Recommended Speakers to complete my system

[jonxley]

Hi all,
I don't understand how to chose suitable speakers to complete my MF system. Although I do want floorstanders.
With a budget of roughly £1500 I have been considering Fyne 502, Mission ZX-5, Kef Q950, Dali Oberon 9 etc.
But would I be better off looking for something older but higher end, and here I have been offered a pair of Kef 203/2 but unsure if my MF A3.2 power amp will drive them? For a few quid more I can also find a pair of PL100 but I am not a fan of standmounts for purely aesthetic reasons. My room size is 4M x 8M with a fairly flexible listening distance.
I'd appreciate some expert advice , thanks in advance, all the best, John

 

[Gray]

Hi all,
I don't understand how to chose suitable speakers

The very best way John, is to try speakers on the end of your system in your room using your ears.
(But I appreciate it's not the most convenient way).

 

[muljao]

The kef 203/2 specs say nominal 8 ohms, sensitivity 89db. This should be a relatively easy speaker load on any amp

 

[insider9]

What speakers worked well in your room before? What did you enjoy? All speakers mentioned will give you a different presentation and it would be easier to point you in the right direction if you expanded a little. Also musical taste and volume you're listening at would be a factor.

 

[Al ears]

What can you get to actually listen to?
I would avoid speakers as old as those KEFs unless you really know what you are looking at and can inspect in detail.
You might want to add B&W 603 to your list..

 

[nopiano]

For once, I’m going to tell you what I’d buy! (That’s at the end.)

I’d expect floorstanders to ‘drive’ your size of room better than a stand mount, so I’d pass on the PL100. I’m not familiar with the current Monitor Audio ranges, though they’re always beautifully finished, if that’s important to you. The Fynes are well reviewed and distinctive, but may be a bit forward sounding.

The smaller Dali Oberon 5 I’ve enjoyed enormously, but the 9 is very new, and I’m wary of a range that’s over extended. I’ve no experience of the Mission you mention, but I’d pass on the older KEF Q series. However, I generally like KEF and if you are prepared to save some money I’d try these R5, which are excellent, nice looking and £500 off because they’ve been opened. You can return them within 30 days if you don’t like, and they have white available too.
That’s where I’d spend my £1500 today if I had it!

You might detest them, but I doubt it. They are pretty room friendly, elegant and have a neat grille. Lovely finish, on or off.

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

petertyson.co.uk

 

[Clarkey_71]

For once, I’m going to tell you what I’d buy! (That’s at the end.)

I’d expect floorstanders to ‘drive’ your size of room better than a stand mount, so I’d pass on the PL100. I’m not familiar with the current Monitor Audio ranges, though they’re always beautifully finished, if that’s important to you. The Fynes are well reviewed and distinctive, but may be a bit forward sounding.

The smaller Dali Oberon 5 I’ve enjoyed enormously, but the 9 is very new, and I’m wary of a range that’s over extended. I’ve no experience of the Mission you mention, but I’d pass on the older KEF Q series. However, I generally like KEF and if you are prepared to save some money I’d try these R5, which are excellent, nice looking and £500 off because they’ve been opened. You can return them within 30 days if you don’t like, and they have white available too.
That’s where I’d spend my £1500 today if I had it!

You might detest them, but I doubt it. They are pretty room friendly, elegant and have a neat grille. Lovely finish, on or off.

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

petertyson.co.uk

The KEFs are a good shout and that seems a decent deal.
As a curve ball and if you're thinking second hand, you might want to look up some PMC OB1s.
Many years ago I drove those with a MF P270. Agreed that's a different proposition to your current amp, but they matched very well for me.
No idea if this helps or hinders!!!

 

[jonxley]

What speakers worked well in your room before? What did you enjoy? All speakers mentioned will give you a different presentation and it would be easier to point you in the right direction if you expanded a little. Also musical taste and volume you're listening at would be a factor.

I am completely new to the world of 'quality' HIFI. in the past I have enjoyed an a/v setup but rarely listened to music except for headphones connected to my laptop. I can't get my head around the problem really. Unless you can flick from one set to the next, how do you judge that those £1500 speakers sound better or worse or just different from the next £1500 set?

 

[jonxley]

For once, I’m going to tell you what I’d buy! (That’s at the end.)

I’d expect floorstanders to ‘drive’ your size of room better than a stand mount, so I’d pass on the PL100. I’m not familiar with the current Monitor Audio ranges, though they’re always beautifully finished, if that’s important to you. The Fynes are well reviewed and distinctive, but may be a bit forward sounding.

The smaller Dali Oberon 5 I’ve enjoyed enormously, but the 9 is very new, and I’m wary of a range that’s over extended. I’ve no experience of the Mission you mention, but I’d pass on the older KEF Q series. However, I generally like KEF and if you are prepared to save some money I’d try these R5, which are excellent, nice looking and £500 off because they’ve been opened. You can return them within 30 days if you don’t like, and they have white available too.
That’s where I’d spend my £1500 today if I had it!

You might detest them, but I doubt it. They are pretty room friendly, elegant and have a neat grille. Lovely finish, on or off.

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

petertyson.co.uk

I didn't consider the R5 even though I have been trawling peter tyson deals for a while now. Great advice too, many thanks

 

[nopiano]

I didn't consider the R5 even though I have been trawling peter tyson deals for a while now. Great advice too, many thanks

You’re welcome! Just on your point about about “...how do you tell...” it’s a fair question. Decades ago, when I worked part-time in a Hifi shop, we had a speaker comparator, a switch box with about 12 speakers connected. They went out of fashion, as rooms crammed with speakers didn’t sound like a living room, and the switches detracted from the sound.
Since then I’ve regularly attended Hifi shows, dealer demo days and friends houses to widen my experience. Four years ago I chose new speakers - my ATCs - and heard about six possibilities. I wrote it up here too*. Since then I’ve bought and sold a couple of used sets just for fun, including KEF LS50, which are great small speakers.
In non-COVID times you just need to traipse around a few dealers and get to a show or two. Right now, all you can do is buy with a return option and see how you get on.
Good luck, and revert to us as and when you decide if you need any advice about setting up. There are several helpful articles and videos from WHF too.

*https://forums.whathifi.com/threads/floorstanders-around-£3-000-a-tale-of-two-speakers.107213/

 

[muljao]

The smaller Dali Oberon 5 I’ve enjoyed enormously, but the 9 is very new, and I’m wary of a range that’s over extended.

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

Open Box - KEF R5 Floorstanding Speakers - Black

petertyson.co.uk

Sorry, what do you mean by this?

 

[gasolin]

You should also consider Q acoustics concept 40

 

[nopiano]

Sorry, what do you mean by this?

Are you referring to my comment about the Dali? If so, I mean that the range was originally the 1, 3, 5, and 7, ignoring the AV models.
The first two are stand mounted designs, the larger two being floorstanders. The 5 was clearly the best balanced as it was widely featured at shows - I heard them at length at Bristol in 2019 - and it got the lion’s share of reviews.

When they decided to make a bigger model even than the 7, they obviously felt there is a market for a larger range-topper. However, my experience of such efforts is that they rarely work as well.

Dali may have pulled off the difficult trick of balancing two sizeable 9” with a tweeter from a budget bookshelf speaker - and to be fair, the Oberon 5 I heard was superb - but I won’t be holding my breath for the 9 being a standout design. I hope they prove me wrong, but in the context of the enquiry, a 25% discounted model from a range that runs from £1300 to £4000 is more likely to deliver the goods for £1500 in my opinion.

 

[muljao]

@nopiano thanks. I just wasn't sure what you meant, I know now 👍

 

[jonxley]

Hi all,

I feel as though I might have wasted your time guys, as in the end I spent £3,200 on a pair of ex demo Monitor Audio Gold 300 5G from Peter Tyson. I think that this is a good deal and they sound fine and look ok, I think! To be fair the feedback was so varied I decided to up my budget and buy speakers which are considered decent in most situations.
The experience was a bit of a disappointment though - PT described them as perfect with all accessories present, and then after I paid they called me to tell me that the tools were missing and they had to add a screw of a different type for the feet. I was surprised that MA no longer provides a separate Box for the accessories and that the speakers arrived in basic packaging although completely MA standard.
Anyway thanks all for your comments, it was appreciated, and if anyone feels I have made a poor choice I am really interested to understand your reasoning .
All the best, John

 

[Al ears]

The lack of accessories appears to be down to PT and not a lacking of MA

 

[nopiano]

I feel as though I might have wasted your time guys, as in the end I spent £3,200 on a pair of ex demo Monitor Audio Gold 300 5G from Peter Tyson. I think that this is a good deal and they sound fine and look ok, I think! To be fair the feedback was so varied I decided to up my budget and buy speakers which are considered decent in most situations.

Well, doubling your budget is definitely cheating! Glad you’ve found something you like, and I’m sure they’re terrific, though it’s not a model I’d had the pleasure of hearing. I know Monitor Audio always have an outstanding finish. Congratulations!

 

[jonxley]

The lack of accessories appears to be down to PT and not a lacking of MA

Yes PT issue, but MA packaging for their gold range is really cheap