Tannoy Mercury F2 or Wharfedale Diamond 9.2

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

First post here - this looks like a very informative place!

I'm looking to add a pair of quality bookshelf speakers to my existing mini-system, a Denon UD-M50. I've narrowed things down to either the Tannoy Mercury F2 or the Wharfedale Diamond 9.2.

In truth, I was all but set on the Tannoy until I started reading about the 9 series from Wharfedale, which according to some is simply an amazing line of speakers for the price. I'll be going to listen to the Wharfedales in about a week. What do you guys think about these two speakers?

One point - I'm a bit concerned whether the Denon will have some trouble driving the 9.2s. I know the Tannoy at 8ohm and 88db sensitivity should be fine, but the 9.2 is 6ohm with a sensitivity of 86db. Not sure exactly how much tougher that is to drive.

My Denon unit is highlighted in this PDF, at the bottom of page 1: http://www.denon.ca/hapdfs/udm50.pdf

As you can see, it's usually sold with 6ohm speakers made by Mission (pictured at the top of page 1), so maybe the 9.2s will be fine. Should I be concerned if I opt to buy them?

Also, is it worthwhile to spend a bit more and move up to something like the Evo2 10 from Wharfedale, or the Epos M12.2?

Thanks!

 

[matthewpiano]

The UD-M50 isn't really up to driving speakers of the Epos class. Personally, I'd even be considering something more in the class of the Tannoy F1 Custom or the Q Acoustics 1010 as a better match for your system. I think the Diamonds need better amplification than your system can provide. The Denon would drive them, but I think it could sound a bit breathless. A lot also depends on your further upgrade plans. Do you intend to upgrade to full-size seperates at some point, and what speakers are you using at present?

If you are thinking of spending nearly £500 on the M12.2 I would advise you to consider upgrading to a package like the Cambridge Audio 640c/640a CD/Amp with Mordaunt-Short MS902i speakers instead, or Marantz 6000 series electronics and Monitor Audio BR2s. Either would give you a considerable upgrade on your current system and leave you with electronics that could withstand further speaker upgrades in the future. Alternatively you could start to look at the second hand market and make enormous improvements....

 

[JoelSim]

I've just bought some EPOS ELS3s for my bedroom as I had limited space. They are very good and should match what you're looking at.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="matthewpiano"]
The UD-M50 isn't really up to driving speakers of the Epos class. Personally, I'd even be considering something more in the class of the Tannoy F1 Custom or the Q Acoustics 1010 as a better match for your system. I think the Diamonds need better amplification than your system can provide. The Denon would drive them, but I think it could sound a bit breathless. A lot also depends on your further upgrade plans. Do you intend to upgrade to full-size seperates at some point, and what speakers are you using at present?

If you are thinking of spending nearly £500 on the M12.2 I would advise you to consider upgrading to a package like the Cambridge Audio 640c/640a CD/Amp with Mordaunt-Short MS902i speakers instead, or Marantz 6000 series electronics and Monitor Audio BR2s. Either would give you a considerable upgrade on your current system and leave you with electronics that could withstand further speaker upgrades in the future. Alternatively you could start to look at the second hand market and make enormous improvements....

[/quote]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Wouldn't the F1 Custom be harder to drive than the F2? The F1 Custom's sensitivity is 87db, whereas the F2 is 88db. Or does the smaller woofer make a difference?

Currently I've got a pair of Energy Connoisseur C-1 speakers, http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?ident=C-1#

I think they sound fine, other than the fact that they lack a bit of smoothness and warmth. In terms of volume, they can go plenty loud. No issue there. But they may be a bit breathless as you say - they do sound a bit hallow. It's hard for me to tell though, because I've got nothing other than the Denon to power them with. Maybe I should look into that. I can always buy a Harman Kardon receiver from Best Buy (I'm in Canada) and then return it.

I am eventually planning on stepping up to something like a NAD or Cambridge Audio integrated amp, with speakers in the M12.2 price range. But I wasn't planning on doing that quite yet. This speaker purchase is simply an attempt at getting a smoother and warmer sound than what I have now, and considering their affordability I figured, why not?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JoelSim"]I've just bought some EPOS ELS3s for my bedroom as I had limited space. They are very good and should match what you're looking at.[/quote]

I've read about the ELS3s. They seem very impressive and are definitely a speaker I'd love to hear one day, but at 4ohms I think it would be too much for the Denon to handle.

 

[Anonymous]

What I will say is that all sensitivity means is more volume per watts from your amplifier. 86db is quite low actually, but two more decibels is not going to make much of a difference. A lower impedance means your amplifier needs to draw more power to drive the speakers. This means that your maximum output power is reduced, your amplifier will be able to drive them.. but you are effectively making your amplifier smaller so unless it is rated for 6 ohms, I wouldn't use it because it will probably struggle if it is not an amp with a good power supply. I would go for a new amp and speaker configuration in your position and I have also heard great things about the BR2's as one person suggested. Does your denon have a line level output? If so you could temporarily use it as a CD player if you don't want to spend a lot right away.

How much are you willing to spend? plus I'd definitely check out ebay

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, I always keep an eye on eBay.

Anyways, not sure if the Denon has a line level output. I'll look into it. But decent CD players don't run a lot of money nowadays.

Not sure how much I'm willing to pay. It'll either be between a H/K stereo receiver and Cd player on the cheap end (that runs about $500 total) or a NAD integrated amp, tuner, (or just a NAD stereo receiver) and CD player on the expensive end (which may run about $1,200 total). For only $700 more it probably makes sense to just save up a little longer and get the NAD.

I'm not sure about new speakers though. I do have the Energys which are well regarded and may sound quite different with a different amp and source. I can always buy something later down the line if I so choose. I can see myself upgrading the speakers one day, maybe a few years after I do the amp and CD player.