What floorstanders to buy £500 to £1000?

[robreid]

Hi, I currently have some Ruark Solus standmount speakers that are getting a little old now, I have been considering replacing them with a compact floorstander that hopefully would sound a bit more dynamic in the £500 - £1000 price bracket. The Kef IQ50's would have been ones I would have gone and auditioned if they had recieved a better review as I have liked the older Q models, I have been looking for a while and doesn't seem to be a lot else in that price range, the Neat Motive 2's are another option and I am considering going to have a listen to a pair but wondered if there is anything else that may be worth considering or something new worth waiting for?

The system is a Arcam Solo Movie 2.1 and a Arcam FMJ power amp and a EPOS sub.

Cheers, Rob

 

[gpi]

I always start a search by looking at all the 'best buy' lists and award winners mags I have collected and make a short-list. Part of the fun is in this process - reading reviews, weighing up pros and cons, etc.

 

[plastic penguin]

robreid:

Hi, I currently have some Ruark Solus standmount speakers that are getting a little old now, I have been considering replacing them with a compact floorstander that hopefully would sound a bit more dynamic in the £500 - £1000 price bracket. The Kef IQ50's would have been ones I would have gone and auditioned if they had recieved a better review as I have liked the older Q models, I have been looking for a while and doesn't seem to be a lot else in that price range, the Neat Motive 2's are another option and I am considering going to have a listen to a pair but wondered if there is anything else that may be worth considering or something new worth waiting for?

The system is a Arcam Solo Movie 2.1 and a Arcam FMJ power amp and a EPOS sub.

Cheers, Rob

Don't get too hung up on reviews - as WHFI say themselves, four products with the right system sound every bit as good as an all 5* jobby.

However, the best synergy for Arcam is Monitor Audio. On that basis, look no further than the new RX6. They received a great review, fall within your budget and would sound great! The Kef's, on the other hand, will also sound good (albeit a very different character), but the main hurdle, it seems, is a slight reluctance to due a lack of stars. Test your apathy and audition some and see whether they do it for you!

Good luck

pp

 

[Simon Lucas]

The Monitor Audio RX6s feature in a four-way Group Test in the December issue... can you wait until November 11th (Post Office/printers/acts of God allowing) to have a read through that?

 

[the record spot]

Yamaha's home audio kit has done well this past year and they have their new NS-F700 floorstander out now, or very soon if not. £1000 and following in the footsteps of their rather good Soavo floorstanders.

Available in piano black and wood finishes, they're 89db and here's the link to the very items themselves:-

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/speaker_systems/home_speaker_systems/ns_f700_piano_g/?mode=overview

 

[chebby]

Simon Lucas:The Monitor Audio RX6s feature in a four-way Group Test in the December issue... can you wait until November 11th (Post Office/printers/acts of God allowing) to have a read through that?

OT (sorry) I would be interested in seeing a review of the MA RX2s.

 

[Anonymous]

Not sure what the synergy would be like but rega speakers are worth a listen.

 

[plastic penguin]

Simon Lucas:The Monitor Audio RX6s feature in a four-way Group Test in the December issue... can you wait until November 11th (Post Office/printers/acts of God allowing) to have a read through that?

Is the Group test an all floorstander slug? or is it a mixture of standmounts + floorstanders?

 

[Anonymous]

I would suggest MA RS6 £520 from Bartletts once run in they sound excellent hard to beat on a pound to sound ratio at this price.

 

[gpi]

plastic penguin:robreid:

Hi, I currently have some Ruark Solus standmount speakers that are getting a little old now, I have been considering replacing them with a compact floorstander that hopefully would sound a bit more dynamic in the £500 - £1000 price bracket. The Kef IQ50's would have been ones I would have gone and auditioned if they had recieved a better review as I have liked the older Q models, I have been looking for a while and doesn't seem to be a lot else in that price range, the Neat Motive 2's are another option and I am considering going to have a listen to a pair but wondered if there is anything else that may be worth considering or something new worth waiting for?

The system is a Arcam Solo Movie 2.1 and a Arcam FMJ power amp and a EPOS sub.

Cheers, Rob

Don't get too hung up on reviews - as WHFI say themselves, four products with the right system sound every bit as good as an all 5* jobby.

However, the best synergy for Arcam is Monitor Audio. On that basis, look no further than the new RX6. They received a great review, fall within your budget and would sound great! The Kef's, on the other hand, will also sound good (albeit a very different character), but the main hurdle, it seems, is a slight reluctance to due a lack of stars. Test your apathy and audition some and see whether they do it for you!

Good luck

pp

I resisted recommending the brand I own. You, pp, obviously did not.

 

[Anonymous]

As a happy Rx6 owner, I believe you must give these an audition.

Looking forward to the group test (though I doubt it would change my opinion of the MAs)

 

[Anonymous]

You can get rega r5 speakers off ebay, brand new (allegedly) for less than 500 notes (high gloss piano black finish). When i auditioned them against b&w 684 and MA R6 speakers, the rega's were so revealing and sweet in comparison. I was using an onkyo av amp though so it may be a different story with the arcam.

 

[SHAXOS]

"What floorstanders to buy £500 to £1000? "
None of them. Buy bookshelves at that price.

 

[pete321]

You'll get more for your money if you buy secondhand. I got my Proac Studio 140's for £800, you should be able to get the slightly smaller Studio 130's for less secondhand.

 

[Anonymous]

SHAXOS:"What floorstanders to buy £500 to £1000? "None of them. Buy bookshelves at that price.

I can't imagine how grueling it must have been to critically listen to every floorstander, new and used, in this price bracket. Hats off.

 

[Al ears]

Sarcasm aside Shaxos may have a point.

There is a line of thiking that goes speakers are simply a box with some drivers attached. The quality of a speaker depends on a well constructed box and good quality drivers. It costs a good deal of money to bulid a very good large (floorstanding) enclosure as such less money is spent on the drives themselves.

Therefore, the thinking goes, to get a quality speaker with well constructed cabinet and good quality drivers you need to buy a standmounter if you are considering less than £2000.

I think it has some credance as I have yet to find a floorstander of same pricing that will match my current standmounters, and that includes the extra cost of the stands themselves.

Speakers, of course, are very personal things, and listening to them in the room in which they are going to be used, and not just some demo room, is vital, and if you simply must have floorstanders then audition as many as you can in your own home. If your dealer does not allow this find another one that will.

 

[pete321]

Alears: I think it has some credance as I have yet to find a floorstander of same pricing that will match my current standmounters, and that includes the extra cost of the stands themselves

Although as good as your standmounters are, I suspect a good pair of floorstanders will do a better job with bass. B&W 685's are only rated as low as 49hz whereas my Proacs go down to 24hz, they just can't shift the air that a larger cabinet can.

 

[Anonymous]

there are loads of monitor audio RS8's around ex display for around 500-600, for that price you would be crazy to get the RX6 when the 8 would give more scale, IMHO

 

[Al ears]

As I have suggested the OP wants ideas for a good floorstander, suggesting second hand items will not work as he really needs to listen to them in the room he intends to use them in. So unless he can find some trade-ins at a dealers then second hand would be out of the question.

 

[Al ears]

pete321,

I take your point about your 140's but as I said 'in the same price range'. The last time I looked yours were over £1400, a great deal more expensive than mine, would be bass overkill in a smallish room like I have, and are outside of the OP's price bracket anyway!

 

[pete321]

Alears: The last time I looked yours were over £1400, a great deal more expensive than mine, would be bass overkill in a smallish room like I have, and are outside of the OP's price bracket anyway!

Mine only cost £800 secondhand and for a smaller room the Studio 130's would have a less imposing bass. In fact there's a pair of 130's on eBay at the moment and even a better a pair of Proac D15's for £850. I'd be snapping the D15's up at that price if they weren't finished in mahogany I used the Studio 140's with my previous Arcam AVR600 to good effect, however I agree everybody's taste is different and an audition is the best way forward.

If they have to be new, I'd be looking at the MA RX6's for a smaller room, RX8's to give better bass in a larger room. From what I've been told the the new RX range has lost the sometimes over clinical edge of the outgoing RS range. If you don't mind mahogany though, get straight onto eBay now and get the D15's!

 

[Anonymous]

good luck with your search for new speakers, however, if you have a bit of change left after buying, do yourself a favour and buy an old pair of B&W DM2 speakers (buy the 1st version ... 3 way handbuilt transmissions) ... you may be pleasantly surprised

these use the same tweeter/supertweeter as the old Spendor BC1 speakers and has the HF1300 (as used in the BBC monitor speakers LS3/6) ... very easy to drive these

I am not touting these because I have them, but because they are really good IMHO... crystal clear with excellent strong bass, treble and very good soundstage (using both my Pioneer A-400 amp and Pioneer SA-9800) ...

These would also make excellent front speakers in a AV system .... can be had for cheap on ebay (ave price for a good pair is approx £150-£175) ... paid £50 for mine, but cabinets were a bit tatty and managed to get them sorted (french polished)

 

[gpi]

Alears:
pete321,

I take your point about your 140's but as I said 'in the same price range'. The last time I looked yours were over £1400, a great deal more expensive than mine, would be bass overkill in a smallish room like I have, and are outside of the OP's price bracket anyway!

I don't think it would as the lower frequencies do not increase out of proportion to the mids and treble. This seems to be a common misconception with those who have never had a pair of floorstanders. I recently changed to floorstanders and if anything they are more balanced across the frequency range than all the standmounters I've had. They are definitely not bass heavy, in fact I'd like a little more.

 

[Anonymous]

Here you go....

these will blow your mind and smash your windows (have heard a pair of these and they are awesome! .... and HUGE!) .... these are on my 'wish list'

Celestion Ditton 66 speakers .... ebay item 180424007192 .... standing on £205 with 4 hours to go but expect to pay approx £600+ .... and note: seller says it takes 2 adults to lift 1 of these!

 

[the record spot]

SHAXOS:"What floorstanders to buy £500 to £1000? "
None of them. Buy bookshelves at that price.

Nonsense. With respect obviously, but nonsense nevertheless.