Upgrading my speakers (£500 budget) for my NAD C320BEE

[admin_exported]

Hi...this is my first post and I am hoping to get some opinions and advice on upgrading my speakers.

My system is:

- NAD C320BEE amp

- Project Debut turntable

and some old NAD speakers

The room is 4.7m x 3.5m with sofa's plus other furniture.

I need clarity and separation at low volumes....

so far I am looking at

EB Acoustics EB1

B&W 685 (or CM1)

Any views?

I listen to vinyl (80%) and streamed MP3 (via Airport Express from laptop) 20% . I may also run the TV sound via the aux imput at some stage.

 

[matthewpiano]

With your amp I'd be looking strongly at the B&W 685s or, if you can accomodate floorstanders, the Q Acoustics 1030i, 1050i, or 2050.

Both brands work very well with NAD amplification. The 1030i are a bit of a bargain if you can still pick up a pair end-of-line. I am absolutely delighted with mine.

 

[amarocknrollstar]

Vinyl's a bit of a specialised area and as such you should really speak to a local hi-fi dealer for suggestions and auditions. What works well for cd's may not necessarily do likewise for records. There are a couple of other forums on the net that discuss vinyl a in a little more detail. Maybe worth checking out.

 

[chebby]

Hmmm. I don't know.

I think you are planning to subject that Project Debut to a little more exposure than it can take. A pair of good £500 speakers on the end of a capable amp - such as your NAD - is going to be very revealing.

I seem to remember the NAD speakers weren't too bad and (assuming your's aren't shot) I would keep them for now and spend the £500 on a better TT.

A Rega P3-24 (£398) and a decent £100 MM cartridge might be a better upgrade.

 

[matthewpiano]

Chebby makes an excellent point. I had a Debut III before I bought the Technics and there is a huge difference in performance. The Debut is a good starter deck but as Chebby points out it really isn't up to fronting the sort of system you would end up with.

I'd check out the Rega Chebby has already suggested, the Technics SL1210 Mk2 (it is far from just being a DJ deck and there are loads of hi-fi focused upgrades about for it), and one of the better Pro-ject decks.

On the other hand you could seek out a 2nd hand Rega Planar 3 and use the amount saved to upgrade your speakers to something like the Q 1030i (reduced to £140 in Superfi last time I saw), which work very well indeed with vinyl. The Technics deck is more of a risk 2nd hand because its hard to know whether they have been used as a hi-fi component or for DJ work.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks. My vinyl is mostly Jamaican, African and Brazilian....not audiophile at all.

My problem at the moment is that the NAD speakers just have no presence at low volume.... and I was hoping some new speakers would do the trick

 

[ear]

matthewpiano:Chebby makes an excellent point. I had a Debut III before I bought the Technics and there is a huge difference in performance. The Debut is a good starter deck but as Chebby points out it really isn't up to fronting the sort of system you would end up with. I'd check out the Rega Chebby has already suggested, the Technics SL1210 Mk2 (it is far from just being a DJ deck and there are loads of hi-fi focused upgrades about for it), and one of the better Pro-ject decks. On the other hand you could seek out a 2nd hand Rega Planar 3 and use the amount saved to upgrade your speakers to something like the Q 1030i (reduced to £140 in Superfi last time I saw), which work very well indeed with vinyl. The Technics deck is more of a risk 2nd hand because its hard to know whether they have been used as a hi-fi component or for DJ work.

Matthew just beeing curious.what are the dimensions of the room you have that system? im meters would be great thx.just want to know if bass would overwhelm in my room 3,5 metersX 4,5 metrs with 1030i

 

[Anonymous]

what are your old nad speakers, floorstanders or standmounts?

You sound you will want a speaker with good bass and easy to drive ?

Cheap and chearful are the QA 1050i, which are raved about, and supposedly a big upgrade from the 1030.

Everyone seems to have got the 1030/1050i recently. Nearly went that way myself. The 1050is might be for you ( jamaican music in mind)...

reggae(dave) !!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

 

[matthewpiano]

reggaedave:
what are your old nad speakers, floorstanders or standmounts?

You sound you will want a speaker with good bass and easy to drive ?

Cheap and chearful are the QA 1050i, which are raved about, and supposedly a big upgrade from the 1030.

Everyone seems to have got the 1030/1050i recently. Nearly went that way myself. The 1050is might be for you ( jamaican music in mind)...

reggae(dave) !!!!!

Having heard both the 1030i and 1050i I'd say the difference in sound QUALITY is fairly small. Where the choice becomes important is in terms of room size because in all but a fairly large room the 1050i is simply too big and too bassy, whereas the 1030i are that bit more controlled and work better in smaller to medium sized rooms.

ear - Will dig out my tape measure for you tomorrow but I don't think you'll find any issues with the 1030i.

 

[Anonymous]

noted..

 

[batonwielder]

I think the Dali Ikon 6's will suit your room very well. Their bass is just right for your room, and they are high efficiency which your NAD amplifier will surely appreciate. Vinyl can get downright holographic on the Ikon 6's.

 

[ear]

matthewpiano no need for it, you can just measure it by eye.my millennium 200 tangent speakers overpower a bit in here...but they have 2 mids/bass drivers

 

[matthewpiano]

ear:matthewpiano no need for it, you can just measure it by eye.my millennium 200 tangent speakers overpower a bit in here...but they have 2 mids/bass drivers

About 10 ft by 14 ft for the main part of the room with the speakers firing across the narrower dimension. Those rough measurements give the size of the living area of the room, which overall is very long because it is open plan living/dining/kitchen running from the front to the back of the property.

I've got the speakers themselves about 8 ft apart with about 30cm clearance from the back wall and a decent amount of space to the sides.

The 1050i would have been too much in my room but the 1030is are absolutely superb, particularly since I bi-wired them with the QED instead of single wiring with the Chord Rumour 2 - the cabling change really tightened everything up.

Hope this helps.

 

[matthewpiano]

batonwielder:I think the Dali Ikon 6's will suit your room very well. Their bass is just right for your room, and they are high efficiency which your NAD amplifier will surely appreciate. Vinyl can get downright holographic on the Ikon 6's.

Excellent though the NAD is, I think the Dalis would be too revealing for it.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks...no votes then for B&W or EN Acoustics?

The NADs have been tested on bookshelves, on stands and on the floor..nothing stands out at low volume. I need to take the volume up and then it gets too loud and the sound is overpowering.

The best results I get from them are when they are fixed with prestic to the floor or with half moon cut squash balls under them.

 

[ear]

matthewpiano that seems more or less the same size as my room. wonder if there will be a 2030 model.I find the older series speakers prettier than the new ones