Q Acoustics 1050i, Good Match For Roksan Kandy?

[Gareth82]

Hi everyone, i have got the oportunity to get a pair of second hand mint condition Q Acoustic 1050i's and was wondering if they would be a good match for my Roksan Kandy LIII?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

They'll work alright and will sound fine but the Roksan is capable of running much better speakers...

What's your budget/what price can you get them at?

 

[Gareth82]

Thanks for the reply.

I can get the Q Acoustics for £120 including delivery.

I was thinking of getting the Q Acoustics as a stop gap untill i can afford better speakers. My current Speakers (see sig) are niot really Hi Fi speakers and more DJ speakers and i should be able to resell them for the sam amount that the Q Acoustics cost. Once i can afford better speakers i can use the Q Acoustics in my second system and get rid of the Kef Coda 9's i currently have.

 

[plastic penguin]

Gareth - You'll probably be better off with these, if the MS previously spoke about are too expensive.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KEF-AUDIO-IQ5SE-SPEAKERS-/250975569144?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item3a6f4f44f8

 

[Gareth82]

Thanks for the reply PP.

I currently have a buyer for my Wharfedales so was going to get the Q Acoustics untill so that i can listen to music without getting a headache. once i have bought my streamer i will be looking at getting the MS Avianos and replacing my Kef Codas with the Q Acoustics. I know the Q Acoustics may not be good enough for the Roksan but they must be better than the speakers i currently have.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm good price

I'd go for some Acoustic Energy AE109's 2nd hand via eBay though if it were me; or spend a little more and go for the AE Neo 3's - Both brilliant speakers and will work superbly with the Kandy LIII

A much better suited sound than the Q Acoustics as well IMO

 

[the record spot]

Thanks for the reply PP.

I currently have a buyer for my Wharfedales so was going to get the Q Acoustics untill so that i can listen to music without getting a headache. once i have bought my streamer i will be looking at getting the MS Avianos and replacing my Kef Codas with the Q Acoustics. I know the Q Acoustics may not be good enough for the Roksan but they must be better than the speakers i currently have.

The Q Acoustics 1050i are great speakers; stick with your instincts on this one. Hi Fi World rated them well and further, partnered them with Leema's Pulse II amp so they'll stand an upgrade when or if you decide the Kandy's run out of steam. For £120, this really is a no-brainer if you have the room for them. A fine buy for the money; I'd have them in a shot.

 

[plastic penguin]

Thanks for the reply PP.

I currently have a buyer for my Wharfedales so was going to get the Q Acoustics untill so that i can listen to music without getting a headache. once i have bought my streamer i will be looking at getting the MS Avianos and replacing my Kef Codas with the Q Acoustics. I know the Q Acoustics may not be good enough for the Roksan but they must be better than the speakers i currently have.

Personally, no. I bought my RS6s (second pair) as a stopgap, but with hindsight I wished I hadn't. If I had waited another couple of months I would've had a pair of PMCs by now.

To buy a pair of speakers as a 'filler' until you can afford something better is a false economy IMO. When the Wharfedales go transfer the Kef Codas down for a couple of months.

 

[the record spot]

You've obviously not heard the Q's PP. They're extremely good and for the money the OP's been offered them at, they'll do a good job. And if Noel Keywood reckons they'll sit nicely with the precursor to the Pulse III, I reckon they'll do a good partnering job with the Kandy.

Should be a good balance too; the 1050i was a nicely balanced affair and it would be a mistake to consider them a "filler" speaker. Certainly a step up from the KEF Codas, good though they were in their day.

 

[Crocodile]

I'd say if you can essentially swap the disco Wharfdales to the QAs for no cost then go for it. Especially as the Wharfdales are only £160 new.

That's a world away from spending £400 (or whatever it was PP spent on the RS6) as a stop-gap.

And didn't I read somewhere that QA have an old school Mission desgner on board? Maybe why RS loves them...

 

[the record spot]

Well, that was one reason but, admittedly, it's not a bad pedigree though is it... 😉

 

[plastic penguin]

I'd say if you can essentially swap the disco Wharfdales to the QAs for no cost then go for it. Especially as the Wharfdales are only £160 new.

That's a world away from spending £400 (or whatever it was PP spent on the RS6) as a stop-gap.

And didn't I read somewhere that QA have an old school Mission desgner on board? Maybe why RS loves them...

The RS6 actually cost me just shy of 350. And no, I was looking at the IQ5SEs as a permanent speaker, not a stop-gap. When I heard the IQ5 (originals) they sounded superb with the Kandy LIII

 

[audioaddict]

Pp just loves tellin people.how to spend their money the qa are very goodspeakers

 

[Gareth82]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

As Crocodile said, the money from the Wharfedales would pay for the QA's so it wouldn't really cost me any money to change to them. I have also heard that the QA's are ment to be very good and TBH i can't afford £400 for a pair of speakers at the moment so i think the QA's would fit in with the Kandy better than my Wharfedales do.

My next step is to get a streamer of some sorts, but i am also contemplating if i should change the Kandy for a Onkyo TX8050. At least It's good to know that the QA's perfomed well with a amp like the Leema so they sound sound equally as good with the Kandy or Onkyo.

 

[plastic penguin]

Certainly a good price. Good luck.

 

[the record spot]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

My next step is to get a streamer of some sorts, but i am also contemplating if i should change the Kandy for a Onkyo TX8050. At least It's good to know that the QA's perfomed well with a amp like the Leema so they sound sound equally as good with the Kandy or Onkyo.

You should probably try and listen to the two and decide if you like the Onkyo; personally, I think it's a very strong contender and delivers on substance as well as style. I've had a range of amps in recent times but while Leema's Pulse and Harman's HK990 were very capable and around the £1k mark, or my old Sansui AU-717 which I loved, I don't feel particularly short-changed (at all!) by the Onkyo. But you should try and hear the two side-by-side to make up your mind.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

The AppleTV is pretty neat for streaming, plus it has the video option. Personally I'd keep the Kandy, flog the CD player, buy an HK 980 or 990 CD player, connect the ATV to that and enjoy the music. If you connect your TV to the ATV that gives you iplayer, itvplayer and videos, too.

If you have an iPhone or i-something you can stream your radio from that.

 

[Gareth82]

Thanks for the replies.

I am still decidingwhat to do about a the Onkyo or a streamer. The person who is buying my Wharfedales has put in an offer for my Kandy so if i did go for the Onkyo it would be a straight swap for the Kandy and won't cost me any to get. If idecide to stick with the Kandy then i was looking at the Pioneer N-30 streamer, i like the fact that it has a colour screen and displays album art etc..

I did consider the Aplle TV but i am getting a Boxee Box soon so wouldn't really use all of the features of the Apple TV.

 

[Crocodile]

If idecide to stick with the Kandy then i was looking at the Pioneer N-30 streamer, i like the fact that it has a colour screen and displays album art etc..

I would suggest that a piddly little 2.5" LCD is going to be next to useless, especially when sat in your listening position.

 

[Gareth82]

True, the main reason why i was looking at the N-30 was because it supports 192/24 files, is DNLA and Airplay compatible, is only £350 and in Aluminium will match my Kandy Perfect. I was also looking at the Denon 720AE as it has had a recent price drop to £250 and it's had pritty good reviews.

Are there any other streamers you would recommend (apart from the SB Touch and Sonos kit)?

Thanks

 

[Crocodile]

I only have direct experience of the Squeezebox range so I'm not in a position to make other recommendations. You could maybe take a look at the Marantz NA7004 as that seems to tick your boxes & is down to around £350 at the moment.

http://marantz.co.uk/uk/products/pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=AirPlayProducts&SubCatId=NetworkAudioPlayer&ProductId=NA7004

Rated a 5 star product when it was £600.

http://www.whathifi.com/review/marantz-na7004

 

[Gareth82]

Thanks for the reply.

The Marantz was one i had on my short list, i do like the look of the SB Touch but it's just the problems with getting SB server to work on a NAS etc that puts me off.

 

[Crocodile]

As long as you buy a NAS with official manufacturer support for the server software you won't go far wrong. It only becomes difficult when people want to start hacking very basic systems with little horsepower to drive the software.

You can always run an old PC/laptop using WOL to wake it from standby when you want to listen to music while you decide if SB is right for you. The free Vortexbox software is also worth a look as that will turn an old machine into a ripping server.

www.vortexbox.org

Although having criticised the screen on the Pioneer it's only fair to say I don't think the Touch's is big enough either. But it is useable.

 

[Gareth82]

Thanks for the reply.

Am i right in saying that the Vortexbox software includes SB server as well?

Would a Laptop in WOL consume as much power as a NAS in standby mode?

Would the laptop need to be hard wired to my router or would be be ok to run SB server over WIFI?

Thanks

 

[Crocodile]

Yes, the server software is embedded in Vortexbox.

Probably not a great deal in it as regards power consumption.

It's preferable to have the server hard wired so that wireless only needs to contend with sending to the player.