Amp + Speaker combo budget €2500 to pair with Rega P3/ND3

[TjerkT]

Hello,

I recently got a Planar 3 ND3 + TTPSU and Rega fono mini a2d. They are now paired to a set of Argon audio Forte A5's (old model).

THe turntable got me started and... well you know the drill.

Looking to upgrade to a 'serious entry level' setup, so somewhere in line with the P3. Will listen to a wide variety of music form TT and streaming (both Tidal/local NAS and Spotify from the wife / kids). Living room is 4,5m by 9m (by 2,6m) with speakers placed around 50cms from walls on the short end firing along the length of the room. Looking for bookshelves because of placement. Looking for bass in the same package because of no space for sub or floor standers.

Found the Marantz 60n + Monitor audio Silver 100 7G combo as most suitable. Also really liked the Cabasse Rialto for the serious sound and form factor, but being stuck with the software / app without guarantees on updates feels wrong.

But also considering investing more in amp and getting speakers second hand. I found the following speaker line-up
New:
Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G - €1150

Have found these second hand options:
Revel Concerta2 M16 - €600
Wharfedale Evo 4.1 - €300
Jamo concert C93 II - €400
Dali Oberon - €300
KEF LS50 META - €750

Live in the Netherlands, any help greatly appreciated!

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Hi there tjerk, first of all, I think a rethinking of the speakers setup might be addressed,
If it was me, I'd try, try, try to get whatever speakers you eventually settle on...firing across the shorter side of the room.....so speakers on the 9mtr wall firing across the 4.5 metres.....this will make a tremendous difference to the bass performance, soundstage etc.......you'd need a mighty large and expensive set to fire down a 9 metre long room, that ceiling is also very high.. Just my 2cents worth.

 

[TjerkT]

Hi there tjerk, first of all, I think a rethinking of the speakers setup might be addressed,
If it was me, I'd try, try, try to get whatever speakers you eventually settle on...firing across the shorter side of the room.....so speakers on the 9mtr wall firing across the 4.5 metres.....this will make a tremendous difference to the bass performance, soundstage etc.......you'd need a mighty large and expensive set to fire down a 9 metre long room, that ceiling is also very high.. Just my 2cents worth.

Hi @skinnypuppy71,

that's a very interesting take. This would be quite manageable in terms of placement, but the speakers would have to be very 'toed-in' (more like, legged-in), to aim at the listening area's (3 m's in on either side), wouldn't this ruin the stereo image?

 

[Al ears]

I would also add the fact you aren't going to get huge amounts of bass from bookshelf speakers really.
There are floorstanders that take up the same footprint as speaker stands.
Do you already own speaker stands? If hot you will have to factor some into your budget.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Hi @skinnypuppy71,

that's a very interesting take. This would be quite manageable in terms of placement, but the speakers would have to be very 'toed-in' (more like, legged-in), to aim at the listening area's (3 m's in on either side), wouldn't this ruin the stereo image?

Every manufacturer has their own take ones toe in or fire straight ahead.....I have tried both with my Neat petite classics and a good few others over the years and it doesn't really tend to make a huge difference (in my room). My room is 3.6x 5 m and I have my system firing across the shorter side....I also used to have it firing down the length of the room...was always a bit..meh!...untill I decided to swap it round, mainly due to putting a flat screen on the wall.......a revelation happened in my room that day...lol...
but your situation is different due to the sheer length of that room....it's large and a compact lower powered system will perform more within it's limits firing across the shorted side of your room.

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

My PMC prodigy P5s take up less real estate than my Opticon 2s on Dali M601 stands..
The P5s pump out seriously o impressive bass which is tigh5 and controlled ( amp helps too)
The OPTICONS are beautifully musical though in my small home office..
A room of your size needs good amp and speakers combination.

Choices however are endless