Speakers

[BigH]

Can you recommend some speakers for my current system, Marantz 63SE cd, Arcam Alpha amp. Music is 50s Jazz, 70s rock, female/male vocals/blues/folk/celtic etc. Do not need to much bass and avoid harsh treble. Room is 5m x 3.5m. Speakers can only be about 6 inches from rear wall, 5 feet apart, listening 8 feet away. MAIN consideration is music played at low volume, ie around 8 on volume clock or twenty to the hour. So I think I need high sensitive speakers?

Top on my short list is Rega RS1, seem to tick all the boxes. Any others I should add, budget is around £400.

 

[Sizzers]

Leaving out rock the RS1’s are wonderful speakers for vocals, acoustics, instrumentals, etc: beautifully revealing, great timing, and very unfussy about positioning against a back wall.

They’re not harsh speakers, but if the recording is they’ll show it. Also consider Focal 706V’s, and although I’ve not heard the pairing they seem to come well recommended with Arcam and you should get away with a 6” back wall clearance (I did). They have all the attributes of the Rega’s - although with not quite the same timing - but you’ll get a great room filling sound stage.

As an aside I previously had an Alpha 8R which I found terrible at low volumes so it had to go (I didn't consider 8 o'clock to be particularly low!). No idea if that was a trait with that particular model, just my ears, or whatever, but otherwise I was more than happy with it with it apart from that. Anyway, good luck!

 

[BigH]

Many thanks for detailed reply. Yes I heard good things about Focals and they seem about the same price. Re Amp, it starts at about 7 o'clock, so 8 is fairly low, although on some new cds it has to be lower. The 70s rock is not too loud, maybe odd Led Zepp but more Little Feat, Graham Parker, Pink Floyd so more mellow than heavy metal. More intersted in the vocal, mid range so that is good. The poorer recorded cds I think will either not be played much or replaced if I can find high quality remasters.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes I heard good things about Focals and they seem about the same price.

Have just been listening to the Focal Chorus 705V speakers for a forthcoming Gramophone test, and they seem very good indeed.