The perfect all rounder. The impossible dream?

[Craig M.]

thanks for all the input everyone. it seems my options are even more than i thought which unfortunately means i'm still confused! also, just so you know what you're dealing with i'm not a 'he' i'm a 'she' which may or may not alter your idea of what is right for me?

in my dream world i find something with

1) great sound (more for music than anything else)

2) compact (no big speakers!)

3) under £750

4) able to work with my iTunes, my sky box and my dvd player

5) as i have sky and apple tv i have access to lots of radio stations so maybe don't need DAB etc

thanks so much. i've been talking to myself about this for months. nice to have people who have knowledge to talk to.

Given you have an Apple TV, and so could use Airplay for your iTunes library, I'd definitely keep my eye out for some used ADM9s if it was my £750.

 

[confused23]

thank you for your time everyone i've learned a lot. i had no idea about these speakers and the different types of connectivity. the AVI ADR9.1's do sound great but honestly they are too big as are the KEL's so whilst I'm not exactly back at square one... (i've realised i don't neccessarily need the CD or DAB etc ) but i do need a smaller (under 28cm high) speaker in order to fit on my bookshelves. The room is quite small so don't want to add speakers on stands......

so are there speakers similar to the two mentioned but smaller? or what are my options? thanks again.......

 

[chebby]

.... i do need a smaller (under 28cm high) speaker in order to fit on my bookshelves.

Turn them on their sides.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Well, the KEFs are exactly 28cm - tight! Alternatively there are the Dali Zensor 1s which come in at 27.4 cm. They'd go well with the amps mentioned - and, for the money, aren't much short of the sensational. you should always audition, though, speakers aren't the sort of thing you can buy blind.

 

[confused23]

good idea! i notice you have the marantz cr603 which was recommended earlier in this post..... do you think i'd be better off going with these 'active' speakers and foregoing the amp etc...??

 

[confused23]

you're right. i guess next i have to go into the shop..... at least now i'll go in with some amount of perspective!

 

[Overdose]

good idea! i notice you have the marantz cr603 which was recommended earlier in this post..... do you think i'd be better off going with these 'active' speakers and foregoing the amp etc...??

I do, but opinion is divided. You might find a greater selection of actives in a pro-audio outlet. Have a look at sites such as Dolphin Audio or DV247 for ideas.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

There's the little Genelecs, 6010A, which sound amazing for the size. Have a listen to them - was thinking about them myself before deciding to go DIY. you'd need a preamp or DAC with preamp facilities, but. Behringer make some inexpensive preamps.

 

[chebby]

good idea! i notice you have the marantz cr603 which was recommended earlier in this post..... do you think i'd be better off going with these 'active' speakers and foregoing the amp etc...??

Active speakers have amplifiers built in to them. The ones mentioned earlier have quite powerful class a/b amplifiers built in. This means the backplates of the amplifiers act as cooling panels.

So far, so what?

Well, you have said you intend to house speakers within/between bookshelves that are fixed 28cm apart. I foresee cooling/ventilation problems with powerful amps tucked away behind a speaker and in an enclosed space between shelves.

Normal speakers don't require ventilation for cooling.

I suppose all it depends on how 'enclosed' the shelves are (whether they are 'open' shelves with adequate gaps for air flow, or if they are in a cabinet or fitted unit.)

None of the above is meant to promote the M-CR603 by the way. (In case any of the other members take offence.) If your shelves have sufficient gaps between them and the wall - to allow airflow - then I am sure there won't be a problem.)

 

[Overdose]

None of the above is meant to promote the M-CR603 by the way. (In case any of the other members take offence.) If your shelves have sufficient gaps between them and the wall - to allow airflow - then I am sure there won't be a problem.)

Why should they? It's your opinion based on experience. Perfectly valid.

Edit: and the little Marantz is supposedly very good.

 

[Phileas]

If considering active speakers, you need to bear in mind the depth of the shelves and think about how to run the power cables and the interconnects. The supplied ADM cables, for example, stick out of the back of the speaker so you need to allow for that (although you can get right-angled plugs for the power cords).

 

[confused23]

ok so having slept on all the information you've given me it seems that based on the fact the i have itunes, apple TV (through which i can stream itunes) a dvd player & sky what i probably need is an amplifier and speakers? does that sound right? i've decided against the 'active' speakers as i just don't have the space for them in my bookshelves. right now i i'm thinking maybe the Q Acoustics 2010i or Focal dome are about right. I don't want full on cinema sound i'm particularly interested in listening to music... Just need to figure out which amplifier if that is in fact the way to go.......

 

[Craig M.]

If you want to go the amp&speakers route, it might not be quite that simple. Which Apple TV do you have (1,2, or 3)? Only the ATV1 has analogue outputs for sound, so will work fine for plugging into an amp. The ATV2 and 3 both have optical out only for sound, so will require a DAC to convert the digital optical out into analogue so you can run it through an amp. Some amps have a DAC built in, but this will limit your choice. You can also buy standalone DACs quite cheaply - example.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

The newish Teac range may fill the bill as it comes with a DAC and optical inputs: http://www.teac.com/product/a-h01/specifications/

There's also the NuForce range.

 

[steve_1979]

I think that the Marantz MCR603 is probably the simplest and best solution. It's an 'all in one' box that includes everything you will need apart from the speakers. It has an amplifier, Apple airplay, a CD player and both digital and analog inputs which allows it to be connected upto just about anything that you want such as computer or TV.

Try it out with a few different speakers in a shop to see which ones you like the best. There are lot of small bookshelf speakers availabe from companies such as Q Acoustics, Tannoy and Acoustic Energy to name but a few.

 

[confused23]

as i work through all the options i think how nice my very first stereo setup was that had the stereo amplifier where i could adjust the bass / treble / balance ..... i guess that just means another piece of kit though right? that stereo was gigantic! (Rotel!)

 

[steve_1979]

as i work through all the options i think how nice my very first stereo setup was that had the stereo amplifier where i could adjust the bass / treble / balance ..... i guess that just means another piece of kit though right? that stereo was gigantic! (Rotel!)

I don't know if the Marantz MCR603 has bass and treble tone controls built into it.

Maybe Chebby will be able to let you know as he owns one.

 

[chebby]

as i work through all the options i think how nice my very first stereo setup was that had the stereo amplifier where i could adjust the bass / treble / balance ..... i guess that just means another piece of kit though right? that stereo was gigantic! (Rotel!)

I don't know if the Marantz MCR603 has bass and treble tone controls built into it.

Maybe Chebby will be able to let you know as he owns one.

Yes, bass & treble & balance adjustments. Also DBB - dynamic bass boost - (or 'loudness' if you like) for when you play music at a very low volume and want to add a little 'body' to the bass.)

All easily accessed and quickly tweaked with use of the DBB/Tone button and the left/right arrows. There is also an S.Direct setting ("Source Direct" for the purists.)

 

[the record spot]

These were thoughtfully provided as knobs on the fascia once upon a time...!

 

[chebby]

These were thoughtfully provided as knobs on the fascia once upon a time...!

And 'once-upon-a-time' the (usually) dirt-cheap components behind the knobs started making crackling noises and contact cleaner sales flourished.

 

[steve_1979]

These were thoughtfully provided as knobs on the fascia once upon a time...!

The ones that have knobs are usually analogue tone controls which are worse for sound quality than digital tone controls. Analogue tone controls have a side effect of messing up the phase a bit. Digital tone controls are better because they're able to alter the sound without effecting the phase.

I apologise for going off topic a bit here.

 

[confused23]

i honestly feel that through the magic of the internet we've put our heads together and solved my dilemma!

thanks so much everyone. i will now go and find a marantz and start testing speakers that can fit on my bookshelves, look great and sound a million dollars! Wish me luck. and Thank You all for all your help and advice.

 

[steve_1979]

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

One more thing to bare in mind while you're listening to different speakers. Remember that the speakers which sound the most exciting in a shop when you hear them for a few seconds may not necessarily be the speakers that are the most comfortable to listen to for long periods of time.

When you're trying out the different speakers ask yourself this question "Would I want to listen to these for many hours at a time?"

 

[BenLaw]

i honestly feel that through the magic of the internet we've put our heads together and solved my dilemma!

thanks so much everyone. i will now go and find a marantz and start testing speakers that can fit on my bookshelves, look great and sound a million dollars! Wish me luck. and Thank You all for all your help and advice.

You probably didn't need any of the other 46 replies after mine then

 

[confused23]

thanks for the tip steve_1979 and BenLaw thank you too, as you say it seems i had the answer all along but 46 replies ago i wasn't sure, all the replies helped to get me here! though there is still a tiny voice inside my head saying 'what about that onkyo?'...... (kidding - it's not compact enough!)