best stand mount speaker under £1000

[Andrewjvt]

Reading a back issue of hifi choice may 2015 regarding a standmount speaker shoot out.

I am posting the results due to many posts regarding these sort of speakers popping up so thought some may find it interesting..
Also regards what speaker suits what genre of music etc.

I dont own any of the speakers mentioned and is intended for information only.

Speakers reviewed.
Kef r300 £1000
tannoy precision 6.1 £900
Svs ultra bookshelf £869
Quadral platinum m25 £990
MARTIN LOGUN motion 15 £898
Bw cm5 s2 £950

Group test verdict

He’s spent the last seven days living with these standmounts and reckons he finally knows what makes them tick, David Price gives us with the final verdict
THERE ARE NO bad loudspeakers here, nothing that makes a genuinely flawed sound that’s unpleasant to listen to. However, it is possible to divide the models into two groups; those that lack a sense of fun and those that make you want to boogie.

The SVS is the first of the former; it has a slightly opaque sound allied to a subtle brightness that isn’t particularly endearing. The Quadral is more accurate and polished, giving a more mature and sophisticated sound, but it seems a little dispassionate and aloof. This makes it more sensitive to different types of music than the rest.

Ranked fourth overall, the B&W is simple, honest and satisfying. There’s nothing especially fancy about it, but it knows how to get the listener’s foot tapping and finds the fun in music, despite some lack of low-level detail and colouration.

The Tannoy comes third but in some respects it’s up with the best here; it is extremely enjoyable to listen to, bounces around like a puppy in a field and has bags of charm. It’s a little opaque in absolute terms and lacks bass extension and treble finesse, but everything you play is always funky.

Second is the MartinLogan. In some respects it is better than the winner, which succeeds because it’s a superior all-rounder. The Motion 15 has an excellent midband and treble, real pace and insight, and a highly faithful reproduction of dynamic nuances and accents. The downside is its lack of bass extension and the fact that when really cranked up it compresses things just a touch. This is down to its cabinet size and also the small diameter mid/bass; it’s almost a miniature speaker and can’t be all things to everyone.

WINNER

The KEF R300 has a deeper and more articulate bass, a crisp and expansive midband with lots of detail and finesse, and a spacious treble that projects well. It works well across a variety of material, and doesn’t excel with one and fail with another.

 

[Al ears]

Reading a back issue of hifi choice may 2015 regarding a standmount speaker shoot out.

I am posting the results due to many posts regarding these sort of speakers popping up so thought some may find it interesting.. Also regards what speaker suits what genre of music etc.

I dont own any of the speakers mentioned and is intended for information only.

Speakers reviewed. Kef r300 £1000 tannoy precision 6.1 £900 Svs ultra bookshelf £869 Quadral platinum m25 £990 MARTIN LOGUN motion 15 £898 Bw cm5 s2 £950

Group test verdict

He’s spent the last seven days living with these standmounts and reckons he finally knows what makes them tick, David Price gives us with the final verdict THERE ARE NO bad loudspeakers here, nothing that makes a genuinely flawed sound that’s unpleasant to listen to. However, it is possible to divide the models into two groups; those that lack a sense of fun and those that make you want to boogie.

The SVS is the first of the former; it has a slightly opaque sound allied to a subtle brightness that isn’t particularly endearing. The Quadral is more accurate and polished, giving a more mature and sophisticated sound, but it seems a little dispassionate and aloof. This makes it more sensitive to different types of music than the rest.

Ranked fourth overall, the B&W is simple, honest and satisfying. There’s nothing especially fancy about it, but it knows how to get the listener’s foot tapping and finds the fun in music, despite some lack of low-level detail and colouration.

The Tannoy comes third but in some respects it’s up with the best here; it is extremely enjoyable to listen to, bounces around like a puppy in a field and has bags of charm. It’s a little opaque in absolute terms and lacks bass extension and treble finesse, but everything you play is always funky.

Second is the MartinLogan. In some respects it is better than the winner, which succeeds because it’s a superior all-rounder. The Motion 15 has an excellent midband and treble, real pace and insight, and a highly faithful reproduction of dynamic nuances and accents. The downside is its lack of bass extension and the fact that when really cranked up it compresses things just a touch. This is down to its cabinet size and also the small diameter mid/bass; it’s almost a miniature speaker and can’t be all things to everyone.

WINNER

The KEF R300 has a deeper and more articulate bass, a crisp and expansive midband with lots of detail and finesse, and a spacious treble that projects well. It works well across a variety of material, and doesn’t excel with one and fail with another.

Whilst interesting I find reviews like this often dangerously misleading. Taking price into account and then lumping speakers from all over the world into a group is all well and good but take it with a pinch of salt.

Take, for example, the Martin Logans. These are actually available for around $800 in the States so a fairer comparison might have been the larger 35XT's which, in my opionion and in the right set-up, would wipe the floor with the KEFs.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

what do you think about this months issue of what hi fi as some of the above speakers are in this months issue but now we have the ATC SCM 11 £1200 ,monitor audio gold 50 £950 , neat motive sx3 £1045 ,proac studio 118 £1075 ... winner ATC SCM 11s but with above speakers and this issue what do you thinks the best out of all of them .... i like the proac studio 118 .

 

[Al ears]

what do you think about this months issue of what hi fi as some of the above speakers are in this months issue but now we have the ATC SCM 11 £1200 ,monitor audio gold 50 £950 , neat motive sx3 £1045 ,proac studio 118 £1075 ... winner ATC SCM 11s but with above speakers and this issue what do you thinks the best out of all of them .... i like the proac studio 118 .

Not too sure who the question was directed at and haven't read tis months WHFSAV but I'd say all these speakers have their merits but are very system / room dependent (as are all speakers come to that), picking a 'winner' is pretty much a pointless exercise. What they consider to be best based on whatever criteria they used is very subjective and these reviews can only be used as a general guide. They are a way of creating short-lists of what to go and actually audition for yourself.

Good though the ATC's have always been they are not going to suit some amplifiers and, in this respect the ProAcs are probably better 'all rounders'

 

[SteveR750]

what do you think about this months issue of what hi fi as some of the above speakers are in this months issue but now we have the ATC SCM 11 £1200 ,monitor audio gold 50 £950 , neat motive sx3 £1045 ,proac studio 118 £1075 ... winner ATC SCM 11s but with above speakers and this issue what do you thinks the best out of all of them .... i like the proac studio 118 .

Not too sure who the question was directed at and haven't read tis months WHFSAV but I'd say all these speakers have their merits but are very system / room dependent (as are all speakers come to that), picking a 'winner' is pretty much a pointless exercise. What they consider to be best based on whatever criteria they used is very subjective and these reviews can only be used as a general guide. They are a way of creating short-lists of what to go and actually audition for yourself.?

Good though the ATC's have always been they are not going to suit some amplifiers and, in this respect the ProAcs are probably better 'all rounders'

Hmm, I'm not so sure. I think ATC have an unwarranted reputation for being difficult. The opposite is true, it's just they are less sensitive than most designs, so could be an issue if you like to listen loud with a low power amp.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

anyone really or someone as one of the above would be intrested to no what they are like as i am still looking at a lot of speakers myself but with me its a toss up between kef r300 and the proarks and maybe b&ws not sure yet still doing a lot of reading up on them before i get a demo on them but please help me out here i thought i had a powerful amp as the specs say it can go to 4oms 100wts on the marantz site going by there specs but is that 100wts per channal ? or just 100wts

 

[Al ears]

what do you think about this months issue of what hi fi as some of the above speakers are in this months issue but now we have the ATC SCM 11 £1200 ,monitor audio gold 50 £950 , neat motive sx3 £1045 ,proac studio 118 £1075 ... winner ATC SCM 11s but with above speakers and this issue what do you thinks the best out of all of them .... i like the proac studio 118 .

Not too sure who the question was directed at and haven't read tis months WHFSAV but I'd say all these speakers have their merits but are very system / room dependent (as are all speakers come to that), picking a 'winner' is pretty much a pointless exercise. What they consider to be best based on whatever criteria they used is very subjective and these reviews can only be used as a general guide. They are a way of creating short-lists of what to go and actually audition for yourself.

Good though the ATC's have always been they are not going to suit some amplifiers and, in this respect the ProAcs are probably better 'all rounders'

Hmm, I'm not so sure. I think ATC have an unwarranted reputation for being difficult. The opposite is true, it's just they are less sensitive than most designs, so could be an issue if you like to listen loud with a low power amp.

Exactly my point.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Use your own ears. A review is one person's opinion. One person might be more qualified to point out/appreciate the technical aspects and their effect on the end result, but that doesn't make their opnion any more valid than yours - if anything, their opinion doesn't matter, as they're not buying them.

 

[ID.]

anyone really or someone as one of the above would be intrested to no what they are like as i am still looking at a lot of speakers myself but with me its a toss up between kef r300 and the proarks and maybe b&ws not sure yet still doing a lot of reading up on them before i get a demo on them but please help me out here i thought i had a powerful amp as the specs say it can go to 4oms 100wts on the marantz site going by there specs but is that 100wts per channal ? or just 100wts

100 per channel, but as most speakers are nominally rated at 8 ohms, the rating at 8 ohms is probably more meaningful than the attempt to make the amp seem more powerful by quoting the 4 ohm rating.

 

[jjbomber]

Ranked fourth overall, the B&W is simple, honest and satisfying. There’s nothing especially fancy about it, but it knows how to get the listener’s foot tapping and finds the fun in music

I'd have ranked it first on that basis. I listen to music, not hi-fi. It just goes to show that reviews are just one person's opinion rather scientific fact.

 

[John Duncan]

Missed out the LS50. If only it weren't so butt ugly...

 

[loneranger]

And again no Epos K1/K2. Not very popular?

 

[iceman16]

Use your own ears. A review is one person's opinion. One person might be more qualified to point out/appreciate the technical aspects and their effect on the end result, but that doesn't make their opnion any more valid than yours - if anything, their opinion doesn't matter, as they're not buying them.

+1 system matching and room acoustic is also important IMO.

 

[Al ears]

And again no Epos K1/K2. Not very popular?

Both have 4 star reviews by WHF. I presume only 5 star rated ones can join the best stand mount speaker under £1000 list.

If that's the case people are going to miss out on some very capable speakers.

 

[Vladimir]

And again no Epos K1/K2. Not very popular?

Both have 4 star reviews by WHF. I presume only 5 star rated ones can join the best stand mount speaker under £1000 list. *biggrin*

 

[Vladimir]

And again no Epos K1/K2. Not very popular?

Both have 4 star reviews by WHF. I presume only 5 star rated ones can join the best stand mount speaker under £1000 list.

If that's the case people are going to miss out on some very capable speakers.

Indeed. Should have added a smiley at the end of my tongue and cheek comment (fixed now). I personally just buy what makes my list as #1 and all is well. If I like Epos K2, I don't care if they have -1 star rating, I'm buying them.

 

[Al ears]

And again no Epos K1/K2. Not very popular?

Both have 4 star reviews by WHF. I presume only 5 star rated ones can join the best stand mount speaker under £1000 list.

If that's the case people are going to miss out on some very capable speakers.

Indeed. Should have added a smiley at the end of my tongue and cheek comment (fixed now). I personally just buy what makes my list as #1 and all is well. If I like Epos K2, I don't care if they have -1 star rating, I'm buying them.

Is there any other way???

 

[Freddy58]

I thought they (R300) sounded great, which is why I bought them. Of course, horses for courses.

 

[DIB]

I too liked them when I demoed them a few years back, but found that they were just too large depth wise for my front room.

.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'll be moving back to the LS50s using five as part of a 5.1 system. Other than quality, one reason for these is that I can lie them on their side (without any effect on the sound) which allows my projector screen to be lowered a little more

 

[Andrewjvt]

I'll be moving back to the LS50s using five as part of a 5.1 system. Other than quality, one reason for these is that I can lie them on their side (without any effect on the sound) which allows my projector screen to be lowered a little more

I read in another post a while ago that you were selling the ls50s bet your glad you never.

Btw nice surround sound
I bet it sounds very good. Especially the atmosphere in scary movies....