Advice on speaker package upgrade

[admin_exported]

I have a Castle Compact 5.1 speaker package to which I added a couple of Castle Compact Column floorstanders. I also currently have a (quite old) NAD T752, which works quite well, but it's only a 5.1-channel amplifier. The Castle package received excellent reviews at the time (http://www.castle.uk.com/Download/Reviews/tabid/81/language/en-US/Default.aspx; What Hi-Fi even rated them 5 stars).

Now I'm building a dedicated home cinema room and I need to upgrade the amplifier (budget is around 1500 Euros), so I was wondering whether to upgrade the speakers, too.

I was thinking about the much-raved-about RX6 package, which I have seen (and they certainly look bigger) but can't audition, so my question is, would that system be a substantial upgrade to my Castles?

Considering the price range, would a £2200, 2010 package be in a different league compared to a £1500, end-of-2004 package?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

To add more information, the Castle are rated:

Column: 100W
Satellite: 75W
Centre: 100W

Would an amplifier like the Pioneer LX73 (rated at 180W, though I think that figure is valid for when played with 2 channels only) be too much for them?

 

[Frank Harvey]

The Castle package should still be a good one, and should do you for a few more years. Put your money into a good amplifier and get the best from them. Alternatively, the Monitor Audio RX package or a new KEF Q package will go well with a Pioneer SCLX72 or SCLX82.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your answer, David.

To tell the truth I'm quite keen on keeping the Castles unless I find something really wrong with them in my new room. Also, I'm a bit "worried" about the RXW-12 power rating; my Castle Cube subwoofer, which is only 150W, even at half volume makes the floor and the windows shake to a level I'm barely comfortable with. I wonder, what would a 500W subwoofer do to my house?

As for the amplifier, I'm considering the Pioneer and Yamaha range, though I'm leaning more and more towards the latter, as I've read that they have a warmer sound and I like that better. Yesterday I heard an LX73 and B&W CM9 combo, which was undeniably powerful but too ear-piercing for my taste.

As my budget is around 1500 Euros, I am taking the Pioneer VSX-2020/LX53 and the LX73 and the Yamaha 2067 and 3067 into consideration. The 3067 can be had for around 1600 Euros so I could stretch my budget a bit and get it, considering that I'm not going to change my amplifier for many years to come and I'd like it to be able to work well with a more demanding set of speakers if I decide to upgrade in the future.

Do you think the 3067 would work well with my Castles?