Bookshelf speakers and amplifier

[hybridauth_Google_113192323769258586629]

Hi What Hifi

I am considering opgrading my dads 30 year old sterosystem from my JVC ax-33bk and a set of cheaper Jamo speakers.

So After seaching the internet for quite a while i got down in my local hifi store and listended to a set of B&W CM5 S2, and they sounded great, but it wasn't really the sound i was looking for. So i got back to the internet and found the KEF LS45 and R300, and after reading almost every review i could find i still wasn't sure whether to buy them or not. I would like to hear them, but there is over 300km from where i live to the neaest retailer that sells the brand, so i really want to make sure i dont take the trip for nothing. I also need a new amplifier and i'm pretty sure i need one with an integrated DAC. I first came across the Cambridge CXA60 through a review here on What Hifi, but i would like an amplifier that i could plug in my PC through USB. Then i came across Hegel H80, which got a great review in a hifi magasin read.

But is it overkill with a Hegel H80 to a set of KEF speakers or sould it be something completely difrent?

My budget is around 2000£ and i usualy listen to softer pop, a bit of jazz and some cozy house music, and especially "warm" music is a favorite of mine. It is for a student flat on around 20m2 with wooden floors and a quite significant sloping wall as well, so it isn't ideal for music listening. They also have to be placed fairly close to the wall, propably on my desk.

What do you guys think?

- Alex

 

[CnoEvil]

FWIW. I think the Hegel is well worth hearing with both the R300 and LS50.

Do you know what other brands of speaker this dealer stocks?...If you make a long drive, it's worth hearing as much as possible (within reason).

 

[Leeps]

It is for a student flat on around 20m2 with wooden floors and a quite significant sloping wall as well, so it isn't ideal for music listening. They also have to be placed fairly close to the wall, propably on my desk.

What do you guys think?

- Alex

Crucial to getting any system sound right is getting the right speakers for the room and speaker placement.

I wouldn't want to be placing R300's on a desk! Or LS50's for that matter.

As for the sloping walls, they can actually help prevent bass nodes in the room, but that's kind of undone by the wooden floors and desk placement. Could you consider placing the speakers on proper stands next to the desk? If they really must be placed on the desk, then I'd be seriously looking at Neat Iotas instead.

 

[CnoEvil]

I agree with Leeps....In my rush to reply in my Lunchbreak, I didn't spot that they might be on a desk.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. As the others have said, speakers should be on stands. Hegel H80 is a great idea, and it should go well with Kef R300, and also with ATC SCM 11 or Harbeth. But if you wanna place them on a desk, get Neat Iotas and Naim Unitiqute 2. It's enough for that room if you don't wanna go loud.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Hi. As the others have said, speakers should be on stands. Hegel H80 is a great idea, and it should go well with Kef R300, and also with ATC SCM 11 or Harbeth. But if you wanna place them on a desk, get Neat Iotas and Naim Unitiqute 2. It's enough for that room if you don't wanna go loud.

Plus 1 for atc and hegel match

 

[CnoEvil]

Floorstanders and Standmounts have different strengths, with Standmounts giving better speed and imaging and Floorstanders greater scale and impact.

The size of the room is often the determining factor. It is also worth noting, that at the more budget end of the market (say below £1200), Standmounts are often "better", as Floorstanders are expensive to get "right".

 

[hybridauth_Google_113192323769258586629]

Thanks for all the answers already
Unfortunately there isn't any dealers of atc speakers here in Denmark where I live.
Regards to the placement of the speaker, I would prefer to have them on my desk, but I could buy a set of stands and place them next to the desk in stead. But if they are placed on a stand, then why not floorstanders? I'm not looking for a huge bass or anything, but at my price point would you go for floor or stand speakers?
From what I can tell about your opinions is that the Hegel amplifier is great?
The speakers that I can hear in person in Denmark is:
B&W
Tannoy
Kef
Dali
Q acoustics
Focal
Dynaudio
And also a lot others if you perhaps have a few other speaker ideas
Thanks for the answers so far!
- Alex

 

[CnoEvil]

I believe that GamuT are from Denmark and do an excellent little speaker called Phi3 Mk11.

 

[Freddy58]

Regarding amp choice, I think you should also consider the Rotel RA1570. It has all the connectivity you could reasonably ask for. I have one coupled to the R300's, and for my taste, they make a great pairing.

 

[Freddy58]

messed up

 

[rainsoothe]

I think you can get the ATCs online, or Harbeths for a softer presentation (and by that I don't mean boring) with 14 day moneyback guarantee. Imo they will better all those other brands (oh, maybe you can get Sonus Faber Venere 1.5 or 2.0, which should match the Hegel very well). Oh, and another great budget option is Wharfedale Jade 3 - they are pretty big. The upside of the ATC and the Harbeth is that they are sealed designs, and should be easier on positioning. Also, as Cno said, floorstanders will do bigger bass (which you're not after, and that's good I think, since they might be overkill for that room). Of all you mentioned, you should audition Kef R300, LS50 and Focal Aria 906 with the Hegel.

 

[hybridauth_Google_113192323769258586629]

I'm not relly into the design of the atc speaker, and i would like to hear the speakers first. The Wharfedale looks nice though and they have it in a "local" hifi store so i can listen to them. But sill eventhough i can place them on stands, they still have to be placed only 20-30 cm from the back of the wall and one of the probably up against a sidewall as well (20 cm as well).

Since my room isn't i agree that floorstanding is overkill since i just want a warm base. That being said i also mostly listend to music at low listening levels, at a convesation level. So therefore they have to play great at lov levels, but still give the warm bass that is needed, but i really dont like music/speakers that can sound harsh, mostly a "soft/warm" bass and midrange is what i think is best

I know it isn't best case senario and ideal for music, but i cant place them anywhere else so it has its complications, so therefore i'm asking inhere, because one thing is how they sound in ideal surroundings but when i get them home to my place, they probably sound a lot diffrent.

Thanks for all the answers so far

- Alex

 

[rainsoothe]

The Wharfedales are both spacious and warm, they're pretty awesome for the budget. They're a bit on the big side, but they are also a closed box design, which can help a bit with positioning. Speaker cable will also play a big role here - look at Chord Clearway or DNM Reson.

 

[hybridauth_Google_113192323769258586629]

I will probably listen to a lot of speakers this opcomming weekend and im gonna listen to the KEF r300, Wharfedale Jade 3, Sonus Faber Venere 1.5 and 2.0 and the Focal Aria 906.

Since i dont really like the harshness that some speakers got, i have read on ther forums that soft dome tweeters are more softly sounding then a hard metal dome, is that right? But what are the cons about the soft dome tweeters then, or does it even matter in terms of harsness which material the tweeters are made of or is it the overall speakers that determines the harshness?

- Alex

 

[davedotco]

If there is a correlation between a bright/harsh sound and the types of drive units used, it is most likely to be the bass/mid driver at fault.

Another common cause of brightness is the amplifier failing to handle the complexity of the impedance and phase variations around the crossover points. This may be the reason that some speakers sound bright on some amplifiers and not others.

Whether a tweeter has a metal or fabric dome is irrelevant, tweeters of all types can sound harsh but that is invariably down to the implementation.

 

[rainsoothe]

If there is a correlation between a bright/harsh sound and the types of drive units used, it is most likely to be the bass/mid driver at fault.

Another common cause of brightness is the amplifier failing to handle the complexity of the impedance and phase variations around the crossover points. This may be the reason that some speakers sound bright on some amplifiers and not others.

Whether a tweeter has a metal or fabric dome is irrelevant, tweeters of all types can sound harsh but that is invariably down to the implementation.

+1 The B&W CM5 (s1) I used to own were some of the smoothest speakers I've ever heard.

 

[hybridauth_Google_113192323769258586629]

Right now i'm looking at the Focal Aria 906 which has gotten great reviews almost everywhere, but i'm just wondering if the bassrespons is low enough. I could buy a small subwoofer, but since the Hegel doesn't have an output, i was just wondering if the Focal can go low enough to actually get that great bassline on for eksample the the white stripes with Seven Nation army. Since im looking to buy the set and keep it for 20 years or somthing like that, so from a long term perspective, is it low enough?

- Alex