Arcam Alpha 7SE CD and 8R Amp - which speakers?

[Anonymous]

slithytove wrote:
...........the studio engineers are ADAMANT that expensive speaker cables are a con......

+1 for this line of thought.

Spending more than the cost of QED 79-strand cable is just God's way of telling you that you have too much money.

As for the speaker issue I would heartily recommend B&W 601 S2s as being a no-risk option.

They can be had on the bay for around £100.

B&W 602s are even better and go for around the £150 mark....

 

[Anonymous]

Errr,,, Just had a bit of a brain freeze and bought some MA S1s.

Anything I should be aware of? ( Other than the dangers of buying stuff on a whim)

 

[plastic penguin]

slithytove:

Errr,,, Just had a bit of a brain freeze and bought some MA S1s.

Anything I should be aware of? ( Other than the dangers of buying stuff on a whim)

The S1s were the forerunner to the RS1s. The latter were very competent speakers, although not heard the S1s, should match well with Arcams. TBH, can't help thinking you've missed an opportunity... the latter versions, including the BX range would be far better.

Good luck with them and let us know how they sound.

Cheers, pp

 

[Anonymous]

OK, so like I said I'm a noob, but to my uneducated ears the whole thing sounds great!

I don't know the technical terms but so much more involving, warmer and happier-when-loud than old CAS4040, Denon 500AE and 9.1s. I could maybe have done better for my £300 but I'm happy and what the ear can't hear the heart can't grieve about...

When I actually give up smoking and really do have this extra cash I've been spending, I might try to do something about getting the ipod to sound halfway decent through it. Cheapo Rothdock not good.

Oh, and a 9P and a tuner and some decent headphones and cables and .....

 

[plastic penguin]

slithytove:

OK, so like I said I'm a noob, but to my uneducated ears the whole thing sounds great!

I don't know the technical terms but so much more involving, warmer and happier-when-loud than old CAS4040, Denon 500AE and 9.1s. I could maybe have done better for my £300 but I'm happy and what the ear can't hear the heart can't grieve about...

When I actually give up smoking and really do have this extra cash I've been spending, I might try to do something about getting the ipod to sound halfway decent through it. Cheapo Rothdock not good.

Oh, and a 9P and a tuner and some decent headphones and cables and .....

Well done - probably find over the next couple of weeks or so they'll sound even better.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

Not sure if anyone will notice my reopening this thread but just wanted to give a quick update and ask for more advice.

I have now added an 8P and an rDock to my set-up and the improvement is marked ( wavs on ipod sound almost as good as cds - maybe I need a new CDP) but I'm rather regretting my impulse buy of MA S1s.

On lots of music the system sounds fine ( Ska/Reggae, Folky acoustic stuff, electro etc) tight punchy bass, crystal clear treble; but with a lot of the rockier stuff ( Pixies, Hard-Fi, Horrors) it all sounds a bit harsh and tiring on the ears. Now I should mention that the room is undoubtedly v bright ( mostly wooden floors, big windows) but Arcam not known for harshness so unless my ears are deceiving me I either need to do something about the brightness of the room, move the whole thing upstairs to the study or look at buying some new(ish) speakers

Thoughts anyone? As mentioned previously I am a complete beginner at this, so please be patient.

Thanks

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi all,

Not sure if anyone will notice my reopening this thread but just wanted to give a quick update and ask for more advice.

I have now added an 8P and an rDock to my set-up and the improvement is marked ( wavs on ipod sound almost as good as cds - maybe I need a new CDP) but I'm rather regretting my impulse buy of MA S1s.

On lots of music the system sounds fine ( Ska/Reggae, Folky acoustic stuff, electro etc) tight punchy bass, crystal clear treble; but with a lot of the rockier stuff ( Pixies, Hard-Fi, Horrors) it all sounds a bit harsh and tiring on the ears. Now I should mention that the room is undoubtedly v bright ( mostly wooden floors, big windows) but Arcam not known for harshness so unless my ears are deceiving me I either need to do something about the brightness of the room, move the whole thing upstairs to the study or look at buying some new(ish) speakers

Thoughts anyone? As mentioned previously I am a complete beginner at this, so please be patient.

Thanks

It sounds like the MAs are the problem. Your amps give a nice rich tonal balance. For a reflective room such as yours I'd look at soft domed speakers such as Focal, PMC and maybe even Epos, but it depends on your budget.

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, the budget. Hmm, it depends who you ask. We've just moved house - hence the big new front room - and money is quite tight. But if I can barter for some of the rapidly increasing curtain budget and get a bit of money for the S1s, say £300-£350.

 

[plastic penguin]

Ah, the budget. Hmm, it depends who you ask. We've just moved house - hence the big new front room - and money is quite tight. But if I can barter for some of the rapidly increasing curtain budget and get a bit of money for the S1s, say £300-£350.

I'd be inclined to move towards earlier PMC DB1 originals or the Plus version, or Focal 706 or Epos M5is.

 

[plastic penguin]

Ah, the budget. Hmm, it depends who you ask. We've just moved house - hence the big new front room - and money is quite tight. But if I can barter for some of the rapidly increasing curtain budget and get a bit of money for the S1s, say £300-£350.

I'd be inclined to move towards earlier PMC DB1 originals or the Plus version, or Focal 706 or Epos M5is.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. I shall investigate and let you know how I get on.