new set up living room

[poldo]

Hi all,

I want a new stereo set in the living room.

the room is L-shaped.

The living room is app. 30m2 the open kitchen is 6m2.

I can only get the speakers 50cm from back and side walls so not looking for a boomy speaker.

Speaker to speaker will be 2 meter

distance to speaker is 2,5 meter.

total budget is 2000 pounds, speakers, cd player, amp.

I prefer 2nd hand

 

[poldo]

would the kef q700 be nice?

with 2nd hand amp +cd player?

 

[matthewpiano]

The new KEF Q series are superb. If you don't mind stand-mounters the Q300s on some good stands like Partington Dreadnoughts are well worth considering as well as the Q700 floorstanders. From hearing them I would say that the latest Qs work best bi-wired (and I'm not usually a bi-wire believer). Used in this way they gain additional focus and sound really tight, rhythmic and involving even powered by a very good £300 amp like the Yamaha A-S500.

I would audition the KEFs alongside equivalent B&Ws (685s and 683s) and also Dali's latest Ikon Mk2 series to see which suits you the best. All are excellent and it will come down to taste and synergy with the electronics you choose.

In terms of the electronics you have a huge choice but I would be auditioning new affordable amps like the Yamaha A-S500 and Marantz PM6003 and comparing them against more expensive models like the Harman/Kardon HK990, Naim Nait 5i and the Cambrige Audio 840A. See what level of expenditure gives you what you want and certainly don't feel at all ashamed if you find you enjoy one of the less expensive options. I've ended up with an A-S500 after hearing all sorts of kit and I'm delighted with it.

Regarding the source, you don't need to go mad with the CD player. The Marantz CD6003 or a second hand CD63SE would would do a great job. If you go for a Nait 5i, you nmight want to try a Rega Apollo - the synergy is excellent.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I can't really add much more over what Matthew has recommended.

I use the Q300's on Atacama HMS2's, which works extremely well. They're happy driven by the likes of the Marantz and Yamaha mentioned, but positively sing on the end of the Nait 5i.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

poldo:
would the kef q700 be nice?

with 2nd hand amp +cd player?

Hi poldo

If you are happy to consider buying used/discontinued components then i'll suggest the following -

Mission 753 Freedom speakers, NAD C370 amp or Rotel RA-1062 amp, Marantz CD63KI cdp or Pioneer PDS-06 cdp.

ATC SCM35 monitors, NAD C370 amp or NAD C160/C270 amp or Marantz PM94 amp, Marantz CD17KI MK2 cdp or Naim CD5x cdp.

Btw, the Mission 753 Freedom speakers and ATC's SCM35 monitors work nicely close to walls.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

poldo:
Hi all,

I want a new stereo set in the living room.

the room is L-shaped.

The living room is app. 30m2 the open kitchen is 6m2.

I can only get the speakers 50cm from back and side walls so not looking for a boomy speaker.

Speaker to speaker will be 2 meter

distance to speaker is 2,5 meter.

total budget is 2000 pounds, speakers, cd player, amp.

I prefer 2nd hand

If you really want to go balls out as far as used is concerned, you could pick up some KEF Reference 103/4's, or Model 1.2's, which will perform fine in that sized room. The only drawback with these speakers is that they like current, so you'd have to be looking at something like an Audiolab 8000P and 8000C pre/power in order to get the best from them. All this can be picked up within your budget along with a good quality CD player too.

 

[the record spot]

poldo:
Hi all,

I want a new stereo set in the living room.

the room is L-shaped.

The living room is app. 30m2 the open kitchen is 6m2.

I can only get the speakers 50cm from back and side walls so not looking for a boomy speaker.

Speaker to speaker will be 2 meter

distance to speaker is 2,5 meter.

total budget is 2000 pounds, speakers, cd player, amp.

I prefer 2nd hand

For your budget and given your requirements, I'd give some thought to active speakers, which will combine either the speaker and amplifier or also provide a DAC as well (as some manufacturers do, such as AVI and Roland for instance). The benefits given your space considerations are that you won't get a boomy speaker, but, if you consider a brand like Genelec - one I recommend often as they have a very "domestic friendly" sound. Which is to day they are very balanced, with good bass extension but not boomy and free of the absolute neutrality that music producers often seek. Build is excellent and they can be wall mounted, but will work well on stands. They also have some clever little supporting "feet" (moulded rubber effectively) which serve to fully isolate the speaker from surrounding vibration. Depending on the model you go for in your price range, the 8030A is around £850, the 8040A comes in at about £1200. Leaves you ample room for a source and a DAC.

AVI have their ADM9.1, which many rate highly. Others comment on a certain lean-ness to the bass, others consider it a truer reflection of bass and that it's faster and accurate. Midrange is apparently delightful.

If you're looking at traditional set-ups, then the suggestions you've had up to now and from hereon will no doubt be more than helpful. For me, I'd look at XTZ's product at Audio Sanctum's site who will kit you out with a fabulous set-up for around £1600 and you can try it all out at home. There's also Harman Kardon's HK990 amp and HD990 CDP, which is a great pairing with effortless power and control. Choose your speakers to taste and season!

Apologies - none of the above is secondhand (well of course, it could be if you find it) but offers a number of advantages that fulfill your requirements and deliver products all sharing a level of excellence not easily beaten by secondhand gear (and I've bought and recommended the used route more often than not!).

 

[poldo]

thanks for the advice,

I forgot to say I prefer floorstanders, because I have a little boy and dog.

I had some standmounters and this was no success.

thnks

 

[the record spot]

Well, forget the active route if wall-mounting is out in that case. The only actives that are floorstanders currently are well above your budget unfortunately!

Forget I menntioned them, but do check out the XTZ gear. Jimmy Hughes raved about it and there's a link on the XTZ site. In case you're wondering, they're a Swedish company who design and manufacture some of the parts then ship to China for assembly. Mainly a speaker company, they've branched out into electronics recently too. Seriously tempted by their D3 amp - 150wpc Class AB AND 50wpc Class A! High current design, onboard DAC (as found in the Benchmark and Lavry high end DACs) and superb build for the money - £625 and yes, you read that right.

 

[shooter]

the record spot:Forget I menntioned them, but do check out the XTZ gear. Jimmy Hughes raved about it and there's a link on the XTZ site. In case you're wondering, they're a Swedish company who design and manufacture some of the parts then ship to China for assembly. Mainly a speaker company, they've branched out into electronics recently too. Seriously tempted by their D3 amp - 150wpc Class AB AND 50wpc Class A! High current design, onboard DAC (as found in the Benchmark and Lavry high end DACs) and superb build for the money - £625 and yes, you read that right.

Tell you what RS that amp and associated equipment within reviews on the XTZ site make then seam like a seriously good bye. I can't believe XTZ cant make that gear for that price. I with i had gone down to Bristol (it did cross my mind) last week just to listen to this gear..

Looking at the speaker range in particular the 99.36, do we know why the piano black version is a different shape to the others.
The spec is pretty good but you have to read the reviews for frequency range's and these babies get down to a solid 30hz,

cant say i've seen spec like that in a £800 speaker!

I might scrap this high end garb and bye that gear

, god what am i thinking..

 

[the record spot]

I imagine it's a combination of inhouse design, a good team, economies of scale and an assembly division in China - brilliant outcome though and the only other manufacturer doing traditional stuff I tend to sit up and take notice with apart from HK for the most part these days Shooter. The rest all seem to be playing catchup at the moment.