newbie needs a bit of speaker advise

[admin_exported]

Hi all, wonder if anyone can give me any advice / opinion:

I'm wanting to upgrading my current setups speakers, this is my first real hifi ( real for what i can afford anyway )

I have a marantz cd63-mkii cd player and a cambridge audio a5 amplifier and a set of budget eltax monitor III bookshelf speakers.

I like the sound of the speakers but also pretty sure there the limiting factor in my setup at the moment. Im looking for something with a bit more detail that will fill the room a bit better whilst provide some nice low down punch. I listen to alot of different music types from jazz, pop, rock, & dance.

I really like strong bass music and love to here music with real weight to it ( if that make sense ), I do also have a marantz sr4300 for movies which the front pre outs are connected to the ca a5 adn a sony sub, I don't use the sub for stereo music as I think it detracts from the quality being a cheap movie sub.

Im looking to spend around £300 on some new speakers, I have been to seven oaks and another hifi shop in southampton called phase3audio, i listened to the b&w 686 speakers in both and loved the sound of them, 1st listen was usings a marantz amp for similar cost to my a5 and second was via an arcam amp / cd combined unit.

I also listened to a set of quad 11L2 speakers on the marantz amp in sevenoaks which looked gorgeous and sounded a bit more tight with the bass, making the b&w's seem a bit ...wooly?? in the low end, but maybe that was just because they had more extended bass ? ( need another demo )

I realise the 686 are supposed to be surround speakers whilst the 685 are for main front but the 685 are another £100! i haven't heard them yet, wonder if there will be that much difference ? i could save a bit longer if they are.

do you think my cambridge audio a5 will be able to the power the 686's ok ? they are a low 84 sensitivity so I've read, making them hard to drive. I think the marantz amp i demo'd them on was similar power to mine though and that seemed ok.

my lounge is about 4x3meters ( plus under stairs area ) and the quad 11l2's are about as big as i could get away with.

I am going to see if seven oaks will let me take my amp and cd player in and have another listen to b&w 686, 685, & quad 11L2, may also try the kef iq5se floorstanders as they seem very cheap on the net for around 250 with good reviews.

any comments ? or other speakers recommendations to look at, I'm also happy to buy second hand if i can get something even better for my money, but cant afford to upgrade the amp and cd player as well for now so need speakers on a similar level i guess.

 

[Anonymous]

The Eltaxs are great budget speakers, well suited I think to your set up, so I'm not sure it's fair to say that they're the limiting factor as such. That's not to say that you won't get a serious improvement from spending £300 on speakers - you definitely will. Personally, though, I'd be thinking of that as being the first part of a full system upgrade, even if budget constraints mean that this will happen over months / years, which means that trying to system match speakers to your existing kit may not make all that much sense.

Hmm, that's not very helpful is it... Maybe other forum members can suggest how to go about choosing a speaker upgrade when you're not sure what they'll be matched with in the future? Something "neutral" perhaps?

 

[batonwielder]

It depends...I started the upgrade from the source and have been very successful so far. I would suggest you start from the speakers if you want instant gratification.

I prefer the B&W to the Quad. As to the 686, your A5 should have no problem driving it, and they sound great in a small space.

May I make another suggestion? Try Wharfedale Diamond 9.1. Best budget speakers in my opinion and you can invest in a CDP with the money left. Your amplifier is still quite capable, I think.

 

[the record spot]

On another angle, you could buy the Marantz PM4001 and CD5001 for £249 for both (not each) from Harrow Audio and then buy either the Diamond's or Tannoy Mercury F1 or Q Acoustics 1010 or 1020 speakers. You'd have change from £360 and update your whole system for the price you're thinking of spending on the B&Ws.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the "wooly" comment about the 686 speakers is a fair point. However I do like the tonality of them, quite smooth and warm. However if you want to tighten things up with something like the Wharfedales you may find you lose some of that bass as a trade off. I love the Diamond 9.1s but they don't have the bass that the 685's have and some people on here have commented on them being less suitable for dance music for that reason.

If possible, you need quite long listening session to let your ears decide which is most pleasing to you. It's one of those decisions that almost needs to be made subconciously, i.e. try and listen to as much of the music you like, over at least a couple of hours (ask about a home trial, you'll be surprised!) and try not to think about it too much!

 

[Anonymous]

Wow thanks for all the response's guys

I think for the
moment im just going to concentrate on upgrading the speakers and
better placing them in the room for a better sound.

Im
actually converting my 3 seater sofa to a 2 seater this weekend ;-)
so I have a bit more space in the lounge and can then set the speakers
the correct distance apart away from a brick wall, rather than
different distances from a plasterboard wall as they are at the moment
( one has the under stairs area directly behind it, the other is about
10cm from the plasterboard so less than ideal )

Thanks for the
recommendations, the marantz amp and cd player combo for £250 looks a
real bargain... im wondering if thats the same combo i used at
sevenoaks to demo the b&w 686's. It did sound fantastic to me, athough i was
hoping it will sound nearly as good on my cambridge audio a5 and
marantz cd63mkii ? will have to try if i take my kit in the shop.

I know the cd player is old but it did
have great reviews in its day, would an upgrade to a moden day version
have that much effect to the sound ? to be honest its the only real cd
player I have had so can't compare. Previously i used a cheap dvd
player so to me it sounds really nice

I have seen the diamond 9.1's have good reviews, ill try and demo these aswell.

 

[Anonymous]

Do consider the Monitor Audio BR2 in your shortlist, I think they are pretty easy speakers to drive and so you might not have a problem pairing them up in the future, however the B&W 685 would be a good pick especially as you are keen on bass, but they do need decent power to bring the best out of them.

Good Luck