Onkyo 8050 speaker match

omnibeard

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OK, I have abandoned the idea of a) fixing my unwell Pioneer A400 (for the mo anyway) and b) taking my mate's old Rega kit off him in favour of the Onkyo 8050, which I have just ordered based on what I've read about it on the forum here.

I'm happy to do that having listened to very similar setups to ones from which people on here (Matthewpiano and Record Spot in particular) have switched from - eg. old Sansui amps, Pioneer A400, Arcam with Mission 751/752/753 or B&W 601/602.

Those were combos I really liked for what I listen to (all sorts - jazz, punk, extreme metal, krautrock, electronica, drone).

I've got a Marantz 63 MkII KI sig CD, a Technics 1210 and loads of network storage on a wired network.

I currently have a set of old Cerwin Vega VS10s, which are great for LOUD, but want to match the Onkyo to something a bit less rude. Preferably second hand, and preferably cheap.

The options seem to be as above (Mission 751/752/53 or B&W 601/602) all of which I can pick from anything from about £60 to £150 depending on luck of the draw!

Anyone have any thoughts on which of these (or any others) would best suit the Onkyo?

Thank you!
 
T

the record spot

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Hi Omnibeard, hope you like the Onkyo when it arrives. Good call. In terms of speakers, I'd go with the original Mission 751. Forget the woolly Freedom version unless you want a very warm and cosy presentation. Not so good I think with your choice of music. The original is excellent and will work well with the Onkyo I'd imagine. The Tannoy speakers I use are similar, from memory, to the original 751s so hopefully they'd do the trick for you. The only other thing would be to try out if you can before you buy, bu that's not always possible. At least with the 751, you'll sell them on for much of what you'd paid.

EDIT: Just listening to some old Motorhead stuff, Metallica some days ago too. The 751 should do those two proud I'd think. They certainly used to!
 

omnibeard

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Hi RS, thanks for the reply...

The (original) 751s are certainly the cheapest option, and I remember them being very capable speakers across a range of music. I can't quite remember how they compared to the 752s, but I'm pretty sure nowadays the 751s represent incredible bang for the buck.

Seems you can put a pretty awesome set up together for not a lot of money - really looking forward to all the connectivity of the Onkyo. I'm big into last.fm especially - have you used it much via the Onkyo?
 
T

the record spot

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Haven't used Last.fm mostly as I don't have an account (and do with Spotify which I use extensively) but do internet radio. I'd imagine the setup and execution would be as seamless as the rest seems to be though. I'm surprised they haven't had any reviews for this item, but word-of-mouth is pretty much solid across the board. Not heard many (any) bad words said of this item.

Re: the Missions - couldn't agree more. Along with oldies 'n' goldies like KEF's Q35.2, AE's 109 and the 752 (but of course!), the 751's are serious VFM especially if you land a mint or near mint pair.

Let us know how you get on with the Onkyo though - really hope you like it (the pressure, the pressure!). :)
 

omnibeard

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Ah yes, the AE109s - they're available for very little money too, and are def a consideration, but I've never listened to a pair at all. I know the 751s are going to be a safe (and impressive) bet - at the sort of money these old speakers go for, it's pretty easy to buy a few sets and sell them again for the same money once discounted. You got any thoughts on the AE109s?

The Onkyo will initially go through my Cerwin Vega VS10s, so not sure how much that's going to tell me about sound quallity (although I have to say I do quite like the CVs for stupid loud music) but I will certainly let you know.
 
T

the record spot

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Not heard the 109s alas, but recall they were well thought of when they were out. I think hifilover1979 will have heard some from memory and rates them too.
 

omnibeard

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last.fm is fantastic by the way, great way of finding new music if that's yer bag! Not sure about the quality of their stream though (could easily just google that doh) but guess I'll find out in a couple of days!
 
T

the record spot

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Both as it happens - Atlas Navigators to carry SACD, Fisual Coaxial for the digital. Talk about one extreme to the other (£200-odd Atlas against a £4 coax...!). Sony are a bit fussy about licensing when it comes to how SACD signals are transferred. A pain in the backside by any other name!
 

omnibeard

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Sorry to be a doofus, but what's the advantage of that? Surely the Onkyo only uses one input at once, or does the Onkyo use its own DAC at the same time as receiving analogue from the CDP? Or am I missing the point entirely?
 
T

the record spot

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If I didn't use the analogue interconnect, I wouldn't hear the SACD stream via the coax or optical cable. The Onkyo's DAC wouldn't handle the SACD signal y'see. Same applies to any other offboard DAC - Cambridge, Arcam, etc., same problem across the board. Hence the Sony SACD licensing reference.
 

omnibeard

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Ah OK - I don't think that would be relevant with my CDP (Marantz 63 MkII KI sig) - would it be best to connect that via analogue or digital, or once again am I badly missing the point?
 

omnibeard

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Do you (or indeed anyone else) rate the 752s above the 751s? I can't for the life of me remember the 752s - but there's a set about to finish on flea bay that will prob be within budget...
 

matthewpiano

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I can highly recommend the Onkyo with the 751s. Mine just hasn't put a foot wrong. You really do get a clear window on the recording. I was listening to Rachmaninov Piano Concertos 1 and 2 tonight with Vladimir Ashkenazy with the LSO under Previn, and there was so much information there. The inner parts were all there to hear and the timbral character of instruments throughout the orchestra was intact. The Steinway piano was reproduced very effectively with excellent re-creation of its characteristics. The holistic experience remained moving and totally immersive. I've owned and loved these recordings for over 15 years since I was a teenager and heard them on many systems. Rarely have they moved me as completely as they did tonight.
 

DIB

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omnibeard said:
Do you (or indeed anyone else) rate the 752s above the 751s? I can't for the life of me remember the 752s - but there's a set about to finish on flea bay that will prob be within budget...

Funny you should mention the 752's.

I've never ever heard any of the Mission 75 series speakers before, and I know that they are very highly regarded by many people on this forum. I've been keeping my eyes peeled on other forums that have a classified section and looking out should a pair of 752's come up a) local, b) in good nick bearing in mind the age, and c) a good price ( a pair went on Ebay tonight for £155 from down south somewhere). My reasoning being that I wanted to hear a pair, and if I wasn't keen then I could sell them on without losing a penny

Well this week, I got lucky. A pair came up only about 20 miles away in good nick, and a good price (£80)!

Picked them up tonight and have them hooked up now and playing away. Fabulous
smiley-smile.gif
. In absolutely perfect condition apart from some very small marks on the plinths which you have to bend down and really search for. Came with the original boxes and spikes too.

How do they sound? Very detailed, and dynamic is the best way I can describe them. I'm currently listening to a CD of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.) and you can hear the piano, double bass, and drums perfectly. These are top speakers, and for £80 I reckon a great bargain.

.
 
T

the record spot

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Same price I paid for mine DIB - ace deal.

To answer the earlier query, whether you go for the 751 or the 752 depends pretty much on what room you have, what kind of sound you want and so on. Both will deliver great sound, neither disappoint IMO. Both deliver precision, musicality, good weight...take your pick. :)
 
T

the record spot

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omnibeard said:
Ah OK - I don't think that would be relevant with my CDP (Marantz 63 MkII KI sig) - would it be best to connect that via analogue or digital, or once again am I badly missing the point?

Not at all. You can use either with the CD63 KI from memory. Try both - like I said earlier, the excellent Fisual is less than a fiver from Amazon. Give it a spin then compare the two and see which you like best. There won't be a million miles between the two. :)
 

omnibeard

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MP - I had noticed that you had the 751s, nice to hear that you rate them so highly. It's most likely the route I'm going to take for the time being.

Might try some 752s if I find some in good nick at a reasonable price, much like DIB! Again, easy to sell on if not happy!

But from DIB's description I probably would be happy.
 

omnibeard

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Ha DIB - I was bidding on those ones on the bay, but stopped at £150. I hadn't even meant to go that far on them (though they would have prob gone for even more if I had kept bidding). Just had an idea that I can get a pair for £150 tops, hopefully much less, if I'm patient, but funny how stoopid you can feel after when you miss out by a fiver!

They did look in nice nick though...

They were in London, so lots of people would have been interested as easy to pick up. I need to find some in the Outer Hebrides, and go on a little speaker holiday. It's nice up there.

I've got my eye on another pair somewhere, but depends on a few things... say no more.

I take it you like them a lot?
 

DIB

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omnibeard said:
Ha DIB - I was bidding on those ones on the bay, but stopped at £150. I hadn't even meant to go that far on them (though they would have prob gone for even more if I had kept bidding). Just had an idea that I can get a pair for £150 tops, hopefully much less, if I'm patient, but funny how stoopid you can feel after when you miss out by a fiver!

They did look in nice nick though...

They were in London, so lots of people would have been interested as easy to pick up. I need to find some in the Outer Hebrides, and go on a little speaker holiday. It's nice up there.

I've got my eye on another pair somewhere, but depends on a few things... say no more.

I take it you like them a lot?

Yes I do. For £80 they were a no-brainer. Also, non-Ebay so none of the hassle with paypal etc. There are a pair of the Freedom variety on Ebay ending later today from the South Yorkshire area. Currently at £100.

It's always worth keeping an eye out on the other Hi-Fi forums that offer a classified section, you can generally get better deals than by using Ebay once you take the Ebay/Paypal fees into consideration. This from my personal experience anyway.

.
 

unison

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omnibeard said:
Ah OK - I don't think that would be relevant with my CDP (Marantz 63 MkII KI sig) - would it be best to connect that via analogue or digital, or once again am I badly missing the point?

i recently ran my 63 KI through my Cyrus XPd befor selling it. the modern dac made a huge difference, so I suspect you should start by using a digital connection. interestingly the 63KI sound very good as a transport my Cyrus sounded better, but not800 quid better
 

omnibeard

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Definitely - fleabay can occasionally be a bargain, but it's amazingly often that people seem to really overpay on there.

Will keep looking!
 
T

the record spot

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There's a pair of Mission 751s on Gumtree just now, with their original stands (or at least, the stands Mission had out at the time, they didn't come with stands and in fairness, just about any decent stand will do the job. £160 with the stands, but you could always make the seller an offer for the speaker only (they look in good nick) - say £120? They can only say no in the end and you'll end up with a great speaker for minimal outlay. Certainly, the likes of the sub-£300 crowd won't hold a candle to them and most under £500 would have a job on to win out over them too.
 

dariushifi

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If you can stretch a bit B&W 685s works well with Onkyo. Well built, Rich Bass and detailed midrange. They are Front ported so flexible in placement.
 

Sliced Bread

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If you're sold on mission also consider the 782 or 782se. These seem to be overlooked for some reason, but they are classics.
Only downside is they are fussy with placement and toe in. Apart from that, they are beautiful.

EDIT: I used these with an onkyo 905 with good results. An A-b comparison at home showed (to my ears) that they beat modern equivalents such as the rx6 imo
 

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