Speakers with oomph at low volumes- an impossibility?

[Nohairnick]

Dear Forum,

I am trying to build up a shortlist for new speakers to audition and hope that some of you may be able to point me in the right direction. Some of my requirements may be incompatible with one another so some ideas as to compromises are welcome.

1) I want to use a 5 or 5.1 system for movies but also use the front pair for stereo listening

2) My set-up is currently in a (converted) garage, 5 metres x 2.4 metres but will be brought into an 10m x 4m lounge when the kids are old enough to not play with the kit...

3) (This is the crunch) - I really want a speaker that has a bit of bass end welly even when played at relatively low volumes

I currently have a set of Musical Fidelity Reference 2s and have been very happy with them; they are excellent at medium to high volumes but for late night listening their response ain't great. To overcome this every bass button and tone control is wound up but this just ends up swamping the music. Up until a couple of years ago I was using a B&W Acoustitune passive subwoofer (circa 1992) and this helped but due to the lack of an independant volume control didn't really fix the problem and was quite 'flabby'. I'm not keen on headphones either.

I appreciate that the low frequencies require a higher amount of power to get going and will thus mean that the volume knob is cranked round, but surely there are some speakers out there that can reproduce reasonable bass at low volume levels without resorting to artificial amplification.

At the same time I don't want a set that are too 'boomy' when the volume is cranked up -hence the likely possibility that I can't have my cake and eat it!

Is an answer to revert back to a "2.1" system for listening to music; now that most subs are active this could give me the level of control that I was previously lacking -but which subs are good musically?

My budget is around £1000 and the likely pairing is the Onkyo TX-SR 605 with the Marantz DV7001 as the source.

My initial thoughts on potential contenders are the Monitor Audio BR2 pack or the Tannoy Mercury F1s. My concern with these is whether the small front speakers will fill my living room...? Would the BR2 pack be a good choice now but then upgrade by getting some BR5 floorstanders...? Or would the BR5s be a good choice even for a smaller room...? Come to think of it, would my wife be happy with large rear speakers....? Maybe she wouldn't notice...

Sorry for the waffle. Your comments are much appreciated,

Cheers,

Nick

 

[JoelSim]

I think the problem lies with your amp rather than the speakers. Isn't the AV receiver (as most are) set up for movies, in true Japanese style and therefore lightweight compared to a dedicated stereo amp.

 

[Nohairnick]

Hi Joelsim

I should have been clearer - I haven't got the amp yet. I'm in the process of getting a new system together that doubles up for home cinema & hi-fi. My existing amplifier is an old Kenwood KA5010 that has done me well and I've never had any real complaints (please bear in mind that this was my first 'hi-fi' - for the previous 12 years as a kid and teenager I'd had a Crown music centre- grim

)

I know that the purists will say stick to dedicated music components but I'm afraid I'd rather spend a bit more on decent quality 'do everything' kit than have lots of boxes & cabling. OK the end result might not be considered 'audiophile' but that's the choice I've made.

As you consider that this amp wouldn't be a good choice for music could you (or anyone) recommend a surround amp that is.

For the record my music tastes are very wide; I've got pretty much any style you could wish for (for example "The Toy Dolls Greatest Hits", "Hooray for Boobies" by the Bloodhound Gang, "Dandruff "by Ivor Cutler and "Ibiza Euphoria" are currently in the car!)

Thanks,

Nick

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Nick,

I have exactly the same problem as you do, and have asked same question here. but somehow I was left with the impression that I would need to separate systems for Audio and Visual. With kids this can be an impractical solution especially with all the kit and cables.

I was looking for a simple solution that would cather for both even if I had to stick to 2.1, but the quality of audio was pretty good. It might be case that one sticks to 2.1 solutions from Arcam and Linn, but then this might be something for the what hifi team to look at. Simple solution that cathers for the family.

 

[Nohairnick]

Hi Jazzmaster,

Did you get a system? If so what was it and how did it perform?

Cheers,

Nick

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Nick,

No I have not been able to get a system. It has been rather difficult, however I have auditioned quite a few. I have a Superfi not to far from where I work, so lunchtimes are spent trying things out.

I did the Marantz CD6002 and the Amp combo with B&W 685, was not that blown away. Rather got a somewhat sluggish response. Needed to crank the vol @ past 12 to get decent vibe. Same with the Rotel RA-04. Slightly better, but not killer system I had hoped. Got far better trill from the EPOS m12.2 though. You could tell that it had some sort of authority, with a bigger amp would deliver.

Anyway, the sort of feeling I got on here, was that it would be difficult to get a decent syetem for both Audio and Visual without investing in 2 separate systems. I am quite happy to push my budget to £1000 -£1200, but that is about it. I sense there is some sort of market for a decent system that can meet both needs somewhat.

So still searching

 

[gregory]

with your budget all you need is a more sensitive speaker.look at revolver, triangle or tannoy.all have high sensitivity and the wick does not need to whacked up to much.