Circa £3000 Floorstanders. Help required for shortlist.

[SHAXOS]

Hey guys im gonna move into floorstander world from my 805S as im moving to a bigger flat i also feel ill get more out of my amp. Ive got a max budget of around 3000 but im looking into exdem and secondhand options. Im thinking of staying with Bowers as ive never heard a bad speaker from them and moving from 805S to the 803S.

Other options are:
MA PL200 - Not heard many positive things about these yet.
Dynaudio Contour S3.4 (i think)

What else is available out there? Any one with experience of the 803S, i would be very interested in hearing your thoughts. PS whatever i get MUST give me a significand sound upgrade from 805S. Ive looked at upgrading to standmounters but this means i need to look at silly priced speakers and im not convinced they will be much better than the 805S. Hence im looking into floorstanders.
Many thanks in advance

 

[JoelSim]

If my Kudos C2s are anything to go by then the C20 is going to be a very nice speaker indeed with the SEAS tweeter that's used in much much more expensive speakers.

ÿ

 

[matengawhat]

I thought the MA PL200 were £4.5K+?

 

[Anonymous]

matengawhat:
I thought the MA PL200 were £4.5K+?

The OP says "Ive got a max budget of around 3000 but im looking into exdem and secondhand options" so guess that would be the answer?

 

[SHAXOS]

I thought the MA PL200 were £4.5K+?

Yup they are. However im Still interested in them though and i will demo them and if they are good enough ill wait till i find a example in my budget (not likely). I am confused by MA decision to price them so close to the the PL300. Why would anyone go as far as paying 4.5k for pl200 and not go the extra bit for the pl300? Beats me...

 

[matengawhat]

SHAXOS:I thought the MA PL200 were £4.5K+? Yup they are. However im Still interested in them though and i will demo them and if they are good enough ill wait till i find a example in my budget (not likely). I am confused by MA decision to price them so close to the the PL300. Why would anyone go as far as paying 4.5k for pl200 and not go the extra bit for the pl300? Beats me...

i was skocked to as pl100 2500 thought they would come in at around 3500!

 

[matengawhat]

Alex_UK:matengawhat:

I thought the MA PL200 were £4.5K+?

The OP says "Ive got a max budget of around 3000 but im looking into exdem and secondhand options" so guess that would be the answer?

not even sure they've made shops yet so will be hard pressed to find second hand/ex dem

 

[Anonymous]

Some Anthony Gallo Reference 3 would look nice with the kW amp.

 

[SHAXOS]

Ha ha! Nice one igg! They do look uber wierd! Not sure ill be able to get a demo of them and to be honest not sure id buy them over a well established brand just for resale value!

 

[VoodooDoctor]

SHAXOS:I thought the MA PL200 were £4.5K+?

Yup they are. However im Still interested in them though and i will demo them and if they are good enough ill wait till i find a example in my budget (not likely). I am confused by MA decision to price them so close to the the PL300. Why would anyone go as far as paying 4.5k for pl200 and not go the extra bit for the pl300? Beats me...

The PL300's are truly massive and would dwarf most rooms. The PL200's are more room-friendly. I believe that the PL300's are going up in price, as the PL200's are coming in around their current price point.

David from Frank Harvey should be able to confirm what's happening with the prices...

 

[the record spot]

Some used Beauhorn Reference Virtuoso's might be worth a shot; roughly £2.5k used if they're compatible.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

What electronics are you listening to, what size is your room and what music do you listen to. Also what volume do you listen to your music at?

 

[Frank Harvey]

The PL200's haven't been released yet, so ex dem and used is a no go. The last info I had is that they will be coming in at the £5k mark, with the PL300's rising to £6,500. The way to think of the PL200 is that it's nearer to a smaller PL300 rather than just a floorstanding PL100, so pricewise it'll be nearer to the 300's rather than 100's.

SHAXOS:Hey guys im gonna move into floorstander world from my 805S as im moving to a bigger flat i also feel ill get more out of my amp. Ive got a max budget of around 3000 but im looking into exdem and secondhand options. Im thinking of staying with Bowers as ive never heard a bad speaker from them and moving from 805S to the 803S. Other options are: MA PL200 - Not heard many positive things about these yet. Dynaudio Contour S3.4 (i think) What else is available out there? Any one with experience of the 803S, i would be very interested in hearing your thoughts. PS whatever i get MUST give me a significand sound upgrade from 805S. Ive looked at upgrading to standmounters but this means i need to look at silly priced speakers and im not convinced they will be much better than the 805S. Hence im looking into floorstanders. Many thanks in advanceThis will heavily depend on the amplification you're using, but have a look at models from the Proac Response range, PMC, Tannoys Definition Series, and KEF's Reference series. You may find the Dynaudios a little too heavy in the bass department. Because of this they need a lot of room.

I'll wait to hear which amplifier you're using before making firm recommendations.

 

[SHAXOS]

Hi my amp is a MF KW550. I like a vast array of music from hiphop to folk. Its important that speakers are good all rounders i think. I listen to music at around speaking volume if im working then like to crank up the volume when not. Hope this helps! Thanks again!

 

[Thaiman]

Shaxos, What are the rest of your system? sorry I can't remember

 

[SHAXOS]

Hey TM! Long time no hear!
Its a kw550 amp and im streaming lossless from my pc at the moment. Cheers mate!

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

The list that Dave gave you is a good starting point. A set of Kef Reference would give you need but I could say the same for most of the speakers at that price. Really at this level you need to audition extensively and ideally at home.

 

[Thaiman]

I take it that it is a KW550 amp and not a supercharge.

This amp is great as in a sense of it will give you a freedom to choose whatever speakers you fancy without worry about being under power. So it will all come down to which are the top of the £3000 crop.

"Kudos C20" are pretty good and then the like of "Usher 8571" which a typical 2nd hand price is bang on the budget. The Usher are massive though but sound gorgeous...serious bass that full with texture.

I also have been listen to a few "Adam Audio" speakers lately and I have to say, they do sound a lot better than many main stream alternative. Acuratecy without being clinical is a rare quality at this price point.

Another very interesting pair at this price point would be "Audio Physic scorpio" which can be find at a real bargain price of late. They are not fussy about positioning and soundstage produce by this gorgeous looking pair still one of my best hifi memory....germany finest.

Lastly, The Sonus faber Cremona! With the "M" range recently released, the older model are now hit the ex-demo and 2nd hand market. Expect to pay around £2700 and be touch by wonderful, involving midrange.

Good luck

 

[Thaiman]

Thaiman:
I take it that it is a KW550 amp and not a supercharge.

This amp is great as in a sense of it will give you a freedom to choose whatever speakers you fancy without worry about being under power. So it will all come down to which are the top of the £3000 crop.

"Kudos C20" are pretty good and then the like of "Usher 8571" which a typical 2nd hand price is bang on the budget. The Usher are massive though but sound gorgeous...serious bass that full with texture.

I also have been listen to a few "Adam Audio" speakers lately and I have to say, they do sound a lot better than many main stream alternative. Acuratecy without being clinical is a rare quality at this price point.

Another very interesting pair at this price point would be "Audio Physic scorpio" which can be found at a real bargain price of late. They are not fussy about positioning and soundstage produce by this gorgeous looking pair still one of my best hifi memory....germany finest.

Lastly, The Sonus faber Cremona! With the "M" range recently released, the older model are now hit the ex-demo and 2nd hand market. Expect to pay around £2700 and be touch by wonderful, involving midrange.

Good luck

 

[SHAXOS]

Thanks TM and others!

 

[Frank Harvey]

SHAXOS:Hi my amp is a MF KW550. I like a vast array of music from hiphop to folk. Its important that speakers are good all rounders i think. I listen to music at around speaking volume if im working then like to crank up the volume when not. Hope this helps! Thanks again!As mentioned, the amplifier you have will pretty much drive anything, so no need to worry there. Again, I would recommend against the Dynaudio's with the MF amplification - MF has a big bassy soundstage, and Dyn's tend to be similar, and I think the combination will be too bass heavy and lacking definition. Going by older MF stuff, I'd say that from my list, the MF will particularly suit the KEF's more so than some of the others in the list - you may end up with a sound that's a little too soft and lacking any bite or attack with speakers that are a little more laid back (Spendor for example).

 

[Anonymous]

I auditioned the Monitor Audio PL 300s with the KW550 and the source was a A5 CD Player. Medium Chord cables - Odessey, Chorus etc.

Vs

My GS60s, KW Pre/Power, KW SACD Source. High End Chord Cables, Indigo, Signature + Mains Conditioning.

The audition system, blew mine out of the water all because of that ribbon tweeter. Vocals, sounded in another league, Ive never heard vocals sound so good. High end information & seperation were excellent. Those 8" bass cones - I wont even start to describe how good they sounded. I put my system in with the PL300s - and I believe they are a match made in heaven - even better still. They are my next big shopping list purchase without a shadow of a doubt. The MF KW big soundstage with tuneful, weighty bass, works a dream with the MA PL300s that can lean towards a "slight" high treble sound. System synergy in motion for me there.

You can pick some PL300s up for just over 3K exdem. They used to be under 3K but after the price hick, they are more expensive now. I would audition other speakers, but there isnt a single speaker that can match the PL300's looks - major factor for me

Im scared to hear anything more expensive

 

[Anonymous]

I heard the PL300 with MF KW550 and matching CDP/DAC combo. Crikey Moses. The bass was so tight, fast and powerful it was being pile-driven into my body. The sound was HUGE and incredibly powerful. I didn't really like it at all but that's probably because the room was far too small and I'm not used to such a sound.

One thing's for sure, PL300 are going to want a big room and a detached house. For sure.

 

[SHAXOS]

Where have you seen ex dem pl300 anywhere near 3000? Id love to have these on my audition list but theyr just so expensive.

 

[Anonymous]

Not to everyones taste but worth a look.......Tannoy prestige range. I think it was JD who said they look like tumble driers.........close eyes and listen....who cares what they look like......

Personally I think they look great.........Oh Oh....thats my cred down the pan......