choosing speakers

[admin_exported]

Guys, im hopeful u can help me narrow things down abit before i start going shop to shop listening. Im looking to get a new front stage for my HT as my front right seems to be blown. im considering the following: Q ACCOUSTIC 2050 - have not heard it, looks good, good reviews, i wouldnt know where to get it from in South Africa tho so even if i could get, after sale service????? same as TANNOY MERCURY V4. Around the same price is PSB T1 TOWER, KEF C5/C7. However i think MISSION MX 4, MONITOR AUDIO BRONZE BX6 - just concerned the MA come with with a small centre - would be much more value for money. Failing which i could just upgrade to the wharfedale 10.6 as i already just bought the centre, besides these 9.5 have served me well for the past 5 yrs or so but can i actually call myself a fundi if ive never experimented with other speaker brands. i watch more movies than music and when i do play music its michael buble concerts and the like.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP IN ADVANCE.

 

[Anonymous]

Anybody please?your contribution will help so much as I cannot audition mos of these brands.

 

[Oldboy]

What configuration are you wanting...5.1, 7.1??

I can tell you that i auditioned all of the above in 5.1 configuration before i bought my Dali Zensor 5 5.1 package and came very close to buying the Monitor Audio BX2 package with BX5 fronts having previously owned a Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 package. Although the Q Acoustics are a great set of speakers you can get far better performance from the likes of the Monitor Audio, Tannoy, Wharefdale or Mission packages.

The Q Acoustics represent an entry level option where to my mind the Monitors, Tannoy and Mission speakers are midrange options with the Wharfedales filling the gap inbetween but that's a personal opinion after hearing the comparison in performance despite the differences in price.

It's very difficult to recommend speakers to anyone without them first auditioning them and therefore any more info you could give would help greatly, what do you value most from the sound? Do you want plently of heft from the bass, a wide surround stage, agility and speed, clear dialogue, an even tonal balance etc?? What will they be used for primarily, movies or music or perhaps a combination of both? This will affect your choice of fronts...so much to consider and without auditioning them you may be disappointed but i can offer some advice as i've heard them all just supply a little more info.

 

[Anonymous]

oldboy, thanks for taking the time to respond, a friend has just recommended infinity primus 363, any idea?. more than clarity i want power, i like to feel my sound. my two amps are currently sending a decent amount of power to my speakers, so the speakers need to be able to handle. my system is used for movies 90€ percent of the time and i will watch a michael buble concert on the odd occassion. as already stated i wouldnt mind wharfedale, its just that i would like to try other brands but thats not a must but the pressing issue for wharfedales is that i already have the diamond 10 centre, fairly new. pls touch on kef and psb also. thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

oldboy, thanks so much for taking the time to respond, pls also touch on the psb t1 and kef c5 and c7, i watch 90 percent movies and seldom use it for music, yes like i mentioned, i would listen to some jazz maybe twice a month. is the infinity primus 363 in the same class here. i want power more than clarity. i like to feel my sound. my amps send an incredible amt of power to the speakers so i need speakers that can handle it. look forward to your response. thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

oldboy, thanks so much for taking the time to respond, pls also touch on the psb t1 and kef c5 and c7, i watch 90 percent movies and seldom use it for music, yes like i mentioned, i would listen to some jazz maybe twice a month. is the infinity primus 363 in the same class here. i want power more than clarity. i like to feel my sound. my amps send an incredible amt of power to the speakers so i need speakers that can handle it. look forward to your response. thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

oldboy, thanks for responding. i have a 5.1 configuration. my system is mainly for movies. any idea on the kef c5, c7 and psb? i enjoy a powerful system, power over clarity for me. im really keen on experimenting with other brands but my diamond 10 centre is fairly new hence the consideration of the wharfedales. my amps send an incredible amount of power to the speakers so i need speakers that will be able to handle the power but also cost effective. is infinity primus 363 in the same class (quality and price) as the aforementioned speakers?

look forward to your response, thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

i must admit that a speaker that will sound good with my integra would be an obvious bet, also MA, Mission, are sold by a reputable dealer with informed sales people so that does make it more appealing considering after sale service as well. the less said about wharfedale retailers in south africa, the better. the reason we buy is becos of good reviews and co. reputation other than that you dont even get a decent listening facility (room, cables, source, etc). psb is now available at some of the more common stores and as for tannoy, i have googled, phoned around and i doubt they exist in my city not sure in country - so not well supported in south africa. when i do play my music, i dont use my sub so the speakers should be able to hold their own. please let me know if you need more info. ta.

 

[Anonymous]

i must admit that a speaker that will sound good with my integra would be an obvious bet, also MA, Mission, are sold by a reputable dealer with informed sales people so that does make it more appealing considering after sale service as well. the less said about wharfedale retailers in south africa, the better. the reason we buy is becos of good reviews and co. reputation other than that you dont even get a decent listening facility (room, cables, source, etc). psb is now available at some of the more common stores and as for tannoy, i have googled, phoned around and i doubt they exist in my city not sure in country - so not well supported in south africa. when i do play my music, i dont use my sub so the speakers should be able to hold their own. please let me know if you need more info. ta.

 

[Oldboy]

Unfortunately i have not heard the Kef speakers you speak of but my first surround set up had the infamous eggs as my speakers (1000 series if i remember correctly) and they were great although they did lack punch, i think any Kef speakers are worthy of consideration as they have been on a roll of late and rarely fail to produce a great quality speaker with plently of performance for the cash.

Given your requirements i can't see how anything other than the Monior Audio package would satisfy, when i auditioned the BX2 5.1 i came extremely close to buying them right there and then but i really wanted floorstander fronts rather than stand mounter BX2 fronts. I went to another dealer and auditioned the same package with both BX5 and BX6 fronts and although it was extra cash i thought the BX6 option was by far the better of the two as the surround just lost something with the BX5 fronts and wasn't as cohesive as it could have been.

The sub in the BX package was lovely and the speakers as a whole had plenty of punch with the sub adding some lovely heft to proceedings and with BX6 fronts it sounded very powerful and forceful with surprising detail and an absorbing surround experience. The Missions do run a close second however so don't rule these out as they are a great package in their own right but just lack that last iota of punch and heft but are more communicative as a result although i did find the sub to sound a little loose when compared to the MA set up.

All i can say is that my money in your situation would go on either of those two because, importantly, you can buy these from a reputable dealer in South Africa which is a major point to consider when buying speakers or any AV kit. I have had no experience with psb i'm afraid so i simply can't comment but they have a strong reputation and have produced some excellent stereo speakers from the research i have done.

I can't see any issues arising with your Integra receiver with any of these speakers so you can rest assured that there is no issue there and if you were to choose either speaker package i would urge you to consider losing the diamond 10 centre even though it's relatively new as keeping the speakers from the same manufacturer and range will provide far better results than mixing and matching speakers.

One final note is that neither of the speakers in the MA or Mission packages will be disgraced with music either so you could operate a front pair for stereo with great results but the only problem will be the electronics and not the speakers, if you are going to use your AV receiver for stereo music that will be the weak link as it can never be as musical as a dedicated stereo amp.

I think that covers all your questions but if i can be of any more help don't hesitate to ask and i will answer as best i can.

Best regards.

 

[Anonymous]

you have pretty much spelt it out for me, oldboy. i would still like to hear from someone who has had an educated listen of the psb and kef speakers i mentioned. perhaps it is time for me to let go of wharfedale , had to happen at some stage, seems to me then that im off to audio excellence on tuesday to sample the missions and MA, i guess whoever puts a smile on my ears will be comming home with me.:rockout: :dance: . by the way im keeping my wharfedale 9.1 surrounds and my energy sub 10.3. oldboy:clap: thanks man, i owe u:beer:

 

[Anonymous]

ive just googled your dali zensors and saw the what hifi review but the reviewer wasnt pleased with their bottom and thats important to me. any word on the infinity primus 363? please forgive me for nagging so much but if i could go to a dealer somewhere local and just listen for myself i would - in fact i dont think ive ever seen a dali speaker locally.