advice on speakers for my Onkyo 875

[admin_exported]

Hi Everyone!

I really need your advice on speakers. The story is as follows: I know that in about 10 years from now I'll probably buy a really great set-up (eg: B&W 802 with Classe Amp), but at the moment will have to wait with that kind of expense. So what I want now is to get myself a great Home Cinema setup that will also sound great.

I already have an Onkyo 875, and now I'm considering speakers. I would like them to sound amazing for film, but would also like the fronts to sound as best as I can achieve with an onkyo for music.

I've listened to the B&W 804s which were around £2700, and they sounded great (haven't heard them on the onkyo yet), so the question is: will the onkyo do the 804s and justice? Or are they totally out of the league?

Another question is, will the Martin Logan Purity, which is Active, sound better for music on the onkyo than the 804s? The reason I'm asking is because perhaps the amps on the Purity do a better job on the MLs and therefore I can save around £700.

Lastly, given a budget of £2-3000 to spend on front speakers, which would you recommend that would do the job best for HI-FI?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Anonymous]

I sat down on Weds and listened (and bought) an Onkyo875 along with Monitor Audio's silver RS8 fronts and AV system. Wrote and posted about this earlier. Hope it is of some help.

Went over to Wilkingson's Hi Fi today in Nelson. (weds 12/3)

I took with me my own PS3 along with a Tacima C5939 6 mains conditioning block, Meridian 207 CD/Pre amp and Kimber mains cables. Oh, and music from Bach, David Gray, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits.

Watching / listening to the Panasonic 42" (HD ready) / Onkyo on Casino Royal (blue ray) I was disappointed with both the visual performance and the sound track. My own Samsung LE46M86 plugged into the mains conditioner is better in all respects giving higher detail, definition and vibrancy. I didn't think the PS3 was on the optimum settings, nor was the room balance set up properly. The Onkyo sound lacked openness and sparkle from the mid range upwards. Bass was tight and controlled but the system wasn't singing along and sounded closed in. I was surprised by this as I have recently heard the 605 with Kefs IQ7's/ Alumni which was very good on cinema.

Switching over to music transformed everything. Even the PlayStation sounded passable on Cd's! The tone, dynamics and balance created a listenable sound. Linking my Meridian up lifted everything up onto a level where one just drifts off into pure listening pleasure with the sound staging, openness, sweetness, detail and placement being excellent. I had brought the 207 across with the thought of buying the Roksan Kandy thinking it would be better....... it wasn't any more musical, its slightly more aggressive (without being harsh) a little more clinical. Prefered my 207, so that was a result! It brought home to me that there is little gain to be made (over the years) on high quality bits of kit, its just that nowadays top notch sound is much cheaper to buy.

So I kept my Meridian, bought the Onkyo 875/ Monitor Audio RS8, RSLCR, RSW12, RSFX and didn't bother listening to the Arcam. Was not fussed about the poor Blue Ray performance as I am sure it is just a "setting up properly" issue and the musicality is spot on if you feed it with a good power supply / CD source and speakers. The Silver series are the best match I have heard on music for larger rooms producing an effortless detailed sound at this price level.

They are coming over on Monday to set it up for me, got a great deal on price, paid £2180 in total including 30mtrs of Silver XT with airlock plugs and quality sub lead. (RRP around £3385). Hope my review helps, I have been listening to quality Hi Fi for over 30 years and have done my fair share of modifications with high end components on Quad, Cyrus, Audiolab, Marantz MA6 Monoblocks, Rogers.

http://www.wilkinsons.tv/

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks man! Have you had the chance to listen to this setup with the Gold or the Platinum line? Could the Onkyo power them properly?

 

[Anonymous]

When you demo'd the Onkyo did you set it to Pure Audio? I have the 875, with a NAD C542 cd player hooked into it through Van Den Hul the name interconnects and have the Onkyo set to Pure Audio whenever I listen to the music through the cd player on ipod. My understanding is that the Pure Audio setting is best for analogue connections.

 

[Anonymous]

No I haven't listened to the Gold ( too bigger center to fit!) or Platinium ones (way outside my budget). At that price point (5k) other makes would come into the picture to consider as well.

For the money I have paid nothing comes close to what I have chosen. It is being installed this morning so I am looking forward to bedding the system in (40 hrs) and tweeking the settings to my room.

 

[Anonymous]

The engineer took 5 hrs installing and setting up the system. Very pleased with the result, have bi amped the front speakers and bi wired the centre.
Watched Shrek the Third on blue ray last night twice!
CD of Pink Floyd (PS3) this AM was good, even with the mid range being a little closed. Amp handled everything effortlessly, even up to ear splitting levels with no distortions, a great piece of kit. I know my meridian 207 will blow the PS3 out of the water with CD's, will connect it up at the weekend when I find some space to put it!
Can't wait to get everything bedded in.

 

[Anonymous]

I just bought onkyo 875 pairing with SR8. My question is how did you bi-amp the front speaker SR8. Because in the manual onkyo mentioned that for bi-amping you have to have minimum 8 ohms speaker. As we know MA SR8 has 6 ohm nominal impedances.

 

[Anonymous]

Ive had some quad 12l's bi amp'd on my 875 since aug last year with no ill effect and they are 6ohm fella's