system rebuild from scratch

[MickyBlue]

hello guys,

after 10 years of hi fi i decided to sell the lot and start again, my reasonings behind this was that when i first started i didnt know what i was doing and gathered information throughout my time on what hifi, so i am now in a position where i can begin implementing hifi into my room,

firstly i need the heart of the system the amplifer.

i loved my old leema elements amplifer but wanter a bigger punch so have purchased the leema tucanna ii amplifier with 150w rms into 8Ohms to control my latest standmount, which is where im stuck... although the new pmc 21&22 sound very good i cant get them past the wife, she thinks they are WEIRD LOOKING and shes not budging.

my source would be a apple macbook pro and 2tb ext hard drive running through a chord hugo dac.

so i need a standmount speakers which is more traditional in either black or walnut that would complement the leema amplifer....

my budget is £1500

decisions desisions?

 

[moosey]

i'm sure you'll get lots of recommendations, but my recent experience highlighted that demos often give totally different results than you're expectations based on reviews etc.

I tried Kef R300, B&Wcm6s2, Twenty22, twenty21 and dali rubicon; all around £1.5k. The Dalis were almost right but I wasn't blown away. The first two I found too tiring over prolonged periods. The PMCs less bright but not what i wanted.

I then tried a more niche product in Harbeth P3ser, and they were better, but the after listening to my comments the dealer played some Sonue Faber Venere 1.5, and that was exactly what i set out ot achieve.

I was willing to spend £1500, but in the end I got the result I wanted at £900 and IMHO it is a sound that I prefer to the more expensive ones I tried.

I think you're right to canvas opinion; draw up a short list and when you think you've got the answer, ask the dealer if he can better you choice. You never know what gem is hidden away.

Enjoy the auditioning process

 

[bigfish786]

Can be had under a grand, or the 826vw model are 1150.

I have the 826v with leema pulse, and sound fantastic.

Give them an audition if possible.

 

[CnoEvil]

Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grand

Harbeth P3ER

Spendor D1 Ex-Dem (£1295)

Kef LS50/R300

Sonus Faber Venere 2.0

GamuT Phi3

Proac Response D1

Some of these are really only suitable for a small room.

FWIW. I'd look seriously at the LS50s and pocket the saving.

 

[Al ears]

If the PMC's look 'weird' to your wife I wonder how many on CnoEvil's list will make her acceptable threshold.

(I was going to mention EB2's then thought better of it.)

 

[ChrisIRL]

ATC SCM 11 maybe? Fairly traditional looking.

 

[CnoEvil]

If the PMC's look 'weird' to your wife I wonder how many on CnoEvil's list will make her acceptable threshold.

(I was going to mention EB2's then thought better of it.)

TBF. None of them tilt backwards. *scratch_one-s_head*

 

[Al ears]

If the PMC's look 'weird' to your wife I wonder how many on CnoEvil's list will make her acceptable threshold.

(I was going to mention EB2's then thought better of it.)

TBF. None of them tilt backwards. *scratch_one-s_head*

Very true but we are assuming this is why the OP's wife thought them 'weird looking'.....

 

[Al ears]

ATC SCM 11 maybe? Fairly traditional looking.

Maybe even the original SCM 19's now there is a new Mk.2 version out.

 

[CnoEvil]

If the PMC's look 'weird' to your wife I wonder how many on CnoEvil's list will make her acceptable threshold.

(I was going to mention EB2's then thought better of it.)

TBF. None of them tilt backwards. *scratch_one-s_head*

Very true but we are assuming this is why the OP's wife thought them 'weird looking'.....

.....but if you were a betting man...

 

[MickyBlue]

Thanks for your replies, i think Cno may of hit the nail on the head with the Kef LS50 comment, my dealer also recommended these speakers and pocketing £700 is no small change, i will demo the proac's as well and maybe atc's if i can find a local dealer who stocks them.

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for your replies, i think Cno may of hit the nail on the head with the Kef LS50 comment, my dealer also recommended these speakers and pocketing £700 is no small change, i will demo the proac's as well and maybe atc's if i can find a local dealer who stocks them.

I own them and they sit along side some Refs....and I'm constantly amazed at the sound per pound they give. I agree with this review summary:

Conclusion[/b]

"KEF 50th Anniversary LS50 monitors are a smashing success in every category: sound, appearance, design, and value. LS50s can be dropped into a system with far more expensive components without out anyone blinking an eye. KEF feels confident enough about this that they list under their “flagship” products, alongside the twenty times more expensive floorstanding Blades. I can add the LS50s will rise to the task with high quality speaker cables, stands, and optimized placement.

The only conceivable way the LS50s could disappoint would be in an inappropriate set up. This means in a room too large, with an underpowered amplifier, and at unreasonable listening levels. Audiophiles with common sense will not fall into these traps. In the proper context, KEF LS50s earn my very highest recommendation[/b]. In the areas of coherence, tonal accuracy, and overall balance, they set new standards. "

 

[MickyBlue]

many thanks for all the recomendations, i have purchased a new set of kef ls50's which even using a cheap £5 interconnect (waiting for my cadenza reference cable) this system is mind blowing, especially the leema tucana 2, its driving these kefs amazingly well, far better than my old leema elements amp.

the hugo dac is quite something aswell, omg... if anyone has this dac i can give you some advise when buying a decent aftermarket cables, the chord opticord doesnt fit, nor do a few others due to the sunken inputs on the dac, one that i found by accident was the audioquest forrest tosling optical cable, it fits perfectly, not cheap £35 but its a nice cable that does the job, also the same problem accures with the usb.... its a micro usb which narrows down your options, there is a sollution! audioquest to the rescue again... you can buy there dedicated cable of if you already own a good usb then you can get a audioquest USB B to Micro adapter.

 

[CnoEvil]

many thanks for all the recomendations, i have purchased a new set of kef ls50's which even using a cheap £5 interconnect (waiting for my cadenza reference cable) this system is mind blowing, especially the leema tucana 2, its driving these kefs amazingly well, far better than my old leema elements amp.

the hugo dac is quite something aswell, omg... if anyone has this dac i can give you some advise when buying a decent aftermarket cables, the chord opticord doesnt fit, nor do a few others due to the sunken inputs on the dac, one that i found by accident was the audioquest forrest tosling optical cable, it fits perfectly, not cheap £35 but its a nice cable that does the job, also the same problem accures with the usb.... its a micro usb which narrows down your options, there is a sollution! audioquest to the rescue again... you can buy there dedicated cable of if you already own a good usb then you can get a audioquest USB B to Micro adapter.

*good*

 

[cheyworth]

You can pick up a pair od Monitor Audio PL100's for that price.

The Tucana ii works well with my PL300's.

 

[MickyBlue]

You can pick up a pair od Monitor Audio PL100's for that price.

The Tucana ii works well with my PL300's.

it also put the ls50's through there paces, i would rather have the kef's they just get better and better...

 

[MickyBlue]

i'm not dissing the monitor audio's, they are a lovely speaker and i have had a couple of pairs that i really liked, but the kefs just get better and better the more ampification you put through them... my friends jaw just hit the floor on a recent demo i gave him.

 

[CnoEvil]

i'm not dissing the monitor audio's, they are a lovely speaker and i have had a couple of pairs that i really liked, but the kefs just get better and better the more ampification you put through them... my friends jaw just hit the floor on a recent demo i gave him.

Just sometimes, a product lives up to the hype.

 

[DocG]

i'm not dissing the monitor audio's, they are a lovely speaker and i have had a couple of pairs that i really liked, but the kefs just get better and better the more ampification you put through them... my friends jaw just hit the floor on a recent demo i gave him.

I use my LS50s with a Devialet 120! It really gets them singing!

 

[CnoEvil]

i'm not dissing the monitor audio's, they are a lovely speaker and i have had a couple of pairs that i really liked, but the kefs just get better and better the more ampification you put through them... my friends jaw just hit the floor on a recent demo i gave him.

I use my LS50s with a Devialet 120! It really gets them singing!

....and it will take something several times their price to totally outclass them.

 

[Andrewjvt]

But please dont mention cables, someone else mentioned them here and never got away with it lol

 

[MickyBlue]

i know all about the big cable debate, i have my own look on this subject and after demoing hundreds of different types of cable i know what i know and will keep it to myself lol...