Wall mounted speakers for a Musical Fidelity / Linn System

[admin_exported]

Hi Guys,

I need help. I guess this is a common problem.

I bought a Musical Fidelity A3 CD, Linn Kolektor, Linn LK140 system together with some beautiful Dynaudio Contour 1.8 floorstanders ~ 10 years ago. The setup sounds absolutely fabulous to my ears at least - clear crisp vocals, truely realistic reproduction of instruments, good bass rendition etc. I then got married and had kids... yes you've guessed it... once my eldest got to toddling, my precious hi-fi got consigned to its boxes and stored in the attic, where it's been for the last 5 years or so. I'm now thinking of dusting it off once more and using it again (actually I can't stand living without decent music any more... arghhh....). But for the time being at least, my Dynaudios will have to stay in their boxes as they are too expensive and too fragile for 5-year olds sticky fingers and felt-tip pens. This is where my problem starts. For practical purposes (kids) I'm looking to replace my Dynaudios with some small (unobtrusive), fashionable (wifes contribution) speakers that I can screw firmly to the wall (won't fall on kids head), costing £100 - £200. Mounted 6ft up, they should be out of harms way, and being relatively cheap, I won't cry if they get hit by a football. Trouble is how can wall mounters on that budget compete with floorstanders in terms of sound? I listened to some Gale ARIA AR10s, and some Tangent EVO's (both on stands) at the weekend, but I was so disappointed. They sounded so tinny - rather like my £100 kitchen radio! I couldn't hear any bass at all. I know against a wall they might sound better, but really... there must be something more suitable out there, surely.

Can someone please advise me then. Are there some really good performing wall mounters out there at that price that would match my system? Something with good vocal reproduction, realistic sound and some bass. I tend to listen to light rock, pop and light classical.

Thanks in anticipation.

Teabag.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="teabag"]Are thereÿsome really goodÿperforming wall mounters out there at that price that would match my system?[/quote]

Yes. Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s sounded great on the end of my X-Ray v3 (an A3 in a smaller, cuter box) and X80, and I have them on the wall in my kitchen now on the end of a Denon mini to good effect. Pretty chunky though - good brackets required. Consider also Tannoy Mercury F1s, which I like very much and are a bit smaller, I think.

Smaller, beautiful, and more expensive alternatives are available..........

 

[JoelSim]

Wouldn't it be worth a stern 'No' if your kids go near your system. Let them know that it's out of bounds from a very early age! Either that or electrical trip wire.

I have a nipper who's going to start walking soon, and I have a spare set of grilles so if one set gets ruined then I have another set. These should hopefully also protect the drivers and tweeters.

And football in the living room. Hmmm. Smacked bottom in the living room methinks.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="JoelSim"]Smacked bottom in the living room methinks[/quote]

What you do in your own time....etc etc

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="JoelSim"]Wouldn't it be worth a stern 'No' if your kids go near your system[/quote],p>

Well yes, but that doesn't get you new kit does it?

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="teabag"]
Can someone please advise me then. Are there some really good performing wall mounters out there at that price that would match my system? Something with good vocal reproduction, realistic sound and some bass. I tend to listen to light rock, pop and light classical.

Thanks in anticipation.

Teabag

[/quote]

You are unlikely to replicate what your Dynaudios do with a 100 or 200 pound bookshelf speaker but you know that. The other problem you have is that small speakers with good bass are usually aligned for free space sitting at cost to sensitivity. Small speakers such as the Wharfedales that can (should) be placed closer to a wall have hardly any real bass whatsoever though even they benefit from a little bit of space behind and to the sides. Short of suggesting PMC's wafer designs (very expensive and not dinky) I would'nt spend any significant amount of money in your case. Get some MS10i's for bracket wall mounting. They cost perhaps 20 quid and are as good as anything within your budget. Then in another five years, dust the dynaudios.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I assume you mean Mordaunt-Short MS10i's? Have these now been superceded by a newer MS model, only I can't find them anywhere? Or did you mean buy second-hand? Do they have fittings for mounting to a wall, or do they just 'sit' on a wall bracket?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the comment.

I think that you're about to find out how difficult life gets when a kid start walking. It was when mine started toddling, that she nearly pushed one of the Dynaudio's over. If it had fallen on her...

To a kid that age 'No' often means 'Lets see what will happen if I do push a pin into Daddy tweeters'

And 'football' needn't be with a ball... Teddybears, Hula-Hoops, skipping ropes... you get my drift?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Do either of these speakers have mountings for a wall bracket, or do they just 'sit'?

 

[drummerman]

They sit/clamp on brackets but there's prob a bracket somewhere so you can .... 'em from behind if you'd rather do that (sorry)

PS. dont bother with the newer 902i's. Vastly inferior to the old ones!

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="teabag"]Thanks for the quick reply.
I assume you mean Mordaunt-Short MS10i's? Have these now been superceded by a newer MS model, only I can't find them anywhere? Or did you mean buy second-hand? Do they have fittings for mounting to a wall, or do they just 'sit' on a wall bracket

[/quote]

Correct. MS10i's s/h.