Best speakers for Primare CDi10 - £400 budget

[admin_exported]

Hi

I have just upgraded to a CDi10 from a NAD c350 & c321i combo with B&W 601 s2 speakers. The sound with my new setup sounds overly bright and there is not the depth in bass that I previously had.

I'm going to get some new speakers come pay day at the end of the month and have narrowed down my list to.

B&W CM1 (£415 superfi)

B&W 685 (£333 superfi)

MS Mezzo 2 (£290 richer sounds)

I already have some QED silver anneversity Bi-Wire and Actama 24 stands, would these need upgrading and if so what to.

I listen to hip hop, drum and bass and acoustic music mainly and the room it is in is quite small so floorstanders are out of the question.

Has anyone got a CDi10 and what have you got them with, also are there any other speakers that I shoud put on my short list?

Thanks. D

 

[Anonymous]

I would suggest that you don't buy anything for at least a month. Whether you believe in component run in or not, most people feel that new equipment "sounds better" after a period of use. This may of course just be your ears adjusting to the new sound, but anyways, I'd say it would be wise to let things settle before putting your hand back in your pocket.

 

[JoelSim]

In my experience B&W excel at bass, but I doubt whether the 685s will be much different to what you have. You may be better off with some Epos m12.2 or PMC DB1s (second hand).

Have you thought about some small floorstanders like Neat Elite, again second hand?

I have the QED and it's very revealing and although it works brilliantly in my system, some other posters have suggested it's overly bright in theirs. Can you borrow some other speaker cable from a shop?

ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

Well I have a pair of £400 AVI Neutron Vs on the end of a Primare A20 Mk2, which presumably will have a similar sonic signature to your all-in-one, albeit with a bit more power. However, if your complaint is about lack of bass then these aren't going to fix it, and Joel's advice is very sound* - s/h PMC DB1+ or small floorstanders (KEF or Tannoy, perhaps). Also, the Dali Lektor 2 looks fabulous, is much cheaper, and may be just what you're looking for......

*though it pains me to say it

 

[crusaderlord]

A previous overly bright system i had (not my current Arcam set up though) was mostly cured by ditching the QED Silver Anniversary in favour of Chord Silverscreen which to me produced a much much better tone and sound and removed the sharp highs. It is worth trying this before splashing out on replacement speakers.

That said when i moved from a NAD system which i had for 10 years and it took me a while to find the right 'new' sound. NAD's are great with good bass and smooth top end but they do make many other makes sound bright and shrill (Cyrus or Cambridge Audio budget ones for instance). You will either get used to the new sound or like me want to get closer to what you are were used to and ultimately prefer - my Arcam's were one of the closer matches to the NAD i found but are better still on detail and presentation etc.