Which £300-400 floorstanders - please help!

6th.replicant

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Please help! I want to get some new speakers. My budget is £400 max & don’t want 2nd-hand (grim previous experience!). I've an Arcam CD72T CD player & Arcam A70 amp. I like a 'warm' sound - erm, hence the Arcams! - with low bass frequency (natural, not window-rattling) & loathe 'bright, tinny' top-end treble. So, I'm considering the following floorstanders: Monitor Audio BR5s, Acoustic Energy Aegis Neo 3s or KEF IQ5SEs. I realise that the MA BR5s are WHFS&V's number-1 choice, but have been advised that they're arguably a bit bright-sounding compared to the KEFs & AEs? I’ve also been advised that the AEs have natural, deep bass that's well-suited to classical music? (And the AEs can be had for sub-£300-ish on-line!) My music collection is quite broad: rock, pop, reggae, soul (’60s/’70s), ambient/electronic, jazz & classical. My preference is for the classical & jazz to sound natural & dynamic, consequently I’ll live with any shortcomings that may arise in the other genres. Which of these floorstanders do you folks think will best-suit my Arcams? Thanks.
 

gregory

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just £100.00 more gets you the rega r3's, very special speakers but to your choices, the ma's may well suit your arcam gear being on the warm side, i have br2's with an audiolab 8000a which is a neutral sounding amp, they are bright at first but do tame down with a good run in as for the kef's some like, some don't, i like but find them a bit loose in the bass. i don't think the neo 3's would be a wise choice with arcam and your right they are quite bassy but not natural, more one note thump. of the 3 mentioned i would go with the ma's but that extra £100 will bring greater clarity more natural bass and a lovely flowing mid band and a real wood veneer in a choice of colours, the black is very smart, plus the regas are not so dependent on exotic speaker cables something like van damme at £2.00 a metre would do very nicely. of course only a listen will answer your questions, i hope you find what your after, good luck, Gregory.
 

6th.replicant

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Thanks for your reply.

Rega R3s sound promising, but I can't find any reviews. Will investigate, although they are beyond my budget (in theory...).

Also been advised to consider B&W 685s - are they really as good as everyone says? But I suspect they'll lack low-end bass compared to KEF IQ5SEs & MA BR5s?

Ta again.
 

SHAXOS

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i had the 685s on partington superdreadnaught stands- they are fantastic. In a small to med sized room the bass is just fine.
 

6th.replicant

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Ta for your reply SHAXOS.

What's your definition of a 'small to med sized room'?! My hifi lives in a room 18ft x 15ft with 12ft-high ceiling...

Ta again.

PS I already have Soundstyle Z2 stands - suitable for 685s?
 
A

Anonymous

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have an audition of the tannoy f4 customs, I think they are in your price range, you might wanna spend a little more for something with that other kit tho. yes, the MA's will be bright, but that might partner well with the warm arcam sound.
 

6th.replicant

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[quote user="professorhat"][quote user="6th.replicant"]I already have Soundstyle Z2 stands - suitable for 685s?[/quote]
Maybe if you mass load them. The 685s like a decent weighty stand though.[/quote]

Using what material(s)? Is kiln-dried sand up to spec, for example?
 
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Anonymous

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MA BR5 in my opinion. Will fill your room no problem. I had initial "brightness" issues but soon calms down within a short run~in period. Have no problems with the bass and my ears have not heard anything that betters their overall performance for the money. Have an audition to decide for yourself though. Av fun
 

professorhat

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Kiln-dried sand is fine, though I think someone recommended putting it in bags first as it's easier to handle then! Other potentially less messy option is Atacama's Atabites which I use in my Nexus 6 stands. I'm not 100% on whether you can mass load the Soundstyles actually - I remember reading a post on this forum from someone who said you can't and another one which said you could. If you've got some though, I guess it would be easy enough to check!
 
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Anonymous

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Not wanting to be a bandwagoneer here or anything, but in this pricerange it's a two pony race imho. Rega R3 or MA RS6...
 
A

Anonymous

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Try both, the Kef and BR5. The two of the could be fine regarding the quality of both brands.

But as some have spotted up here, if you can make the effort and you like MA sound, go for the MA RS6.
 

6th.replicant

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Thanks for everyone's input - very much appreciated.

As my max budget really is £400-ish, I'll have to rule out the rather fine RS6s (£600-ish). So, I'm going to demo IQ5SEs, BR5s, 685s & R5s.

Although if the R5s 'win', it'll mean full-on haggling - usefully aided by my generations' of Caledonian DNA - while waving a wad of cash under a dealer's nose.

Ta again.
 

gpi

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At least you should be safe from this guy.

images
 

6th.replicant

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[quote user="gpi"]At least you should be safe from this guy.

images
[/quote]

He may well be a weapons'-grade tosspot but his haggling-technique is A1! If he hasn't already, he should bring out a book on the subject (but without pics, please).
 

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