Speaker recommendations

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Hi

I have a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A V2 amp and a Cambridge Audio Azur 640C CD player ..... I currently run two sets of Mission speakers (33i & 73i) and want to upgrade

I have been looking at the Monitor Audio range, in particular the RS8 - my listening preferences are varied, ranging from classical, to jazz, to funk & soul - I like a good ol Saturday night jazz-funk party with some serious volume

Budget up to £800.00

Any advice/thoughts appreciated

Rick
 
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Anonymous

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Those speakers will sertainly give you what you want but i think that the RS6's might do a similar job for less dosh. I am also not sure that your amp is really good enough to do a set of £800 MA speakers justice.Not 100% on that but it does seem an awful lot to spend on speakers with an amp that cost £250.Even if it is a good amp.
 
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Anonymous

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Weill i have a pair of RS8's and they do plumb the depths of a good bass line and have clean, quite bright treble attack also, i personally love the sound and they are easy to drive. I think Sevenoaks have a 25% sale on at the moment which makes them £600.
 
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Anonymous

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I'm driving them with Musical Fidelity A3cr pre & power amps but, although the Cambridge amp may not be making the most of the RS8's, for now it will still drive them to neighbour hating levels because of the sensitivity, they will also welcome an upgrade later on.
 
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Anonymous

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I am not sure if the cambridge would be able to keep a good grip on them though. Take your amp to the hi fi shop and do a demo and see for yourself.I would try the s6's as well as they also have superb bass and slam.Sevenoaks doing 25% off all monitor audio until the middle of february so if you go now you could save a good bit. I just got my RS1's for £262. bargain!
 

Gwyndy

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"I have a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A V2 amp and a Cambridge Audio Azur 640C CD player ..... I currently run two sets of Mission speakers (33i & 73i) and want to upgrade"

I'm confused, are you running two sets of speakers simultaneously from one stereo amp?
 
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Anonymous

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Yes .... at the moment ..... but it is causing problems with the CA protection circuitry .... although just last night, the amp shut off at quite a low volume with just two speakers running

I love the tonal qualities of the Cambridge amp and am considering upgrading to the 640A V2 or maybe the 740A - any thoughts?
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="rickjt62"]
Yes .... at the moment ..... but it is causing problems with the CA protection circuitry .... although just last night, the amp shut off at quite a low volume with just two speakers running

I love the tonal qualities of the Cambridge amp and am considering upgrading to the 640A V2 or maybe the 740A - any thoughts?

[/quote]

the 640A is better but probably would not be a really significant upgrade.The 740A would be. A few people on this forum seem to have it in for cambridge amps.I dont know why as some of those people also like arcam amps which are worse than useless in my opinion. I really like them and think they offer great sound and good value for money.if you like the cambridge sound then i would go for a 740A.
 

Andrew Everard

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[quote user="rickjt62"]

Yes .... at the moment ..... but it is causing problems with the CA protection circuitry .... although just last night, the amp shut off at quite a low volume with just two speakers running.
[/quote]

To provide music in two different rooms, I assume?
 
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Anonymous

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A few people on this forum seem to have it in for cambridge amps.I dont
know why as some of those people also like arcam amps which are worse
than useless in my opinion.

Pot and kettle and a certain colour spring to mind .................
 
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Anonymous

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ok, i will rephrase. Arcam diva amps, with the exception of the now no longer produced A85. As the manager in a well known hi fi shop in glasgow said to me a couple of weeks ago, and i quote, " given the competition, i cannot understand why anyone would buy an arcam amp". And yes, i do think they are worse than useless.The A70 was awful. I demo'd it in a room with 3 other guys and one of them actually thought it was faulty or not connected up properly, it was that bad. Soft mushy bass and a complete absence of drive that renders music that requires drive and punch, such as rock and electronic, dull and lifeless.If you only listen to acoustic music then maybe it would be worth buying one.
 

Andrew Everard

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Anyone want me to hold their coat?

emotion-2.gif
 

Gwyndy

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[quote user="rickjt62"]
Yes .... at the moment ..... but it is causing problems with the CA protection circuitry .... although just last night, the amp shut off at quite a low volume with just two speakers running

I love the tonal qualities of the Cambridge amp and am considering upgrading to the 640A V2 or maybe the 740A - any thoughts?

[/quote]

Trying to return the question back from an argument about the relative merits of Arcam and Cambridge amps, how are you running these speakers?, stereo amps are not normally capable of running more than two speakers at once, and if using two pairs for a multiroom setup, they have to be within rating recommended by Cambridge Audio. This may be the cause if your problems with protection and if you are running them in the same room your sound is likely to be very muddled.
 

JoelSim

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My Arcam stuff is top notch. Much better than Cambridge/Marantz/Pioneer kit that I've demo'd. All down to personal taste. If I'd wanted an amp that put it's own spin on my music I wouldn't have bought the neutral Arcams, but to my mind hifi is about finding the detail and sound of the original recording and amplifying it.

To say that any Cambridge gear could get close to mine is like saying Matsui looks better than B&O, it's like a proper Victorian house against a new build, you know one's quality and the other's a cheap alternative.

In fact I'd go as far to say you're welcome to audition my Arcam gear if you're anywhere near London and you'll see what I mean.
 

d_a_n1979

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Whoever said before that Arcam seperates are useless, then i personally think youve got hearing problems OR youve only auditioned the Diva range which never did well!

Loke Joel said, if you were to audition a set up like his or mine, i think you'd fine you are very wrong!

I've auditioned lots of systems recently from Cyrus to Roksan to NAD to Audiolab to high-end Marantz and ive really struggled to better my Arcam set-up (whcih i took along with me to ,ost of the auditiones and even the guys/ladies in the shop were impressed by)

Amps and CD players are all down to personal tastes, ill always stand by that. My hearing is totally different to anyone elses and i may miss some things but will pick other things up!

I am really struggling currently to find another amp combo and CD player that can better my system without having to sell one kidney, re-mortgage and sell my cars!
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Chaps, just thought I'd comment as I thought my experiences over the last few months are relevent. I really don't mean to offend anyone and it's just my opinions and experiences!

I started off with a couple of 'old' amps (Denon and Yamaha) and bought a Cambridge Audio 640Av2 without an audition. I took it back the next day in complete disappointment.

I returned back from Richer Sounds with a 740A instead (long story).

In my experience, the jump from 640 to 740 is enormous. I'm now on my 2nd 840A (another long story) and loving it.

Before getting the 2nd 840A though, I auditioned Arcams, Rotel, Primare etc and nothing hit the spot for me (for my budget).

So, yes, I'd love to have a Primare badge on my shelf, but, for me, the Cambridge Audio sounded better! So - don't dismiss CA as not in the same league as Arcam etc - they most certainly are - but it comes down to preference and matching gear.

Also, note my feelings on the jump from 640 to 740 to 840.

Cambridge Audio have convinced Richer Sounds to give a true no quibble full refund if you don't like the 840A so only petrol money at stake if it's on the shortlist. And in my experience, a home demo is much more relevent than a store demo (the Sevenoaks Cambridge store had worse accoustics than my front room - a reason why they let me take a Primare home!)

Joelsim, out of interest, have you heard an 840A?

It's interesting (well, to me) that I really rate my old Arcam Alpha 7 - it has a lovely timbre and delicate top end. But it didn't satisfy me on the oomph scale.

The last thing to note is that, unlike d_a_n above, one is unlikely to be 'impressing' people in shops with CA gear! Most shops almost start gagging at the sound of 840A! Thats the price you pay though!

Edit: Oops just remembered the OP was askng about speakers! I have RS6's, which I truely love (again - home demo'd from the excellent Technosound of Dunstable). Didn't listen to the RS8's so can't comment (other than repeating other stuff I've read on the web and passing it on as 1st hand experience)
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="JoelSim"]My Arcam stuff is top notch. Much better than Cambridge/Marantz/Pioneer kit that I've demo'd. All down to personal taste. If I'd wanted an amp that put it's own spin on my music I wouldn't have bought the neutral Arcams, but to my mind hifi is about finding the detail and sound of the original recording and amplifying it. To say that any Cambridge gear could get close to mine is like saying Matsui looks better than B&O, it's like a proper Victorian house against a new build, you know one's quality and the other's a cheap alternative.

In fact I'd go as far to say you're welcome to audition my Arcam gear if you're anywhere near London and you'll see what I mean.
[/quote]

the A85 is superb,and was a notable exception, but it is no longer produced. Their current range is dire. i had an arcam a75+ and regretted buying it without a proper demo.I learned the hard way that you should always make a point of demoing first. it was mushy , with no punch or drive at all. A friend came to my house and had a listen to it and the very first thing he said after listening was " where is the bass?". it was a terrible amp.I will give it some credit in that it was highly detailed and had a clear sound but it was lifeless with no guts and made all music,other than acoustic, flat and characterless. I bought the cambridge and while it did not have quite the same detail or transparency , the bass performance was in a different league to the arcam. the arcam cost half as much again but the cambridge gave a far more exciting and enjoyable listen.Coupled with the P75 power amp it has all the clarity of the A75+ but with a tight punchy lively sound that the arcam didnt come close to having. Go into any hi fi shop in glasgow, and i know because i have, and the staff will tell you that the current range of arcam amps are dire.Even staff from the shops that sell them have said it.
 

Gerrardasnails

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Has anyone else got the Creek Evo amp? I have just hooked mine up to RS6s. Wow. I demo'd the RS6s at Sevenoaks with Rotel RA-06 and RCD-06. The sound was very impressive. I am awaiting my Pioneer cdp to arrive so at the moment I am using a Denon dvd 1940 with my Creek. The combo blows the Rotel combo away! When I first looked at the Evo it looked like it shouldn't have the power it does. I would highly recommend anyone to demo this amp. Maybe the reason not many people opt for it is that WHF gave it 4 stars. This award was given considering it's retail price of £495. I paid £350 for mine. I don't think there are many amps at that price that could live with the Evo. I would be interested in other peoples views.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="fr0g"]I would also stop using any hifi shop who voiced such an extreme opinion over ANY hifi kit. I would suspect an agenda (better comission for example).
It is very easy to persuade someone (especially if they are a little new to it all) that one piece of kit is 'better'.
In the end it comes down to system balance, and wether or not the person buying it prefers the sound, NOT the opinion of some salesman who should know better than to try and persuade you to buy one piece of equipment over another.

I auditioned my A80 and preferred it over other amps. Pure and simple. If you didn't like your A75 then fine, but to call it 'less than useless' is daft. A reviewer using such language would be immediately disregarded.[/quote]

My thoughts exactly, I trust my ears much more than any salesman or manager, and I too would suspect an agenda," for example when they offer extra warranty, you know they are on a kickback " If you are going to be swayed by such opinion there is no point in auditioning .
 

Cypher

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[quote user="fr0g"]I would also stop using any hifi shop who voiced such an extreme opinion over ANY hifi kit. I would suspect an agenda (better comission for example).
It is very easy to persuade someone (especially if they are a little new to it all) that one piece of kit is 'better'.
In the end it comes down to system balance, and wether or not the person buying it prefers the sound, NOT the opinion of some salesman who should know better than to try and persuade you to buy one piece of equipment over another.

I auditioned my A80 and preferred it over other amps. Pure and simple. If you didn't like your A75 then fine, but to call it 'less than useless' is daft. A reviewer using such language would be immediately disregarded.[/quote]

Agree 100%. It all comes down to personal taste. 'Less than useless' is indeed a bit silly
emotion-18.gif
 

Gwyndy

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[quote user="rickjt62"]
Hi

I have a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A V2 amp and a Cambridge Audio Azur 640C CD player ..... I currently run two sets of Mission speakers (33i & 73i) and want to upgrade

I have been looking at the Monitor Audio range, in particular the RS8 - my listening preferences are varied, ranging from classical, to jazz, to funk & soul - I like a good ol Saturday night jazz-funk party with some serious volume

Budget up to £800.00

Any advice/thoughts appreciated

Rick

[/quote]

Rick

Apologies that your original question appears to have been lost in the ether, be thankful that you didn't ask about cabling!!!

How big is your room?, are you particularly after floorstanders or would you consider standmounters?

Thanks
 
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Anonymous

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Hi - It's 25" x 14" ...... I've decided to blow the budget and gone for a pair of RS8s and an Azur 740A - unfortunately, my finances wouldn't allow the 840A - I'm going to use my 540A V2 and my Mission speakers in my studio - I'll plug my pianos into it ..... gave it a test - it sounds superb

Thanks for all the contributions and all the aside posts .... I'll let you know what it sounds like :)

Regards

Rick
 
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Anonymous

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Congrats Rickjt62 - I think the 740A is fantastic and very overlooked, I reckon you'll be very pleased! Not heard the RS8's but if they're like RS6 on steriods they'll be amazing! MA recommend a fair bit of running in and I did find this to be the case by the way.
 

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