An interesting and opposing speaker choice to make.

[Native_bon]

Hi all, so after a few weeks waiting with no progress I've today finally made the next big step/test forward - the big one that I've been waiting for infact. I got a chance to plug a pir of Tannoy Turnberry GR's with the same Icon Audio amp as mine (though with a different set of valves admittedly, KT150's instead of my KT120's). The CD player used however was something that gives less detail and clarity than my audiolab.

The Turnberry's are the slightly bigger brothers of the Stirlings I have my eye on - they are more or less the same speaker in a bigger cabinet, and despite being on the smaller end of the prestige range, I can say they were pretty freakin' huge! Much bigger than I expected. And given that the Stirlings are not all that much smaller - I would say the Stirling is pretty much bang on the size I am looking for - if not even potentially still a bit big - the living room will easily take it!

They also are a very nice looking set of furniture, which is a plus. They'll go very well with my furniture, so on that note, the one minor worry is put aside.

More importantly, the sound - well firstly they were tested at a favourite shop of mine "Audio Gold" in london. Great friendly shop, selling mostly antique hi-fi equipment and Vinyl, and a bit of an aladdins cave. They have a brilliant friendly service, with no push to sell. It's a somewhat imperfect listenning room however, as there is a great deal of clutter, and so many passive speaker cones, grilles, cabinets, and just about everything else about to soak up and flatten and deaden the sound in there, so it's a very poor approximation comparative to my living room, which will undoubtedly be livelier, as well as larger.

The Turnberry's however were frankly.... admirable! They produce a lush, big sound, whilst being remarkably easy to drive (we didnt turn the amp over roughly 1/4 volume - i needed much more for the PM1). The detail and clarity was fantastic, the balance really good with the big band horns still having a full punch that others have missed. In a better room I would feel as if I was right there... these seriously blew away the PM1 (or frankly any others I've heard) for detail which remains with a cohesive presentation. Classical instruments and the full orchestra equally sounded fully detailed and lush, it was quite an experience, except for the accoustic deadenning of the room sitting on the shoulders like a ton of bricks to weigh it down - the room didnt quite let the speakers sing at the top end quite as I'd hoped, but to be fair, that really is splitting hairs because in any better and more open space, I think the treble would have a fantastic realism.

Also splitting hairs would be the bass, perhaps a touch large for my taste - it was certainly more than ample and full in scale, and with a valve amp, perhaps could have had slightly better control, but to be fair again - they have all the colour and feel of the instrument that most speakers lack, really hearing the wood of the double bass. The assistant at the shop said that the Stirlings (which they did have in before) are VERY similar to the turnberry in sound and presentation, but for the Turnberry's having that bit bigger bass due to the larger cabinet. This seems to make sense, and therefore again points me towards the Stirlings over the Turnberry.

The Turnberry's to my ears, and despite this awful room, were instantly clearer and more likeable than the Harbeth SuperHL5+ which in many ways was the most similar presentation I've heard to date, and far more engaging than the CM9, CM10 or 805D.

SO, knowing that I've punched holes in every speaker I've heard to date - where did these fall down? That's so far the most difficult question to answer of any I've tested, I perhaps wanted them to sing just a touch more in the treble, but really think that is likely the room and positioning of them (though they dont seem picky in placement). Otherwise, I would say for Parov Stelar or Woodkid, i.e modern music didnt quite have the edge it wants, again though, that's very difficult to reach with the valve amp, and a relatively unimportant test. With Pearl Jam, I initially felt it a bit warm, also losing a bit of edge, but then after some moments my ears attuned and I was quite happy - and overwhelmed if turning the volume up at all! Seriously... they can ROCK with volume!

Also, we plugged in some vintage Celestion DItton 44 (i think) speakers to compare to. A bit damaged, but only £550 due to age, these gave a great performance, in terms of lush warm waves of sound coming out, they were hugely enjoyable, an absolute bargain for the money. However they really lacked detail in comparison to the Tannoy's. The shop owner said he has a pair at home so he can effectively relax as they are so warm and easy to listen to. Very much worth a listen, though I am not sure I want to see them in my living room!

Lastly, as someone mentioned somewhere above to try alternative sources - another customer tried the same Icon Audio/Tannoy set-up with a vintage turntable rather than my CD's and... wow! It was a match made in heaven on a Ray Charles disc! So silky and rich... that really was a joy to the ears. So yes, at some point I will have to get a turntable!

But for now, the Turnberry's have been the best speaker I've heard to date, to the extent I think it's time to buy, bearing in mind the slightly cheaper and smaller cabinets of the Stirlings may just reign in the bass a little in my favour!

So... I'm going to mull it over for a couple of days, but I'm very likely to buy the Stirlings at the cut-down £2600. At this price, they even feel like good value comparatively!

Been reading this thread with a lot of interest. Funny enough I was at Audio Gold in London less two weeks ago. Best service I have received from any Hifi shop so far. Friendly and relaxed shop. Heavenly place for vintage hifi. Going there again to audition some speakers Nxt week.

Seems you really knew what you were looking for and got it. Was nice reading about your story. I will be on a journey soon to dwn size step by step and would not just settle for any sound. Most popular main stream speakers do not rock my boat. I like my current speakers but still think it could do better in terms of openness in the mid range. I may go active but will take the path which sounds best to me. ENJOY!

 

[RLCCM]

Hi all, so after a few weeks waiting with no progress I've today finally made the next big step/test forward - the big one that I've been waiting for infact. I got a chance to plug a pir of Tannoy Turnberry GR's with the same Icon Audio amp as mine (though with a different set of valves admittedly, KT150's instead of my KT120's). The CD player used however was something that gives less detail and clarity than my audiolab.

The Turnberry's are the slightly bigger brothers of the Stirlings I have my eye on - they are more or less the same speaker in a bigger cabinet, and despite being on the smaller end of the prestige range, I can say they were pretty freakin' huge! Much bigger than I expected. And given that the Stirlings are not all that much smaller - I would say the Stirling is pretty much bang on the size I am looking for - if not even potentially still a bit big - the living room will easily take it!

They also are a very nice looking set of furniture, which is a plus. They'll go very well with my furniture, so on that note, the one minor worry is put aside.

More importantly, the sound - well firstly they were tested at a favourite shop of mine "Audio Gold" in london. Great friendly shop, selling mostly antique hi-fi equipment and Vinyl, and a bit of an aladdins cave. They have a brilliant friendly service, with no push to sell. It's a somewhat imperfect listenning room however, as there is a great deal of clutter, and so many passive speaker cones, grilles, cabinets, and just about everything else about to soak up and flatten and deaden the sound in there, so it's a very poor approximation comparative to my living room, which will undoubtedly be livelier, as well as larger.

The Turnberry's however were frankly.... admirable! They produce a lush, big sound, whilst being remarkably easy to drive (we didnt turn the amp over roughly 1/4 volume - i needed much more for the PM1). The detail and clarity was fantastic, the balance really good with the big band horns still having a full punch that others have missed. In a better room I would feel as if I was right there... these seriously blew away the PM1 (or frankly any others I've heard) for detail which remains with a cohesive presentation. Classical instruments and the full orchestra equally sounded fully detailed and lush, it was quite an experience, except for the accoustic deadenning of the room sitting on the shoulders like a ton of bricks to weigh it down - the room didnt quite let the speakers sing at the top end quite as I'd hoped, but to be fair, that really is splitting hairs because in any better and more open space, I think the treble would have a fantastic realism.

Also splitting hairs would be the bass, perhaps a touch large for my taste - it was certainly more than ample and full in scale, and with a valve amp, perhaps could have had slightly better control, but to be fair again - they have all the colour and feel of the instrument that most speakers lack, really hearing the wood of the double bass. The assistant at the shop said that the Stirlings (which they did have in before) are VERY similar to the turnberry in sound and presentation, but for the Turnberry's having that bit bigger bass due to the larger cabinet. This seems to make sense, and therefore again points me towards the Stirlings over the Turnberry.

The Turnberry's to my ears, and despite this awful room, were instantly clearer and more likeable than the Harbeth SuperHL5+ which in many ways was the most similar presentation I've heard to date, and far more engaging than the CM9, CM10 or 805D.

SO, knowing that I've punched holes in every speaker I've heard to date - where did these fall down? That's so far the most difficult question to answer of any I've tested, I perhaps wanted them to sing just a touch more in the treble, but really think that is likely the room and positioning of them (though they dont seem picky in placement). Otherwise, I would say for Parov Stelar or Woodkid, i.e modern music didnt quite have the edge it wants, again though, that's very difficult to reach with the valve amp, and a relatively unimportant test. With Pearl Jam, I initially felt it a bit warm, also losing a bit of edge, but then after some moments my ears attuned and I was quite happy - and overwhelmed if turning the volume up at all! Seriously... they can ROCK with volume!

Also, we plugged in some vintage Celestion DItton 44 (i think) speakers to compare to. A bit damaged, but only £550 due to age, these gave a great performance, in terms of lush warm waves of sound coming out, they were hugely enjoyable, an absolute bargain for the money. However they really lacked detail in comparison to the Tannoy's. The shop owner said he has a pair at home so he can effectively relax as they are so warm and easy to listen to. Very much worth a listen, though I am not sure I want to see them in my living room!

Lastly, as someone mentioned somewhere above to try alternative sources - another customer tried the same Icon Audio/Tannoy set-up with a vintage turntable rather than my CD's and... wow! It was a match made in heaven on a Ray Charles disc! So silky and rich... that really was a joy to the ears. So yes, at some point I will have to get a turntable!

But for now, the Turnberry's have been the best speaker I've heard to date, to the extent I think it's time to buy, bearing in mind the slightly cheaper and smaller cabinets of the Stirlings may just reign in the bass a little in my favour!

So... I'm going to mull it over for a couple of days, but I'm very likely to buy the Stirlings at the cut-down £2600. At this price, they even feel like good value comparatively!

Been reading this thread with a lot of interest. Funny enough I was at Audio Gold in London less two weeks ago. Best service I have received from any Hifi shop so far. Friendly and relaxed shop. Heavenly place for vintage hifi. Going there again to audition some speakers Nxt week.

Seems you really knew what you were looking for and got it. Was nice reading about your story. I will be on a journey soon to dwn size step by step and would not just settle for any sound. Most popular main stream speakers do not rock my boat. I like my current speakers but still think it could do better in terms of openness in the mid range. I may go active but will take the path which sounds best to me. ENJOY!

Yes completely agree, Audio Gold are ... gold! thansk for the kind post, I'd be equally interested to hear what speakers you are running and how your story unfolds.

 

[RLCCM]

Yes, i think this is very close to my ideal. And without a huge amount of extra effort, probably as close as I will reasonably get, considering the effort gone in so far. So tomorrow, if I get time, I think I will put the call in to buy the Stirlings. I have also thuoght that if after some time I decide to move on, at this reduced price I've been offered, I shouldnt be losing much money from them at all if I decide to sell somewhere down the line.

As ever though Cno, you do bring up another point of "tweaking" that can be done, in the cables. I did actually buy some new cable for my surround sound system at Audio Gold today - relatively inexpensive (£5/m) but decent and chunky copper cable. I will have a brief play at some point soon against my current cable, which is from the same shop £15/m silver cable made by Chord (Rumour 2, it says on the wire!). It will be interesting to see the difference that makes, with both my current set-up, and potentially soon to be new set-up!

 

[Rethep]

Again if you spend that amount of money and want that kind of sound, try to listen to some Audio Note's AZ-2! They are very well suited to valve amps, and sound very free from boxiness, very open like panel speakers but with cone-speakers-power! Their system is similar to my Peitho's. It can be auditioned somewhere in your country. Even there is a new model on it's way (AZ Two D, at $ 3250).

Good luck!

 

[RLCCM]

After deciding that the Prestige series are really very good - i've taken a small leap of faith in the Stirlings (bearing in mind ive not tested them, only Turnberry's) with the advice that the Stirling will be a better fit for my taste anyway in balance. I also figured it would take many more monghs to do any more real testing

so i've ordered a pair! I'll update once again with initial impressions once they arrive!

 

[DocG]

After deciding that the Prestige series are really very good - i've taken a small leap of faith in the Stirlings (bearing in mind ive not tested them, only Turnberry's) with the advice that the Stirling will be a better fit for my taste anyway in balance. I also figured it would take many more monghs to do any more real testing

so i've ordered a pair! I'll update once again with initial impressions once they arrive!

*ok* Good man! Keep us posted...

 

[Native_bon]

After deciding that the Prestige series are really very good - i've taken a small leap of faith in the Stirlings (bearing in mind ive not tested them, only Turnberry's) with the advice that the Stirling will be a better fit for my taste anyway in balance. I also figured it would take many more monghs to do any more real testing

so i've ordered a pair! I'll update once again with initial impressions once they arrive!

Also would like to hear your feed back. Would be interesting to see what they sound like compared to your R300's. I know the Tannoy's are in a different league, but knowing what the R300's sound like I may try the tannoy's out myself.

 

[RLCCM]

I really expect them to be in a different league to the R300's! Though if anything can be said about them from the Turnberry test at Audio Gold, then they certainly will be! If they aren't then these speakers will be sent straight back! Will report when the time comes, hopefull not too long anyway, I'm somewhat excited!

 

[Andrewjvt]

I really expect them to be in a different league to the R300's! Though if anything can be said about them from the Turnberry test at Audio Gold, then they certainly will be! If they aren't then these speakers will be sent straight back! Will report when the time comes, hopefull not too long anyway, I'm somewhat excited!

With your review to come

 

[Andrewjvt]

The Stirlings have arrived! I picked them up on monday.

So, here's my initial report! Firstly straight out of the box, the impression of these things is impressive, they are pretty large, though the size works well enough for me, and I think they look great, and am very happy with the build quality and looks. They certainly give the impression of quality.

On first listenning, they have quite a similar character to the R300's and a relatively similar balance, though obviously more detailed.

Actually being honest, I wasnt instantly blown away by the sound, not exactly disappointed but neither am I raving about them.. yet, as not being quite as crisp and open as I had orginally hoped/expected, but I wil qualify that. There's a lot of detail, and what's more is this detail is concise and together in those big band horns than in others I have previously tested, it certainly has punch! It's also an instantly enjoyable and engaging warm sound, so yes they "swing" which is rare in speakers - and my primary criteria. The bass on first turn-on was huge, far bigger than I could live with realistically withought neighbours wishing to kill me, but I've managed to temper this in 2 ways, firstly adding the "feet" and secondly by adjusting the frequency crossover screws to boost treble, thus the bass is back down to quite useable and happy levels.?

Two other factors are also becoming quite apparent. Firstly was that my room is accoustically awful. I've mentioned before that it's a lot of hard surfaces, and not a lot to dampen them. Thus speakers tend to sound a little bit lost as if they are in a big hall or cave, with too much reverb! This is still the case. Now, the stirlings have abslutely no trouble filling the room, they dont feel at all lost, which the R300's occasionally could, but some of that detail and openness I heard in Audio Gold is lost. The room will be improved with the addition of some rugs and extra furnishing!

Secondly, is that these things are clearly improving quickly. On the first listen, the bass was a bit muddy, and far too large - it's tightened up a lot since then, and the scale has become less "pronounced" yes I've tweaked them a bit, but also, it's very apparent that they need to wear in. So is the treble, which is just starting to come alive as they begin to lose their stickiness. Even my flatmate (long story, but hopefully only a temporary measure) today commented that they seemed to sound a bit better - and his ears are certainly not ordinarily attuned. Ella and Satchmo today sounded really lovely and just starting to come alive.

Thirdly, I've had very little chance to listen to actually test them at decent volume levels! Most of my listenning has been at very low levels so as not to disturb my neighbours, and flatmate (who seems to arrive just as I'm starting and asks to turn them down so he can rest or chat.... and goes to bed (very) early... it's getting frustrating!). They've had probably around 8-10 hours of use so far, of which mostly have been at very low levels. Now please will someone advise if this is a bad thing during the bedding-in phase! I really want to make sure they bed in properly.?

Otherwise though, they definitely show most of the character I was after. They have big vintage (though somehow also still modern) styled cabinets which give the full rich, warm balance with punchy mid-levels that my music demands, and certainly are engaging where Harbeths were not!

I will report again in another week or two when they have really bedded in, and I've had more chance to fully sample their qualities and had some decent volumes pumping, baring in mind I've a 2 week period of grace if I want to take them back!?

?

 ?

?

   

D'ya have any pictures?

 

[RLCCM]

The Stirlings have arrived! I picked them up on monday.

So, here's my initial report! Firstly straight out of the box, these things are impressive furniture, pretty large, though the size works well enough for me, and I think they look great, and am very happy with the build quality and looks. They certainly give the impression of quality.

On first listenning, they have quite a similar vain of character to the R300's and a relatively similar balance, though obviously with more detail.

Actually being honest, I wasnt instantly blown away by the sound, don't get me wrong, I like them, but neither am I raving about them... yet... not being quite as crisp and open as I had orginally hoped/expected, but I will also qualify that as there seem to be a few potential reasons, as well as being a touch sticky or stiff perhaps. There's a lot of detail, and what's more is this detail is concise and together for the brass or sax sections, yet they are not overly polite nor do they lack midrange punch! In other words, they can "swing" which is my main criteria, and have an instantly enjoyable and engaging warm sound, that is not "too bright". The bass on first turn-on was somewhat large, far bigger than I could live with realistically withought neighbours wishing to kill me, but I've managed to temper this in 2 ways, firstly adding the "feet" and secondly by adjusting the frequency crossover screws to boost treble, thus the bass is back down to quite useable and happy levels.

Two other factors are also becoming quite apparent. Firstly was that my room is accoustically awful. I've mentioned before that it's a lot of hard surfaces, and not a lot to dampen them. Thus speakers tend to sound a little bit lost as if they are in a big hall or cave, with too much reverb! This is still the case. Now, the stirlings have abslutely no trouble filling the room, they dont feel at all lost, which the R300's occasionally could, but some of that detail and openness I heard in Audio Gold isn't quite there either. The room will be improved with the addition of some rugs and extra furnishing!

Secondly, is that these things are clearly improving quickly. On the first listen, the bass was a bit muddy, and far too large - it's tightened up a lot since then, with the double bass texture now coming through much better, as well as the scale becoming less "pronounced". Yes I've tweaked them a bit but also, it's very apparent that they need to wear in. So does the treble, which is just starting to come alive as they begin to lose their stickiness, becoming smoother. Even my flatmate (long story, but hopefully only a temporary measure) today commented that they seemed to sound a bit better - and his ears are certainly not ordinarily attuned to minor changes. Ella and Satchmo today were sounding quite lovely, and starting to come alive.

Thirdly, I've had very little chance to actually test them at decent volume levels! Most of my listenning has been at very low levels so as not to disturb my neighbours, and flatmate (who seems to arrive just as I'm starting, and asks to turn them down so he can rest or chat.... and he goes to bed (very) early... it's getting frustrating!). They've had probably around 8-10 hours of use so far, of which mostly have been at very low levels. Now please will someone advise if this is a bad thing during the bedding-in phase! I really want to make sure they bed in properly.

Otherwise though, they definitely show most of the character I was after. They have big vintage (though somehow also still modern) styled cabinets which give that full rich, warm balance with punchy mids and excitement that I want, and are certainly engaging where Harbeths for me were not!

I will report again in another week or two when they have really bedded in, and I've had more chance to fully sample their qualities and had some decent volumes pumping, dont have a stinking cold that stops me concentrating properly, and feel more up to writing more concisely about them! I've got to get my skates on though baring in mind I've a 2 week period of grace if I want to take them back.

 

[RLCCM]

It seems not! I cant work out how to get them on here - or for that matter, get the pop up box to work at all!

 

[CnoEvil]

It may be worth noting, that many reviewers won't even try to assess speakers until they've been left playing for a couple of days.

I'd give them a good 60 hours before deciding how they sound.

 

[RLCCM]

Good to know Cno... so no need to panic, but I do need to get my skates on to break them in!

Today I had a couple of hours and insisted on some volume! Still only 1/4 up the amps dial, but I'm sure the neighbours could hear it! They really are improving rapidly! Again I'll write a fuller review after some more breaking in, but current impressions are - pretty darned impressive!

Also a little experiment, firstly at ear level they are far better than even a small amount above it, so at some point I will look into getting their stands (at the moment they are at ear level when lying on the couch, rather than sitting!).

Secondly I spread a couple of large heavy towels and a single duvet on the floor to simulate a rug - this actually made a small but noticeable difference to clarity - which proves what I wondered, much of the reason I wasnt instantly "blown away" by them is down to the room itself. I badly need to figure out some more ways of dampening the room - thuogh soon I shall put down a large rug, which will be a very good start!

 

[roaduck]

Hi so, after setting out a long time ago to build a Hi-Fi system to love and cherish (delayed by other stresses and financial constraints), I've finally decided to pull the trigger to finish it off - and buy myself some dedicated speakers!

I'm running an Icon Audio Stereo 60 valve amp/Audiolab 8200CD to listen predominantly to Jazz and Swing (real 1930's-60's mind) music (other music is a far lesser concern for my sound). The valves suit this taste perfectly, however i've been running a pair of slightly aggressive/uncontrolled for my room, KEF R300's borrowed from the home cinema set-up (which has never seen the benefit of these speakers plugged in!). The KEF's have had to do a reasonable stop-gap job for a long time now. The room is a relatively large living room with a lot of hard reflective surfaces, and despite slowly furnishing the place (one or two more bits to go in still, including a rug on the tiled floor), its a touch on the echoey side.

In all my various testing over the last couple of years I've come to realise that a clear trebble and cohesive, full and punchy midrange is the most important thing to me, bass doesn't need to be "fat" for modern pop/electronic music rather it needs to be controlled and detailed to pick out the wooden sound of the double bass playing it. Overall therefore I'm looking for a relatively laid back, clear and beautifully coherent speaker that doesn't tire the ears, but most of all, is really engaging to listen to.

I've tried lots: B&W CM8-9's are good but lack engagement, KEF floorstanders tend to be a bit woolly, Big Triangle Signatures were great but not so well balanced for Jazz, Martin Logans sounded highly detailed for classical but completely lacked the punchy mid-range and low crossover for a Big Band. Modern Tannoy's mostly were a bit too polite, Totem's had a horrible lower midrange/bass crossover right on the trombones range (and I am a trombonist!). Focal 700 and 800 series are too aggressive and tiring on the ears. Harbeth SHL5+ didnt exactly grab me to start with (I felt they lacked a touch in openness), and though they improved considerably over an hour, I left somewhat undecided about their apparent neutrality, and a very high price tag. You get the picture....

As such I've eventually come to two completely different and opposing speakers to pick from - from completely different shops and both with with clearance offers or deals offered to me.
1. B&W PM1 (including stands) CHF 2100 = £1400 (full UK RRP £2400 inc stands). I like the look of these neat modern little standmounters, they would fit in to the jazzy/modern part-approach of my living room, and be less imposing as furniture than full blown floorstanders. As for the sound - despite being quite low sensitivity speakers my 60W valves run them easily. They were wonderfully clear in the shop, with solo instruments and treble really standing out with the Valve amp (far better than with an electronic amp), truly feeling like you are close to the soloist (a live recording of Wynton Marsalis sounded gorgeous and brought a grin to my face). They are quite coherent and I hope laid back enough to suit the room and music quite well. If nitpicking, the bass is possibly its weakest point, its not quite as detailed or crisp as I would like, though really not bad, and very good for its size. Of course these are standmounters so I can't expect them to give the overall width of sound as good floorstanders, they are however remarkable for their size, and importantly, they fit well and comfortably in my head for cost.

2. Tannoy Prestige Stirling GR €3550 = £2600 (full UK RRP £4000). I havent actually heard these specifically, but they are nightmareishly difficult to find. I've only heard their little brother the "autograph mini" which were tiny, and so couldnt possibly suit my space. But the mini's delivery was such a joy. After ages listenning and comparing my KEF R300's to some modern tannoys, martin logans and a few other randoms, these tiny speakers literally had me grinning ear to ear and wanting to dance where all others had failed! I couldnt buy them though, they were much too small, but I am led to believe the Stirlings will have a similar style to the delivery, but also the full and open sound of a floorstander. If the stirlings are anything like the much smaller and cheaper mini's in delivery, I expect a wonderfully engaging experience, with that cohesive and punchy midrange for the big band. As for their styling, they are a bit marmite, I like vintage things usually, and they would fit in with the "vintage" items in my room and appartment (the valve amp, and pictures of old sailing ships etc) rather than the more modern but neutral and darker feeling furniture I have. In otherwords, quirky... but maybe will pass! Probably the B&W will win on the looks front in my current appartment. Budget-wise it feels a touch uncomfortable however, and I likely wont get to test these exact speakers first (if I'm lucky the shop may have the slightly bigger tannoy turnberry's to test).

Anyway, I thought I would share - can anyone add their tuppence worth? I believe the prices are truly very good on both, meaning for value I think they beat most. Will the Stirling likely give me much more over the PM1 to justify that extra cost however? Is the standmounted nature of the PM1 really a drawback in that price range? Is there any other speaker that has the right feel and would compete with these at these prices? (bearing in mind the discounts I'm receiving).

Many thanks indeed for reading (and hopefully replying)!

I`m a tenor sax guy and I play 30`s trad because it cheers me up ( no anti depressants needed ) and is good for a cardio work out plus it`s fine in Manchester drizzle.
I take after my Mum - she was a concert pianist in the Halle Orchestra in the sixties.
My piano needs improvement LOL - best not go there!
Love Gunhild Carling BTW - beauty and brains - god she can play trad trombone whilst tap dancing and she can sing.
The whole family - Carling`s Darlings are all immensely talented - even the teenagers in the swing band are tremendous.
I shake a bucket for Shelter etc.

Adore trombone too - well done RLCCM !

Thinking out of the box I`d go for somat like good solid bookshelf 2-ways - probably sealed IB`s for controlled bass and expressive midrange.

Don`t know current makes and models but I`d try and audition smallish speakers from ATC, Proac, Dynaudio, Focal,
Top of the line Japanese bookshelfs can be excellent too.

These are my Onkyo D202A which weigh a ton and are very fast but not cold.
They are big bookshelf models that weigh 15 kgs each - have a 7-8 bass-mid and a good soft dome tweeter and quality crossover.
They were well over two grand a pair in the nineties and they have a genuine 35-35000 response plus a kind 6 ohm impedance.Here they are RLCCM...

Onkyo D-202Ax LTD : Bookshelf Speaker from Japan, anybody use it?

Hello I want to try buying Onkyo Bookshelf Speaker type D-202AX LTD, I see this speaker has a very wide frequency response, 30-35,000 Hz, impedance at 6 ohms - does anyone use this speaker? how is the sound quality? please give a little review - for a 6 ohm impedance, do these speakers really...

audiokarma.org

Erm old Neat Petites, small Revels, AVI, little old Rogers, Royd - can`t think at the mo.
The baby ATC`s are mega and Acoustic Energy AE1 and Proac Tablettes are fab IMHO - I`ve owned all three.
For high end phase coherence, good time alignment and realistic transients to make the speakers disappear I`d get a good bookshelf kit from Wilmslow Audio ready built, a very high quality figure of eight braced 18-25mm MDF cab or best birch ply together with a narrow gap, oversized voicecoil bass/mids with an Emit or Planar / high-end soft tweeter (for controlled break up modes) from some Chinese high end vendors .
They do bespoke for two grand and so do Wilmslow Audio.
Chinese high End is unreal now - I flogged serious kit in Hong Kong and Macau and have family in China so I`ve heard musical speakers that don`t sound dry and analytical like typical studio monitors although Adam and TOTR Genelecs don`t sound too bad either.
Get on the blower to Wilmslow Audio and discuss your requirements - you get a lot of speaker for your money.
They incorporate quality drivers from ATC, Morel, Seas, Scanspeak, Volt, RCF etc in their designs and they wipe the floor with 90% of off the shelf models.
Just for the record I was making folding MDF kits from Wilmslow Audio when I was seven or eight and they were giant killers and total bargains.
My friends got jealous - I was not surprised - haha!

My Danley DTS-10 Spud horn subwoofer was a kit imported from Georgia, USA for a grand and it is unreal and totally effortless but not bloated and boomy.
It makes the biggest SVS 15 inch sub sound like a pocket transistor radio in comparison.The equivalent would be bespoke Push-Pull infinite baffle or a £20000 - £30000 off the shelf unit or a bespoke LLT sub.Thing is it`s massive heavy and ugly but I don`t mind - I love ugly ducklings !

I`d go with a mega 2-way IB kit with custom veneers.

 

[Al ears]

I`m a tenor sax guy and I play 30`s trad because it cheers me up ( no anti depressants needed ) and is good for a cardio work out plus it`s fine in Manchester drizzle.
I take after my Mum - she was a concert pianist in the Halle Orchestra in the sixties.
My piano needs improvement LOL - best not go there!
Love Gunhild Carling BTW - beauty and brains - god she can play trad trombone whilst tap dancing and she can sing.
The whole family - Carling`s Darlings are all immensely talented - even the teenagers in the swing band are tremendous.
I shake a bucket for Shelter etc.

Adore trombone too - well done RLCCM !

Thinking out of the box I`d go for somat like good solid bookshelf 2-ways - probably sealed IB`s for controlled bass and expressive midrange.

Don`t know current makes and models but I`d try and audition smallish speakers from ATC, Proac, Dynaudio, Focal,
Top of the line Japanese bookshelfs can be excellent too.

These are my Onkyo D202A which weigh a ton and are very fast but not cold.
They are big bookshelf models that weigh 15 kgs each - have a 7-8 bass-mid and a good soft dome tweeter and quality crossover.
They were well over two grand a pair in the nineties and they have a genuine 35-35000 response plus a kind 6 ohm impedance.Here they are RLCCM...

Onkyo D-202Ax LTD : Bookshelf Speaker from Japan, anybody use it?

Hello I want to try buying Onkyo Bookshelf Speaker type D-202AX LTD, I see this speaker has a very wide frequency response, 30-35,000 Hz, impedance at 6 ohms - does anyone use this speaker? how is the sound quality? please give a little review - for a 6 ohm impedance, do these speakers really...

audiokarma.org

Erm old Neat Petites, small Revels, AVI, little old Rogers, Royd - can`t think at the mo.
The baby ATC`s are mega and Acoustic Energy AE1 and Proac Tablettes are fab IMHO - I`ve owned all three.
For high end phase coherence, good time alignment and realistic transients to make the speakers disappear I`d get a good bookshelf kit from Wilmslow Audio ready built, a very high quality figure of eight braced 18-25mm MDF cab or best birch ply together with a narrow gap, oversized voicecoil bass/mids with an Emit or Planar / high-end soft tweeter (for controlled break up modes) from some Chinese high end vendors .
They do bespoke for two grand and so do Wilmslow Audio.
Chinese high End is unreal now - I flogged serious kit in Hong Kong and Macau and have family in China so I`ve heard musical speakers that don`t sound dry and analytical like typical studio monitors although Adam and TOTR Genelecs don`t sound too bad either.
Get on the blower to Wilmslow Audio and discuss your requirements - you get a lot of speaker for your money.
They incorporate quality drivers from ATC, Morel, Seas, Scanspeak, Volt, RCF etc in their designs and they wipe the floor with 90% of off the shelf models.
Just for the record I was making folding MDF kits from Wilmslow Audio when I was seven or eight and they were giant killers and total bargains.
My friends got jealous - I was not surprised - haha!

My Danley DTS-10 Spud horn subwoofer was a kit imported from Georgia, USA for a grand and it is unreal and totally effortless but not bloated and boomy.
It makes the biggest SVS 15 inch sub sound like a pocket transistor radio in comparison.The equivalent would be bespoke Push-Pull infinite baffle or a £20000 - £30000 off the shelf unit or a bespoke LLT sub.Thing is it`s massive heavy and ugly but I don`t mind - I love ugly ducklings !

I`d go with a mega 2-way IB kit with custom veneers.

Please stop digging up ancient threads. Most of these people are now longer forum members...

 

[roaduck]

Please stop digging up ancient threads. Most of these people are now longer forum members

Oh I just realised the dates Al Ears excuse me I will mind that in the future.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.