Recommended way to spend £500 approx on bookshelf speakers??

gordos3

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Jan 27, 2010
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Hi all, I've been looking at buying my first proper stereo setup for a while now and was wanting recommendations on the bookshelf speakers. I've got £500 or thereabouts to spend and i had in mind B&W CM1's as these would go well with the B&W M1's i have bought to make it into a 5.1 cinema system but the Cm1's have been out for a while and i would hate to think i had bought something and then find out a could have had something better. Any reccomendations are very much appreciated? cheers
 

FennerMachine

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See if you can demo them or some similar B&W speakers to see if you like them.

If you do then take them for a home demo.

Try them in stereo and surround for good listening sessions.

Repeat until you have the speakers you want.

You will find some speakers amazing in stereo and good in surround and vice versa.

A few will be fantastic at both.

Also don't be afraid to buy ex-demo or second hand, but bare in mind where you demo from if they are really helpful.
 
gordos3 said:
Hi all, I've been looking at buying my first proper stereo setup for a while now and was wanting recommendations on the bookshelf speakers. I've got £500 or thereabouts to spend and i had in mind B&W CM1's as these would go well with the B&W M1's i have bought to make it into a 5.1 cinema system but the Cm1's have been out for a while and i would hate to think i had bought something and then find out a could have had something better. Any reccomendations are very much appreciated? cheers

Hi gordos3

What amp and source component/s, interconnect/s and speaker cables will you use?

What do you generally listen to?

The size of your room?

Is the room lightly or heavily furnished?

Room positioning of the new speakers (distance to walls, corners, will there be anything between the speakers such as a chimney breast, cabinet, windows etc.)?

Distance between the speakers?

Listening distance?

Will anything be in the way of the speakers?

Will you stand, shelf or wall mount the speakers?

What type of presentation are you looking from the speakers and for system to reproduce?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

gordos3

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Thanks for the reply's and wow Rick i did not think it was so intricate in deciding on speakers but sounds interesting.

The amp is still to be decided on but had in mind Pioneer 921, Onkyo 609, Yamaha 671 or marantz 1602

Music = Generally a bit of everything but probably dance music (still living in my teens)

Room size = 16 feet x 12 feet

Lightly furnished

speaker position = wall 1 feet from back of speaker and 6 foot from side of speaker with a fire place in between speakers , space 5 foot apart.

listening distance = 8 feet

nothing in way of speakers

they will be stand mounted

Presentation wise = Not really sure to be completely honest what you mean by that but a think i would like the sound to be crystal clear with good punch to it. (sorry if that does not make sense)
 
T

the record spot

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It really depends what you're looking for; I've been deeply impressed by the Tannoys I use and I imagine their bigger brother in the DC6 would be pretty decent too. My DC4s came in at £350 new, but you might get some on ex-dem (as I did). They're perched on Mission Stancette stands and they deliver a fabulous sound that belies their physical size; precise without being clinical, full without being boomy and balanced without being dull.
 

FennerMachine

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If you are still to choose your amp you have a lot to consider.

AV amps are good at surround sound but a stereo amp will beat it for stereo even taking 'cost per channel' into account (not always the case but generally speaking). Some AV amps though are very reasonable at stereo. You also need to make sure the amp/speaker combo works for YOU.

Reviews and opinions are great as a guide but you have to live with the purchase!

A good AV amp will be reasonable at both surround and stereo with fewer boxes and lower cost than lots of separates. A stereo amp can be added later if you wanted but if you are happy with the performance of a good AV amp why spend more?
 
gordos3 said:
Thanks for the reply's and wow Rick i did not think it was so intricate in deciding on speakers but sounds interesting.

The amp is still to be decided on but had in mind Pioneer 921, Onkyo 609, Yamaha 671 or marantz 1602

Music = Generally a bit of everything but probably dance music (still living in my teens)

Room size = 16 feet x 12 feet

Lightly furnished

speaker position = wall 1 feet from back of speaker and 6 foot from side of speaker with a fire place in between speakers , space 5 foot apart.

listening distance = 8 feet

nothing in way of speakers

they will be stand mounted

Presentation wise = Not really sure to be completely honest what you mean by that but a think i would like the sound to be crystal clear with good punch to it. (sorry if that does not make sense)

Hi gordos3

Thanks for your reply and your welcome.

Monitor Audio's Silver RX1's are also worth a look as RX1's offer high levels of clarity and (amongst their other qualities) a good punchy and dynamic sound.

Btw, i've not heard the Marantz NR-1602 however from the other three amplifiers i think you'll find Yamaha's RX-V671 is likely to offer a good balance with its quantity/quality of power and its overall tonal match with CM1's or Silver RX1's.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

gordos3

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Jan 27, 2010
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Like to thank everyone for their comments was appreciated. I managed to get a cracking deal on the CM1's so i went with them and over the moon i did cause a think there stunning. Next is the amp! what to get? I like the look of the yamaha 671 in the titanium but cant manage to demo it any where but i have also got the chanceof a pioneer lx53 at a good price or marantz 5006, how do they stack up against each other ?
 
A

Anonymous

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gordos3 said:
Like to thank everyone for their comments was appreciated. I managed to get a cracking deal on the CM1's so i went with them and over the moon i did cause a think there stunning. Next is the amp! what to get? I like the look of the yamaha 671 in the titanium but cant manage to demo it any where but i have also got the chanceof a pioneer lx53 at a good price or marantz 5006, how do they stack up against each other ?
I also have my new cm1's running in well with my yamaha as 2000 kit. Maybe not as balanced cost wise, but at the moment they are sounding very sweet. :)
 

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