I'm in the process of putting together a new "hifi" system at home in a second living room (I'm hoping that TV watchers will stay in the main living room!). I say "hifi" but I'm really not sure that applies insofar as I suspect the vast majority of listening will be to Spotify (albeit at high bitrates). One thing that I'm trying to go for is attractive/inconspicuous appearance - so probably white. The room is about 4 x 4.5m and the speakers will be able to be perhaps 20-30cm from the wall (that is down to domestic negotiation). I wondered if I might be allowed to "think aloud" here and get some suggestions from you guys.
Had a listen to some speakers today at a hifi shop in town which had a decent demo room. Unfortunately it raised more questions than it answered.
We started off with the Q-Acoustics 3050 (very highly regarded by this site!) and powered (as were all the speakers in the test) through ridiculously thick cable by the Rotel RA11 with the signal coming from Spotify running on an iPhone connected by Bluetooth. Now I know that's not an ideal start - and something like a Chromecast Audio would likely have been better, but I'm hoping that doesn't invalidate the testing we did. Certainly some sweet sounds were generated by some of the speakers...
Anyway, the Q-Acoustics 3050 (£500/£650 in white lacquer) sounded impressive. The bass was solid and authoritative, the soundstage large. However, the overall experience was a little uninvolving - it didn't make me tap my feet like some of the others that followed.
So we moved on to Monitor Audio Bronze (£550 in black or white wood). This seemed a touch sweeter in the mid-range. Vocals were great, but the bass was a bit weedy. Not a huge problem for me, as I'm all about the mid, so to speak....
The salesman suggested I try some other options. We started with KEF R100 (£600). Rather small, but boy, did they pack a punch! The mid was even better than the MAB, and I was tapping my foot more.
Next up, the KEF LS50 (£800). Strange looking beasts and, again, astonishingly good. Noticeably better than the R100 - smoother and capable of delivering a very articulate bass. Not as deep as the Q-A 3050, but better integrated.
Pushing his luck, the salesman then moved on to some other KEFs - R300s (£1000). I'm not sure I liked these that much more than the LS50, although the bass was a bit stronger. Perhaps my wallet was feeling nervous, but I felt that it was getting a little silly.
Lastly he wheeled out the Monitor Audio Silver 6 (£1000/£1100 white lacquer). This, for me, was the pick of the bunch - both musically involving and with a solid realistic bass. I suppose it bloody well should be at that price!
One speaker he mentioned, but didn't have available, was the Monitor Audio Bronze 6. This might be the answer to my prayers - a mere £700 in white ash. I really want to know how this compares to the Bronze 5 and the Silver 6 - perhaps the panel here would be able to comment? I might see if I can arrange an audition at another shop (Richer Sounds?) that carries them as a stock item.
Note that all the prices given here would be subject to a 20% reduction if I trade in some old speakers (and I have some lying around that would do).
The other option would be to say that these £500/£600 speakers are neither one thing nor the other - if I can't afford the £800ish (after discount) level, then maybe go for something in the £300/£400 range.
Bear in mind here that the final amp choice has not been made as I'm trying to manage cashflow to buy decent bits of kit one at a time, rather than just buy a £750 system in one go. I do have an OKish 30W amp - so probably not suitable for driving something picky like an LS50, but most likely tolerable in the short term. Funnily enough I also have a Denon AVR3312 (a 7.1 AVR that theoretically delivers 125W/channel into 8 ohms) that might be more powerful but less refined than the amp. Then a totally crazy option - a Behringer EP4000 power amp (550W/channel into 8 ohms) - which I presume I could just connect to the Chromecast audio (and keep the volume turned down!). I might have to site the Behringer in another room as it has a fan that's a little bit noisy.
When time comes to get a better amp, I'm hoping that it might be possible to try some out at home.
What do the panel think about choosing speakers on this basis (without a particular amp in mind) and are there other speakers that should be on my shortlist?
Had a listen to some speakers today at a hifi shop in town which had a decent demo room. Unfortunately it raised more questions than it answered.
We started off with the Q-Acoustics 3050 (very highly regarded by this site!) and powered (as were all the speakers in the test) through ridiculously thick cable by the Rotel RA11 with the signal coming from Spotify running on an iPhone connected by Bluetooth. Now I know that's not an ideal start - and something like a Chromecast Audio would likely have been better, but I'm hoping that doesn't invalidate the testing we did. Certainly some sweet sounds were generated by some of the speakers...
Anyway, the Q-Acoustics 3050 (£500/£650 in white lacquer) sounded impressive. The bass was solid and authoritative, the soundstage large. However, the overall experience was a little uninvolving - it didn't make me tap my feet like some of the others that followed.
So we moved on to Monitor Audio Bronze (£550 in black or white wood). This seemed a touch sweeter in the mid-range. Vocals were great, but the bass was a bit weedy. Not a huge problem for me, as I'm all about the mid, so to speak....
The salesman suggested I try some other options. We started with KEF R100 (£600). Rather small, but boy, did they pack a punch! The mid was even better than the MAB, and I was tapping my foot more.
Next up, the KEF LS50 (£800). Strange looking beasts and, again, astonishingly good. Noticeably better than the R100 - smoother and capable of delivering a very articulate bass. Not as deep as the Q-A 3050, but better integrated.
Pushing his luck, the salesman then moved on to some other KEFs - R300s (£1000). I'm not sure I liked these that much more than the LS50, although the bass was a bit stronger. Perhaps my wallet was feeling nervous, but I felt that it was getting a little silly.
Lastly he wheeled out the Monitor Audio Silver 6 (£1000/£1100 white lacquer). This, for me, was the pick of the bunch - both musically involving and with a solid realistic bass. I suppose it bloody well should be at that price!
One speaker he mentioned, but didn't have available, was the Monitor Audio Bronze 6. This might be the answer to my prayers - a mere £700 in white ash. I really want to know how this compares to the Bronze 5 and the Silver 6 - perhaps the panel here would be able to comment? I might see if I can arrange an audition at another shop (Richer Sounds?) that carries them as a stock item.
Note that all the prices given here would be subject to a 20% reduction if I trade in some old speakers (and I have some lying around that would do).
The other option would be to say that these £500/£600 speakers are neither one thing nor the other - if I can't afford the £800ish (after discount) level, then maybe go for something in the £300/£400 range.
Bear in mind here that the final amp choice has not been made as I'm trying to manage cashflow to buy decent bits of kit one at a time, rather than just buy a £750 system in one go. I do have an OKish 30W amp - so probably not suitable for driving something picky like an LS50, but most likely tolerable in the short term. Funnily enough I also have a Denon AVR3312 (a 7.1 AVR that theoretically delivers 125W/channel into 8 ohms) that might be more powerful but less refined than the amp. Then a totally crazy option - a Behringer EP4000 power amp (550W/channel into 8 ohms) - which I presume I could just connect to the Chromecast audio (and keep the volume turned down!). I might have to site the Behringer in another room as it has a fan that's a little bit noisy.
When time comes to get a better amp, I'm hoping that it might be possible to try some out at home.
What do the panel think about choosing speakers on this basis (without a particular amp in mind) and are there other speakers that should be on my shortlist?
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