New speakers for old amp (Aura VA100ii)

[BobWH]

Apologies if this appears twice - I just tried to post but it seemed to disappear.

Anyway, I'm new here and feeling out of my depth so please bear with me...

My current system is pretty old but in good nick and still doesn't sound too bad to me. The amp is an Aura VA100ii which I bought from a friend a few years ago, and some Kef Coda 7's which I bought new many years ago. My main source these days is a Squeezebox Touch playing FLACs. My secondary source is another vintage component - a Linn Axis turntable.

I am putting together a cheap system for my office, with a Raspberry Pi/Wolfson DAC-based Squeezebox as source. I was looking for some cheap speakers to go with one of these T amps that can be had for £60 or so (e.g. the Topping TP22) and came to the conclusion that my best bet might be to use my Coda 7s as (i) they are pretty sensitive, (ii) they do have a few scuffs on the cabinets and (iii) it gives me an excuse to upgrade the speakers in my main system, which is something I had always had in the back of my mind but never got around to.

So, first of all, bearing in mind that I am more or less clueless and am just a music lover who has dabbled in hi-fi over the years does it make sense for me to stick with my old amp and upgrade the speakers, at least for now? I've done a bit of googling and it seems like at least some people still rate the amp.

Assuming it is a reasonable plan, what speakers should I consider? I don't even know where to start so I'll outline the constraints. I can afford up to £500 but will only spend that if it is worth it. The amp tends towards the warm side (I saw someone describe it as having some valve-like characteristics, though I wouldn't have the experience to say whether that is true). The room isn't large - about 4 x 5 m into alcoves etc. - and there isn't a lot of space to play with. I can't afford much space between the speakers and the wall. Generally I need something that isn't too big nor too fussy about placement. Almost certainly I am looking at stand-mounted.

My music tastes are varied and include rock (in its broadest sense and tending towards older, 60s/70s type stuff like prog and psych), jazz, folk and orchestral classical. I'm not into dance music, modern electronic, that sort of thing (i.e. thumping bass is not on my list of priorities!). In general, I tend to like music where there is a bit of space and you can hear the instruments, rather than anything that is highly processed and artificial sounding.

Hopefully that is enough to get started. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NS496]

The Aura still is a great amp. I have one that I bought as a demo from a dealer around 1998.

My (entirely subjective) opinion from listening to the amp is as follows: It has a very smooth sound, but still somehow detailed. The soundstage sounds more 'laid back' to me - more in between the speakers than in front of them. The bass is very deep and midrange is smooth - The highs are somewhat 'recessed' - not bright at all. A very decent phono stage included too. I honestly think the Aura out-performs my much more contemporary NAD D3020 on the sonic side!

Initially (1998) I partnered them with B&W P4 floorstanders which were a truely remarkable combination, mostly because the P4's had a very fast and dry bass-response which partnered fantastically well with the Aura (Aura and B&W were the same company back then...). It sounds decent with my current B&W 685 S2's too, although nothing extraordinary I would say... Once I used the Aura with a pair of cheap JBL J50's in my dorm room as a student and that was a truely horrific combo - the JBL's were 'dull', mainly I suspect to partner with some cheap and nasty, harsh-sounding equipment of the late 80's and the 'smooth' Aura in combination with the 'dull' JBL's were a definate no-no.

The Aura has a few drawbacks for me though: 1) It runs EXTREMELY HOT. I was genuinely concerned about a fire risk at some stage! Even when no music is playing it is very warm. Here in South Africa our summer temps touches 36 degrees and an amp this hot is not feasible. 2) No remote which is an issue with my listening habits. 3) Mine always had an annoying channel imbalance with the left channel slightly louder than the right, which pulls the soundstage off-center. I retired it recently for a NAD D3020.

Considering it's sound character (I know an amp is not supposed to 'sound' like anything), I would look for neutral-to-bright sounding speakers, with a 'tight' bass. I think something from Monitor Audio is a good bet, but listen first. I think the B&W 685 S2's aren't bad, but the bass response may be overwhelming, considering you say you don't have a lot of space...

 

[BobWH]

Thanks for the advice. Having read up on the B&Ws, I fear you may be right about the space issue. It sounds like they need quite a bit of room to breathe. A couple of the Monitor Audio options sound more promising, given my constraints. The Bronze BX2s are well within my price range, are about the right size, get a good write ups, and the WHF review specifically mentions that they aren't too fussy about placement. The other option, size-wise, seems to be the Silver 1s. They are at the limit of what I can spend, which isn't a problem in principle, but I'm a bit put off by the WHF review which suggests that placement is a bit more of an issue in this case. Anyway, a couple of ideas to consider - thanks.

 

[NS496]

I would put both your Monitor Audio options (Silver and Bronze) on a shortlist…

If at all possible listen to the speakers with the amp, even if it is at a dealer demo room - Doing this will give you a good indication if the tonal balance sounds good to you. You’ll immediately pick up if the speakers sounds too ‘dark’ or ‘heavy’ (which is the main risk with this amp IMHO). First place obviously is a home demo, but not always feasible.

This amp really does need careful partnering to avoid sounding 'closed in', but with the right match it does sound very good indeed.