Should I add 2 speakers or replace them?

[And_X]

Hello everyone.

I have an AudioLab 8000LX amplifier (60W per channel 8ohm), and Bose Acoustimass 3 Series 5 2.1 speakers (10–100W, 4-8ohm). I use a DAC with bluetooth to listen to music through some mobile music platform. Although an old system, it gives me clear sound. But I feel the mids are missing. The subwoofer of the Acoustimass 3 series 5 shows what it should as the small satellites fill the space.

First question. Could I just add two speakers in parallel to the same amplifier so that they are placed back and fill the mids?

If not, could I replace the two satellite speakers with but two that provide highs and mids?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gasolin]

Could I just add two speakers in parallel to the same amplifier so that they are placed back and fill the mids?

Why the hell would you do that

Get some decent speakers

still small and compact mabye these Cambridge Minx Min 22 instead of the bose satelites not both spekaer,you might be okay using the subwoofer with the minx min 22

 

[DCarmi]

The AudioLab 8000 series reviewed well and was on my wish list for ages but sadly never materialised.
The Bose speakers aren't that great. My feeling is to replace them. Don't add extra speakers, under any circumstance.

I'd find a friendly hi-fi dealer and see what speakers are available in your price range, preferably with some stands. Changing the speakers should make a huge difference, but seek advice and demo with your amp, if you can.

 

[gasolin]

If you live in uk

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[Integralista]

Hello everyone.

I have an AudioLab 8000LX amplifier (60W per channel 8ohm), and Bose Acoustimass 3 Series 5 2.1 speakers (10–100W, 4-8ohm). I use a DAC with bluetooth to listen to music through some mobile music platform. Although an old system, it gives me clear sound. But I feel the mids are missing. The subwoofer of the Acoustimass 3 series 5 shows what it should as the small satellites fill the space.

First question. Could I just add two speakers in parallel to the same amplifier so that they are placed back and fill the mids?

If not, could I replace the two satellite speakers with but two that provide highs and mids?

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

regarding the amp you are a lucky guy. Audiolab 8000LX is a real AMP. This is solid base on which you may build very good HiFi system. Yes, it is more analytical, has slam, has power, quick and transparent sound and very good soundstaging. But...

But to let this amp shine, you need really good speakers and also cables, lets say 500-690 eur for bookshelfs or up to 1000 Eur for floorstanders + very good speaker cable (200-250eur for 2x2m). Avoid analytical sounding speakers like last gen of B&W 600. Better for sure will be e.g. Focal Chorus or Q Acoustics 3000. And such a good system need as good as possible source. Here I recommend to invest to get some good streamer, CD, turntable or what you wish. Bose set put on ebay and sell it. BR.

 

[And_X]

Thanks guys for the response.
It's a good idea to sell the Acoustimass 3, and get something that performs better as it fills the space relative to what I have.
My ability to put in a set of expensive speakers is limited, that's why I reduce the possibility to €150, to see if there can be any option.
I have put good cables on the speakers as well as from the streamer to the amplifier. Of course not Hi-End, but they are especially good 1.5mm cables for 1.5 meters from the amplifier for example. Maybe also for a power cable, but again not €200, something cheaper.

 

[DCarmi]

Don't worry about cables. Put your resources into getting the best speakers you can sensibly afford. It may be you need to wait and save.

You are obviously somewhere in Europe, so I can't really suggest where to look but I think scouting around some dealers and looking at reviews might be a good place to start. You probably want to avoid bright sounding speakers because your amp, good as it is, is quite clinical.

Another option might be to look at the second hand market. There is always a risk there but you can get decent bargains, if you are careful.

 

[twinkletoes]

Thanks guys for the response.
It's a good idea to sell the Acoustimass 3, and get something that performs better as it fills the space relative to what I have.
My ability to put in a set of expensive speakers is limited, that's why I reduce the possibility to €150, to see if there can be any option.
I have put good cables on the speakers as well as from the streamer to the amplifier. Of course not Hi-End, but they are especially good 1.5mm cables for 1.5 meters from the amplifier for example. Maybe also for a power cable, but again not €200, something cheaper.

Get some second hand mission 700's like the below 20-30 quid all day, if you want cable get some QED 79strand 7 quid for a 5meter real. Job done will sound fantastic

Mission700 2way Reflex Loaded | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mission700 2way Reflex Loaded at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

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You may want to budget for speaker stands somthing like this will do the trick

SPEAKER STANDS - "ATACAMA NEXUS" | eBay

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[And_X]

twinkletoes I find your suggestion very good. The speaker stands with the Mission 700 set are very good value. Unfortunately I'm not from England, but Belgium so with a search in Europe I found the speakers at three times the price.
Can you recommend 2-3 speakers like the Mission 700 that I can keep an eye on.
And upgrade speaker cable 2x2.5mm

 

[Fandango Andy]

twinkletoes I find your suggestion very good. The speaker stands with the Mission 700 set are very good value. Unfortunately I'm not from England, but Belgium so with a search in Europe I found the speakers at three times the price.
Can you recommend 2-3 speakers like the Mission 700 that I can keep an eye on.
And upgrade speaker cable 2x2.5mm

The mission 700 are a good shout. I have in the past hooked my old 701 to my father's Audiolab 8000A, it sounds incredible. Any of the mission 700 range would work well as would the M72

If you have a bigger budget anything derived from BBC monitors would be a good March, as would B&W 705.

For sub £300 new Q Accoustics 3030i and Triangle Bora

 

[twinkletoes]

twinkletoes I find your suggestion very good. The speaker stands with the Mission 700 set are very good value. Unfortunately I'm not from England, but Belgium so with a search in Europe I found the speakers at three times the price.
Can you recommend 2-3 speakers like the Mission 700 that I can keep an eye on.
And upgrade speaker cable 2x2.5mm

Missions seem to have gone up a little in the past few years but they will pop up if you’re patient and in no particular rush.

But you could try looking for some

kef cresta 1 or 2 or even coda

Tannoy sixes or mercury

Wharfdale dimonds 8.1s

Denon scm51 (mission) these where sold as part of a midi system these are very good

Hope that helps

 

[Rodolfo]

twinkletoes I find your suggestion very good. The speaker stands with the Mission 700 set are very good value. Unfortunately I'm not from England, but Belgium so with a search in Europe I found the speakers at three times the price.
Can you recommend 2-3 speakers like the Mission 700 that I can keep an eye on.
And upgrade speaker cable 2x2.5mm

Yes, replacing Bose boxes always works, but shop patiently.

I'm the proud and happy owner of the original Mission 700 (circa 1985 in Chicago) that still perform impressively, nearly daily. I will affirm the recommendation even if I've never heard another set ever, because they deserve it. Mine on the used market would be a great find. Truly; I regularly get offers or bequest requests from loved ones.

I've often wanted to try another set, just to see how they've matured.

Here's our host's review of another set you might want to consider and watch for: https://www.whathifi.com/mission/lx-2/review

Enjoy your browsing and lots of luck locating those lovely mids.

 

[And_X]

I find a set Tannoy Mercury F1 black, for a good price. Is that a good choice of 50e?

 

[Fandango Andy]

I find a set Tannoy Mercury F1 black, for a good price. Is that a good choice of 50e?

View attachment 6708View attachment 6709

Good budget speakers. I think they sell for £50 to £80 these days.

You need to give them a reasonable amount of space at rear and side for them to sound their best.

 

[Leon74]

No one can advice on loudspeakers... it's so personal... before buying make sure you listen to them or even better if you can return them.
With second-hand stuff you might be lucky and get a decent product but there are also tons of people out there selling faulty products.
Maybe look at webshops, Amazon and others, look at the reviews and look for products that are a couple of years old and therefore often much cheaper.
Veel succes/Bonne chance !

 

[And_X]

Thank you for your help, the speakers were much better than the picture showed.
They play amazing and clear, transparent sound I would say.

I also got two stands for the speakers for €40. The total was €90.

Today when I removed the stands and placed the speakers on top I heard a slight noise in the left speaker. Is it coming from some bad connection?

In the photo you can see how the speakers are.

 

[nopiano]

Thank you for your help, the speakers were much better than the picture showed.
They play amazing and clear, transparent sound I would say.

I also got two stands for the speakers for €40. The total was €90.

Today when I removed the stands and placed the speakers on top I heard a slight noise in the left speaker. Is it coming from some bad connection?

In the photo you can see how the speakers are.

I think you’ll have to be rather more descriptive of what you heard. Exactly what type I’d sound, what source, is it repeatable, etc? Loud or soft volume? Is the speaker buzzing in contact with the surface and so on…

Bad connections rarely make a noise - they either make contact or not.

 

[And_X]

A constant hum is heard in both speakers. Not much but when I go too close with my ear to the speaker.
I did not have this with the previous Bose speakers although the quality was of course not as good..

 

[DCarmi]

Does the hum happen with all inputs? i.e. Try a different input on the amp.
Are the devices plugged into the same wall socket or different ones? If different you might have a ground loop. Ground loops usually produces a low frequency hum.

There are other possibilities, including the amp power supply, interference, poor cable/connections (less likely but check the connections) etc.

Do you get hear the hum is using headphones?

 

[And_X]

I changed input from aux to tape, the noise stops. When I connect the rca cable to the tape the noise on that channel remains. I did the same on the CD and it remains the same.

The stremear comes from Spotify from my previous iphone 8. Which connects wirelessly to DAC. The Dac is connected to the amp via a PROLINK good quality rca
The speakers are connected to the amp with 1.5mm cable, although the distance between them is not great. Behind the amp I separated the power cables to go on one side and the audio cables on the other.

I only have a pair of wireless headphones which I connect directly to the mobile phone. When I plug them into the Dac I hear nothing.

If I don't eliminate it, it doesn't bother me during the day, but only at night, I know that, I hear it and it bothers me.

 

[DCarmi]

Difficult to diagnose without having another input source or headphones. You did not say how the dac and amp are connected to power. I assume the same power outlet and not different ones, in which case it is probably not a ground loop.

What streamer are you using?

 

[Gray]

I changed input from aux to tape, the noise stops. When I connect the rca cable to the tape the noise on that channel remains. I did the same on the CD and it remains the same. The Dac is connected to the amp via a PROLINK good quality rca

'Good quality' or not, it would be worth just confirming that both channel's screens are connected.
If you've got access to a multimeter, you can use that to check end-to-end continuity of the disconnected cable (while gently bending it - especially around where the cable enters its strain relief - to rule out intermittency).

 

[And_X]

the dac and the amp are fed from the same power strip.
The amp has a normal/simple power cable like a PC power cord. The dac is powered by a usb socket like smartphone power.

The quality of the three channels aux /cd /tape remains the same good.
I don't have a multimeter.

Even though I turn off the dac, the noise persists.


I was thinking of getting a not hi-end but better than normal power cable for the amp, around 40E.
Will it play a role or if it will help the situation?

 

[DCarmi]

Personally, I doubt the amp is the problem. It is difficult to be certain without testing another source, though.