Upgrade with the aim of achieving more bass.

[admin_exported]

Hey guys

I am looking at possible upgrades to my system, I am in no great rush and the upgrades will probably not be implemented for a while giving me time to audition lots of different combinations.

Basically I would like more bass from my set up as I find it lacking with the equipment I have. That’s not to say I am unhappy with the sound I get, I love the width and the soundstage the Lektor’s give music and the way vocals seam to sparkle. Overall I am happy with the sound just wish for more bass!

I am willing to replace both the amp and speakers with a budget of £1500. However the combo must be able to deal with this list –
• Must have a decent midrange that gives vocals a sparkle.
• Must be able to deliver great sounding audio at relatively low volume levels, but must also be able to go loud with no problems.
• Must have decent bass that does not swamp the rest of the frequency range.
• Must not be too fussy about placement.
• Must be able to cope with many different styles of music ranging from Drum and bass to Hip hop to Jazz.

Quite a list I know.

I was thinking of starting with equipment that I have access to in my local town (Huddersfield). There is a dealer stocking NAD, Naim and B&W stuff and another stocking Dali stuff. I don’t mind going for floorstanders and I really don’t mind getting second hand/ex demo stuff. And I will be keeping my 7520 as the source.

As a starting point I was considering a Naim Nait 5i with some Lektor 6’s? Would this combo offer the bass I need? I have also been looking at the Marantz PM8003 and the B&W 684’s. Or a mix off any of the above.
I am quite keen to keep within the Lektor range though as I really love the sound of the Lektor 2’s just wish they had more bass! Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[link]

with your kind of music, i would audition nad amps. pm8003 has good, controlled bass but i dont think its the kind of bass you're after.

 

[matengawhat]

buy a sub - adds the necessary weight to music but adds whats need even at low volumes giving a far more dynamic sound far better than speakers on their own can achieve at low volumes

 

[Craig M.]

at that budget i would be thinking 2nd hand primare i30 and dyn focus110, the only downer being they will need a bit of space behind. don't be fooled by the 110's diminutive size, i doubt very much if that combo would leave you wanting in the "rock hard" quality bass department. the dyn's go amazingly deep in the bass as well, much lower then my atc's. you'd have money left over for some really top quality speaker stands too.

 

[basshound]

I would second matengawhats` suggestion about adding a sub,as you like your speakers so much why change them when a good sub will give all the bass you need?

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers i'll try and find a place to demo the items mentioned! What NAD amp should i add to my demo list?

I had though of adding a sub as i already have a tannoy sub that i use for my 5.1 set up. How would i include it in my stero set up as the Pm6002 has no pre outs?

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

With the music you are listening to the Marantz is probably not the best match. I would suggest a little move over to Exposure and perhaps Dali Ikon 2's or bigger. The Exposure has an upfront sound and loves beats, it really keeps a hold of the bass and timing is superb. Sound/pound it works out very well indeed.

You may find the NAD sound slightly cold coming from the Marantz and although it will hammer home when loud you may miss the finesse at lower listening.

Another leftfield option is the Harman Kardon HK990. this amp has stacks of power, room eq and full EQ. You can easily add one or two subs and crossover digitally in the amp. This would leave you enough money for Ikon 2s or 3s and some cracking cable.

 

[basshound]

Stevie_Blaze:How would i include it in my stero set up as the Pm6002 has no pre outs?

If you go for a sub with a high level input it connects directly to the speaker binding posts on the amp.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok so i just went and checked my sub (Tannoy SFX) and it has what it calls Speaker Level inputs, which look like the usual speaker binding posts, are these the correct type?

 

[basshound]

Stevie_Blaze:
Ok so i just went and checked my sub (Tannoy SFX) and it has what it calls Speaker Level inputs, which look like the usual speaker binding posts, are these the correct type?

My present and previous subs (BK electrics and MJ acoustics ) have a speakon neutrik high level connection which consists of a locking plug (sub end) and bare wire (amp end) so have no experience of "speaker level" inputs but it sounds like it might be possible to connect up your sub.Does the manual mention how to connect the sub via these speaker level inputs? Would not advise connecting anything up unless you are sure about it,might end in a big bang!

EDIT Had a look at the online manual for your sub and it seems you can connect to the high level inputs using speaker cable but this seems a bit messy to me.

 

[Messiah]

Stevie_Blaze:

I am willing to replace both the amp and speakers with a budget of £1500. However the combo must be able to deal with this list -
Must have a decent midrange that gives vocals a sparkle.
Must be able to deliver great sounding audio at relatively low volume levels, but must also be able to go loud with no problems.
Must have decent bass that does not swamp the rest of the frequency range.
Must not be too fussy about placement.
Must be able to cope with many different styles of music ranging from Drum and bass to Hip hop to Jazz.

And I will be keeping my 7520 as the source.

Apologies for those that know how this goes, but I only have one drum to bang and that is to go for a pair of AVI ADM 9.1s with some decent stands and you could hook up your current sub. Simples!

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for all the replies guys. I shall go out and get demo-ing! But for now i will investigate hooking up my sub!

btw anyone know a shop where i can test the AVI's?

 

[basshound]

Stevie_Blaze:btw anyone know a shop where i can test the AVI's?

If you go to the Avi website http://www.avihifi.co.uk/index.html there is a list of dealers under the contacts and links tab

 

[Anonymous]

Many Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Or you could spend a few hundred and get a pair of excellent floor standers like Tannoy F4 or Acoustic Energy Neo 3's which will give you plenty of bass.

 

[the record spot]

I'd be tempted to shortlist the Harman Kardon HK990 amp (circa £900) ahead of the usual suspects. Add some Q Acoustics 1050i if you want good bass depth as well. Forget the sub IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

the record spot:I'd be tempted to shortlist the Harman Kardon HK990 amp (circa £900) ahead of the usual suspects. Add some Q Acoustics 1050i if you want good bass depth as well. Forget the sub IMO.

Just out of interest, why would you recommend such a big portion of the budget to go on the amp rather than the speakers?

Thats two people that have mentioned the Harman though, i'll add it to my list.

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[the record spot]

Hi Steve - IMO, the speakers aren't the biggest single factor in hifi. Plenty out there will tell you that the speakers make the biggest difference; perhaps because that's what they use to hear the sound coming from, but the sound can be shaped just as much by changing the other components too.

My own experience in the last year has seen new speakers, CD player and amp and each has made as big a difference to the resulting sound as the other. This is going on for a good dozen or more in the last twelve moonths and add to this around 25-30 years tinkering with hifi on top.

The Q's are a superb speaker for the money. The company is part-founded by one of the guys from Mission's 1990's heyday (my 752s come from that period and are superb) (IMO again!), and the 1050i is a lot of good quality kit for the money. Plenty of box there, good fun, no slouch at depth as well as dexterity and yes, you can buy better for the money (£350 will get you Rega R3s on Ebay, new and boxed), but it's another option to consider.

Ultimately, you want to achieve a good balance more than anything, so it's worth seeing how well your intended choices stack up. If that's possible of course.

 

[a91gti]

As nobody has mentioned it I feel I should. Upgrades are always "fun" but is it possible to move your speakers? Closer to the wall behind them. That should get you more bass.

 

[Anonymous]

I disagree that you should spend such a disproportionate amount on amps, but if you decide to buy an amp, well there is always the NAD C352

(circa 200.00 second hand). or the Marantz PM 7001.

 

[the record spot]

My error; I hadn't looked at the current kit roster. Forget the HK990 in that case. Way too overspecced for the OPs needs. The HK980 though at £250 from Richer Sounds may be a good alternative instead or get the 1050i and see how that goes; the Marantz might be good enough on its' own maybe.

 

[Anonymous]

matengawhat:buy a sub - adds the necessary weight to music but adds whats need even at low volumes giving a far more dynamic sound far better than speakers on their own can achieve at low volumes

Just what i was going to say. have a look at the B&W PV1

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for all the advice guys! I am now out of the country for the next month but will pick this thread up after i get back.

I will be getting a new amp and speakers but not till after xmas giving me time to test and get my perfect system. So keep the idea's coming! Any thoughs on the Naim Nait 5i for my needs?

For a short term fix i will add my current sub and maybe purchase a better one if that works out ok.