Pioneer SC-LX 85 Speaker recommendation

[schwarzennegger]

Hello *mail1*

After waiting for long time finally got this lovely amp. Did check few threads here regarding this topic, but they are few years old,thought may be better recommendation now.

At the moment i have Monitor audio radius 5.1 speakers. 2X Monitor audio radius 270 for mains,2x radius 90,1 center radius 180 and subwoofer 360.

Looking to buy preowned speakers which are best rated few years ago . Does check Apex 10 , but these speakers availability is rare( preowned) so the price is still high!

 

[Leeps]

A few questions first.

What is it that you feel is lacking with your current amp / speaker combination?

How do you feel about the tonal balance? Is your current combo too bright or too smooth/dull for your taste?

Do you use your system for 2-channel, or solely surround sound?

What's the size and shape or your room?

I previously had a Pioneer VSX-2021 with Monitor Audio Radius (including the R270's), Apex and Gold GX series (as well as the Ruarks I own now). I actually thought the cheapest Radius was the best of the MA range! It was more exciting, more dynamic and for 2-channel music the R270's are far better than the Apex A10 satellites. The R270's have a beautiful midrange. Although the Apexes are good at what they do, they are primarily a style-focussed system and are at their best playing movies. I personally don't rate them too highly for music. They're OK, but can be bettered by cheaper full-sized speakers.

Personally if I was looking to improve your system I would look at the centre speaker and the subwoofer. Although I rate the Radiuses very highly, I did feel that their centre speaker was quite 'boxy'. If you compare the frequency range of the R270's with the R180, the little 180 has its work cut out trying to keep up. It's difficult for a speaker so small to produce a fluid fullsome midrange with voices. If speaker positioning permitted it in your set-up, you could try the Monitor Audio Silver centre speaker which uses the same Gold dome tweeter as the Radiuses, but a significantly larger cabinet that should help remove the boxiness.

You could also improve things by upgrading the subwoofer. There are often Monitor Audio Silver subwoofers on Ebay, which has a significantly more powerful amp. Or you could try something from BK or REL. I would go for REL if you listen to quite a bit of music as they focus on speed and agility with their subs more than earth-shattering slam.

Beware of thinking that more money equals a better sound. It doesn't always. The Monitor Audio Gold speakers I had were by far the most expensive, but I found them lifeless and dull compared to the Radiuses.

 

[schwarzennegger]

A few questions first.

What is it that you feel is lacking with your current amp / speaker combination?

How do you feel about the tonal balance? Is your current combo too bright or too smooth/dull for your taste?

Do you use your system for 2-channel, or solely surround sound?

What's the size and shape or your room?

I previously had a Pioneer VSX-2021 with Monitor Audio Radius (including the R270's), Apex and Gold GX series (as well as the Ruarks I own now). I actually thought the cheapest Radius was the best of the MA range! It was more exciting, more dynamic and for 2-channel music the R270's are far better than the Apex A10 satellites. The R270's have a beautiful midrange. Although the Apexes are good at what they do, they are primarily a style-focussed system and are at their best playing movies. I personally don't rate them too highly for music. They're OK, but can be bettered by cheaper full-sized speakers.

Personally if I was looking to improve your system I would look at the centre speaker and the subwoofer. Although I rate the Radiuses very highly, I did feel that their centre speaker was quite 'boxy'. If you compare the frequency range of the R270's with the R180, the little 180 has its work cut out trying to keep up. It's difficult for a speaker so small to produce a fluid fullsome midrange with voices. If speaker positioning permitted it in your set-up, you could try the Monitor Audio Silver centre speaker which uses the same Gold dome tweeter as the Radiuses, but a significantly larger cabinet that should help remove the boxiness.

You could also improve things by upgrading the subwoofer. There are often Monitor Audio Silver subwoofers on Ebay, which has a significantly more powerful amp. Or you could try something from BK or REL. I would go for REL if you listen to quite a bit of music as they focus on speed and agility with their subs more than earth-shattering slam.

Beware of thinking that more money equals a better sound. It doesn't always. The Monitor Audio Gold speakers I had were by far the most expensive, but I found them lifeless and dull compared to the Radiuses.

Thank you so much for your time and detailed reply Leeps*drinks*.

This is my first seperate setup , i used to have Pioneer LX-01 DVD all in one system , i loved their sound , specially the subwoofer even at high volume its enjoyable.(With this radius sub i start feel having headache if the volume is increased, loseing its balance)

*My current room size Length approx 9 feet and width approx 7feet.

*Listens to Youtube music videos(1080P ),Music stored on computer, Movies.

*The reason i am looking for other speaker package- As i thought to get the full power and quality of lx-85 i need more high quality speakers?! ,as guys mentioned lx-85 needs careful pairing otherwise its a overkill. Instead of improving the current setup , i can wait for a deal for the best speakers package for this amp( just my thought) .

*Interesting to know that this humble Radius is better than MA Bronze 5.1 SETUP and the Gold reference.

*I don't mind big speakers.

 

[Leeps]

One of the most significant factors in the overall sound and the effectiveness of your speaker choice is the size of your room. Your room is pretty small, so I would personally steer well-clear of a full-size speaker package. It would overwhelm your room and create bass nodes all over the place. It would be a classic example of spending money on an upgrade leading to a poorer sound. It happens...many of us have been there at some point.

I would think your Radiuses are ideal, except as I mentioned the centre speaker which I think could be bettered, particularly when you consider that up to 60% of movie soundtracks come from it.

A lot of this is just my own opinion, so others may disagree, but I would personally rather have midrange speakers powered by a higher end amp, than high end speakers being powered by a weedy basic amp.

The Radiuses I believe can not only cope with high quality amplification, they thrive on it. Although they're reasonably sensitive, they do like a bit of oomph to get them going. And yes they are smaller than the Gold series, but like the Golds, they are among the most beautifully finished speakers around.

If I were you, I'd look at the centre speaker and possibly the sub (nothing too big, maybe a Rel T3 / T3i would give you more quality without overwhelming the room) and just enjoy listening to the end result.

 

[schwarzennegger]

One of the most significant factors in the overall sound and the effectiveness of your speaker choice is the size of your room. Your room is pretty small, so I would personally steer well-clear of a full-size speaker package. It would overwhelm your room and create bass nodes all over the place. It would be a classic example of spending money on an upgrade leading to a poorer sound. It happens...many of us have been there at some point.

I would think your Radiuses are ideal, except as I mentioned the centre speaker which I think could be bettered, particularly when you consider that up to 60% of movie soundtracks come from it.

A lot of this is just my own opinion, so others may disagree, but I would personally rather have midrange speakers powered by a higher end amp, than high end speakers being powered by a weedy basic amp.

The Radiuses I believe can not only cope with high quality amplification, they thrive on it. Although they're reasonably sensitive, they do like a bit of oomph to get them going. And yes they are smaller than the Gold series, but like the Golds, they are among the most beautifully finished speakers around.

If I were you, I'd look at the centre speaker and possibly the sub (nothing too big, maybe a Rel T3 / T3i would give you more quality without overwhelming the room) and just enjoy listening to the end result.

Thank you, i may sooner move from this current room(flat) to bigger room (House) , how big the hall should be minimum to accomondate bigger speakers? , in that circumstances which speaker package i can go far?

 

[Leeps]

If you like the tonal balance of the Radius speakers, but just want bigger speakers, then I'd recommend looking at the Monitor Audio Silver series. There are plenty of options ranging from the Silver 50 standmounts (for smaller rooms) to the Silver 200/300/500 for larger rooms. There are two centre speakers to choose from and di-pole/bi-pole SIlver FX speakers for wall-mounting at the rear.

There are also plenty on the used market of their predecessors, the Silver 1, 2, 6, 8, Silver centre and Silver FX and the slightly older Silver RX1, RX6, RXFX etc. So there are plenty of options within the Monitor Audio Silver range both in terms of size and budget, and there are a wide variety of finishes depending on your own taste.

The thing I like about the Silver range, beyond their capable performance, is the way each speaker shares the same tweeter and often the same midrange drivers, so they help create a seamless and convincing soundfield.

But you might be surprised by your Radiuses in a larger room. Most speakers do perform better with more space, so you might be pleasantly surprised. Don't be so quick to part with your cash if you don't need to.

 

[Vladimir]

He didn't say he'll be back.

 

[schwarzennegger]

If you like the tonal balance of the Radius speakers, but just want bigger speakers, then I'd recommend looking at the Monitor Audio Silver series. There are plenty of options ranging from the Silver 50 standmounts (for smaller rooms) to the Silver 200/300/500 for larger rooms. There are two centre speakers to choose from and di-pole/bi-pole SIlver FX speakers for wall-mounting at the rear.

There are also plenty on the used market of their predecessors, the Silver 1, 2, 6, 8, Silver centre and Silver FX and the slightly older Silver RX1, RX6, RXFX etc. So there are plenty of options within the Monitor Audio Silver range both in terms of size and budget, and there are a wide variety of finishes depending on your own taste.

The thing I like about the Silver range, beyond their capable performance, is the way each speaker shares the same tweeter and often the same midrange drivers, so they help create a seamless and convincing soundfield.

But you might be surprised by your Radiuses in a larger room. Most speakers do perform better with more space, so you might be pleasantly surprised. Don't be so quick to part with your cash if you don't need to.

Thank you so much Leeps, it makes sense to me that you mentioned about to find out after moving to new place how the current setup sounds. For sure i hate this subwoofer in my current setup..its just shattering!!

 

[schwarzennegger]

He didn't say he'll be back.

Sorry i didn't get it, did i mentioned something wrong?

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Hello *mail1*

After waiting for long time finally got this lovely amp. Did check few threads here regarding this topic, but they are few years old,thought may be better recommendation now.

At the moment i have Monitor audio radius 5.1 speakers. 2X Monitor audio radius 270 for mains,2x radius 90,1 center radius 180 and subwoofer 360.

Looking to buy preowned speakers which are best rated few years ago . Does check Apex 10 , but these speakers availability is rare( preowned) so the price is still high!

This guy in home cinema choice had a nice setup which they did a feature on about 10 years ago and it was a Monitor Audio Radius 270 left and right, the Monitor Audio rx centre speaker, Sub Monitor Audio Aw12 and Monitor Audio Radius rears. He had a Pioneer sc-lx71 amp, he then changed amp for the 82 amp for the upgrade he had and changed the 270 left and right Radius for:

https://www.whathifi.com/monitor-audio/silver-rx6/review

So basically you could change your sub and front and right speaker and centre to go with the Pioneer flagship amp.