speakers for kandy cd/amp

[Craig M.]

hi, i recently replaced my cambridge audio 640 v2 cd/amp with wharfedale 9.1s with a roksan kandy mk.lll cd/amp and dynaudio audience 42.

i am on the whole extremely happy, its a massive improvement on my previous system, which i found too bright for extended listening.

i auditioned the kandy kit with kef iq5 se and monitor audio rs1 as well as the dynaudio 42's, and while i liked the kef's as well i preferred the treble from the 42's, the kef's sounded a bit harsher to my ears. so, i like the treble and the way voices sound, and there's tons more punch and a faster sound then my last system, why am i thinking of changing the speakers? this is where it gets tricky as i'm a relative novice to hi-fi and might not describe what i mean very well. my slight gripe is with the bass which i sometimes find hard to follow, there's generally enough of it but it doesn't seem as clear as the rest of the sound. i wouldn't mind a bit more slam from drums as well. my main issue though is i have to place them at least 55 cm from the rear wall or the sound gets a bit full/boomy and my living room, akwardly L shaped, isn't very wide so they intrude a bit more then i would like.

what i'm after is a speaker with a similar treble to my 42's and hopefully improved bass. i mainly listen to rock music from the 60's to present day and am willing to spend up to £1000 on the speakers if i like them. if my memory serves correct a review of the proac studio 110 and atc scm11, said that both could go near a rear wall? both would require some travel to audition which i don't mind, do you think these could give what i am after? any others i should consider?

also, i've not read any reviews of my dynaudios other then the snippet in the back of whathifi. could anyone describe the sound from them as it may help me describe what i am after to a dealer? i have only ever heard the speakers mentioned above and wondered why they got four stars, it might help me isolate good and bad things about them and understand why i prefer one speaker over another.

thanks, craig.

 

[Anonymous]

speak to rick at musicraft 01332 346284, he is an encyclopedia of info re: speakers, i bought my atc scm 11's from him and i have to say they are the jaw droppingly good to listen too, they really do sing. i have never heard anything like them and i auditioned a good few upto the £1k price point. they offer an exact replication of the signal without any distortion across the range, that means bass as its meant to sound and treble that isnt harsh, perfect for all music types and prolonged enjoyment. also, you dont need to spend big dough on expensive cable, as you dont need to dampen the signal.

it should be stated that if the signal is unduly harsh, you may need to look at your source (assuming you have high quality recordings). travel to audition the atc's , you will not be disappointed.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Craig, I found the Kandy quite harsh with Kef Q5ses so please be sympathetic as I'm still running the Q1s with my Kandy set up! B&W 685 are worth a listen that I found quite enjoyable but I can't get past the Proacs. Some might say that the Proacs are too good for the Kandy but I disagree and for me is a great combination. I've tested the sig 8, 110 and 140 via my Beresford DAC and the 130s for me was superb and will be my next upgrade (once I flog me house), the 110s were also brilliant for me. I've also tested Epos M12 and M15, the M12s being recommended by learned posters on this forum - but they're not for me (wish they were due to price!). Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

PMC GB1+ or DB1+ are fantastic. I'd really recommend either if you're looking to sort your bass out. Very well controlled and the mid/treble on the pluses are fantastic. It's down to taste but give them a spin.

 

[Craig M.]

thanks for the replies guys, i hadn't considered the pmc's but will see if i can audition some relatively locally (Hull). how far from the rear wall would they have to go?

the proac 110's and atc scm11, can anyone tell me how close to a rear wall they can sit?

 

[Anonymous]

you can sit the atc's up against your wall, i do and there is no boom at any level, as they are sealed units...

 

[Craig M.]

wow, i will definately listen to those. at the moment i have a 9 stone dobermann that keeps skidding on the hard flooring, with my dynaudio's so far out it's only a matter of time...

 

[Ragworm]

[quote user="igglebert"]PMC GB1+ or DB1+ are fantastic. [/quote]

I second the PMC recommendation as a good match for the Kandy having just upgraded to the TB2+s. I listened to a number of speakers before settling on the PMCs:

Naim n-Sats - Fantastic detail and imaging (the best I've heard anywhere ever!) but a bit light in the bass and lost the plot at low volumes.

Proac Studio 110s - Nicely balanced. Well controlled bass but poor imaging.

Neat Motive 3s - Nice speakers but didn't do anything my existing JMRs didn't already do.

B&W 705s - Very detailed and energetic with good imaging - almost bought them but a bit too "in-yer-face" for me.

Spendor S3es - Refined and nicely balanced. Slightly light in the bass - my second choice. Would probably have gone for the S5es if I could afford them.

And that leaves the TB2+s. A bit of a dark horse really. Nicely balanced. Refined and understated but with surprisingly powerful bass. I had them on loan for a week and found myself just wanting to listen more and more. And that's the thing isn't it? Listening to the music and not the speakers!

 

[Anonymous]

Not my thread but cheers Iggle and Rag, I'll test those PMCs

 

[Anonymous]

PMC speakers use transmission line bass technology and have a labyrinth port at the bottom front. They're not fussy about placement and are happy near a wall as far from a wall. The front port just has a trickle of air rather than blowing gales like most bass reflex designs. Just avoid corners, but that applies to all speakers! Tried the new version of the FB1s a couple of days ago; blimey. Bass that makes you goose-pimply with every track

Given the nature of the Kandy CDP and amp I'd be very tempted to try some Spendor floorstanders too as I suspect they'll balance it all quite well.