Speaker advice please

[admin_exported]

I have recently bit the bullet and purchased an Arcam Solo Movie to compliment my Imerge S2000 sound server.

I have a pair of Acoustic Energy AE109 speakers and love the sound they have when used on Arcam equipment. They are over 10 years old and I wanted to originally pair them up with some other speakers to create a 5.1 setup. I have good quality QED speaker cable and interconnects.

AE recommend a NEO1 and NEO7 package to match the AE109s, costing approx £350.00. A local dealer has recommended a Totem package for £3,500.00. This is quite a considerable difference in price.

I appreciate that £3,500 will bring a lot to my listening pleasure but I would like to know if anyone has any ideas or recommendations that might fit between £350 and £3,500. I know that ultimately a test drive will make my final decision but some (hopefully) impartial guidance before hand would be nice.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

It seems a shame that this post did not gain any response and I really wanted to hear the advice of What HiFi readers.

Ahh well I will visit my dealer again and see what happens.

Andy

 

[Andrew Everard]

FWIW I reckon the Neo Centre (£130) for the main channels, and the Neo 1s (about £180/pr) used for the rears, will work perfectly with your AE109s and the Solo Movie.

The Totem package is complete overkill with the Solo, good though it is.

Oh, and I'd spend some of the money you save on the Totem package on a good subwoofer, such as the Velodyne SPL-800i, which is about £500.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply Andrew. I thought as much for the totem kit, although it is very nice equipment, that is a lot of cash.

I just sold all my old kit on Ebay for £800 so will be getting my speakers asap.

Andy

 

[Andrew Everard]

Just learned the Velodyne sub has been discontinued, so you might be able to find an even better price on it