Started Auditoning My nEw System

emptage

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I have now started auditioning amps and speakers for my new system. My busget is £1000 - £1200. Source will be 90% straemed from PC via Sonos / Napster or Spotify and 10% CD. I don't like too much bass.

I have listed to

Brio R / Dynaudio 2/7 Too Bassy
Brio R / Dynaudio 2/7 Just didn't sound right
Brio R / Dynaudio X2 Sounded good

Rotel RA-04 / MA RX1 Too harsh
Rotel RA-04 / MA RX2 Sounded good, not too bassy as I thought they would but in y lounge they will be 30m cm from both back and side wall which might make them more bassy

I also tried the above two combinations with the Rotel RE-06 which sounded very similar.

I am trying to audition the following when I can find dealers who have them

Brio R / KEF Q300
Marantz PM6003 / Kef Q300 / MA RX1 / Dynaudio X2
NAD326BEE / KEF Q300

I am also thinking of a S/H Leema Pulse III if I can get it for £600 or less but not sure what speakers would go well with it.

I am in the difficult position of having to buy both amp and speakers together rather than simply buying one piece of kit to fit an existing system.

Can anyone think of any other suitable combinations, I am in the difficult position of having to buy both together.

Can anyone think of any other combinations
 
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Anonymous

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With that budget, and considering your source, you probably couldn't do better than the Avi ADM9.1T's.

Active so no amp needed. Not boomy at all, but very tight, controlled bass. 2 optical inputs and an analogue input. I can't imagine any of your suggestions so far would come close.
 
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Anonymous

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altruistic.lemon said:
Actually, I'd give Adam speakers the old ear. Cheaper than the ADMs, sound good, very well made.

So long as he has a DAC with preamp...If so, I'd agree.
 
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Anonymous

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altruistic.lemon said:
Trousertrumpet said:
altruistic.lemon said:
Actually, I'd give Adam speakers the old ear. Cheaper than the ADMs, sound good, very well made.

So long as he has a DAC with preamp...If so, I'd agree.
Yes, exactamento, mon ami.

But then of course we're talking Behringer, Yamaha, Alesis, KRK, Genelec...etc...as well as Adam... :)
 

emptage

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Continued the auditioning today with the focus on KEF Q300 speakers.

NAD 356BEE and KEF Q300 Rather too bassy for my liking

NAD 326BEE and KEF Q300 Even more bassy

Naim Nait 5i and KEF Q300 The best I have heard yet, very close to the sound I want to get. If anything not quite enough bass. I mentioned this to the store manager who then changed the speaker cable over to Naim own brand cable at £15 per metre and this made a considerable difference. Much more bass, if anything a little too much but still close to what I am looking for.

What other speakers would go well with the Nait 5i ?
 

altruistic.lemon

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Trousertrumpet said:
altruistic.lemon said:
Trousertrumpet said:
altruistic.lemon said:
Actually, I'd give Adam speakers the old ear. Cheaper than the ADMs, sound good, very well made.

So long as he has a DAC with preamp...If so, I'd agree.
Yes, exactamento, mon ami.

But then of course we're talking Behringer, Yamaha, Alesis, KRK, Genelec...etc...as well as Adam... :)
Except only the Genelec and Adam sound good for HiFi purposes.
 
emptage said:
I have now started auditioning amps and speakers for my new system. My busget is £1000 - £1200. Source will be 90% straemed from PC via Sonos / Napster or Spotify and 10% CD. I don't like too much bass. I have listed to Brio R / Dynaudio 2/7 Too Bassy Brio R / Dynaudio 2/7 Just didn't sound right Brio R / Dynaudio X2 Sounded good Rotel RA-04 / MA RX1 Too harsh Rotel RA-04 / MA RX2 Sounded good, not too bassy as I thought they would but in y lounge they will be 30m cm from both back and side wall which might make them more bassy I also tried the above two combinations with the Rotel RE-06 which sounded very similar. I am trying to audition the following when I can find dealers who have them Brio R / KEF Q300 Marantz PM6003 / Kef Q300 / MA RX1 / Dynaudio X2 NAD326BEE / KEF Q300 I am also thinking of a S/H Leema Pulse III if I can get it for £600 or less but not sure what speakers would go well with it. I am in the difficult position of having to buy both amp and speakers together rather than simply buying one piece of kit to fit an existing system. Can anyone think of any other suitable combinations, I am in the difficult position of having to buy both together. Can anyone think of any other combinations

You're unlikely to get the new Leema Pulse, even s/hand, for about £600. My earlier version you will, and it comes with a warranty.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leema-Acoustics-Pulse-Integrated-Amplifier-Silver-NEW-/170693269391?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item27be1c978f

The Leema sounds really impressive with MAs, Totems... I would imagine Dyns will sound the bees-knees, too.
 
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Anonymous

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altruistic.lemon said:
Trousertrumpet said:
altruistic.lemon said:
Trousertrumpet said:
altruistic.lemon said:
Actually, I'd give Adam speakers the old ear. Cheaper than the ADMs, sound good, very well made.

So long as he has a DAC with preamp...If so, I'd agree.
Yes, exactamento, mon ami.

But then of course we're talking Behringer, Yamaha, Alesis, KRK, Genelec...etc...as well as Adam... :)
Except only the Genelec and Adam sound good for HiFi purposes.

A friend of mine has some Yamaha speakers which he mixes with, and to be honest they sound fantastic. I can't remember the name but they are quite big with a white cone, something with 80 in the name I think. Sound very high fidelity to me. But out of my price range, otherwise I'd be tempted myself.
 

emptage

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plastic penguin said:
emptage said:
I have now started auditioning amps and speakers for my new system. My busget is £1000 - £1200. Source will be 90% straemed from PC via Sonos / Napster or Spotify and 10% CD. I don't like too much bass. I have listed to Brio R / Dynaudio 2/7 Too Bassy Brio R / Dynaudio 2/7 Just didn't sound right Brio R / Dynaudio X2 Sounded good Rotel RA-04 / MA RX1 Too harsh Rotel RA-04 / MA RX2 Sounded good, not too bassy as I thought they would but in y lounge they will be 30m cm from both back and side wall which might make them more bassy I also tried the above two combinations with the Rotel RE-06 which sounded very similar. I am trying to audition the following when I can find dealers who have them Brio R / KEF Q300 Marantz PM6003 / Kef Q300 / MA RX1 / Dynaudio X2 NAD326BEE / KEF Q300 I am also thinking of a S/H Leema Pulse III if I can get it for £600 or less but not sure what speakers would go well with it. I am in the difficult position of having to buy both amp and speakers together rather than simply buying one piece of kit to fit an existing system. Can anyone think of any other suitable combinations, I am in the difficult position of having to buy both together. Can anyone think of any other combinations

You're unlikely to get the new Leema Pulse, even s/hand, for about £600. My earlier version you will, and it comes with a warranty.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leema-Acoustics-Pulse-Integrated-Amplifier-Silver-NEW-/170693269391?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item27be1c978f

The Leema sounds really impressive with MAs, Totems... I would imagine Dyns will sound the bees-knees, too.

Thanks PP

I saw this and wasn't sure if there was a vast difference between the Mk 1 and the III. Are they similar tonally ? I don't like a lot of bass. Also, what about the Nait 5i, how does that compare. They are available for around £500 s/h. Would the KEF Q300's be inusfficent for both these amps ?
 
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Anonymous

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Morning Emptage, you are doing all the right things by auditioning and taking your time, It is after all a lot of money you are parting with. I think you should at least try and hear some active speakers, just to discount them if nothing else. Adam Artis 5 's from Bartlets look like a good new option Or in deed the Dynaudio active lot. If theses don't take your fancy, and if you like to go down the traditional route I think the Naim with some Dynaudios would be hard to beat or some second hand Spendor's. Depends on the sound you are after. Only you know what that is, maybe try and describe it. It's just my opinion but I really didn't like the KEF range when I demoed . To me it was like rattling a cutlery draw. Sorry to offend, it is all personal choise anyway.One last point, Dynaudio will never shine in an audition alongside speakers with that glitzy sparkling treble. but they are long term beauties. Good luck
 

emptage

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The Limey said:
Morning Emptage, you are doing all the right things by auditioning and taking your time, It is after all a lot of money you are parting with. I think you should at least try and hear some active speakers, just to discount them if nothing else. Adam Artis 5 's from Bartlets look like a good new option Or in deed the Dynaudio active lot. If theses don't take your fancy, and if you like to go down the traditional route I think the Naim with some Dynaudios would be hard to beat or some second hand Spendor's. Depends on the sound you are after. Only you know what that is, maybe try and describe it. It's just my opinion but I really didn't like the KEF range when I demoed . To me it was like rattling a cutlery draw. Sorry to offend, it is all personal choise anyway.One last point, Dynaudio will never shine in an audition alongside speakers with that glitzy sparkling treble. but they are long term beauties. Good luck

Thanks for this very helpful.

The sound I am trying to get is that of my NAD 3020 and (now defunct) AR18s speakers but better !!. No overpowering bass, warm but detailed. Easy !!

I am wondering if I should just plump for a s/h nait 5i (or new Leema Pulse mk 1) and then try to find speakers to get the sound I am looking for. It is very difficult trying to do both amp and speakers at the same time. I take your point about active speakers, I see a number of people have recommended AVI, I will try to demo some.

I think my rush is because the 20 % KEF offer ends at the end of this month.
 
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Anonymous

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Don't let the 20% off cloud your judgement. Yes it's quite a lot off but in my experience that sort of discount can be had by some appropriate haggling anyway. Just take in a load of 20 pound notes and start counting them out till the dealer says stop. There is always a deal to be done! Just thinking off kit to try, hmm, warm and detailed. depends on budget. Spender SA1 Marantz Pearl lite amp. Again budget dependent. A good Valve amplifier form Icon Audio
 
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Anonymous

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Just a thought, have a listen to the Arcam Solo mini with some sensitive speakers. I really enjoyed the sound.
 

Craig M.

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i know i've mentioned them already, but you should try to hear the avi adms before you buy anything. i don't own a pair and so have no axe to grind, but they punch waaaay above their weight and also above the weight of the level of seperates you are considering. i've heard them hold their own against some very expensive systems. if your sonos has an optical out, just plug it into the adms and that's it - job done. i believe you can try them on home dem if you order from avi, which is probably what most owners did. they're not a system for bass monsters, but as you say you're not... :cheer:
 

emptage

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I have just auditioned the following

Brio R / KEF Q300 A bit too bassy, lacking a little detail

Naim Nait 5i / Q300 Sounded really good, the best combination yet

Naim Nait / Proac 115's Good Naim Nait / MA GX50 Good

With the last 2 they were both good, the GX50 slighlt better, but I couldn't see they were £600 / £700 better. I think I am settled on a Nait 5i / KEF Q300 system but I still have a thought that I should buy a SH Pulse III or new Pulse Mk 1. I can demo a Pulse III but not a Pulse mk 1
 

Inter_Voice

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emptage said:
I am tempted by the Leema Pulse Mk1 at £600. What sort on characteristics do they have ?

I owned my Leema Pulse II for almost a year and I can only say this is a splendid amplifier - fast, dynamic, neutral with no added color. Some review stated that the bass is on the lean side but I cannot agree with this statement. I believe it depends on what speakers you are using. In my case I coupled it with Spendor SA-1 and supplement it with MJ Acoustic Pro MK II subwoofer to top up its bass department. Overall I have a full range system with flat frequency response down to 15 Hz. You may see the link in my signature on the frequency response.

I bought my Leema Pulse for £700 last X'mas and now it only costs you £600 which is a real bargin. I am sure there won't be too many left in stock. Be quick :)

According to the specification Pulse III is basically the same as Pulse II with added DAC and other digitals which I don't think a lot of us will need. IMO when cosidering the cost facter it is better stick to MK1 (which is actually marketed as Pulse II).
 

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