Feeling like a system upgrade, new speakers maybe? Please help!

[gramps23]

Hi folks,

I'm looking to upgrade my system, which I've been putting together over the last couple of years, mostly from second hand bargains on ebay and the like (monies are pretty tight, and I do love sniffing out a good bargain!). It sounds pretty good with most things and doesn't sound in any way offensive, but simply doesn't excite my ears very much!

As it stands, the system is comprised of -

- Rega RP1 Turntable, with RB101 Tonearm/Ortofon MM cart that it came with.

- Pro-ject Phono Box MM.

- Denon TU-260l MK2 Tuner.

- Denon DCD835 CDP, modded slightly with B-Quiet Ultimate vibration damping material (following suggestion from DIY Audio, which made for a surpsisingly noticable step-up in sound quality).

- Rotel RA-971 MK2 Amp.

- B&W DM601 S2 Speakers on Atacama SE24 Stands, which are filled with sand.

- DNM Reson speaker cable, Nordost Solar wind Interconnects for TT and CDP.

- The electronics are on a fairly substantial rack, with a very solid metal frame and glass shelves, but no idea what make it is.

A was leant a pair of Usher X-708's, complete with Ecosse cables, to have a play with about a month ago, which sounded awesome - so much more detail, bass extension and 'life' to the sound generally, amongst a bunch of other qualities (they really are very good, and look incredibly sexy with it!). While they were there, I also had a swap about with the Ecosse and DNM speaker cables, which made a very noticable improvement, but not enough to justify the £200 expense :O , IMHO anyway.

I've only recently acquired the Turntable and no longer have a huge vinyl collection, and the Tuner rarely gets used, so I'd like to concentrate my efforts on the CDP, Amp or Speakers for now. After my experience with the Ushers, it seems like my best bet may be finding a replacement for the B&W's, as the difference the 708's brought about was huge, especially to the smile on my face!

My budget is ~£500, and they'll need to be able to work in a relatively confined space (12'x15'), in fairly close proximity to the rear walls (60cm max, ish). Music wise, between my wife and I, we listen to pretty much everything, and I've got a bit of a thing for a nice, sweet midrange and plenty of space between the instruments.

Any suggestions would be very welcome, and, obviously, if people think that some of the budget could be spent better elsewhere, then I'm open to new ideas

Many thanks, Lawrence.

 

[Ben123]

Theres a few choices around that price range. The B&W CM1 are £500 and would be a big upgrade. They are rear ported so might not be happy up against a wall.

Monitor audio RX2s are also good. Rear ported also though.

 

[drummerman]

Why not try a pair of Usher's S520?

Very good at anything but very loud spl's.

regards

 

[Dougal1331]

Looking at your requirements, the Dali Zensor 5 would tick your boxes, in my opinion. They are floorstanders, albeit fairly compact. They look good, and the Zensor range has some of the best mid and treble I've heard recently.

Even the Zensor 3 at £300-350 would be a good choice (again, no bias at all...!) - I'm struggling for superlatives to describe these speakers, but they are about the best I've ever owned, with a very sweet, unfatiguing, yet powerful sound. They have tremendous bass power, my room is about the same size as yours and they are perfect. Mid and top are lucid and detailed, with stereo imaging to die for.

I have owned a lot of Rotel gear over the years, and I can say that the 971mk2 is still a great amp, you'd have to spend a significant sum to better it, and it will be a great match with the Dalis- either model.

A few of us have been banging on about these speakers for a while now, although they seem to be evading the reviewers. Search these forums for more info, but everyone who's taken the plunge so far has absolutely raved about them. Price-wise, it may seem like a sideways move rather than an upgrade, but while the 601s are great speakers, they can be a bit too uninvolving sometimes- the Zensors really are all-day-listening speakers.

You can spend the change on more vinyl!

 

[BigH]

Would the Zensor 3 be alright close to walls?

 

[Dougal1331]

They are rear-ported, but if you can go 60cm from the rear wall I can't see a problem. They are very controlled at the bottom end, mine are about 45cm away from the rear wall and there's no boom at all...

 

[gramps23]

That's fantastic, thank you for the advice chaps.

I'm going to try and organise a home demo with the CM1's from a local dealer, and there's a Richer Sounds just down the road, where I can give the Dali's a spin (hopefully with my own gear - do they allow that these days..?).

@Drummerman - I'd be interested to see how the S-520s sound, but after I'd heard the 708's I had a dig about on the net for info on Ushers less expensive models. The general consensus seems to be that they're a bit limited at the bottom end and dynamically, which puts me off a bit. Have you had a chance to hear them in person?

Warm regards, Lawrence.

 

[Dougal1331]

Richers are pretty good (certainly my branch is, anyway) customer-service wise, when I've bought kit from them, they have said if I'm not happy I can bring it back and try something else instead.

You might be able to take your kit to the store, or they may be willing to let you have a display pair on a suck-it-and-see basis for a couple of days. Obviously you'll have to pay for them, but if you like them, then they'll swap them for a new, boxed pair. Always worth an ask...

Whichever way you go, best of luck! :cheers: