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matthewpianist

matthewpianist

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JDL said:
Mathew, what's your opinion on speakers?
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A lot comes down to taste and interaction with your room, so they should be your primary concerns.

I owned a pair of LS50 Meta and although I could hear strengths in them, they left me cold overall, and I certainly felt they needed to be turned up considerably to sound their best. This was having tried them with amps including the Quad Artera Play+/Stereo pre/power combination - plenty of quality power and current delivery on tap.

Depending on the size of your room I would be inclined to give the B&W 707s2 more opportunity to shine, they're very talented speakers. However, in your position, I would also have thoughts of selling all 3 pairs and buying something along with the new amp, or switching to a powered/active solution.

What kind of sound are you looking for? What are your musical tastes?
 
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WayneKerr

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Just be careful, John, you are poised to jump down that rabbit hole that we've all experienced from time to time. It empties your bank balance quicker than anything I've known, except for a wife/partner/kids :)
You now have three sets of speakers and asking about a sub too so you definitely feel something is still lacking. You'll never get the equivalent of a concert hall with hifi, it will always be a compromise.
Have the builders finished yet and is your kit in your desired listening room?
 
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twinkletoes

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JDL said:
Thanks for the advice. It looks like I'm seriously behind the times. One thing is though, I don't want to spend money on features that I won't use and don't want, like streaming, Bluetooth. I want all the money to go into the quality of a simple amp with line level source for my CD players that's all.
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you're not behind the times at all my friend specs only take you so far, and most of this listening at low volumes stuff takes actually listening to that said item to find out.

You're certainly not alone on the simplicity front. I don't stream or use any "modern" tech beyond a dac. It's all very honest hifi. My amp is a 70-ish-year-old design with a modern finish. My speakers have been in constant production since the 50's. You really can't get much more behind the times lol

As i say your best bet is to ring a dealer see what you can get for trade-in on any old gear that you may want to sell if any and have word about your requirements even if you dont intend to buy straight away. if they have time they'll have a right old chin wag with you about it all.
 
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JDL

JDL

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matthewpianist said:
A lot comes down to taste and interaction with your room, so they should be your primary concerns.

I owned a pair of LS50 Meta and although I could hear strengths in them, they left me cold overall, and I certainly felt they needed to be turned up considerably to sound their best. This was having tried them with amps including the Quad Artera Play+/Stereo pre/power combination - plenty of quality power and current delivery on tap.

Depending on the size of your room I would be inclined to give the B&W 707s2 more opportunity to shine, they're very talented speakers. However, in your position, I would also have thoughts of selling all 3 pairs and buying something along with the new amp, or switching to a powered/active solution.

What kind of sound are you looking for? What are your musical tastes?
Click to expand...
Hi Mathew, I hate to admit this but I purchased some second hand LS 50 Metas from eBay, really on the say so of What Hi Fi's testers and their verdict of 5 stars a few years running. They're quite a nice looking speaker I suppose, however, I prefer speakers with covers on them and I had the same reaction as you. They sounded lifeless to me, everything sounded as though it was slightly muffled.
The B&W 707 S2 speakers I also purchased earlier were impressive for their size but they did seem to lack the sense of space and depth of my 602 S3 bought in 2007 and are perhaps a little bright for my taste. Maybe I'll try them out again. I believe the 706 might have suited me better because my living room where the hi-fi will go, when it's ready is a large medium sized room.
Furthermore, I am slightly miffed by the fact that KEF and B&W now produce the speakers that I purchased in China, yet they still charge top money for them.
This morning I reinstalled my older made in England B&W 602 S3 speakers as a comparison again. I'm after a sound with depth, space, detail, speed, good quality, perhaps slightly on the side of warmth but accuracy.
I had convinced myself that with all the progress made, modern speakers would have to sound better notwithstanding size. Perhaps it's driver size that matters, I don't know.
Nevertheless, I still intend to go ahead with an amplifier upgrade.
My musical tastes are classical, Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Baroque, Saint Saens, Rontgen, and others, nothing too angular or abstract. Lots of Piano Concertos and late 60s to mid 70s rock, Motown sometimes, jazz fusion for the sake of very good drummers and bass players.
 
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JDL

JDL

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WayneKerr said:
Just be careful, John, you are poised to jump down that rabbit hole that we've all experienced from time to time. It empties your bank balance quicker than anything I've known, except for a wife/partner/kids :)
You now have three sets of speakers and asking about a sub too so you definitely feel something is still lacking. You'll never get the equivalent of a concert hall with hifi, it will always be a compromise.
Have the builders finished yet and is your kit in your desired listening room?
Click to expand...
No the damned builders haven't quite finished yet and again thanks for your valued advice. I've put the KEFs straight back on eBay and it looks as though they'll sell ok I got three offers almost immediately.
I don't intend to do anymore buying other than the amp upgrade which is I think, going to come from a dealer with a guarantee and I've decided to stick with what I know and like. As for a sub, that can wait if I ever even bother to get one.
 
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WayneKerr

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JDL said:
No the damned builders haven't quite finished yet and again thanks for your valued advice. I've put the KEFs straight back on eBay and it looks as though they'll sell ok I got three offers almost immediately.
I don't intend to do anymore buying other than the amp upgrade which is I think, going to come from a dealer with a guarantee and I've decided to stick with what I know and like. As for a sub, that can wait if I ever even bother to get one.
Click to expand...
Speakers really are very much down to personal preference and their interaction with the room. You might not like the LS50's, I might adore them :)
Crazy game this hifi lark, welcome to the asylum :)
 
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JDL

JDL

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WayneKerr said:
Speakers really are very much down to personal preference and their interaction with the room. You might not like the LS50's, I might adore them :)
Crazy game this hifi lark, welcome to the asylum :)
Click to expand...
Ha ha. Hmm. The asylum. I've just been looking at that NAD C3050 LE. It's kind of cool looking isn't it. But I have my doubts that it would sound as capable as the Marantz Model 30, which I had set my sights on. Anyway I've known that I'm crazy for years......or it might be everyone else that's crazy and not me!!!🤣
 
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WayneKerr

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JDL said:
Ha ha. Hmm. The asylum. I've just been looking at that NAD C3050 LE. It's kind of cool looking isn't it. But I have my doubts that it would sound as capable as the Marantz Model 30, which I had set my sights on. Anyway I've known that I'm crazy for years......or it might be everyone else that's crazy and not me!!!🤣
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I stopped looking at new kit 3 years ago John, it's called contentment :) You appear to have both Richer Sounds and Audio T in Cardiff and Swansea, these anywhere near you?
 
JDL

JDL

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WayneKerr said:
I stopped looking at new kit 3 years ago John, it's called contentment :) You appear to have both Richer Sounds and Audio T in Cardiff and Swansea, these anywhere near you?
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They're a fair drive away and my car's being fixed at the moment which means scrounging a lift from my brother, who doesn't quite understand the desirability of hi-fi gear🤣
 
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matthewpianist

matthewpianist

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Reading about your musical tastes and room size it wouldn't at all surprise me if you find your older B&Ws the best option for you, out of what you have.

I would strongly recommend Musical Fidelity amplification, and you could get an M3Si within your budget and probably never want to change your amplifier again. The other option worth exploring is powered/active speakers, but that's another rabbit hole in itself.

Whatever you do, audition - even if it means waiting until your car is fixed.
 
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