Floorstanders for ~£150-£200?

[shreddedmeat]

Hi all,

After lurking on these forums many a time, I thought I'd just pose my question and see what you can advise Apologies in advance for the long and rambling post!

I've got a fairly decent-ish sounding system at the minute, but I'm looking to upgrade the speakers to something more substantial. I'm currently running an old NAD 5425 through a Cambridge Audio A2 amp into a set of Mission 760i's. I've also got my Mac hooked up through a Lexicon recording interface. It's old, but it sounds nice and it cost me next to nothing to put together (literally nothing for the NAD, it was free!).

I feel the Missions aren't great - maybe they're showing their age. I'll soon have the space for floorstanders so was thinking of getting a set, because I miss not having any real bass extension. The rest of my gear will be upgraded in time as well, I just can't budget for an entire new system at once!

There seems to be a fair few choices in this price range, such as Mission's MV6 and M33i, Q Acoustics stuff etc. However the Mordaunt Short 914i's have caught my eye, especially since I can get a good deal on them at a store not too far away. Seem to have very positive reviews. How do you think they would pair up with my gear, or with more expensive kit once I upgrade?

I should point out, I'm happy to consider a good set of bookshelfs. I considered the Klipsch Synergy B-2s, since they fall right in budget and I'm a Klipsch fan in general - but that's a whole different avenue to explore!

I'd be grateful for any advice/recommendations anyone could make

 

[Anonymous]

have you thought of buying second hand
i bought second hand mission 753 floorstanders for £160 it was the best thing ive ever bought
they are a lovely sounding speaker good imaging and depth .

 

[Anonymous]

I got my B&W DM2000s for £180 on Ebay, there are loads of bargains on there if you are willing to wait for them to come up.

 

[Anonymous]

How many watts per channel is that amp?

 

[shreddedmeat]

I'm happy with second hand, if I could find a good deal at the right time.

Specs on the A2 are few and far between, but I'd say it was about 30w. Not a whole lot, but a lot of the speakers I've been looking at have a high sensitivity, so they shouldn't be too hard to drive?

 

[Anonymous]

The closest I can think of is the Acoustic Energy Neo 3's which can be picked up for around 240.00 brand new. They are wonderful sounding speakers, with a high sensitivity and plenty of kick.

Likewise you could look for them second hand and the Tannoy Mercury F4

 

[shreddedmeat]

Cheers newbie, I actually hadn't considered them. How do the F4s sound? I've heard great things about the F1s

 

[Anonymous]

The Tannoy F4's are very good, lots of slam but controlled slam a wide midrange and just a very full sounding speaker with excellent midrange.

Likewise the Neo 3's are excellent, probably better, but i would say that since i own them

 

[matthewpiano]

I'd suggest the Missions are the strongest part of your system.

 

[Anonymous]

Also a good point, you aren't going to hear the best from your speakers with a 30 watt amp.

 

[Anonymous]

save up a little longer (an adiitional £100 or so) ... then sell both the amp and speakers

have a close look at B&W DM2 speakers .... a good pair sells for between £100-£200 ... here is a pair on ebay at the moment ... this pair may sell for approx £180-£200 because the seller is willing to ship them ... a couple of weeks ago, a pair in good condition sold for £33 (collection only)

add a used Pioneer A400 amp for approx £120-£130 and you may be well pleased ...

(later, look at a Rotel RCD-965x cd player for approx £50)

so total = approx £320-£350

 

[shreddedmeat]

Thanks for all these replies, they've certainly given me food for thought. I'm thinking I might stretch my budget a good set of speakers, and then pick up a new amp asap after that. Hifi, it seems to me, always end up being far more expensive than you anticipate!

 

[matthewpiano]

Keep your speakers a little longer and pay attention to the amp first. You are not hearing anything like the full ability of the Missions with that amplifier. If you decide to go down dim_span's used route the 760i would match the Pioneer A400 and Rotel CD player beautifully until you could afford to look at a pair of 752s or similar further down the line.

The 760i was, and remains, a very very good speaker.

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano: The 760i was, and remains, a very very good speaker.

have read some comments where people complain that the bass on the 760i is lacking ... another alternative would be to add a sub?

 

[shreddedmeat]

dim_span is right, the bass isn't overwhelming on the 760i. Showing it a rear wall helps a lot, but its very muddy at times, and spoils the really rather nice mid and treble they can provide.

matthewpiano:Keep your speakers a little longer and pay attention to the amp first. You are not hearing anything like the full ability of the Missions with that amplifier. If you decide to go down dim_span's used route the 760i would match the Pioneer A400 and Rotel CD player beautifully until you could afford to look at a pair of 752s or similar further down the line.

The 760i was, and remains, a very very good speaker.

I understand your point here. The 760s have just never 'done it' for me in any major way. However it is tempting to spend the money I'd earmarked for speakers on an amp instead. With that in mind, other than the A400 what would be a good bet?

 

[paulsue38]

I have the AE Neo 3 and I agree with what others have said about them. They are excellent value, nicely balanced and have a great soundstage. Efficient and not difficult to place. They are not particularly good looking - only vinyl wrap but that is the only negative, I think they are going to be discontinued so you might pick up a bargain!

Bestwishes

Paul

 

[the record spot]

If you can be bothered with tinkering with positioning and partnering kit, then ditch the speakers (long in the tooth and off the pace) and either buy a pair of (if you go down the "new" route) Q Acoustics 1050i - if you have the space for them - which are now going for £200, or "used" and this is where the tinkering comes in, get a pair of Mission 752s. The 752 is a very clean sounding amp, can sound sterile if badly position or partnered with overly bright or lean sounding gear. Get those two elements right and they'll delight you and you'd be looking at somewhere in the £800 upwards bracket to top them now.

Amps are ten a penny, depends on the budget but I have very high opinions for Sansui's 217, 317, 417, 517 and 717 amps. The higher you go, the better they get, but even the entry level gear is good. Expect to spend anywhere from £50 to £200-odd depending on the model.

 

[Anonymous]

what about a 2nd hand pair of my babies

 

[ear]

please someone has compared neo3 and aelite three? only heard aelite three...id like to know how they compare

 

[shreddedmeat]

Q 1050is seem like a steal for what you can get them for; about £225. Still would like to give the Neo 3s a listen

Richer Sounds are doing the Cambridge Azur 640A V2 for £199. Almost too tempting, heard nothing but hefty praise for them.

To think, I came looking for some cheap floorstanders, and you lot have turned me into a new system

 

[DrizztDan]

I hear the neo3 are incredible, but £239

 

[Anonymous]

Here are a pair of IMF ALS40 speakers with stands for £100 ... these are 4 way transmission design

leaves you £100 to sort out a good vintage amp

 

[d_a_n1979]

Some of the above ideas are bang on imo (the M/A BR5's or the AE Neo 3's would be superb).

If you wanted budget floorstanders and were happy to go via eBay and the likes (and still leave a fair amount in your budget) then have a nosey around for some acoustic Energy AE109's.

Superb speakers that will sgtand up to the budget speakers in the current market.

 

[shreddedmeat]

Again, thanks for all the replies.

I think I've come to a decision; new amp and new floorstanders, most probably an Azur 640V2 and some Neo 3s. May have to save slightly, since I doubt I could get a reasonable price for my current gear now.

 

[DrizztDan]

cool man gd luck!

Im still torn between the diamond 10.3 or Neo 3.

As Neo 3's look UGLY