Floorstanders to replace Dali Zensor 3

[Cass]

I'm looking for a step up in quality from my Dali Zensor 3 standmounts. I have a floorstander itch to scratch, as I've never owned a pair before. Looking to spend around £500-600, and there are a few options at that price - namely Fyne Audio F302i , Wharfedale Diamond 12.3, Dali Oberon 5.

Of those three, I'm most interested in the Fyne Audios.

My partnering kit is a Rega Brio amp, Chromecast Audio and an old Marantz 6002 CDP. Mainly listen to guitar music, both rock and acoustic.

Would any of these represent a worthwhile upgrade, or are budget floorstanders considered a bad idea?

 

[Al ears]

I'm looking for a step up in quality from my Dali Zensor 3 standmounts. I have a floorstander itch to scratch, as I've never owned a pair before. Looking to spend around £500-600, and there are a few options at that price - namely Fyne Audio F302i , Wharfedale Diamond 12.3, Dali Oberon 5.

Of those three, I'm most interested in the Fyne Audios.

My partnering kit is a Rega Brio amp, Chromecast Audio and an old Marantz 6002 CDP. Mainly listen to guitar music, both rock and acoustic.

Would any of these represent a worthwhile upgrade, or are budget floorstanders considered a bad idea?

I think they would all be an upgrade but only you can tell that by listening to them.
No idea what sort of space these speakers have to fill either so you need to audition, preferably in your own home.

 

[Cass]

They'd be firing down a long-ish room, around 8m x 5m.

One minor concern is that I prefer not to toe-in speakers as I rarely sit in one spot to listen. The WHF review of the Fyne Audios mentioned that they sound better with slight toe-in.

I know Dalis don't need toe-in, but I'd prefer something taller due to furniture constraints(!)

I know there's also the Q Acoustics 3050i to consider, but I've heard their Concept 20s and wasn't a fan of the laid-back sound their speakers tend to produce.

 

[gasolin]

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[plastic penguin]

They'd be firing down a long-ish room, around 8m x 5m.

One minor concern is that I prefer not to toe-in speakers as I rarely sit in one spot to listen. The WHF review of the Fyne Audios mentioned that they sound better with slight toe-in.

I know Dalis don't need toe-in, but I'd prefer something taller due to furniture constraints(!)

I know there's also the Q Acoustics 3050i to consider, but I've heard their Concept 20s and wasn't a fan of the laid-back sound their speakers tend to produce.

Think you might find that standmounts on dedicated stands are slightly taller than the average floorstander (certainly the woofer).

As others have said, it's wise to home demo various brands

 

[JonRA]

I'm a newbie (to the forum and to more-than-very- basic systems, so feel free to ignore me 🙂 but I have a similar-ish set of speakers (Dali Spektor 2) and was thinking of upgrading to some Oberon 5's but driven by not wanting to throw out my Spektors so soon after purchase, I decided to add a subwoofer. It has made a real difference, despite being a basic Yamaha model. You might be pleasantly surprised if you haven't tried this route. It might also address any height concerns.

 

[plastic penguin]

I'm a newbie (to the forum and to more-than-very- basic systems, so feel free to ignore me 🙂 but I have a similar-ish set of speakers (Dali Spektor 2) and was thinking of upgrading to some Oberon 5's but driven by not wanting to throw out my Spektors so soon after purchase, I decided to add a subwoofer. It has made a real difference, despite being a basic Yamaha model. You might be pleasantly surprised if you haven't tried this route. It might also address any height concerns.

To be honest I've never had the need for a sub, as I only have two channel. Really depends what you're looking to achieve: if it's pure bass heft then it can work a treat. Personally, I don't crave the deepest bass, preferring quality over quantity. The bass definition on my system is more than ample.

 

[Cass]

The bass generated by the Zensor 3's is pretty good, so that's not the issue. They're decent speakers but are (or rather were, since they are discontinued) towards the budget end at £300, so I can't help wondering if better sound is available for a higher outlay. I'm interested in floorstanders mainly because I feel that standmounters struggle to "fill the room" with sound - they sound fine a short distance from the speakers, but then the sound tails off. As I mentioned, I don't always listen from the same spot, and it's a long room.

 

[plastic penguin]

The bass generated by the Zensor 3's is pretty good, so that's not the issue. They're decent speakers but are (or rather were, since they are discontinued) towards the budget end at £300, so I can't help wondering if better sound is available for a higher outlay. I'm interested in floorstanders mainly because I feel that standmounters struggle to "fill the room" with sound - they sound fine a short distance from the speakers, but then the sound tails off. As I mentioned, I don't always listen from the same spot, and it's a long room.

Have you thought a amp upgrade? The Brio is very good for the price, but a better amp, one with a little more guts, might be the answer. I could be wrong but it's another option you could investigate. Perhaps something like a Rega Elex-R.

 

[Basso]

I don’t think the Oberon 5 will give you what you want. The Zensor 3 are pretty good speakers. I replaced mine with the Oberon 7s but that is a bit of a budget jump From what you have suggested. Only one way to find out though.

 

[JonRA]

To be honest I've never had the need for a sub, as I only have two channel. Really depends what you're looking to achieve: if it's pure bass heft then it can work a treat. Personally, I don't crave the deepest bass, preferring quality over quantity. The bass definition on my system is more than ample.

I've just got two channels and only considered a sub after reading how they can add bass. I wasn't overly worried about the bass on my (pretty tiny) Spektors but thought I would see what difference it could make. I keep the subwoofer on around 30% of its volume control most of the time and it doesn't seem to reduce the clarity of the bass, just give it a little extra warmth. If I do turn it up higher (I've never gone beyond about 50%) it reaches the sort of level where you can really feel a strong bass output, but I only do this occasionally as I don't want to muddy the sound which I suspect might happen if I turned it up any higher. I only have a small room (4x4.7m) so I think it has opened up an alternative approach to floorstanders for me. But I'm learning as I go along...

 

[plastic penguin]

I've just got two channels and only considered a sub after reading how they can add bass. I wasn't overly worried about the bass on my (pretty tiny) Spektors but thought I would see what difference it could make. I keep the subwoofer on around 30% of its volume control most of the time and it doesn't seem to reduce the clarity of the bass, just give it a little extra warmth. If I do turn it up higher (I've never gone beyond about 50%) it reaches the sort of level where you can really feel a strong bass output, but I only do this occasionally as I don't want to muddy the sound which I suspect might happen if I turned it up any higher. I only have a small room (4x4.7m) so I think it has opened up an alternative approach to floorstanders for me. But I'm learning as I go along...

As I stated in the previous post, depends on the sound you are looking to achieve. And of course a sub needs to suit your room.