Advice for new startup kit on reggae / Dancehall. Help please.

[admin_exported]

Hi!

I have a complicated case to submit. I live in DRCongo where I obviously don't have the chance to try components out, and have to buy from the internet as I need the 3x payment facility some French sites offer when ordering by visa card.

While I spend a LOT of time listening to music, I've mostly done this using 2.1 sets, the latest being the Focal XS, which died out on me a couple of months back. As replacement, I am thinking to dive into the hi-fi world for the first time, but have a few questions.

I listen to 70% reggae, 20% dancehall, and 10% other stuff from opera to French music. But the main kinds really are reggae and Dancehall. This requires some decent and well controlled bass, as well as clarity in the voices, at least these are the 2 things that usually catch my ear when listening to reggae. Mids also need to be decently present for the guitar riffs. My main source is digital downloaded from the itunes store, as CDs are hard to find where I live, but if I start a hi-fi system I am planning to gradually go back to CDs where I can. First question would be:

- Is there a serious gain in sound quality between powered A5 speakers and an entry level amp + speaker set? In digital music and from CD source?

Next becomes more technical. I've spent HOURS reading reviews and managed to limit my selection (mainly linked to budget and reviews), but none of the tests were made listening to reggae kind of music, so I am not sure which way to go. The speakers that caught my attention are the following (I am not planning to get a sub, I don't like the balance they usually have):

- KEF Q300

- MA BR2

- MA RX2 (if really MUCH nicer given price tag)

- MA BX5 (if really MUCH better given space taken, smaller speakers would be nuch easier for me to carry back home)

- Dali Zensor 5 (same as for BX5)

- B&W 686

As for the amps, the one I've seen in my budget for pairing with the amp I'd settle for are:

- NAD C326BEE

- NAD C356BEE

- Marantz PM6004

- Yamaha S500 or 700

Which combination do you think would be best for long reggae/dancehall listening sessions at medium level, without sometime a little high level craziness if I feel like throwing a couple of dance steps? Also, if you could advise me on cabling for the suggested kit it would help a LOT as I am really a newbie to hi-fi, as you probably understood reading me

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry for double posting also, first time I use this forum and got confused as I had a "save" and a "preview" button but no "post" one. Apologies.

 

[Anonymous]

Bouncing it up, I really need your advices!

 

[Anonymous]

Not many reggae listeners out there or?

 

[6th.replicant]

IMHO, NAD or Marantz + B&W or KEF would be good combos.

MAs have chunky low-end bass, but can also have a very metallic-sounding top-end and a 'thin' mid-range, which IME doesn't suit early/roots reggae, such as Burning Spear/Marley/'Uhuru et al, ditto MC Solaar and J-P Rameau.

This forum has a member called Reggae Dave, he might see your kindred post...

EDIT: If space is an issue, maybe consider a Marantz M-CR603 - plays CDs, iTunes downloads, radio etc, etc - with a pair of Neat Ioatas, which are tiny but sound huge.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot for this reply! Space is no issue really, my living room has enough, the issue is more about carrying it from Belgium to Congo, but that's a one time trip and am willing to go through the pain if it's to get deeper basses.

I also more and more leaning towards the Kef, many reviews say they have good bass and clear trebles. Looks like a good price/quality balance.

For amps, I have considered the M-CR603 for budget reasons (CD player and DAB included I think?), but on paper it looks much waeker than the PM6004, in particular 6 ohms versus 8, and I am worried that this would be a less versatile choice for future speaker upgrades? Also I am wondering how it competes in strict sound quality with same speakers with a 6004. If the difference is not too big, I might go for it (budget) and spend a little more on speakers?

I've read a lot of good stuff on the PM6004 + Kef combination, but am a little worried about the 2x40 watts output for a room this size. This is mainly what pushes to me consider NAD, they are said to be muddy and I wonder/hope if the Kefs can balance that or not. Yamhs also have a good review and higher output, but the sound quality is said to be below the PM6004. Which amp would you recommend specifically with the Kefs? Thanks again!

 

[6th.replicant]

Sorry, I've no knowledge or experience of Yamaha amps.

I used to have KEF iQ7SEs with an Arcam A38 - and IMHO reggae and classical/opera sounded very fine.

Arcam has a new amp, the FMJ A19, which might also work well with KEFs?

What is your overall budget?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes I've read a lot of good stuff about Arcams, but I think they are a price range over what I am looking for? I'd like to stick to 600 or 700 euros top for the amp, possibly less if feasible so I can spend more on the speakers. Ideally I'd like to avoid going above 1,200 euros.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Reggea/dancehall is really hard to produce on these 'hifi' systems and small coned speakers - it loses alot of zip. If listening to reggea produced for the pop industry you may be o,k, but digging into the 'real stuff' out of the jamaican studios by jamaican producers alot of the feel you get from the dancehall goes missing - I maintain distortion and lots of it is what reggea needs to work, even in the home.

Buy the above systems and I garantee you'll be listening to R&B this time march......

If you can get yourself some old shallow big coned speakers with an old school equaliser and old Technics amp one of the old SE's with the big wattage, you could be in bizniz though.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this advice. So if I understand you well, maybe I should go for a cheap interim solution such as the powered A5s and then save enough to get a larger system at a later stage? Could be an option if the sound coming from the combinations I mentioned really wouldn't work. I want to go hi-fi but only if real gain over some simple A5s or B&W Zeppelin that would cost me much less and take less hassle to bring back to Congo.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm unfortunately tight on budget ("new" used car+baby on the way) so I have to rely on the 3x payment by credit card some French websites propose to buy the kit. 2nd hand is therefore not an option.

 

[6th.replicant]

Yes I've read a lot of good stuff about Arcams, but I think they are a price range over what I am looking for? ...

Have you considered buying 2nd-hand from a reputable specialist, which offers a warrany? For example, have a look at this tempting selection - click (But I'm not sure re shipping to DRC, but Belgium might be OK?)

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Thanks for this advice. So if I understand you well, maybe I should go for a cheap interim solution such as the powered A5s and then save enough to get a larger system at a later stage? Could be an option if the sound coming from the combinations I mentioned really wouldn't work. I want to go hi-fi but only if real gain over some simple A5s or B&W Zeppelin that would cost me much less and take less hassle to bring back to Congo.

That makes more sense, turn it up loud, let them old speakers buzzzz and boom and the tweetters splash till you're sure you really want to 'grow up' and go 'hifi'.......

 

[6th.replicant]

I'm unfortunately tight on budget ("new" used car+baby on the way) so I have to rely on the 3x payment by credit card some French websites propose to buy the kit. 2nd hand is therefore not an option.

OK.

I thnk the KEFs will sound too 'thin' in the mid-range and top-end when playing reggae and classical/opera?

A few years ago I demo'd some B&W 685s with an Arcam amp. Reggae and classical/opera sounded good, but a bit too 'warm' - the 685s needed an amp with more punch and 'sparkle', IMHO.

So, I suspect that the B&W 685s would work very well with a Marantz PM6004 or a M-CR603? Which will sound infinitely more superior compared to a Zeppelin.

And the combined cost of the B&Ws and the Marantz would leave enough budget for a subwoofer

 

[lindsayt]

Aleskb, don't you know anyone in the EU that you can trust? Someone who could buy you a pair of 2nd hand Goodmans Magisters (or something even bigger) and ship them out to you? All the speakers you've mentioned so far would be pretty hopeless for Reggae.

 

[plastic penguin]

This is one that's slightly left-field. I would look at Exposure and Monitor Audio RX6 (RX2 if you have room restrictions) combo. Exposure has a very big-boned sound and is good for most types of styles.

 

[bluedroog]

Do you just want deep bass or are you looking to play lod too? I suppose if it is deep AND loud you ave to consider the trade off between doing those thins well and also doing the more subtle things well too, I guess being more Hi-Fi. For the Dance Hall stuff I'd actually be looking at something like Cerwin Vega but I can't see Opera sounding too hot with them.

If you want more of an all rounder then B&W do good things in the bass department forrelatvley modest money.

Good luck!

 

[the record spot]

If they're available in your country, the Q Acoustics 2050i would be my pick. Massive speaker for the money but not without finesse, yet with a huge dynamic sound. Pair it with a beefy amp, sit back, and let the likes of the Duke Reid Group stomp away to their hearts' content.

Scroll down in the link below for some info - they're already well reviewed and have won an award in the WHF Awards this year. Don't be put off by the price either; they'll punch well above their weight too.

http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/q-acoustics-2000i-series-5.1-cinema-pack.htm

 

[Anonymous]

@ Bluedroog: of course ideally I would love both good sound and loud sound. If I can't get both, I'd however concentrate on good sound at low to mid volume, and I can buy some cheap 200w club speaker for when craziness settles in.

@ Record spot: thanks a lot for the advice, I did check them out and they do look fantastic. Also read the reward article. They are not very common in France and Belgium, only saw them on one specialized website that doesn't do the credit facility, but I might go over the edge and get some anyway. I'll try to listen to them first though, if I don't go for the web credit anyway. What reasonably priced amp do you reckon would go with them? Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

And by the way, a new addition to the amps I'm looking at: Creek Evo 50A, looks quite neat and well reviewed on paper. Quite more expensive than the PM6004 I was initially looking at, but that's inevitable in Hi-Fi I guess, never sticking to the initial budget? No pain, no gain...

 

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,

So i went to a shop and listened to

amp:

Marantz MCR603 (mini system)

Marantz pm6004

Nad BEE326

Spakers:

B&W 685

Kef Q300

MA RX2

The 603 didn't convince me with any spaker. It sounds ok, but in my opinion not good enough to justify the overcost from some A5s in example. All 3 speakers sounded MUCH (no possible comparison) with real amps such as the 326 and the 6004.

All 3 spakers sounded nice, but very different from another. The B&W had a very nice overall sound but I found it somehow "wrapped into something", particularly the vocals that didn't come as clear as on the Kefs or on the RX2s.

The Kefs were very nice, extremely defined, very hifi, almost clinical. I probably would have gone for those if I were mostly listening to classical or vocal based music, but I mostly listen to reggae and "rounder" music that require more warmth and base.

The RX2 were just spot on for what I was looking for. Very good base, different but as good in my opinion as the 685. The vocals and trebles were much clearer than on the B&Ws, but less forward, and to my warm ears more balanced with the heavy base I need than the Kefs. That was the good choice for me!

On reggae, I preferred them with the NAD, a really nice amp, with a warm sound on reggae, and that can probably get nicely dark on related sounds like hip hop etc... However, as the RX2s are already colored speakers, I went for the 6004 which will be more polyvalent when listening to other kinds of music.

I coupled those with a Micromega Mydac, can't say enough how am I satisfied and in love with my system. The speakers already opened up (I bought the ones used for testing in the shop since a couple of months in order to get a nice price) and tested the setup with everything from reggae to ACDC, Rage against the Machine, Koffi Olomide (Congolese music), JayZ, Maria Callas, samba... the sound raises hair on my arms each time!

To my ears and budget, the winner set therefore is:

amp: Marantz PM6004

Speakers: Monitori Audio RX2

DAC: MyDac

Oh joy!