well first impressions were, wow, they are really slim cabinets and the mid/bass drivers were tiny. They sit nicely on my stands and the small size means they seem to disappear in my living room.

What really really blew me away was how they sound. For such a small speaker hooked up to a modest 'lifestyle' system the sound is incredible. I've played various tracks tonight by The Who, Foo Fighters, Queen, The Smiths, The Cult and even caught the wife playing some Birdy :-D I am really sold with these tiny wonders. Everything sounds so clear, detailed and even fast paced tracks were handled easily. I actually found myself listening to the music rather than feeling like I was listening to hifi equipment. There is no thunderous bass but not once tonight have I felt like I was missing out on anything.

I apologise if I'm not making much sense, long day and I'm knackered, but I thought I would tap out a mini review as I feel I owe you something in return for my many months of clogging up WHFF with my constant pestering for advice.

Thanks to all of you who have helped with advice etc. I'm really pleased with today's purchase and I'm looking forward to many evenings of just sitting and enjoying my cd collection.
 

Hi-FiOutlaw

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2011
236
0
18,790
Visit site
I know the felling, i've felt exactly the same thing with my Dynaudios Excite X12!

There is always a shoes that have the perfect fit!

Enjoy your new finding and have the best of your music!

Best REGArds
 

manicm

Well-known member
That was my experience as well of the BX2s with my Solo Mini; on the surface they did everything right, the bass was tight, clear sound but it just wasn't engaging me. I strongly suspect they're suited to warmer/slightly less neutral amplification.

Tomorrow I audition the RX1s - wish me luck, at the moment I'm speakerless ;)
 

MajorFubar

New member
Mar 3, 2010
690
6
0
Visit site
When I buy new kit, it nearly always sounds better first of all. It's the novelty-factor. Then it's only sometimes days or even weeks later do I decide whether that difference really is better, is worse, or just different. Pull up a chair and I'll tell you about loads of times where I've made sideways moves (at best) which I initially thought were upgrades.

For example I'm not really sure I fully enjoy the sound of my Mission 794 speakers more than the M74s I owned previously, even though initially I thought the 794s wiped the floor with the M74s. In some ways they do, but overall they don't give me the same cozy warm "I really love the sound of my HiFi" feeling that my M74s did, despite being 4x the price brand new.
 

MajorFubar

New member
Mar 3, 2010
690
6
0
Visit site
Good luck!

I must've owned a dozen pair of speakers over the years and just three pairs of speakers stand out as giving me that cozy warm "I really like the sound of my HiFi" feeling, even though technically they weren't the best speakers I've owned. First was a pair of Wharfedale Diamond IIs I bought in the late 80s, then several years later a pair of Tannoy 607s, then my M74s.
 

Hi-FiOutlaw

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2011
236
0
18,790
Visit site
MajorFubar said:
When I buy new kit, it nearly always sounds better first of all. It's the novelty-factor. Then it's only sometimes days or even weeks later do I decide whether that difference really is better, is worse, or just different. Pull up a chair and I'll tell you about loads of times where I've made sideways moves (at best) which I initially thought were upgrades.

For example I'm not really sure I fully enjoy the sound of my Mission 794 speakers more than the M74s I owned previously, even though initially I thought the 794s wiped the floor with the M74s. In some ways they do, but overall they don't give me the same cozy warm "I really love the sound of my HiFi" feeling that my M74s did, despite being 4x the price brand new.

This feeling is the same regaderings ex-girlfriens, after 6/7 month you're apart you have some thoughts about the good thing, actualy you manage to be with her again and afther 1 hour you know exactly why you left in the first place... Is the feeling of lost... ;)

We men want to keep every thing, we like to keep ower "herd" together... :twisted:
 
womble72 said:
Loooooong story cut short, My brief was to find a small pair of wife friendly speakers to go with my wife friendly Marantz M-CR603 :) I have had demos, with my marantz, with as many of the big name budget bookshelf offerings between the £180 - £300 price range. I finally settled on a pair of Monitor Audio BX2's and had them running in and playing at home for about 6 weeks.

I really liked the BX2's at first, they were much better than my old Kef floorstanders (cresta 30's). I left them playing all day, everyday for about 1 week and whilst the sound had improved I found myself not really enjoying them as much as I should or thought I would. I can't explain why but perhaps it was the novelty of new speakers or maybe that initial improvement over my old speakers had something to do with it, or just good old room/system incompatibility but I just couldn't relax with them.

I was given the opportunity to buy a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers for £300, without a proper demo I knew the risks but thought I could move them on without too much damage if they were not what I wanted. Well first impressions were, wow, they are really slim cabinets and the mid/bass drivers were tiny. They sit nicely on my stands and the small size means they seem to disappear in my living room.

What really really blew me away was how they sound. For such a small speaker hooked up to a modest 'lifestyle' system the sound is incredible. I've played various tracks tonight by The Who, Foo Fighters, Queen, The Smiths, The Cult and even caught the wife playing some Birdy :-D I am really sold with these tiny wonders. Everything sounds so clear, detailed and even fast paced tracks were handled easily. I actually found myself listening to the music rather than feeling like I was listening to hifi equipment. There is no thunderous bass but not once tonight have I felt like I was missing out on anything.

I apologise if I'm not making much sense, long day and I'm knackered, but I thought I would tap out a mini review as I feel I owe you something in return for my many months of clogging up WHFF with my constant pestering for advice.

Thanks to all of you who have helped with advice etc. I'm really pleased with today's purchase and I'm looking forward to many evenings of just sitting and enjoying my cd collection.

Great stuff - I've always raved on and on and on about Totem Arros. They are so darn musical and the depth of imaging is staggering.

Enjoy!
 

MajorFubar

New member
Mar 3, 2010
690
6
0
Visit site
Maybe, maybe not. No graph on this planet quantifies 'enjoyment-factor'. It's an unmeasurable quality. And to complicate matters it varies from person to person.
 

Native_bon

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2008
180
4
18,595
Visit site
MajorFubar said:
When I buy new kit, it nearly always sounds better first of all. It's the novelty-factor. Then it's only sometimes days or even weeks later do I decide whether that difference really is better, is worse, or just different. Pull up a chair and I'll tell you about loads of times where I've made sideways moves (at best) which I initially thought were upgrades.

For example I'm not really sure I fully enjoy the sound of my Mission 794 speakers more than the M74s I owned previously, even though initially I thought the 794s wiped the floor with the M74s. In some ways they do, but overall they don't give me the same cozy warm "I really love the sound of my HiFi" feeling that my M74s did, despite being 4x the price brand new.

I have know through experience that a higher price does not always mean a more enjoyable sound.. some people want to hear as much detail as possible, while others dnt care too much about detail, but want a relaxed & warm sounding system. Actually more expensive hifi tend to need more careful matching.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts