Standmount speakers up to £500

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I want to upgrade my speakers and would like a set of standmounts upto a max of £500.

I have an Onix OA21S integrated Amp from the early nineties and am going to start digitising my music library, initially through an IPOD and Onkyo dock. I have been told to keep hold of the Onix if at all possible as buying a new one of similar quality would be about £1,000.

The music to be played through the speakers covers the whole range inlcuding classical, jazz, folk, electronic, dance and rock.

Does anyone have any recomendations? Initially I like the look of the B&W 685's.

Thanks

Nathan
 

d_a_n1979

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Hello

To be honest i dont think you'll go wrong with the 685s

Have you looked at Monitor Audio BR2s as well? Best thing you can do really is audition them and see what suits your taste best!

You listen to alot of the same kind of music i do so personally i'd go down the B&W route. You could have a gander through Ebay and see what speakers are for sale on there. With speaker stands you will be looking at more than £500 with new B&W 685's i think.

How big is your room and where would you be placing the speakers?
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks for your input d_a_n1979

The room is almost exactly 3m by 4m. The speakers would be centrally placed either side of the fireplace on the far 4m wall.

If I can get myself the speakers I can then get the stands as a gift for Christmas!

The B&W's are £380, would I be better maxing out my £500 budget or would I have to spend considerably more than that to get a better sound?

Also has anyone got anything to report on build quality. They loom good but I read somewhere that they are now built in China, hence being able to offer better technology for the money.
 

d_a_n1979

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Hi again

To be honest, for that size of room, the 685's would be spot on

The bulid quality of the speakers is exceptional and the reviews thay have got have been superb. If you havent already, check out What HiFi's review of them.

I dont think you could go wrong with the B&W's.

For stands, i'd stick to ebay. Plenty for sale on there, Atacama are a great buy, load-fillable so you can weight them down which always makes the speakers sound better too!
 
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Anonymous

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I've got the 685's in a similiarly sized room. My system is an arcam alpha 9 and arcam 8se cd player. I've got to say they aren't the most exciting sounding speakers (which of course may be due to my equipment which is pretty limp sounding), and they're actually still quite big for the room. Take a listen to some Epos speakers aswell or try and find some bargain Dynaudio Audience 52's. What you want is excitement, take that away and the music sounds like nothing, no matter how much detail is on show.
 

d_a_n1979

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Very surprised to hear that

I've got an Arcam 9 and 9P with an Arcam 6 CD player with B&W speakers and it sounds brilliant

I've also just had the integrated amp with CD player and speakers and it still sounded great

I wouldnt say that the Arcam 9 amp and 8SE CD player are limp at all. Maybe they dont suit the music you listen to.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="d_a_n1979"]Very surprised to hear that

I've got an Arcam 9 and 9P with an Arcam 6 CD player with B&W speakers and it sounds brilliant
I've also just had the integrated amp with CD player and speakers and it still sounded great
I wouldnt say that the Arcam 9 amp and 8SE CD player are limp at all. Maybe they dont suit the music you listen to.[/quote]

That's the issue really isn't it. We all have different tastes as to what we want to hear. Some people like the high frequency sheen that seems a prerequisite for 'quality' hifi. I don't. The arcams don't do it for me, and I listen to mainly poorly recorded alternative/ punk etc. Even for the better recorded stuff they just don't seem to make you like your music any more than you did ; the things they do well are irrelevant to the musical message. Tracks end up sounding like a disparate collection of intrumental parts and studio effects rather than songs. This might be because of something specific like the timing.... or perhaps it's because they're designed from the ground up to be what engineers think expensive should sound like. The effect is that one song flows into the next and before you know it you're almost asleep. Then you get bored and go do something else.

I've started to have a real beef with hifi in general - having heard other systems in the stores with a similiar sound (newer arcams, cyrus, musical fidelity). It just doesn't fill you with confidence when setups that cost so much can be so boring. Where are the dynamics... the dynamics you can get from a 300 pound boom box for heavens sake? Where's the fun? End of rant.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
[quote user="Captain Destructo"][quote user="d_a_n1979"]Very surprised to hear that

I've got an Arcam 9 and 9P with an Arcam 6 CD player with B&W speakers and it sounds brilliant
I've also just had the integrated amp with CD player and speakers and it still sounded great
I wouldnt say that the Arcam 9 amp and 8SE CD player are limp at all. Maybe they dont suit the music you listen to.[/quote]

That's the issue really isn't it. We all have different tastes as to what we want to hear. Some people like the high frequency sheen that seems a prerequisite for 'quality' hifi. I don't. The arcams don't do it for me, and I listen to mainly poorly recorded alternative/ punk etc. Even for the better recorded stuff they just don't seem to make you like your music any more than you did ; the things they do well are irrelevant to the musical message. Tracks end up sounding like a disparate collection of intrumental parts and studio effects rather than songs. This might be because of something specific like the timing.... or perhaps it's because they're designed from the ground up to be what engineers think expensive should sound like. The effect is that one song flows into the next and before you know it you're almost asleep. Then you get bored and go do something else.

I've started to have a real beef with hifi in general - having heard other systems in the stores with a similiar sound (newer arcams, cyrus, musical fidelity). It just doesn't fill you with confidence when setups that cost so much can be so boring. Where are the dynamics... the dynamics you can get from a 300 pound boom box for heavens sake? Where's the fun? End of rant.
[/quote]

Some excellent points made here, and without wanting to hi-jack the original topic, I think this is worthy of some discussion.

The worst system I've ever had in terms of ENJOYING the music was also my most expensive to date. It was an Arcam CD73T, A65+ amp, and Quad 11L speakers. It did all the hi-fi things so well - imaging, tonal reproduction, seperation between instruments - and yet, once the initial awe at all this ability had worn off, it became donw-right boring to listen to. Large numbers of my CDs never left the shelves, and anything that was less than perfect in recording quality could be unbearable to listen to. That isn't what hi-fi should be about because, in my book, its there to SERVE the music.

At that point I tried different combinations of kit from this system with other bits and all that showed me was that, CD player apart, the Arcam and Quad sounds were equally to blame. The Quads were really very disappointing for the money - lifeless and lacking in any drive or impact. I've tried all sorts of stuff in between and struggled to find anything that I enjoyed as much as a system my Dad had a few years ago - a Sansui/Mission system which won the What Hi-Fi award at the time. I have in the last few days ended up back at the budget seperates end, retaining the MA Bronze 2s I purchased about 6 months ago and combining them with Marantz CD5001/PM4001. The CD5001 came first with a used Alpha 7. I'd been slightly nervous after reading people accusing Marantz gear of harshness and being overly bright, but to me (a long-term fan of the classic Sansui sound) it just sounds closer to live sound and the PM4001 works much better at this than the Alpha 7 as well. Its not harsh or overly-bright, just more accurate than that easy listening top-end sheen that much of the more expensive gear has. There is plenty of warmth and body to the sound and the atmosphere this system creates is electric. Whats more, I'm now waiting for a Project Genie (RPM1) turntable which I have on order and looking forward to making use of the PM4001's phono stage.

I don't want my music to be sanitised or made easier to listen to. I want to hear the full scale of an orchestra or the drive and punch of a great rock band in full flight whilst retaining the ability to locate instruments and performers within the soundstage. My upgrade path is, I know, going to be pretty treacherous, and maybe I might have to stick with Marantz, but I don't ever want to end up back in the dark place where music becomes unexciting to listen to.
 
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Anonymous

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I'd recomment the Monitor Audio GR10s, which i have in my second system. They have been superceded by GS10s, so are now available cheaper than their original RRP £800 thru ex-dem or ebay etc. Exceptionally open, dynamic, musical and joyful speaker, good with all music, and particularly kind on poor sources/recordings. They are also easy to drive, so you can get louder with your amp. As I've upgraded the rest of the system, these speakers have steadily kept up.
 
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Anonymous

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i think your listening room is a little small for the 685's. I would consider the Mon audio RS1's and epos m5. I have not heard the m5's yet but supposed to be superb.The mon audio GS10's are amazing but far far too big a sound for a room that size. I tried a set at home in a room 3.5m x 4.5m and they sounded boomy.
 
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Anonymous

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Just to give an update. I auditioned speakers today including the B&W 685's and Monitor Audio RS1's. I couldn't get along with the B&W's at all, far too energetic and the top end was top heavy. The Monitor Audio's sounded far superior with my equipment.

Cheers all.
 
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Anonymous

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I heard the 685's at the weekend and was not impressed.Just like the 686's they sounded dull unless the amp was really cranked. 11 o'clock on amp minimum. Many people don't listen at that level all the time ,so if demoing make sure you demo at moderate volume as well as high.
 
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Anonymous

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Just to break the norm of this Forum, try the Dynaudio Audience 52s or if you can find them for the right price, the Focus 110s. Extremely musical and enjoyable for the dosh. Superb!
 

JoelSim

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This is what it's all about. Everyone has different taste. As standmounts go I really like the AVI Neutron IV but that won't give you the best bass, but it will give you hair standing up on the back of your neck with the sheer excellence of the top end when partnered with the right gear. I heard them through a Naim amp and Rega Saturn CD. and they were phenomenal. Having said that I prefer floorstanders as you get more depth. B&W are a bit stark for me, I like more musicality.
 
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Anonymous

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I actually just picked up an Onix OA21s amp last week after auditioning several different amps. I have it hooked up to a set of Epos M5s and I find the sound simply amazing. I listen to all kinds of music and they all sound great.

I picked up the M5s just before Christmas and had them connected to a NAD 7225PE receiver which sounded great and then this little Onix came up and just blows me away.

My sources are an Arcam 82t CD player and in iPod 30gb video. I wasn't holding much hope for the sound of the ipod through a cradle but was quite surprised by the clarity and punch through the M5s.
 

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