Speaker upgrade advice

Jame5

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Hi

I'm currently running some Wharfedale 10.1s off a Naim Nait 5i (not the i). The 10.1s are good speakers (I can listen for hours without any fatigue) and I'm pretty sure the Nait is getting the best out of them, but I'm getting a bit dissatisfied with their lack of organisation and deep bass. In particular I'm finding that fast basslines get lost in noisier sections of rock music and that bass drum sounds lack a bit of punch (most obvious when listening to something like Queens of the Stoneage). I'm planning to hang on to the Nait for a few years more, so, essentially, I'm looking for a pair of speakers that will get the best out of the Nait. Happy to go with floorstanders and expect I'll need to in order to fulfill my bass depth ambitions, but please bear in mind that the Nait only has 2 x 60 watts of power. Also happy to buy second hand, but probably wouldn't want anything more than a few years old.

I'm using an ipod and an Arcam irdock as the source, the room is about 6 x 5 metres and I listen mostly to rock and folk.

I'd be very grateful for any views, including what my maximum spend should be, considering the kit I already have.

Thanks
 
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Anonymous

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i'd check out dynaudio dm 2/7s, they're standmounts but have loads of bass, i much prefer them to my previous monitor audio rx6 floorstanders, which were good but fatiguing in my room..
 
A

Anonymous

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maxflinn said:
i'd check out dynaudio dm 2/7s, they're standmounts but have loads of bass, i much prefer them to my previous monitor audio rx6 floorstanders, which were good but fatiguing in my room..

You found them fatiguing though because of your room layout and furnishings!

The M/A RX6's are superb speakers and would suit the Naim amp well but having floorstanding speakers all depends on how your room is laid out, what furnishings you have (i.e. carperted or wooden floor, soft furnishings to dampen bass/treble levels etc...)

What's your overall budget and what types of music do you generally listen to?
 
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Anonymous

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yep, in my room they were fatiguing, but many people have tiled/wooden floors nowadays, unless the op has carpet i'd reccomend avoiding the rx6s, especially as he said his current speakers are not fatiguing.

it's a matter of opinion but i think my dyns are a class above the rx6s, they're pretty bland looking in comparison, but i reckon the money saved on asthetics was spent on the tech, i love em :)
 

Jame5

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I don't have a fixed budget, but I presume it's not worth spending much more than about twice the cost of the Nait (about £1.5k on that basis). That's one of the things I'm interested in hearing people's views on. Would a £2,000 pair of speakers sound better than an £800 pair with my other kit?

I listen to rock more than anything else, but my collection covers a lot else (Fairport Convention, Rhianna, Joni Mitchell, Incubus, Massive Attack, Alison Krauss, to name a few).
 

CnoEvil

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maxflinn said:
i'd check out dynaudio dm 2/7s, they're standmounts but have loads of bass, i much prefer them to my previous monitor audio rx6 floorstanders, which were good but fatiguing in my room..

I agree with Max on this one.......except the Spendor A3 might be a class above that....isn't that so Max? ;)

Cno
 

Jame5

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I have a laminate floor in the lounge. If the RX6s are a bit harsh then I'd probably avoid them, although I see that the WHF review's only criticism is a slight lack of organisation.

The Dyn 2/7s' review couldn't be much more glowing. I was thinking of spending a bit more than £600, but see question above re price.

Thanks very much for the comments so far - really appreciated.
 
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Anonymous

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CnoEvil said:
maxflinn said:
i'd check out dynaudio dm 2/7s, they're standmounts but have loads of bass, i much prefer them to my previous monitor audio rx6 floorstanders, which were good but fatiguing in my room..

I agree with Max on this one.......except the Spendor A3 might be a class above that....isn't that so Max? ;) Cno
never heard the spendors, i reckon they might be nice though :)

for the budget the op has a huge choice, so i'll leave the hifi gurus to give advice while i read with interest ;)
 
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Anonymous

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Jame5 said:
I have a laminate floor in the lounge. If the RX6s are a bit harsh then I'd probably avoid them, although I see that the WHF review's only criticism is a slight lack of organisation.

The Dyn 2/7s' review couldn't be much more glowing. I was thinking of spending a bit more than £600, but see question above re price.

Thanks very much for the comments so far - really appreciated.
i'd say give the dyns a demo anyway, you might find them more than good enough, though if i had £1500 to spend i must admit i'd probably buy a higher class speaker, good luck...
 
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Anonymous

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All I'm going to say is DO NOT rule out speakers over each other in regards to peoples opinions...

I've heard speakers that sound great in a wooden floored room and sound naff in a furnished room and vice versa!

It's worth demoing speakers sometimes just to rule them out; it could also give you the potential to hear them with your tastes in music and then realise that theyre definitley not for you or that they're worth looking at in more detail.

For your budget and taste in music the speakers I'd go for (floorstanders) would be:

QUAD 22L2's, Neat Motive 2's, PMC GB1i's, B&W CM7's, Monitor Audio RX6's and the Rega RS5's
 

Frank Harvey

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Are we talking any particular QOTSA track? I use one of their tracks as a reference point as far as bass is concerned....

One thing you'll need to be careful of here - not to go from a loose bass due to an incapable speaker (as far as your system's concerned!), to going to a loose bass because the Nait isn't capable of controlling it. Go too far and the speaker might be a little too demanding.

As far as standmounts are concerned, it is worth checking out the Dynaudio DM range, but if you're after depth, all standmounts are going to be limited. I tried to think of what I would buy personally if I was in your position, and having tried many QOTSA tracks on various speakers, I would probably plump for the KEF Q900's. They're very efficient (91dB), and while their bass may be a tad leaner than other floorstanders, you should find that the Q900's will retain a certain amount of speed when compared to similarly priced floorstanders. The 8" UniQ digs out a lot of detail, and will allow you to follow any intricacies, even during the busiest tracks.

It's a matter of personal taste, but do try out the Q900's.
 

Jame5

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Sorry David, I forgot to answer your question earlier - I can't remember the exact track I was listening to when I noticed the bass problem, but it would have been something off the Songs for the Deaf album. Which song do you recommend for bass testing?

I will put the Q900s on the audition list. I see the Q700s' bass perfomance got some pretty damning criticism from the WHF team, but note that the Q900s have different drivers.
 
Jame5 said:
Hi

I'm currently running some Wharfedale 10.1s off a Naim Nait 5i (not the i). The 10.1s are good speakers (I can listen for hours without any fatigue) and I'm pretty sure the Nait is getting the best out of them, but I'm getting a bit dissatisfied with their lack of organisation and deep bass. In particular I'm finding that fast basslines get lost in noisier sections of rock music and that bass drum sounds lack a bit of punch (most obvious when listening to something like Queens of the Stoneage). I'm planning to hang on to the Nait for a few years more, so, essentially, I'm looking for a pair of speakers that will get the best out of the Nait. Happy to go with floorstanders and expect I'll need to in order to fulfill my bass depth ambitions, but please bear in mind that the Nait only has 2 x 60 watts of power. Also happy to buy second hand, but probably wouldn't want anything more than a few years old.

I'm using an ipod and an Arcam irdock as the source, the room is about 6 x 5 metres and I listen mostly to rock and folk.

I'd be very grateful for any views, including what my maximum spend should be, considering the kit I already have.

Thanks

Hi Jame5

Are your 10.1 speakers stand, shelf or wall mounted?

Is the room lightly of heavily furnished?

Room walls (brick, concrrete etc.)?

Ceiling height?

Room positioning of the speakers (in to walls, corners, will there be anything in between the speakers such as windows, chimney breast, cabinet etc.)?

Distance between the speakers?

Listening distance?

Will anything be in the way of the speakrers?

Your general listening level?

What speaker cables are you using?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

Jame5

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The speakers are sitting on heavy wooden tables, with a clearance of about 30 cms from the back wall. If I get floorstanders, I will bring them out about 80 cms from the back wall.

The room is averagely furnished.

Walls are plastered brick.

Ceiling height is about 8 feet.

Distance between speakers - 3 metres.

Nothing between speakers.

Listening distance 4 metres.

Nothing in the way of them.

Listening level usually moderate, occasionally anti-social.

I'm using Naim cable.

Thanks.
 

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