Monitor audio br5 v kef iq5se ?

[pauldownton1979]

i have other options, but have seen good online deals for these where demo not poss. to partner rotel ra-820ax and rcd965bx cdp chord rumour 2 spk cable ca pacific i/c

the br5's incidently are a tenner cheaper with 10m chord silverscreen inclusive, which i know is cheaper than the rumour im using, but 10m is enough to biwire, where as i only just have enough of the rumour as it is - is it that superior to silverscreen ?

Cheers

 

[smuggs]

i had the same pair to pick from and i went for the m/a 's they are class at low volumes were alot better than the kefs i think the m/a are 6ohm's and the kefs are 8ohm's which might explain that but if you want say a quick hour the kefs might be for you but if you like classic,blues music and listen for hours i felt the m/a were warmer sound that almost relaxed you. This is all imo and you might get a kef owner tell you different.i live just outside leicester if you need a demo,but i only run them through a av amp. All the best

 

[pauldownton1979]

cheers smuggs, tho im in preston so bit out of range im afraid. i listen to rock mostly, but also dylan,neil you to bassment jaxx to amy winehouse, so need allrounders. i might end up pairing them with cambridge stuff so i was thinking the warmth of the br5s might be a good balance for the bright electronics and chord cables. i dont know anything about the kefs and only seems to be richer sound that sell them - the one in preston has no demo room like it used to - tho theres allways the 7 day trial i suppose

 

[matthewpiano]

Mordaunt-Shorts are very hard to beat IMO. For budget floorstanders the 914i wipes the floor with the BR5s, whilst a step up to the Mezzo 2s will pay further dividends in terms of musicality, tonal quality and dynamic range. All IMO of course - I do tend to be very biased towards Mordaunt-Shorts having owned MS15s, MS902i, MS914i, Premiere HT speakers, and my present Mezzo 2s (I also still have the 902is), so an audition is always recommended.

If you prefer something a bit warmer I would recommend looking at Wharfedale's new Diamond 10 range or the larger Q Acoustics models (particularly 1050i).

The KEFs are also well worth trying, although they are a more clinical sounding speaker in some ways.

 

[pauldownton1979]

cheers mathew ive spoken to you about this before, i too loved the 902i's as well - unbeatable for the money. i used to own the wharfedale 8.3's they bored me to death. i will listen to the mezzo's. im not sure about the 914i's they are about half the price of the stuff im looking at tbh - sureley they cant compete with £4-500 gear ? ive seen some dali's on ebay that are massive dali suite 2.8 i think they may dwarf my 5x3 listening room plus they will be near wall. but as i cant find a review im struggling for info

theres also the mutch coveted b&W 685

 

[matthewpiano]

I've still got a pair of Wharfedale 8.3+ standing inactively in a corner of my study and, yes, they can be quite boring to listen to at times although they are quite capable in other respects.

Time has shown me that price doesn't really tell you all that much. The proof is in the listening. Having said that the 914s aren't as good as the Mezzo 2s - the Mezzo range is a clear step up from the Avants.

 

[d_a_n1979]

It's like a Preston outing on here; I'm from Preston as well!

I agree with MP; the MS speakers would sound better; the Mezzo range are very sweet and would gel well with the Rotel system

On the other hand I'm a huge B&W fan as well and having owned the 685's previously I couldn't fault them and would say that you'd have to demo them as well. Remember though that they need to be on decent stands and I would say that Partington Super Dreadnoughts would be a minimum so you'd be looking at c£500 for them together!

I'm not a huge fan of Kef; I've never liked their Uni-Q driver set-up and feel that it meddles too much with the high frequencies and would say that the Rotel separates wouldn't gel as well with those; although saying that you'd have similar issues with the MS speakers.

What's your overall budget and will you consider 2nd hand separates?

IMO the M/A BR5's would do very well, more so with the Chord Carnival Silverscreen speaker cable. Don't worry about bi-wiring with your Rotel and the M/A speakers; IMO having used this set-up as well as bi-amping previously; a decent set of speaker jumper cables will do just as good!

 

[matthewpiano]

Give Dan's suggestion of looking at 2nd hand serious thought. You'll get a lot more for your money.

 

[pauldownton1979]

cheers dan great input. im leaning towards the br5's as i think would offer the greatest tonal balance and synergy both now with the rotel, and in future with ca azur likeley to be the replacement.

as for budget its unknown! im selling up my current aegis 2's and average av setup that i dont use. it will raise about £400 that i will spend on speakers.

its my 30th next week and if i find the right deal i may treat myself to some electronics. i used to own the azur 540's which liked and are cheap as at mo graded from rs

im also looking at audiolab 8000s £249 bnib - sureley unbeatable for that money and get a cdp at later date as my own is fine, tho very unsure of characteristics of this product, plus online buying means no demo.

i think id struggle to get better than that s/h ?

there is also quad 11l and ma rs1 that i could demo

 

[pauldownton1979]

proac tablette 50's ???

anyone know them - struggling for info tbh

 

[d_a_n1979]

The Audiolab 8000S would partner very well with the M/A RS1's. Superb speakers, very srticulate but they're not the last word in bass power but then again; they are very detailed and have some very good kick!

 

[Anonymous]

im from preston looking for speakers, anyone made a choice yet