Primare with Dali Mentor Menuet, a good combination?

[Al ears]

Anybody out there use Primare kit with Dali's?

My set-up dictates that I have to use speakers that can be placed close to a rear wall.

I have decided therefore that a closed-box type is in order and have some EB2's lined up, however, I have been informed that the Dali's are specifically designed (even though rear-ported) to be used close to a wall.

No chance really to audition Dalis where I am.

Should this be the route to go down?

Would like to hear views of anyone who has, or has recently auditioned, this combination of kit.[:^)]

 

[Craig M.]

the dalis i have heard had a very 'marmite' type of sound, not for me at all. i wouldn't recommend without hearing first. atc can go near a wall, and are supposed to be a good match with primare, in fact, when the mag tested one make systems a while back, primare suggested scm19s to partner the cd31 + i30. the primare and atc setup got a very good 5 star review.

 

[John Duncan]

I heard the Menuets on the end of a Primare pair at the Bristol show and didn't like them at all (and I love Primare, so am blaming the speakers). Which is a shame because on paper they ought to sing - as Craig says, an audition is absolutely necessary if I haven't just put you off...

 

[DavidNorway]

In Norway Primare are very often matched with SA speakers which can be placed close to walls.I have no home experience of this only what ive heard in shops.

 

[Al ears]

JohnDuncan:I heard the Menuets on the end of a Primare pair at the Bristol show and didn't like them at all (and I love Primare, so am blaming the speakers). Which is a shame because on paper they ought to sing - as Craig says, an audition is absolutely necessary if I haven't just put you off...

Thanks for that John.

Scratch the Dalis then. I'd have to travel a fair old distance to attempt an audition. I f you didn't like them thats probably good enough for me. I'll just wait and see how the EB's turn out.

There is mention of SA's on this thread. Can they be used close to walls? I was always under the impression they needed plenty of space.

 

[DavidNorway]

Alears:
JohnDuncan:I heard the Menuets on the end of a Primare pair at the Bristol show and didn't like them at all (and I love Primare, so am blaming the speakers). Which is a shame because on paper they ought to sing - as Craig says, an audition is absolutely necessary if I haven't just put you off...

Thanks for that John.

Scratch the Dalis then. I'd have to travel a fair old distance to attempt an audition. I f you didn't like them thats probably good enough for me. I'll just wait and see how the EB's turn out.

There is mention of SA's on this thread. Can they be used close to walls? I was always under the impression they needed plenty of space.

Im no expert but most of SA speakers can be used close to walls,that what i read on the site and my own SA are 15cm from wall and sound great.

 

[Singslinger]

Craig M.:the dalis i have heard had a very 'marmite' type of sound, not for me at all. i wouldn't recommend without hearing first. atc can go near a wall, and are supposed to be a good match with primare, in fact, when the mag tested one make systems a while back, primare suggested scm19s to partner the cd31 + i30. the primare and atc setup got a very good 5 star review.

Er, what's a "marmite'' type of sound?

 

[Al ears]

I think he means you either love it or hate it.

Yes I was considering ATC's with them also being a sealed box design. I'm keeping my eyes on a pair on the'bay at the moment.

Many thanks for your post.

 

[Anonymous]

Have you ever considered the Spendor SA1, Alears? Very easy to place and works very well near a wall. OK, I'll shut up now...

 

[the_dude2]

igglebert:Have you ever considered the Spendor SA1, Alears? Very easy to place and works very well near a wall. OK, I'll shut up now...

yes i agree. I have mine stuck in a sweedish bookshelf and they sound great.

 

[ErwinC]

Alears:

Scratch the Dalis then. I'd have to travel a fair old distance to attempt an audition. I f you didn't like them thats probably good enough for me. I'll just wait and see how the EB's turn out.

I would't scratch the Dalis without listening first. When i bought my Dali Mentor Menuets some time ago i compared them in my room with a lot of other speakers like the Proac Tablette Reference 8, B&W CM5, Monitor Audio RX1, ... . I found them to be the best sounding speakers in my environment where they are placed very close to the side and rear walls on a cabinet. I found the sound to be similar as that of the Proac TR8 but the Dali was more musical, crispier sounding.

I have seen only (and many) very positive reviews of the Dali Mentor Menuet, so like i said it is not a bad idea to try them yourself especially if placement is close to the walls.

 

[Singslinger]

igglebert:Have you ever considered the Spendor SA1, Alears? Very easy to place and works very well near a wall. OK, I'll shut up now...

Another vote for the Spendors from me. Yes, they're easy to place - I've used them on a table top and they sounded great!

Just like to add that they have a smooth, non-fatiguing presentation; I can listen for hours to them without strain. Other speakers I've tried might sound better at first listen (eg better bass) but don't have the staying power of the Spendors.

However, I've also listened to the Dali Mentor Menuet, albeit for about 15 mins in the store and not at home. They were driven by a Musical Fidelity A1 amp and I thought they had a midrange to die for - very uncoloured and sweet. Definitely worth an audition too (and cheaper than the Spendors, I might add).

 

[Al ears]

So the SA1's do not necessarily require space around them eh! And maybe the Dali's are not that bad.

Hum! Anybody actually heard SA1's with Primare amplification?

It looks like I have to find a dealer who stocks both Dali's and Spendor so that if the Dalis don't fit in I can switch and pay more to replace them with SA1's or even ATC SCM11's.

I guess the next mission is to try and find a dealer who stocks two or even all three of the above makes - tricky!

 

[ErwinC]

Singslinger:
However, I've also listened to the Dali Mentor Menuet, albeit for about 15 mins in the store and not at home. They were driven by a Musical Fidelity A1 amp and I thought they had a midrange to die for - very uncoloured and sweet.

I agree, the magical midrange is what i like most about these Dali Mentor Menuets next to the fact that they do not sound like very small speakers. The WHF review conclusion is: "If you want very small speakers that still sound great, we can't think of a better option." I can't agree more.

 

[ErwinC]

Alears:
It looks like I have to find a dealer who stocks both Dali's and Spendor so that if the Dalis don't fit in I can switch and pay more to replace them with SA1's or even ATC SCM11's.

I owned 2 pair of ATC SCM12 before and compared to the Dali Menuet, the ATC had a wider dynamic range and were more neutral. All in all though, i prefer the Dali Mentor Menuet over the ATC SCM12 because of their very musical midrange. I have not heard the ATC SCM11.

 

[Anonymous]

I've heard the SA1s with the Primare I30 and it sounded excellent. You've got to fall for what the SA1s do to justify their price, but give them an audition anyway. The matching stands do make a good difference but are a bit pricey!

 

[Al ears]

You can say that agin Igglebert ............... no, not literaly!

Still if they make a difference I can always flog my Partingtons to part fund them. Will try and audition the SA1s if not satisfied with the EB2's.

 

[Anonymous]

I wager that the EB2s will be nothing less than superb.

 

[Anonymous]

Igglebert, i was working in a property last week and the tenant had the Sa1 speakers in gloss black, i noticed that the grille covers were held on magnetically, are yours the same. I asked the guy what he thought of them and he said they were a waste of money,personally i thought they were very detailed but did lack in bass a bit. They were on the end of Cyrus amps.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, they all have the hidden magnets.

They do seem to be rather marmite! But hey, I think Cyrus kit is awful too. It raises the question, why did he buy them! They're not a bassy speaker but it all comes down to placement, room and how you like the sound. I can believe that with Cyrus kit things will start to sound a bit forward.

 

[Singslinger]

johnnyjazz:Igglebert, i was working in a property last week and the tenant had the Sa1 speakers in gloss black, i noticed that the grille covers were held on magnetically, are yours the same. I asked the guy what he thought of them and he said they were a waste of money,personally i thought they were very detailed but did lack in bass a bit. They were on the end of Cyrus amps.

I've not heard the SA1s with Cyrus gear but I bought them after listening to them driven by a Densen integrated amp, which I guessed has the same characteristics as my Naim amps at home. The Spendor-Naim combo is a match I can fully endorse - even with my NaimUniti, the SA1s sound very good. And yes, I agree - there isn't a lot of bass but to me, it's swings and roundabouts - the abundance of detail and an overall even tonal presentation makes up for it. And of course, the advantage they offer of unfussy placement.

A couple of personal observations: First, I found the Spendors needed quite a bit of running-in. One reviewer (in a US hifi magazine) mentioned 100 hours, which if you listen 2 hours a day, would mean it would take about 2 months for the speaker to perform at its best. (Incidentally, that reviewer used 4 subwoofers when reviewing the SA1s). To my ears, this is about right, although I emailed Spendor and they replied with a minimum figure of 48 hours. Whatever the case, you'd have to check that the speakers are fully broken in when auditioning.

Second, I'm not using the dedicated stands (yet) which is highly recommended, so when I do, there could be further improvements to come.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Singslinger, are you able to share the name of the US magazine? I like the suggestion of Densen amplification, what do you recommend?

 

[Singslinger]

Hi Igglebert - yes, the review was titled "King of the Midgets'' in issue 195 of The Absolute Sound (Sep 2009) by Steven Stone. Just Google it and it'll come up. He quotes the SA1s designer Phil Swift on the cabinet construction and breaking in. He also mentions that he used 2 subwoofers per channel.

I'm not 100% sure of the Densen model number, but I think it was the B-110. I'll ring the retailer later and get the exact model number - will post as soon as I get it.

The speakers were on their dedicated stands and the source was a Densen CD player.

Hope this helps. Cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, I've read that one! I'll check out Densen if I can. Many thanks.

 

[Al ears]

Is this a hijacked thread I see before me?

Might I suggest you start your own........ I might even read it.