Speakers for Audiolab M-PWR

[DavidDS]

I'm after some suggestions for suitable speakers to partner with my Audiolab mini-system (M-CDT + M-DAC + M-PWR). My listening room is quite small (13' x 11') so I'm looking for stand-mounters that will behave themselves close to a wall, and the M-PWR doesn't support bi-wiring so that's not a requirement, but I do want to give the M-DAC the opportunity to shine as brightly as it can...within a £500 budget.

So far I have Dynaudio Emit 10 and Q-Acoustic Concept 20 on my audition shortlist, but I would really appreciate some more ideas. Or should I save my money and stick with the Sennheisers...?

 

[drummerman]

M-pwr now under £200.

Bargain.

 

[Al ears]

M-pwr now under £200.

Bargain.

Regarding speakers you are going to have to go out and audition considering your room size, don't worry too much about them matching the amp.

 

[drummerman]

I'd keep to the 'small' theme. You should be able to get a pair of Neat Iotas for your budget.

Lovely little micro system.

 

[muljao]

Whatever you buy I'd recommend getting a set of good stands. They can be purchased quite inexpensive but can make a great difference to sound quality, unless of course you get floor standing ones.

Maybe add MA Bx2 to your list, well received speakers with 90 dB sensitivity so amp doesn't need to be driven hard

 

[Gazzip]

Whatever you buy I'd recommend getting a set of good stands. They can be purchased quite inexpensive but can make a great difference to sound quality, unless of course you get floor standing ones.

Maybe add MA Bx2 to your list, well received speakers with 90 dB sensitivity so amp doesn't need to be driven hard

+1 on the stands. If second hand is acceptable to you the you should be able to pick up a pair of PMC TB1i's and stands within your budget...

 

[DavidDS]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Floorstanders would be too much for my small room (visually as well as aurally), and I'll happily sacrifice some bass response in favour of a more precise soundstage so stand-mounters are definitely my preference.

My budget should include stands so the Dynaudios will certainly break the bank, and I don't want to be looking at speakers that are 'too good' for the kit so I appreciate being able to add the Monitor Audio Bronze to my short-list for auditioning.

 

[insider9]

I'd suggest auditioning MA Silver range as well, if you're prepared to go second hand. Used MA Silver should cost similarly to brand new Bronze.

 

[Brokenflame]

I used B&W CM6 S2 (Sensitivity 88db, 8ohmn nominal falling to 3.8ohmns) with the M-PWR and M-DAC+ for a while. For a small room it does have a bit of power, not deafening but you could get it reasonably loud without clipping. LS50 from Kef are much smaller and drive really well on the M-PWR but there is very little bass on them.

I would recommend MA Silver 2.

I wouldn't worry about bi-wiring or bi-amping. Some QED XT 40 speaker cable (no longer than 2 meters per speaker), and you should see some good results.

Floor standers would be easier to drive than stand mounts on the bigger end of the spectrum, but its all about preference.

Good luck

P.S Where did you get the M-CDT from, I've been looking for someone that stocks it for ages.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AudioLab M-DAC+ => QED Reference 40 => AudioLab 8300MB => QED Silver Spiral => B&W CM6 S2

 

[DavidDS]

Thanks for the great suggestions. It's good to hear from someone with real experience of an M-PWR.

M-CDT is like hen's teeth! I had one on order from my local Audio-T but after waiting nearly three months I saw an ex-demo unit being sold by Sevenoaks S&V in Norwich so I snapped it up and cancelled the Audio-T order. That was a year ago and no-one had new stock, but now I don't even see it advertised.

Audiolab's web site suggests it is still a current model but I see HiFix is listing it under 'Discontinued products'...

 

[gasolin]

Dynaudio EMit M10 warm and full bodied sound, can handle alot of power

Q Acoustics concept 20 a more dry clear and open sound

 

[insider9]

I'm after some suggestions for suitable speakers to partner with my Audiolab mini-system (M-CDT + M-DAC + M-PWR). My listening room is quite small (13' x 11') so I'm looking for stand-mounters that will behave themselves close to a wall, and the M-PWR doesn't support bi-wiring so that's not a requirement, but I do want to give the M-DAC the opportunity to shine as brightly as it can...within a £500 budget.

So far I have Dynaudio Emit 10 and Q-Acoustic Concept 20 on my audition shortlist, but I would really appreciate some more ideas. Or should I save my money and stick with the Sennheisers...?

Where abouts in the UK are you?

 

[Brokenflame]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that there is a noticable difference in the sound that the M-PWR produces when using XLR over RCA. Its also a bit louder, on XLR cables.

I'm not a sell rep, I promise. I just got a little too carried away, trying to eek every little bit out of my M-DAC+.

 

[Pete Shields]

As my other posts testify, my Tannoy Revolution DC6t se's seem to struggle to be driven by the M-PWR at lower volumes in a room similar in size to yours. So big floorstanders may not be an option.

How do you find the M-CDT, was looking around for one recently to match my system.

I'll be interested to hear how you got on and what volume on the M-DAC provides a good sound - I've found a loud -24db works best for me, but upsets the houshold

 

[DavidDS]

Of course the M-CDT is just a transport so it's arguable how much difference it makes to the sound, but aesthetically it does look very nice underneath the M-DAC. The slot-loading mechanism is very noisy when inserting or ejecting a CD, but otherwise it's silent in operation. Another observation is that it's always slightly slow to respond to buttons - on the front panel as well as via the M-DAC remote - so I sometimes find myself skipping one too many tracks, or pausing because I pressed play twice thinking the first press didn't register. There's also no display on the M-CDT so it's pretty much tied to the M-DAC if you ever want to move either on.

I can't really answer the volume question because I don't yet have any speakers connected, but through my Sennheiser HD650 I'm usually listening at around -30 to -20dB, depending on the loudness of the source.

 

[DavidDS]

Just to close this thread for anyone else looking for the same, I auditioned the Monitor Audio Bronze 2, Wharfedale Diamond 220, and Dali Zensor 1. After two hours of listening (and didn't that time just fly by!) my conclusions were as follows:

The Dali's needed some room to breathe, as expected from a rear-ported speaker. I got them sounding nice with a bit of re-positioning but can't be sure that will work in my listening room so I discounted them. The Bronze2's are front-ported and some reviews say they need a bit of space but that wasn't my experience. Re-positioning them did make a very slight difference to the bass but it was subtle. The 220's were even less sensitive to placement - I even put them right into the corner just for a laugh and they still sounded good - but hitting the A/B button revealed just how much more detail the Bronze2's dig out of every track. So I bought them and, wow, I am not disappointed. The guy in the shop said he reckoned the Wharfedales would be too 'budget' for the Audiolab and he was right. The Bronze's are a perfect match, and they go plenty loud even with the M-PWR thanks to their high sensitivity. Most of my listening so far has been with the M-DAC on -40dB!

So my thanks to everyone who suggested the MA Bronze 2 for my short-list; it was a good call. And we all like a happy ending, right?

 

[insider9]

Given the choice of three I'm not surprised. I would've picked the same. Bronze 2 are hard to beat at the price.

Enjoy!

 

[muljao]

Yes, I thoroughly enjoy the MA bronze 2s, I have them set up on brackets in a less than ideal setup and they perform admirably. Someone here with a Pearl Jam avatar (can't remember who suggested them to me as an option )

 

[insider9]

Yes, I thoroughly enjoy the MA bronze 2s, I have them set up on brackets in a less than ideal setup and they perform admirably. Someone here with a Pearl Jam avatar (can't remember who suggested them to me as an option )

:biggrin: