Speaker Recommendation with Arcam Alpha 8R Amp

[bigalxyz]

Hello forum,

I've just picked up a secondhand Arcam Alpha 8R integrated amp on eBay for £125, but I don't have any speakers to go with it (yet). Can anyone recommend some good floorstanders - secondhand is fine - budget perhaps £100 - £150.

I used to own an Arcam Alpha 9 amp which I paired with a set of Mission 752 speakers (and a Marantz CD-63 KI-Signature CD player), so I guess the Missions might be an option. But I'd love to hear other suggestions.

Current music source is an iTunes library on my PC, which I intend to connect up to the amp using a high quality sound card's analogue output (and, later, to consider using the sound card's digital output & a separate DAC stage)

Thanks!

Alan.

 

[bigalxyz]

ps the iTunes library is mostly Apple Lossless stuff now, rather than the low bit rate MP3 files I originally started out with!

 

[plastic penguin]

If you like the Mission sound I would suggest you keep with the brands you know and like. Know little about Mission speakers, not heard any for years. It's a tough budget for the sort of speakers with the required quality.

You could look out for B&W 603 but they generally sell for a lot more.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mission-M33i-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/111077703521?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item19dcbf3f61

 

[Pete68]

Monitor Audio and Acoustic Energy both partner well with the Alpha amps. There are some bargains on ebay.

 

[bigalxyz]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I wonder if I ought to consider stand mounted speakers as well as floorstanders. My lounge is quite small. Any thoughts?

 

[GMK]

How small is small? The Q Acoustics 2020i's are getting rave reviews both with the mag and forumites

 

[bigalxyz]

I'd say about 12ft * 12ft but also with a very low ceiling (old stone cottage) - maybe only 6 inches above the top of my head

 

[bluedroog]

I used to run this amp with B&W 602s which was very nice, a little on the warm side for some but very good if you like that. As mentioned the Q Acoustics speakers are great value even from new, they need a bit of power to sound their best but the 8 should be enough.

I would agree with 12Designs recommendation of the Acoustic energy speakers too, the AE109s in particular are a very good buy if in good nick, these aren’t the last word in deep bass or even the most sophisticated top end but what they do well is midrange and upper bass which is just so tight and attacking. I remember going to demo these years ago and put on Ocean colour Scene, track 1 ‘The River Boat Song’ and the bass guitar riff just blew me away.

 

[bigalxyz]

Thanks everyone for their advice.

In the end I spotted a pair of B&W 601s local to me on eBay, and I managed to snap them up for £75. Sound v good - surprisingly full bass for such small boxes, no problem filling my lounge at all - they sound lively & tuneful too.

Next step is to think about an external DAC to improve the sound quality coming out of my iTunes library.

Alan.

 

[Pete68]

Congrats on the 601s. Njoy!!