Upgrading Speakers - Request for Advice

[ClassicalKen]

I want to make a modest upgrade to my speakers. I have a pair of the very earliest Tannoy Mercury M3 floorstanders and I'm thinking of upgrading to Q Acoustics 3050s.

My question concerns matching of speakers to my existing system. I have a Rega Apollo CD player and an Arcam Alpha 8R amplifier (the original black Arcam kit before they went over to the FMJ range). Will the Q Acoustic speakers match my system? Are there any other speakers ariound the £500 mark that I should be considering?

I listen mainly to classical music; also some jazz and old 70s rock music. I'm after clarity and subtlety from the speakers I buy.

Ken

 

[james_LR90]

Do the speakers have to be new or would you be happy to go 2nd hand? I would be looking out for a pair of Royd speakers on ebay. There are some minstrels on there now and they are little stunners. They are fast, agile and foot tappingly musical!

 

[ClassicalKen]

If i can get some good speakers second hand I will certainly consider that.

I haven't thought about Royd speakers yet, or heard of them.. I'm afraid I don't know a lot about hifi equipment. I've had the Tannoy speakers for the last 15 years.

I will look into the Royd speakers and see what i can find.

Thank you very much

Ken

 

[james_LR90]

I think you would be shocked by how good Royd are. If you are near Manchester you are welcome to have a listen to mine.

 

[ClassicalKen]

That's very kind odf you. But I'm way down in Portsmouth.

I've had a look at the Royd Minstrels online and on eBay and they look really impressive. I can't think why I've never heard of them before. My inclination is to go righrt ahead and buy a pair. My only reservation is whether there will be issues with using themn with my Arcam Alpha 8R. Evereyone seems to say that the Minstrels go best with the Naim amps. I really don't know whether compatibility is a big issue or not. As to the quality of the speakers themselves, I'm sure they will knock spots off my old Tannoys.

I have contacted Royd Audio for their advice. If there are no problems I'm going to go ahead and buy a pair on eBay.

Many, many thanks for letting me know about these speakers.

Ken

 

[james_LR90]

Royd audio is not the same company. The Minstrels are from the 90s and the modern Royds are the result of someone buying the Royd name to sell his own design speakers. I doubt you will have any problems with synergy but I've not heard your amp and sound is subjective.

 

[Nadfan]

Yes just £59 so far on eBay bargain

 

[ClassicalKen]

I think I would go for the Limited Editiion. What I'm reading suggests that they are less prone to age-related deterioration but the only ones available are £350 a pair and they are twenty years old. I'm very hesitatnt about buying speakrs of that age.

I have also been looking at the Tannoy Revolution DC6T SE. There are a apir available near me brand new for £400.

I'm really not sure which way to go on this.

Ken

 

[rainsoothe]

I want to make a modest upgrade to my speakers. I have a pair of the very earliest Tannoy Mercury M3 floorstanders and I'm thinking of upgrading to Q Acoustics 3050s.

My question concerns matching of speakers to my existing system. I have a Rega Apollo CD player and an Arcam Alpha 8R amplifier (the original black Arcam kit before they went over to the FMJ range). Will the Q Acoustic speakers match my system? Are there any other speakers ariound the £500 mark that I should be considering?

I listen mainly to classical music; also some jazz and old 70s rock music. I'm after clarity and subtlety from the speakers I buy.

Ken

Hi.

If your Arcams sound neutral to slightly bright/clinical, then the Q Acoustics 3050 should make a good pairing. If your system is on the warm side, check Focal Chorus 714.

 

[james_LR90]

I would not be put off by the age of the speakers as my pair are also that old and sound gorgeous. I've also had speakers from the late 60s which have also been fantastic. The choice is yours.

 

[james_LR90]

If you want to know more about old Royd speakers check out the hifi subjectivist forum. Plenty of info on there.

 

[BigH]

I want to make a modest upgrade to my speakers. I have a pair of the very earliest Tannoy Mercury M3 floorstanders and I'm thinking of upgrading to Q Acoustics 3050s.

My question concerns matching of speakers to my existing system. I have a Rega Apollo CD player and an Arcam Alpha 8R amplifier (the original black Arcam kit before they went over to the FMJ range). Will the Q Acoustic speakers match my system? Are there any other speakers ariound the £500 mark that I should be considering?

I listen mainly to classical music; also some jazz and old 70s rock music. I'm after clarity and subtlety from the speakers I buy.

Ken

Hi.

If your Arcams sound neutral to slightly bright/clinical, then the Q Acoustics 3050 should make a good pairing. If your system is on the warm side, check Focal Chorus 714.

No Arcam to other way, warm.

 

[record_spot]

The 3050 will give you a BIG sound. The Royds were good in their day, but you're going back about twenty odd years with twenty odd years of use. For less than £100, that's no biggie but bear in mind you may need to have the drivers or their surrounds attended to. I used to push the Mission 75 series when I used to frequent this forum before, but these days, I'd look to something more current. Give the 3050 a spin, I think they could be very decent although I haven't heard them. That said, the Q pedigree is more than decent. A good history, good people and they turn out good products.

 

[james_LR90]

The 3050 will give you a BIG sound. The Royds were good in their day, but you're going back about twenty odd years with twenty odd years of use. For less than £100, that's no biggie but bear in mind you may need to have the drivers or their surrounds attended to. I used to push the Mission 75 series when I used to frequent this forum before, but these days, I'd look to something more current. Give the 3050 a spin, I think they could be very decent although I haven't heard them. That said, the Q pedigree is more than decent. A good history, good people and they turn out good products.

I don't think the Royds are past it at all. There are indeed some pretty good sounding speakers made these days but I do not believe that speakers have advanced at all in the twenty years since the Royds were made and I would be happy to put my Minstrels up against ANY modern speakers in terms of musicality. They may not do the deepest bass or most 'sparkling' highs but they do produce proper, foot tappingly good, music!

As far as the speakers needing attention it isn't something that would cause me any more concern than any second hand speakers. Most drivers have rubber surrounds which last well and as long as they are not overdriven then the drivers should be fine. 'Gumming' can, on occasion, be an issue and it was with mine when I got them but it is a VERY easy fix and is the price you pay for having a doped driver with the design of the Royd drivers.

In the end the choice is down to the OP and my feelings about the Royds are all just my opinion but i do think the OP should try and have a listen to a pair of Minstrels if at all possible.

 

[record_spot]

The 3050 will give you a BIG sound.  The Royds were good in their day, but you're going back about twenty odd years with twenty odd years of use.  For less than £100, that's no biggie but bear in mind you may need to have the drivers or their surrounds attended to.  I used to push the Mission 75 series when I used to frequent this forum before, but these days, I'd look to something more current.  Give the 3050 a spin, I think they could be very decent although I haven't heard them.  That said, the Q pedigree is more than decent.  A good history, good people and they turn out good products. ?

I don't think the Royds are past it at all. There are indeed some pretty good sounding speakers made these days but I do not believe that speakers have advanced at all in the twenty years since the Royds were made and I would be happy to put my Minstrels up against ANY modern speakers in terms of musicality. They may not do the deepest bass or most 'sparkling' highs but they do produce proper, foot tappingly good, music!

As far as the speakers needing attention it isn't something that would cause me any more concern than any second hand speakers. Most drivers have rubber surrounds which last well and as long as they are not overdriven then the drivers should be fine. 'Gumming' can, on occasion, be an issue and it was with mine when I got them but it is a VERY easy fix and is the price you pay for  having a doped driver with the design of the Royd drivers.?

In the end the choice is down to the OP and my feelings about the Royds are all just my opinion but i do think the OP should try and have a listen to a pair of Minstrels if at all possible.

And that's all fine.

My opinion differs in as much as I'd no longer recommend the Mission 75 series, excellent though they were.

The Royds were very good in their day, £260 I think, but ultimately, I'd no more recommend them than my own personal favourites of that time (the Mission 751 and 752).

For smaller rooms, Tannoy and its DC4 or DC6 which are great for the money they can be had for now and for the larger space there are many options of which the 3050 is but one.

 

[chelstondave]

+1 for the tannoys. I have a pair of DC4s and find they have an icy clarity that will go well with a warm amplifier. They have recently been replaced and some very good deals out there now

 

[record_spot]

Not sure I'd call it icy, but they are wonderfully lucid and in smaller room setups them they'd be on my shortlist.

 

[ClassicalKen]

In addition to the Q Acoustic 3050s I am also looking at the Tannoy DC6T SEs.

Confused!

Ken

Arcam Alpha 8R Amp & Rega Apollo CD Player

 

[Covenanter]

People tend to recommend their own favourites speakers, which is sensible because that is why they are their favourites! I won't buck the trend and will say that as a fellow classical music fan I would always look at Kef speakers. I used to have the Q500s and they are excellent and I can recommend them for your type of music.

Chris

 

[Andrewjvt]

This is a better speaker than the q acoustics 3050. Its in a different class and was selling at £1000 when new.
They are end of line so you could get a bargin. Id have the tannoys over the qa3050 every time

 

[wilro15]

+1 for Tannoys - now is a good time to buy Tannoy as the old models are being sold off

 

[ClassicalKen]

I've decided which way I'm going to go. I'm buying a pair of Tannoy Revolution DC6T SEs for £400. At that price I cannot say no. I thought hard about the Q Acosutics 3050s but in the end I'm going with Tannoy. My 15-year old Tannoy Mercury M3s are still very good but I expect evn better things from the Tannoy Revolution DC6T SEs.

I thought hard about the Royd Minstrels Limited Edition, which have lots of fans, but I balked at spending £350 on second-hand speakers, considering the possibility that I might find myself needing to refurbish them at some point.

I also thought about the Kefs and every other speaker that was suggested to me. In the end the Tannoys make most sense to me.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone. I wasn't expecting such a good response to my request. I also want to say thankyou to my first responder for offering me the chance to come and listen to his Minstrels. Sadly I am too far away to take up his kind offer.

Many many thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to offer me advice.

Signing off in great excitement

Ken

 

[record_spot]

Great stuff. Enjoy!

 

[james_LR90]

Enioy your new speakers. I'm sure you will be very happy with them. Getting a new bit of kit is really exciting!!!

 

[Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome]

Hello Ken,

Firstly, thank you for considering the Q Acoustics 3050 loudspeakers.

I see from your posts that you have decided to purchase the Tannoy model, so I wasn't sure whether or not I should get involved.

The DC6T SE is a very good loudspeaker and very good value value at £400. I'm sure you will be very pleased with the result if you proceed with your proposed purchase. However, I'm equally confident that the Q Acoustics 3050 will give you better results with your Arcam Alpha 8 amplifier.

Why? Because I'm in a unique position here. You may be aware that I'm the 'golden ears' and undertake the voicing of Q Acoustics loudspeakers. You will probably not be aware that I used to work at Arcam and, amongst other things, also voiced all the Arcam electronics from 1990 and 2002. Therefore I voiced both the Q3050 speakers and the Arcam Alpha 8 amplifier.

The 3050 is not only an astonishly good loudspeaker, with a sensitivity of 92dB it's easier to drive than the DC6T SE (90dB) and I believe it will be sonically a better match.

One extra tip - whichever model you choose - please spend time adjusting the floor spikes to make the speakers as rigid as possible. I promise you it makes a huge difference to the 3D soundstage and the 'excitement/involement' you'll enjoy from the speakers.

Very best regards

Steve Reichert - Armour Home (Q Acoustics)