Bookshelf Speaker Recommendations

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I have an old Pioneer A400 amplifier (circa 1990) which still works and am looking for a some new bookshelf speakers. I know the amp could easily drive speakers far bigger but circumstances have changed a lot since I bought the amp and space is now more of an issue.

Initially I shortlisted the Q-Acoustics 2020i and Dali Zensor 1's for listening but after reading reviews people seem to report the Q-Acoustic 2020i as being a bit light in the bass department unless you crank the volume up (which I'm not likely to do that often) and the Dali Zensor 1's as being a little bright. Now, brightness wouldn't be a bad thing if it weren't for the fact that the A400 can be quite a bright sounding amp.

So, does anyone have any input on these two, given what the new speakers will have to work with or have any other recommendations?

WT

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi WT.

No idea about the aforementioned speakers. However, Wharfedale 9.1 or 10.1 and Epos M5i would work very nicely with Pioneer.

 

[omnibeard]

I occasionally run Mission 751s with my A400 - nice combo IMO. Not bass light, not bright, just right.

Did I really just write that?

They can be had cheap as chips on the second hand market too.

 

[Ben123]

+1 for wharfedale 9.1's. Best bang for buck budget speaker i know of. Not to mention they've withstood 4 house parties so far, they just wont die lol :cheers:

And when theyre not partying they are my surround sound rears

Quite curious about the zensors myself though

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I was wondering about the Wharfedales, especially seeing as they are ~½ the price of the Q-Acoustics/Dali's.

As for 2nd hand stuff, sorry I'm looking for a new set - never really had good experience with 2nd hand electricals before.

WT.

 

[Ben123]

Theres plenty of videos on you tube to give you an idea what the 9.1's are capable of. Are you using a cd player / dac? They wont sound that great via an amplified ipod/laptop, but thats not the speakers fault.

 

[omnibeard]

Theres plenty of videos on you tube to give you an idea what the 9.1's are capable of.

Sorry, I just don't get this at all.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I just don't get this at all.

I figured Ben was referring to video reviews as opposed to using YouTube as a means of listening to what speaker really sound like... at least I hope that's what he meant by it.

As for sound source, predominantly 320Kb AAC encoded tracks on my iPod. I do have a separate (read proper) CD player but when you've spent months encoding your entire collection to fit into your pocket then the CD player tends not to get used that often.

WT.

 

[plastic penguin]

The only way to know for sure which speakers will compliment your amp the best is to audition. We can all recommend speakers until we're blue in the face, but nothing beats a shop - or even better a home - dem.

 

[Rethep]

I agree with the last poster.

Epos Epic 2 or Elan, or Kef R100 or R300 or LS50. What is your budget ?

 

[Anonymous]

Last weekend my other half and I went to our local hifi emporium and demoed Q-Acoustics 2020i, Dali Zensor 1 and Monitor Audio BX2. We also asked for the Wharfedale 10.1 but they didn't have any for demo purposes and asked for alternative suggestions but they said that we were probably demoing the best you could get below £300 anyway.

For what its worth, we weren't that impressed with the Q-Acoustics - they were the easiest to rule out. The Dali's were much better although listening to Paloma Faith it sounded like there was too much sibilance in her voice. The Monitor Audio's came out on top and in the end we got them for £225.

Job done... now for some new stands.

WT

 

[Anonymous]

Did you not find the bx2 a bit bass light with very bright treble ?.

 

[Anonymous]

Not really, in fact the one thing I was concerned about when we listened to them was whether there was too much bass. This is not to suggest that the BX2s themselves are too bassy but more a case of not wanting to annoy the neighbours.

Still, they're certainly not as bass-light as the other speakers we listened to.

WT.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you use a sub or is it just the bx2,s and what size room do you have them in .madeup you have found speakers you are happy with thx

 

[plastic penguin]

Not really, in fact the one thing I was concerned about when we listened to them was whether there was too much bass. This is not to suggest that the BX2s themselves are too bassy but more a case of not wanting to annoy the neighbours.

Still, they're certainly not as bass-light as the other speakers we listened to.

WT.

Wouldn't expect the MAs to be bass light. I heard the Q Acoustics yesterday connected to a Marantz and they are virtually pocket-size.

Well done, anyway.

It'll take a while for them to run in properly.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you use a sub or is it just the bx2,s and what size room do you have them in...

4 x 3m room (well roughly) and no sub, just the bx2s; they are quite close to corners of the room though.

WT

 

[Cypher]

The BX2 are great speakers. I'm still enjoying mine.

They're so balanced. Just enough bass and lots of detail.

 

[SpursGator]

What about KEF Q300s? Mine were great, with a Naim Nait 5, solid with a NAD 326Bee, and really quite amazing with my Pathos Logos. Quite amazing indeed especially considering the price.

These came to mind as they do not have a very forward treble, but they have great bass for their size. Really this matches up very well with an amp like yours.

 

[Anonymous]

What about KEF Q300s?

Monitor Audio BX2s - £225, KEF Q300s - £449 (ie double the price).

To be honest, my intention was to keep it under £200 but for extra £25, the BX2s sounded far better than what was under that threshold.

WT.

 

[Anonymous]

I have used the Leema Xero and the AVI Neutron 4 for two years now and these are excellent speakers. I bought them on ebay for a little more than your budget (£300), but I think they are worth every penny.

Note that the AVI Neutron 4 are some of the tiniest speakers available and they don't mind being close to the walls. That was my initial constraint and these were the only ones at that price that I could easily fit on the shelves.

 

[danrv]

[/quote]

they are quite close to corners of the room though.

WT

[/quote]

Should be ok as they're front ported. I've found using a pair of foam corner bass traps behind the speakers helps reduce boom in my 4m x 4m bedroom.