different views on speakers

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I'm just wondering what peoples thoughts are on different speaker set ups in general regarding peoples preferred sound. Do you prefer floor standers, stand mounts, or perhaps a 2.1 set up with a sub? And also why you prefer what you do. Currently have some old floor standers and am off to demo different set ups soon, but thought i'd gain others views first. More interested if there are trends out there. I know each probably has its strengths and weaknesses, but would like to know what these could be before i go shopping.

Regards.

 

[Anonymous]

Given that speakers are not small items, I'd give more consideration to how they'll fit in with your living space and the decor of your room. Whether they're floorstanders or standmounts doesn't really matter.

Unless you can hide subs I wouldn't bother - nasty, ugly things and hard to integrate. Really only worth considering if you feel you main speakers are lacking anyway.

 

[the record spot]

I'll echo the previous comments about subwoofers; I think they've been a trend which has added to the hifi shopping list in the last ten years or so but I don't believe they're necessary.

Get some speakers that can actually do decent bass and not just have drivers that don't seem able to do much. The trend towards slimmer boxes is a style fad and impacts on what you hear IMO. Try any current floorstanding box which is reviewed as being "bass light" and put them up against Q Acoustics' excellent 1050i floorstander, or a pair of Linn Keilidhs (an older speaker which is available - often in excellent nick for about £300) and hear the difference.

There's an element of generalising there, but the cynic in me sees an opportunity for some companies to produce bass shy speakers which in turn mean people buy subwoofers. Sales or quality driven? You be the judge!

I tend to prefer floorstanders just now and I use Mission 752s which are about 15 years old. They're superb speakers and convey the music wonderfully well. In the past, I've had Mission 751s which are superb standmounters, often available for little money on Ebay (you should pick up a pair for less than £100) but originally sold for between £300-400 depending on which version you buy. Fantastic polypropelene driver and a fast, agile sound that's great for rock with good bass.

I don't know what your budget is, your living space is like, or music preferences, but here are some speakers I'd be looking at if I were going shopping today:-

Q Acoustics 1050i floorstander (£360, but can be had for

Leema Xero standmount (£650, but very well rated, good bass and excellent sonics)

Quadral Pico small standmount (£650)

Dali Lektor 6 floorstander (£750 and if you like the looks...)

Acoustic Energy AE22 Passive standmount (£450 - clinical studio monitor)

Acoustic Energy AE22 Actives standmount (£800 - same, onboard amp)

Hope that's a helping hand...!

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, the line about "auditioning first" and "what's your budget" somehow disappeared - blame safari, the mac, or my lack of checking what I've just writteN.

Don't forget to factor in the price of stands when you look at compact speakers. Often floor standers seem more expensive until you factor in the sometimes frightening price of stands.ÿ

ÿ

EDIT: Excellent selection of speakers, R.S., though I don't know the Quadrals.

 

[matthewpiano]

Personally I have a preference for standmounts at present. With decent quality standmounts on heavy stands there is no reason why there shouldn't be sufficient bass performance and I tend to find that such speakers are generally better at imaging and soundstaging. As I listen to a lot of classical music, these aspects of reproduction are very important to me - if the soundstage isn't stable, listening becomes irritating. I also like the extra pace and deftness that standmounts offer.

There are, however, some standmounts that seems to over compensate for their size with disproportionate bass output. There are also several standmounts which, through their use of ports to enhance bass performance, add an irritating 'quack' (technical term ) to the midrange. The MA BR2s are particularly guilty on these fronts, though they are very talented speakers and offer good driver integration.

With regards to 2.1 systems, I agree with previous comments. For me, a good pair of stereo speakers should be reproducing everything you need. Another aspect of speaker performance which is very important to me is cohesion and driver integration, and that is all too easily lost when adding a subwoofer.

Personal favourites across price points would be:

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Mordaunt-Short MS902i
Mordaunt-Short MS914i (floorstander!)
Quad 11L
Usher S520
Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 2
Q Acoustics 1050i
Rega R1
Rega R3
ATC SCM9
Quad 22L (floorstander!)

My ideal speaker? A pair of modern Quad Electrostatics.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the views so far, its great to hear peoples personal choices and the reasons why. i know in the end it will all be down to my own ears, but its good to have so much knowledge about products before you go looking. means i can at least attempt a shortlist...or long list as it may turn out

so, my living space is a fairy open 15ft square room. The speakers will be approx half a meter from a back wall if possible. currently have some old kef q55.2's. not bad speakes i suppose, but i just assume as they are getting old that there may be better out there for the money these days, although i could weel be wrong after reading some of the replies... i guess i just fancy a change aswell. its only running off an old marantz pm6010ki amp and cd6000ose, i assume these are still ok? or would i be better off spending the money upgrading these parts first? i guess i just fancy a new set of speakers though...

budget will be approx £600, but is certainly negotiable...

 

[the record spot]

LOL - an "old" PM6010-KI? This is a great amp, the one I've used since 2001 and in no raging panic to change it! Works well with the "classic" Mission kit, especially the 75 series, though may not be quite enough for the 753. 751 and 752 is a good match, plus they're available for next to no money these days.

Good choice of amp, don't know the KEF Q55.2s, but the 35s were very well rated with their UniQ driver; they go for good money too these days, and I'm assuming the 55s are similar but with an extra driver? Can't recall the scores for that one, but the upgraded 35s (i.e. the ".2) picked up many a 5 star award and group test win. Nearly went for them myself, but Mission 751's won out.

Your room's big enough for good floorstanders, but I think I might suggest trialling a new CD player - can you get a home loan? Your current amp and speakers can definitely take on better, no question and £600 will get you a good new player (Marantz SA8003 if you like the sound) or a brilliant used one, though you might then want to think about changing the amp.

That's a tough call I think; don't dump the speakers because they're not this year's model. Or last's! KEF made great boxes, like Mission, in the 90s and arguably better than the current crop, so tread carefully there. That said, any of the boxes folk have mentioned here will do you fine, depending on what you want to spend and the music you like.

The amp, though, is a keeper. You can better it alright, but not without spending a lot of money...

 

[Anonymous]

Adding a sub to a stand mount or floor standing speaker is a good option, one that unduly gets a lot of bad press. The problem with subs is that you need to avoid the budget ones and you need to spend a lot of time setting it up correctly. By this I mean learning how to set it up and then doing so correctly. They need to be positioned correctly with respect to the room and listening position which can be awkward. Further, two subs is better than one because they can reproduce the stereo nuances of some of the high bass frequencies, e.g. double bass sound should come from the correct place in the soundstage. Subs give you the flexibility to tune the bass output to taste, sometimes between TV/movie and music use, sometimes just to boost the bass gain when listening very quietly. Don't forget, many floorstanders simply have 'sub bass' drive units in them; not hugely different to a separate box, but impacted by the cabinet influences over the midrange and treble.

As you may have gathered by now, I prefer stand mounters

The addition of a sub is really to taste and I leave mine off for half the time. The speed and quality of bass from a good stand mounter can be much better, with improved imaging and timing. Sacrifices? Maybe a bit of scale. Bass extension but by no means quality. About it really!

Have a listen to both examples of the speakers you favor and see what you prefer. Just remember that the sound is always a function of the speaker and room, so you need to think a bit about how the sound might change in your room.

 

[basshead]

i think it depends what kind of music you listen to. i've auditioned many different speakers (both standmounts and floorstanders) and none have had enough bass for me. i couldnt have a music system without a sub. some speakers which others have described as having good bass have had zero bass to me. without a sub the lower octave of some styles of music is missing completely. for 'heavy' music such as heavy metal, dub reggae and most dance music i feel a good sub is essencial for my system.

if you need the speakers to reproduce accustic music, classical or 'light' rock then normal speakers may be fine for reproducing the bass, as it's only a bass guitar or drum sounds which they have to deal with (or other such instruments), which is a reletively simple sound. when you listen to bass heavy music with rolling basslines then a sub adds so much more to the sound.

a lot of the music i listen to has bass below 50hz, as the bass is electronically produced it is far more constant and complex, and demands high power & at least a 12'' driver IMO to reproduce these frequencies with any impact. only a sub can reproduce these frequencies with enough power to please my ears. that's why i have a bk monolith

i agree though that it is so important to set up a sub correctly, and can take time. constant adjustments have to be made as the sub is run-in too.

 

[matthewpiano]

Good point well made basshead. I can completely understand why the music you listen to would benefit from a good quality sub.

Yet more evidence for the fact that there really is no single solution to hi-fi that would suit everyone.

 

[the record spot]

Cerwin Vega! didn't stick an exclamation mark in their brand name for nothing y'know guys...!

 

[basshead]

the record spot:Cerwin Vega! didn't stick an exclamation mark in their brand name for nothing y'know guys...!

i'm looking for new speakers at the mo, cerwin vega was reccommended on another forum as one to try..... has any1 here ever heard them? i expect they have good bass (well lots of it anyway), but wonder if the quality of sound is any good at all?

 

[matthewpiano]

basshead:
the record spot:Cerwin Vega! didn't stick an exclamation mark in their brand name for nothing y'know guys...!

i'm looking for new speakers at the mo, cerwin vega was reccommended on another forum as one to try..... has any1 here ever heard them? i expect they have good bass (well lots of it anyway), but wonder if the quality of sound is any good at all?

Add to lots of bass, harshness at the top end and absolutely no midrange fluidity or sense of atmosphere, and you've pretty much got the Cerwin-Vega! cook-book.

You can do MUCH better.

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:basshead:
the record spot:Cerwin Vega! didn't stick an exclamation mark in their brand name for nothing y'know guys...!

i'm looking for new speakers at the mo, cerwin vega was reccommended on another forum as one to try..... has any1 here ever heard them? i expect they have good bass (well lots of it anyway), but wonder if the quality of sound is any good at all?Add to lots of bass, harshness at the top end and absolutely no midrange fluidity or sense of atmosphere, and you've pretty much got the Cerwin-Vega! cook-book.You can do MUCH better.

Don't fully agree with that. If you like the type of music that basshead likes, then they should be high on the listening list. To be honest, I love the set up I have, but once you stray into even Guns n Roses territory, it does become far too polite. Hard rock is meant to be gut wrenching, and I'd think CV would be just the ticket.

I 'm happy driving my Renault, but sometimes my heart yearns for the sheer grunt of a Holden Commodore SS V8.ÿ

ÿ

 

[the record spot]

I think if polite classical quintets are your thing, CV! are probably not the best match, and my post was somewhat tongue in cheek. However, as far as I'm aware, they're about the final frontier in domestic speakers before you get into club-like boxes - they do gut wrenching, they do it loud and I think it was WHF many years ago that said the company makes no small boast that it tests its' gear using the likes of Iron Maiden albums!

Yep, you can do better, for all the reasons that matthewpiano mentioned, but if pulsing, driving rock with floorboard troubling (actually, make that foundation troubling) bass is your thing, they really should be on the shortlist IMO assuming you can still get them in the UK. You can sometimes pick them up on Ebay as well, but check them carefully.

 

[JoelSim]

I much prefer floorstanders, I find they are more enveloping and involving.

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