[quote user="Sesame"]
Hey Jan,
I listen to Classical, Jazz, Pre-1985 Soul, A bit of RnB & Hip-Hop.
So I am looking for a precise sound for Classical & Jazz, but also a bit more PUNCH for the R n B & Hip-Hop.
Not sure about how much to spend, probably £100-£150 per component. (Amp,CD,Speakers,Turntable <= £600)
&
No brand preference.
I notice you have the B&W 601 S3's, a speaker I've been looking at.
I had a demo of the 685's but found the bass to be a little over powering which resulted in a loss of clarity in the Mid & Top ends.
Have you thought about upgradings your 601's or if not have you heard some others (e.g 685) and don't think the upgrade is necessary? Would be interested to hear your thoughts as seriously looking at grabbing pair of 601s.
Are the 3's noticeably better than the 2s or originals ? Is it just the Kevlar Driver & tweeter thats the difference?
Thanks
[/quote]
I like my B&W's, they're quiet allright but after hearing lots of different speakers over the past month or so, I don't think I would've bought these again. Don't get me wrong, they sound perfectly allright, but the tweeter can be a bit 'metallic' sounding at times, it sometimes sounds a bit artificial. I did hear the 685, they did sound slightly better but I didn't have the feeling that it was a big difference. The amount of bass was about the same I think, the 685 extended slightly deeper and a bit better defined. If they 685 didn't impress in the listening session, they I wouldn't suggest getting the 601's
As the difference between the 3's and the 2's, I've been told that the 3's sounds a bit more mature and better defined in the bass department. I haven't heard the 2's myself so I can't really comment.
As for second hand equipment, Marantz equipment does classical and jazz pretty well, and alot of stuff is being offered on eBay. A Marantz PM66KI, which is an excellent amp, can be had for less than 80 pounds usually, which is fabulous price for such a great piece of kit. I'm gutted mine broke, it sounded excellent.
You could easily combine it with the CD63KI, still a great cd player. It's a classic cd-player though, so prices can get quite high on eBay. If you're planning to buy Marantz kit, Focal JMLab, Mordaunt Short and Dynaudio speakers usually combine well with Marantz.
This is just a suggestion though, take it with a grain of salt as I am a Marantz fanatic. There's a lot of stuff on eBay, it just takes some patience and time to spot a good bargain.
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