speaker package for a Yamaha rx A3020

[jcshutts]

I am looking for a speaker package at around the £2k bracket that will marry well with the Yamaha RX A3020 Amp and provide some musical delights as well!

ideally I would seek to wall mount the pakage although it might be difficult to find a speaker which provides mid and fullness of sound in a small box which is bracketed to a wall???? If not would settle for floor standing.

Any pointers?

Thanks

 

[bigboss]

http://www.dougbradyhifi.com/p-108-monitor-audio-apex-av-hi-fi-surround-sound-speaker-package-black.aspx

If you buy the AV receiver & speakers together from the same dealer, you may get a discount. I got 10% discount off my speakers & subwoofer from Sevenoaks.

 

[jcshutts]

its very perceptive of you to know that I haven't actually bought the Amp yet! My Yamaha Z9 packed up this morning so I am planning the exchange and hoping the wife won't notice! Concerned that I might struggle to smuggle in the new speaker package at the same time too though! Was hoping for a couple of months to recover after Santa robbed my piggy bank again!

Any ideas on the right speaker package? I may be lucky in convincing the wife for a simultaneous purchase if it makes financial sense!!

 

[jcshutts]

just followed the link. Monitor Audio. Will they sound full enough do you think!

 

[bigboss]

An emphatic yes!! It was the What Hi Fi award winner for best in class last year.

Have you seen the size of this thread?

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/the-apex-club

It's the biggest on the forum regarding one product, as far as I'm aware.

 

[Frank Harvey]

The mid fullness of a 'satellite' speaker will never match that of a floorstander, but I'd recommend looking at the B&W M1 satellite speakers - either as part of the MT60D package, or with a different subwoofer. The new M1's are much fuller sounding than the older ones, and sound more like small bookshelf speakers, given a good quality receiver to drive them with, which the RXA3020 fully qualifies.

The key to good sounding satellite speakers, other than set up, is a good subwoofer. Stick to a sealed cabinet sub for small satellites, so the PV1D is a good start. If you want something more capable in almost every department, the KK Sound DXD808 would be the best alternative providing deeper bass and better punch, sounding cleaner across the sub's operating range (high or low), and being fast enough to pull off high quality music without drawing attention to itself.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi jcshutts

In addition to Apex sub/sats Monitor Audio's Silver RX6 AV12 speaker system and their Shadow Series of speakers (with Silver RXW-12 or Apex AW-12) are also worth consideration. As with Apex speakers, Silver RX6 AV12 and Shadow speakers also pair superbly with the Aventage RX-A3020 with music or movie soundtracks.

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/shadow/

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[jcshutts]

Superb thanks . Will do some reading

 

[RickyDeg]

I have to agree with my fellow posters above on the Monitor Audio Apex recommendation. They are a thrill-ride of a package, and far from "just" any old style-system. I know what you mean when you mention the word 'fullness' and I honestly don't feel that aspect is missing in Apex, especially considering their size. With the 'right' kit to drive them they will offer a nicely balanced sound suitable for several types of genres of music and movies. Not just saying this because I own them myself but rather because I've heard many other similar solutions (including Focal Dome, B&W M1, Paradigm Milleniaone etc) and none of those managed to impress to the same extent that Apex continue to done (personal opinion). They do require capable grear do them justice but I'm certain if you dig Yamaha's characteristics then RX-A3020 will be fine (many users pair these two with great sucess).

If you can house a package containing just the bigger Apex A40 then use that all-round, otherwise the 'standard' 5.1 package contains A40 and the smaller A10, which work great together. Naturally I would also recommend the AW12 subwoofer, for more than just aesthetic reasons. Mounting options are fairly flexible - wallmount (A40 + A10), tabletop (A10) or separate floorstand (A10).

Best of luck whatever you choose! If you land on Apex then please 'join' us in the club!

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/the-apex-club

 

[bigboss]

You can save more than £1000 by going for 3010 instead of 3020 for similar performance.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

You can save more than £1000 by going for 3010 instead of 3020 for similar performance.

Once more, bigboss is right. Unless you want or need fancy new stuff like 4K video passthrough and maybe Spotify (whatever the hell that is) then the Yamaha RX-A3010 will be excellent as a home cinema hub and much cheaper than the new 3020. Reviews here http://www.homecinemachoice.com/news/article/yamaha-rx-a3010-av-receiver-review/10783 and http://www.whathifi.com/review/yamaha-rx-a3010 . It is now available for just under a grand, half of its launch price, at peter tyson http://www.petertyson.co.uk/ebuttonz/yamaha/avreceivers/index.shtml?googlecpc&gclid=CMaQnMT4zrQCFXDLtAodFHYAIg and at Creative Audio / Audio Express http://www.audio-express.co.uk/hotdeal.php?&cat=HCAMP&HOTDEAL=YAM_3010&t=ga or Exceptional AV http://www.exceptional-av.co.uk/index.php?search_terms=A3010&gclid=CJnr_vT4zrQCFaTKtAodbg0ATA. Rick at Musicraft and David at Frank Harvey will tell you how good it is, especially at what is now truly a bargain price.

Or, you could pay £2,000 for the 3020!

 

[jcshutts]

Problem with this hobby is that it is always tempting to buy the products that have all the available options such as the 3020. Is the internals exactly that of the 3010 apart from 4k?

The apex sound like a winner

 

[bigboss]

All I can say is that there isn't a £1000 difference between the models on performance.

 

[duaplex]

Yes then put that extra 1000 into the CM8 package.

These Monitor Audio Apex boys.... Trying to run the world

 

[jcshutts]

Will take a look at the CM8. If I did stick with the 3020 yamaha with 4k video processing would this upscale a standard resolution projector???

having looked at the B&W CM8 they won't suit as I need wall mounts . Thanks

 

[bigboss]

There is currently no 4K content in the market, for the AV receiver to upscale.

 

[Sliced Bread]

Yes then put that extra 1000 into the CM8 package.

These Monitor Audio Apex boys.... Trying to run the world

lol.

The CM9's were recommended with the Yamaha A3020 in the latest mag as the big speaker pachage, so CM8's may work well.

The Apex though was also suggested as an alternative. The OP may want to pick up a copy as it's pretty relevant this month :bounce:

 

[Gerrardasnails]

My view is the 3010 is the steal of the century - I got mine a few months ago and it's a beast! So, grab one while you can as they won't last much longer.

As for the Apex shout, I would say they are very good but not great. I used to have a pair for my rears but replaced them (decorating instruction!) with in wall speakers and the result was a better sound for nearly half the price. As for Apex or M1s versus floorstanders - no comparison. Go for the RX6AV package.

 

[bigboss]

The CM9's were recommended with the Yamaha A3020 in the latest mag as the big speaker pachage, so CM8's may work well.

having looked at the B&W CM8 they won't suit as I need wall mounts . Thanks

 

[bigboss]

As for the Apex shout, I would say they are very good but not great. I used to have a pair for my rears but replaced them (decorating instruction!) with in wall speakers and the result was a better sound for nearly half the price.

To be honest, rear speakers hardly have much job to do, as compared to fronts. Front & centre is where speakers should be tested for their performance instead of rears.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

They're are not as important I agree but when you get it right, they can make a huge difference. I was mightily impressed with my Apex speakers but my in wall rears are a lot better and I've heard no sat speaker system that can touch a very good full sized package.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I've heard no sat speaker system that can touch a very good full sized package.

You need to hear a Ken Kreisel designed sub/sat system for movies then - for movie reproduction, there's no comparison

 

[RickyDeg]

They're are not as important I agree but when you get it right, they can make a huge difference. I was mightily impressed with my Apex speakers but my in wall rears are a lot better and I've heard no sat speaker system that can touch a very good full sized package.

In essence, compact speaker systems aren't really meant to touch full-sized speaker systems in the first place. They are two different types of animals. Both have their strengths and both have their weaknesses, no doubts about that. For example; there is a reason must studio mixers use small-size satellites as oppose to full-size speakers in professional studios and having the same at home can prove equally benificial in certain terms. However, listening to full-blown 2-channel stereo music with a pair of capable floorstanders can be hard to beat. Having that said, I use to have a pretty high-class Focal Electra 926 full-sized speaker system years ago, and despite being double the price of my current Apex I find the latter way more thrilling on multichannel content than the otherwise fine Electras where. But so many factors come into play here it's difficult to think of it in black-and-white terms.

 

[RickyDeg]

I've heard no sat speaker system that can touch a very good full sized package.

You need to hear a Ken Kreisel designed sub/sat system for movies then - for movie reproduction, there's no comparison

Those would be killer fun to audition! When are they out in stores?

His website is a bit... uhm, tricky and lacking with info. Unless I've missed something.

 

[Sliced Bread]

My view is the 3010 is the steal of the century - I got mine a few months ago and it's a beast! So, grab one while you can as they won't last much longer.

As for the Apex shout, I would say they are very good but not great. I used to have a pair for my rears but replaced them (decorating instruction!) with in wall speakers and the result was a better sound for nearly half the price. As for Apex or M1s versus floorstanders - no comparison. Go for the RX6AV package.

Hi Gerrardasnails,

Did you used to use an Onlyo 875? If so how does the 3010 compare?

Thanks