Alright, my journey continues. For those skimming this, here are the important bits:
Floorstanders I am looking for should be:
- not too big (room is roughly 18m2, large single glazed bay window to front, fireplace on one side)
- not to fussy about placement (max 20" from wall I would say)
- bass is important!
-not at the expense of mids and highs though!
- dark wood/black only
- needs to sound good without having to be turned up very loud
final concern: how tricky will any of these be to drive? (looking to spend up to 1k for amp, happy to spend less though. Or slightly more if DAC inlcuded such as Leema Pulse III)
- no cd player, strictly ALAC macbook > ATV2 >DAC/Amp
BUDGET: no more than £1500, preferably closer to 1k. Most probably used/ex-dem, as I have not yet come across any new ones that I liked (more below).
Short list so far: PMC GB1i/FB1i, Proac Studio 140 MK2/D18, Totem Hawk.
background info
Music I play: lots of hiphop, funk, soul, but also lots of jazz, acoustic guitar and a fair bit of classical. I have recently begun my hifi journey with a budget of 1k for amp and speakers. I have now auditioned B&W 684 and 683, CM8, MA RX6 and 8, Kef Q1200, with various amps.
SInce I am very new to this I still find it quite hard to pinpoint what I don't like about specific speakers and how to describe it. ( I am of course aware that amplification can change things, and room acoustics at home. But it seems that in the high 3 figures or low 4 figures it is hard to get home auditions, and impossible if second hand of course). While I do like 'warm' sound, I didn't find the 684/3s clear enough when playing John Mayer for example. And the bass didn't seem 'tight' enough when loud, it got a bit imprecise if that makes any sense. CM8s were much better in that respect (and the best looking according to the OH) but not enough bass (sub is out of the question). Both of the MAs I tried I just found tiring after more than 30 mins, and the Kefs seemed a bit to 'forward' in the treble when turned up. Several people have recommended Dynaudio xcite 32 or d/m7s, but I am not sure if space will be sufficient for them. I did have a listen to the Dali Ikon 6 MK2, after the Concept 8s seemed rather unrefined, but something was missing there as well. I just fear that speakers up to 1£200RRP bought new will just be too much compromise for me to be happy 🙁 that's why I am looking at second hand speakers I guess. The good thing is I am in no hurry. 2 pairs that I could not fault much were Dynaudio focus 220 and 360, but I fear they will out of my league second hand as well, and I just have to get myself a bigger room first.
One last minor point: in terms of design, I prefer the Dynaudios and Totems to PMC and Proac, but in darker wood finish the missus will tolerate these as well.
And finally a big thank you to everyone. I have been reading this forum for several weeks now and find it tremendously helpful.
EDIT: -used Proac D18 for £1200
- ex-demo PMC GB1i for £850!
Floorstanders I am looking for should be:
- not too big (room is roughly 18m2, large single glazed bay window to front, fireplace on one side)
- not to fussy about placement (max 20" from wall I would say)
- bass is important!
-not at the expense of mids and highs though!
- dark wood/black only
- needs to sound good without having to be turned up very loud
final concern: how tricky will any of these be to drive? (looking to spend up to 1k for amp, happy to spend less though. Or slightly more if DAC inlcuded such as Leema Pulse III)
- no cd player, strictly ALAC macbook > ATV2 >DAC/Amp
BUDGET: no more than £1500, preferably closer to 1k. Most probably used/ex-dem, as I have not yet come across any new ones that I liked (more below).
Short list so far: PMC GB1i/FB1i, Proac Studio 140 MK2/D18, Totem Hawk.
background info
Music I play: lots of hiphop, funk, soul, but also lots of jazz, acoustic guitar and a fair bit of classical. I have recently begun my hifi journey with a budget of 1k for amp and speakers. I have now auditioned B&W 684 and 683, CM8, MA RX6 and 8, Kef Q1200, with various amps.
SInce I am very new to this I still find it quite hard to pinpoint what I don't like about specific speakers and how to describe it. ( I am of course aware that amplification can change things, and room acoustics at home. But it seems that in the high 3 figures or low 4 figures it is hard to get home auditions, and impossible if second hand of course). While I do like 'warm' sound, I didn't find the 684/3s clear enough when playing John Mayer for example. And the bass didn't seem 'tight' enough when loud, it got a bit imprecise if that makes any sense. CM8s were much better in that respect (and the best looking according to the OH) but not enough bass (sub is out of the question). Both of the MAs I tried I just found tiring after more than 30 mins, and the Kefs seemed a bit to 'forward' in the treble when turned up. Several people have recommended Dynaudio xcite 32 or d/m7s, but I am not sure if space will be sufficient for them. I did have a listen to the Dali Ikon 6 MK2, after the Concept 8s seemed rather unrefined, but something was missing there as well. I just fear that speakers up to 1£200RRP bought new will just be too much compromise for me to be happy 🙁 that's why I am looking at second hand speakers I guess. The good thing is I am in no hurry. 2 pairs that I could not fault much were Dynaudio focus 220 and 360, but I fear they will out of my league second hand as well, and I just have to get myself a bigger room first.
One last minor point: in terms of design, I prefer the Dynaudios and Totems to PMC and Proac, but in darker wood finish the missus will tolerate these as well.
And finally a big thank you to everyone. I have been reading this forum for several weeks now and find it tremendously helpful.
EDIT: -used Proac D18 for £1200
- ex-demo PMC GB1i for £850!
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