New amp and floorstanders for £1500

[admin_exported]

Hi everyone.

I have just moved house and am going to replace my amp and speakers to suit a new larger room, the space is 6m x 6m with the ceiling open to the underside of the rafters and the floor is tiled, am I right in thinking floorstanders will be needed for a room this size?

My source is a marantz cd-67se which I may upgrade in future but for now I plan to live with it and put the money to the amp and speakers, I plan to spend about £1500 but may stretch a little!

At the moment I am looking at the rotel ra12 amp with b&w cm8's but it has been mentioned to me the rega brio r is worth a look with some rega rs5's, the q acoustics 2050s also look tempting but I am unsure about amp partnering.

I do have some music on the iPhone and so the dock on the front of the rotel is a worthwhile bonus to me,

I will be having a demo when I have done my homework, has anyone got any other suggestions or opinions?

Thanks

Dan

 

[Philim]

dan

i am in a very similar situation as you and was looking for a similar bit of guidance. i was looking ar either dc6t se or radiance 2 with either the aj19 or cyrus 6a. both of which be bought for 1200-1300. off to demo on saturday.

 

[CnoEvil]

For amps you might like to consider

- Musical Fidelity M3i

- Harman Kardon HK 990

- Creek Enolution 2

For Speakers check out Epos Epic 5

 

[Shanka]

Hi,

I would add to list above Naim 5i, great amp for the money if you can live with a slight lack of functionality.

I saw the new Arcam yesterday and a nice bit of kit, not heard though but certainly worth a listen.

Will work well with Epos as well.

There are a lot of speaker choices and make sure to see how they match with the amp and your listening preferences.

Have fun and good luck

 

[Anonymous]

Amps:

Rega Brio R

Creek Evo II

Rotel RA12

Arcam FMJ A32 (FANTASTIC amp and a multi award winner: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Arcam-A32-Integrated-Amplifier-in-Silver-Hardly-Used-Immaculate-/150982045317?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item23273b2e85

NAD C356BEE (another stonking amp for good money): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NAD-C356BEE-STEREO-INTEGRATED-AMPLIFIER-GRAPHITE-NEW-SEALED-RN4498-/251217420529?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item3a7db9a0f1

Cyrus 6XP or 6a: http://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/cyrus-bargains/cyrus-6-xp-amplifier-2072896-406703-832081.php / http://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/cyrus-bargains/cyrus-6a-amplifier-repro-2215941-406703-833005.php

Speakers:

B&W 684's or 683's: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B-W-683-Floorstand-Speakers-Black-finish-Ex-Display-/251216091270?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item3a7da55886

Monitor Audio RX6's

QUAD 22L2's

Rega RS3's or 5's

2nd hand Neat Motive 2's (these are amazing speakers; small but with an amazing soundstage and staggeringly deep, taut & punchy bass): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neat-Acoustics-Motive-2-Floorstanding-Loudspeakers-Light-Oak-Excellent-Condition-/321058622477?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item4ac095cc0d

2nd hand PMC GB1i's

Dynaudio Excite 32's (well worth watching these): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DYNAUDIO-EXCITE-X-32-LOUDSPEAKERS-HIGH-GLOSS-PIANO-BLACK-/181064350419?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item2a2846bad3

Personally my money would be on the Arcam FMJ A32 or Cyrus amps with the Neat Motive 2's but all the other speakers would work very well indeed as well. The NAD is a superb amp; very gutsy but some people find them a bit too bass strong but that's ok with me as I listen to a lot of electronica and house music etc...

 

[Anonymous]

Double entendre...!

 

[BigH]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI
ADM9RSS
which are about £1,400, they have high quality amps (250W) and DAC inside them, so just hook your cd player up.

Wherabouts do you live?

 

[Paul.]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI
ADM9RSS
which are about £1,400, they have high quality amps (250W) and DAC inside them, so just hook your cd player up.

Wherabouts do you live?

Funny looking floor stander

 

[hoopsontoast]

Ex-demo Rega RS7 and a Brio-R could be worth a look. The only 'standmounts/bookshelves' that could really fill that room size would be something larger like the ATC SCM19 or larger Spendor models for example.

You could fit some Magnepan MMG's in there, about £700 new or some MG12's are about £1k S/H or Ex-Demo. If you dont mind them having a bit of space away from the rear walls.

Whatever you go with, some nice big thick rugs would probably help with the tiled floor.

 

[BigH]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI
ADM9RSS
which are about £1,400, they have high quality amps (250W) and DAC inside them, so just hook your cd player up.

Wherabouts do you live?

Funny looking floor stander

I don't think you need floorstanders, anyway they were asking for other suggestions, as I say worth a listen if you can.

What sort of music do you like?

 

[Shanka]

Cracking deal on those Dynaudios, very good speaker, listened to them when I was demoing speakers, they live up to their Excite name.

 

[Paul.]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI
ADM9RSS
which are about £1,400, they have high quality amps (250W) and DAC inside them, so just hook your cd player up.

Wherabouts do you live?

Funny looking floor stander

I don't think you need floorstanders, anyway they were asking for other suggestions, as I say worth a listen if you can.

What sort of music do you like?

Six meters by six meters is a big room. Wouldn't the OP need to buy the matching AVI sub to compete with the bass of a floor stander? That's way out of budget.

 

[BigH]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI
ADM9RSS
which are about £1,400, they have high quality amps (250W) and DAC inside them, so just hook your cd player up.

Wherabouts do you live?

Funny looking floor stander

I don't think you need floorstanders, anyway they were asking for other suggestions, as I say worth a listen if you can.

What sort of music do you like?

Six meters by six meters is a big room. Wouldn't the OP need to buy the matching AVI sub to compete with the bass of a floor stander? That's way out of budget.

Yes maybe but the speakers have 250W amps to drive them, as I say depends what sort of music they play.

 

[jjbomber]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI

Funny looking floor stander

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Careful Paul. Cult meeting tomorrow morning and you will be the first voodoo doll with pins in. There's an even funnier reply on another thread posted yesterday. A guy wanted to spend £600 on a DAC and one of the cult members recommended the £1,400 AVIs. The British Comedy Awards have got nothing on these guys.

 

[hoopsontoast]

Anyway, ignoring the AVI advert attempt........ :doh:

Remember, 6m square is a big room, no amount of power into a 6" bookshelf will fill that properly. No replacement for displacement.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyway, ignoring the AVI advert attempt........ :doh:

Remember, 6m square is a big room, no amount of power into a 6" bookshelf will fill that properly. No replacement for displacement.

This!

My folks have B&W CM9's with Cyrus integrated & power set-up (8VS2 with an 8Power) in a 5 x 5.5m dining room and it does the job nicely but the B&W 602 S2's and Arcam Alpha 9 system they had before hand struggled to fill the room with decent sound and the 602 S2's are big speakers!

I also think that the Arcam FMJ A32 and B&W 683 set-up would work superbly in your size room... Solid, gutsy amp with bags of power and big floorstanders with a massive soundstage... Ideal for filling a 6 x 6m room!

 

[gurjitsidhu]

Hey,

Ive heard the Rega BrioR amp and it sounded really nice with B&W 684 speakers. it was £700 for speakers and £400-500 for the amp so well within your budget. also you could get yourself a dacmagic DAC and your within your budget or a dacmagic plus with bluetooth connectivity and works as a headphone amp too all for £1500.

i found that the rega R looked pretty weird though- not very substantial unless you have the matching cd player. stand alone it looks a bit gimmicky to me which is misleading since it sounds fab.

i currently have a budget system- yamaha As500 amp, cds300 cd player and Q acoustics 2050i speakers. The speakers are fab! very big though but you do need displacement to get great music i think. they will blow you away with regards to power and they are fairly good with matching i hear. the B&W have more detail of course but they are double the price. i would definately demo the q acoustics since i found them to be a bargain for what they are. i prefered them over the Dalis at £550 and the Monitor Audio floorstanders and it was simply because of the cabinet size lets the 2050i really sing.

 

[chebby]

Anyway, ignoring the AVI advert attempt........ :doh:

We all recommend what we like and/or what we use (or what we have heard and been impressed by), so recommending AVI ADM9s is as valid as me suggesting Rega or Naim or Arcam... ...or whoever.

It's only when the suggestions turn into lectures (from either side of the passive/active fence) or rows develop, that it gets tiresome.

BigH. I know you were originally looking at either a Rega set-up or ADMs. How have the ADM9s turned out for you? Did you get to hear the Rega system too?

 

[hoopsontoast]

Anyway, ignoring the AVI advert attempt........ :doh:

We all recommend what we like and/or what we use (or what we have heard and been impressed by), so recommending AVI ADM9s is as valid as me suggesting Rega or Naim or Arcam... ...or whoever.

It's only when the suggestions turn into lectures (from either side of the passive/active fence) or rows develop, that it gets tiresome.

BigH. I know you were originally looking at either a Rega set-up or ADMs. How have the ADM9s turned out for you? Did you get to hear the Rega system too?

Yes I agree, but come on, we need to be sensible, any small bookshelf would be lost in a room the OP is looking at unless they just want background music. It would be the same as me recommending some of my favourites, like the SCM7 to this chap for his sized room, or the Magnepans for a small study system.

 

[BigH]

Anyway, ignoring the AVI advert attempt........ :doh:

We all recommend what we like and/or what we use (or what we have heard and been impressed by), so recommending AVI ADM9s is as valid as me suggesting Rega or Naim or Arcam... ...or whoever.

It's only when the suggestions turn into lectures (from either side of the passive/active fence) or rows develop, that it gets tiresome.

BigH. I know you were originally looking at either a Rega set-up or ADMs. How have the ADM9s turned out for you? Did you get to hear the Rega system too?

Due to the bad weather I have not heard them yet but I will certainly will be trying them out as well as Rega, Creek and Arcam amps and various speakers. I have nothing to do with AVI, not sure why there is so much hostility when someone mentions them.

 

[chebby]

Anyway, ignoring the AVI advert attempt........ :doh:

We all recommend what we like and/or what we use (or what we have heard and been impressed by), so recommending AVI ADM9s is as valid as me suggesting Rega or Naim or Arcam... ...or whoever.

It's only when the suggestions turn into lectures (from either side of the passive/active fence) or rows develop, that it gets tiresome.

BigH. I know you were originally looking at either a Rega set-up or ADMs. How have the ADM9s turned out for you?

Due to the bad weather I have not heard them yet ...

Thanks.

 

[richardw42]

There's some really ridiculous comments posted when it comes to AVI. One particular poster really should get some new material.

Back to the OP. that's a big space to fill with the budget. You can choose a modest integrated amp with budget ish floor standers, but I'd wager anything above medium levels and they'd struggle.

However, I would by quite confident that the AVI adm9 would serve very well. Each speaker has a 250 & 76 amp inside.

Ive demoed them in a c7x4m room, my own lounge is about 6x4.

Whater you do try to demo in your space or in equivalent. A demo at a dealer with smaller room could lead to a big mistake

 

[relocated]

For that money I would consider some active speakers like AVI

Funny looking floor stander

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Careful Paul. Cult meeting tomorrow morning and you will be the first voodoo doll with pins in. There's an even funnier reply on another thread posted yesterday. A guy wanted to spend £600 on a DAC and one of the cult members recommended the £1,400 AVIs. The British Comedy Awards have got nothing on these guys.

This is what I actually said.

I would keep your DAC money in your pocket.

Use the DAC in the Sonos or AEX and see whether that is good enough for you. It is for a great deal of people, more so the Sonos it seems.

If it doesn't suit then you could always change course and get active speakers with integral DAC, as in AVI ADM 9RS/S. Superb sound and VFM.

So you really ought to read a little more carefully, brush up on your mental retention and regurgitation skills or stop trying to make conflict where there need be none. In other words, grow up.

Now to the OP. My listening room is 6.3m x 5m although with a traditional height ceiling @ 3m{?}. Last night I was playing Groove Armada at levels that were discernable 10+ yards away outside of a modern double solid walled and cavity filled property that is double glazed and with ridiculously thick loft insulation. It didn't sound particularly loud inside the room because it was playing without any fatigue or distress and could have gone considerably louder; so I suspect that you may well find that AVI standmounts will be very suitable.

My AVI ADM 9T actives have been improved and are known by owners of them to be capable of better bass so that a sub is not necessary for them. I don't use a sub.

As has been said, there is much nonsence spoken about AVI ADM actives but not by their owners. They know them to be incredibly good and at extreme VFM prices. Give them a listen - what have you to lose?

 

[jjbomber]

So you really ought to read a little more carefully, brush up on your mental retention and regurgitation skills or stop trying to make conflict where there need be none. In other words, grow up.

So following on from your grown up comments....

If someone wants a motorbke for £6,000 and someone suggests a car for £14,000, would you think this is normal? That's where you are coming from. As they sat, AVI is not the only fruit.

 

[Paul.]

So you really ought to read a little more carefully, brush up on your mental retention and regurgitation skills or stop trying to make conflict where there need be none. In other words, grow up.

So following on from your grown up comments....

If someone wants a motorbke for £6,000 and someone suggests a car for £14,000, would you think this is normal? That's where you are coming from. As they sat, AVI is not the only fruit.

I don't think that is a fair comment, as the AVIs are in budget and we are not comparing apples to oranges, just apples to smaller apples. I would assume that since the OP specifically mentioned floor standers he would want the lower frequencies associated with them, hopefully they will be back to clarify.