Question Speaker Recommendations?

[kerfuffle king]

You all must get very tired of us newbies wandering in to ask for advice so sorry in advance -

I already own a Rega Elex-r and my current front runner for turntable seems to be the Clearaudio Concept, though I'm open to alternative suggestions if you think they'd be better based on the needs described. But I'm mainly after speaker recommendations for these, probably.

I think I have an idea of what I like in terms of sound. I find myself adjusting the eq on digital quite often, boosting the mid-range to enhance the vocals that otherwise tend to sound a little buried to me under music. This is true for a variety of artists/genres and speakers/systems. I feel it's probably something I need to account for here, but perhaps I'm being overly cautious as I imagine comparing any hifi set up to that of my relatively very cheap digital systems isn't reasonable! I imagine it's hard for anyone to know. But I fear investing in a system that lacks that clarity.

I understand the space is important as well as positioning of the speakers themselves. The room is approx 12'4x12'4, carpeted. I could fit in floor standers as long as they don't require much distance from a wall and would go for them if convinced they'd give me the kind of experience I want . But ideally I think I'd want something smaller.
Based on reviews and descriptions the B&W 606 s2 Anniversary Edition seem like a good bet for what I want but I'm unsure how they'd sound with the Elex-r and the Concept?

My remaining budget for speakers is probably around £800-£900 if going for the Concept at £1390. Advice on splitting the budget differently is welcomed though.

I know next to nothing about vinyl setups but even though I've been trying to read as much as I can over recent months I still feel very out of my depth. I understand the best possible thing is for me to hear things for myself but partly due to the ongoing pandemic and other factors I'm unable to go anywhere to demo anything nor have a home demo either. So unfortunately I'm having to rely heavily on reviews and personal experience which makes me quite nervous!


Thanks in advance, I've read through a lot of threads on here over the months and am always surprised by how helpful you all are!

 

[myrrhman]

While I don't claim any experience of either Rega amps or B&W speakers, my impressions from reviews is that they can both have a tendency to be a bit forward in presentation, which means they might not give you the combination of mid-range richness and good degree of spatial resolution you seem to be after. As an alternative, I'd suggest looking at some second-hand classic Spendors to stay within budget - mid-range to the fore, silky smooth with decent resolution, good bass and decent soundstage. What I've read about ProAc suggests they share some similar qualities, although again you'd be looking at second hand, as you ideally don't want to be eating into your turntable / cartridge budget.
WRT turntables, I'm a Pro-ject fanboy so not the best person to judge - what I would say is pay attention to the cartridge as this is also going to have a massive effect on the sound

 

[Al ears]

Regards the turntable the Marantz TT15S1 is slightly cheaper (about £1200) and actually built by Clearaudio.
Speakers are another matter and agree the B&W might be a bit forward. As well as those mentioned above I would mention Dali Oberon 5 for floorstanders if you can give them a little space at the rear, Amphion Helium 510 for standmounts, although if you don't already own them factor in cost of decent stands.
Do audition whatever you can.

 

[plastic penguin]

You all must get very tired of us newbies wandering in to ask for advice so sorry in advance -

I already own a Rega Elex-r and my current front runner for turntable seems to be the Clearaudio Concept, though I'm open to alternative suggestions if you think they'd be better based on the needs described. But I'm mainly after speaker recommendations for these, probably.

I think I have an idea of what I like in terms of sound. I find myself adjusting the eq on digital quite often, boosting the mid-range to enhance the vocals that otherwise tend to sound a little buried to me under music. This is true for a variety of artists/genres and speakers/systems. I feel it's probably something I need to account for here, but perhaps I'm being overly cautious as I imagine comparing any hifi set up to that of my relatively very cheap digital systems isn't reasonable! I imagine it's hard for anyone to know. But I fear investing in a system that lacks that clarity.

I understand the space is important as well as positioning of the speakers themselves. The room is approx 12'4x12'4, carpeted. I could fit in floor standers as long as they don't require much distance from a wall and would go for them if convinced they'd give me the kind of experience I want . But ideally I think I'd want something smaller.
Based on reviews and descriptions the B&W 606 s2 Anniversary Edition seem like a good bet for what I want but I'm unsure how they'd sound with the Elex-r and the Concept?

My remaining budget for speakers is probably around £800-£900 if going for the Concept at £1390. Advice on splitting the budget differently is welcomed though.

I know next to nothing about vinyl setups but even though I've been trying to read as much as I can over recent months I still feel very out of my depth. I understand the best possible thing is for me to hear things for myself but partly due to the ongoing pandemic and other factors I'm unable to go anywhere to demo anything nor have a home demo either. So unfortunately I'm having to rely heavily on reviews and personal experience which makes me quite nervous!


Thanks in advance, I've read through a lot of threads on here over the months and am always surprised by how helpful you all are!

I have heard the Elex-R at a dealers. It has similar sonic traits to my Leema, so for balanced sound I would look at speakers such as Dynaudio Emit M10 (or M20 if you can fit them in).

Other standmount speakers worth looking out for are the older PMC DB1is. They are bit pricey for their age but IMO worthwhile. Or perhaps look for s/hand pair of Harbeth P3 ESR. You can pick them up for about £1200, which I know is over budget but worth every penny at that price.

Compact floorstanders: s/hand pair of Totem Arros.

Regard turntable ClearAudio is a wonderful spinner, although I prefer the Pro-ject Classic... a little conceit. The looks was the deciding factor if I'm very honest. Sound wise, there's very little between the two.