New System

[swlivesley]

Hey all, I want to overhal my ageing system. Currently I ave a Cambridge Audio A5 amp with a pair of S30's. Through the amp I listen to almost every type of music, and I route the audio from my TV through it.

What I'm thinking of doing is buying the Cambride Audio Azur 351A.

Do you think I need a new pair of speakers as well? The S30's have a boomy effect but I think that's the placement of them and the amplifier. If I was to purchase a new pair of speakers, I was thinking of getting some Diamond 9.1's or even 10.1's. There's also Frankenspiel FS-1's which look really good and are tiny but I'm not sure if they would hook up to the amp.

Any opinion would be greatly appreciated!

 

[swlivesley]

Any suggestions?

 

[nopiano]

Are you in the UK?

Richer Sounds carry many speakers you can see and hear, along with the Cambridge amp. Or you might prefer a Marantz or Yamaha amp for under £300, say the PM6004 or AS500.

Try to hear Q Acoustics 2010 or 2020 as these are great sound and smart looks too.

The Frankenspiel FS-1 seem to be desktop speakers with a built-in amplifier, so a completely different route. Not clear if they are actually available, see here:-

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/computer-based-music/frankenspiel-fs1?page=1

 

[swlivesley]

Yeah I was thinking of popping into them. The Frankenspiel's are desktop but they have the kind of size and aesthetics I was aiming for.

I like the Q Acoustics 2010i mainly because of how cheap they are as well as the good reviews. The size is also really good. I'll try those with the CA 351a and then change around with other amplifiers. What do you think?

 

[ear]

I think the S30 are good only with CA gear. I dont see much point in moving to the 351 though.And the 2010i wont give much scale of sound.they always sound small to me. the 2020i are much better, but wont gel well with 351 amp because both dont put out much bass

 

[swlivesley]

I didn't really want to get the 2020i's because of their size. They're bigger than the S30's and they take up a lot of space as it is. My room is only 100 square foot but I want something that works both in a room that size, and when I eventually move, it will work in a larger space as well.

 

[nopiano]

Well worth a listen comparing the 2010i with others of a similar size - there are lots to choose from! If you can squeeze in the bigger ones then so much the better. And it may be that your current amp is less of a weak link than the speakers.

 

[swlivesley]

I think I'll gointo RS with a playlist of music and try it out on various set ups using the CA 351a, PM6004, Q Acousticss 2010i's, and Monitor Audio Bronze BX2's.

I'm still leaning towards the 351a mainly because of its in built DAC which I quite need.

One thing of note to any admins, the size specifications for the 2010i's on the review page are incorrect.