New Home, New Hi Fi

[Anonymous]

Update : Demo 1

Went to a well known chain to demo the Cyrus with the MA RS6, unfortunately the original amp had gone so they set up a Cyrus 6SE, Cyrus 6XP. I brought along some CDs (Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain, Massive Attack - Mezzanine, Nightmares on Wax - Carboot Soul) and listened to them in the demo room which was I guess 5m x 4m with the speakers about 2ft from the wall. Carpeted with a big heavy leather couch at one end.

While I noticed very good stereo imaging and alot of notes I hadn't noticed before I found the bass quite woolly and undefined.

Which brings me to my question..Are all floorstanding speakers quite boomy? Are there any decent floorstanders that can sit happily against a wall?

Overall I was quite underwhelmed by the whole experience, the sales service was quite shoddy too, with a very disinterested attitude :-(

 

[Frank Harvey]

robster_180: While I noticed very good stereo imaging and alot of notes I hadn't noticed before I found the bass quite woolly and undefined.

Which brings me to my question..Are all floorstanding speakers quite boomy? Are there any decent floorstanders that can sit happily against a wall? Bass performance will vary from room to room, so although it might not be too good in a demo room, it might be fine at home. I'm assuming by your original post you're looking at £500 and under, so you could try the KEF iQ series, which are front ported, and tend to have a leaner sound than most floorstanders. Other than those, there's not much else! Most other floorstanders tend to like to produce as much bass as possible, creating problems. there are more options if you're looking more towards the £1,000 mark, but that depends whether it's an option.

Overall I was quite underwhelmed by the whole experience, the sales service was quite shoddy too, with a very disinterested attitude :-( Then go somewhere where it's better! You are free to shop wherever you please, and free to not shop where you think doesn't come up to your standards.

 

[Anonymous]

Update : Demo 2

Incase any of you were still interested in my search for a new HiFi, I found a Naim and Rega dealer just around the corner from where I live and have just come back from Demo'ing

Rega Apollo + Rega Brio + Neat Motive 2

Naim 5i2 + Nait 5i2 + Neat Motive 2

Naim Uniti + Neat Motive 2

I loved the Rega set up, it put a smile on my face, vocals were crystal clear, instruments were defined and the bass was crisp and tight. I took the same CDs and as well as Bat for Lashes - Fur & Gold, Leftfield - Rhythm & Stealth and Stanton Warriors - Lost files). The build quality of the units was top notch as the tactile choice of materials was good too. The downsides were the display and the lag time whilst the disc was being loaded but these were minor and me being fussy. The toploader was a tad fiddly too. But overall I was very very impressed with the sound.

The Entry level Naim system again put a big smile on my face but this time I found myself honing in onto the music, I found the whole experience a bit more engaging, as well as uncovering some extra detail in the music. Again I thought the build quality was excellent, with a nice bite to the buttons.

The Naim Uniti was the system I was most disappointed with, not sure why but I wasn't as compelled to listen to my music as I was with the previous 2 set ups, though I'm not sure why.

So All in all I had a very good experience and am most probably going to plump for the Naim entry system. As I told the dealer I'd be very very happy to walk away with the Rega but, those tiny minute niggles just edge me towards the Naim

The guy is an independent (not sure if I can mention his co. or not) but he offered great service and great deals. He's going to put together a price list for me to compare and digest, but the only tweeking which may happen now are the speakers as he's getting in the Rega speakers for me to listen to as well as a pair of Neat Motive 3.

Thanks for everyone's patience and advice, I'm now a very happy music lover again