Which £5k speaker

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Frank Harvey

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hifikrazy:And how did the Proac D28 and the Spendor A9 fare in this shootout? From the discussion here, it seems that the ATC SCM40 is the only speaker in the 2k price range that gets a mention against the others that are twice the price. If the D28 and the A9 didn't fare that well, then I guess the D18 and the A6 (both of which are in the same price range as the SCM40) are totally out of their league?

For me, the ProAc is a little too warm and not as open as the KEF or PMC, and was quite soft in the mid/treble for my liking, but we find more people go for the ProAc and KEF in this price range. Whether it's a case of they're very different and if people dion't like one they'd like the other, I don't know.

The A9's in comparison just didn't seem very impressive. This is because it's a very understated presentation, which will go against them in quicker A/B demos but work in their favour during longer demos. I prefer things a little more immediate than the A9's can offer.

Just to recap, I don't find that any £2k floorstanders compete with the best £4/5k speakers (that we have in store anyway). Of those £2k speakers, the SCM40 fared better because of it's sealed cabinet and neutrality, but they lose out to my choice of the shootout in the finesse stakes - I just find them, and many other speakers in the £2k price point to be far more listenable, especially with more types of music.
 

hifikrazy

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Thanks David. The other issue I have with the Proacs and the Spendors is that they look low rent in comparison with others at their similar price range, like the Monitor Audio PL200, KEF 203/2, Mordaunt Short Performance 6LE and B&W 800 series. If I fork out £4 - 5k on a pair of speakers, I would certainly wish that they not only sound like but also look like they're worth that much, even if it's only to pacify the home minister that the money was well spent.
 

Frank Harvey

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I fully understand wanting something that looks the part and feels like you've bought something worthwhile, and I can understand that in the choice of the KEF and the Monitor Audios in particular, but some manufacturers like to keep things simple with normal square boxes, which allows those manufacturers to spend money in other areas. So I wouldn't dismiss a particular speaker just because it doesn't look or feel it's worth
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Anonymous

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Agree with david on the cosmetic aspect of speakers, i would think that if a manufacturer makes a speaker that is all singing and dancing in the visual department ie curved cabinets, floating tweeters, chrome surrounds etc, compaired to a plain looking speaker of the same price then i think you might find the less attractive looking model has had the money spent on better components that actually make it sound better, on the other side of the coin speakers that are just plain ugly can sometimes be the best sounding model that money can buy, i heard two sets of speakers in the Gryphon range last week on the end of some very serious equipment, to me they are ugly but i have to say that the search for perfection stops there, that,s it in my opinion you cannot get any better no matter how much money you have, just wonderfull.
 

Craig M.

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FrankHarveyHiFi:
Craig M.:Whf usually say that with good recordings there is little to match them, and i think they're right but the trade off is revealing more about bad ones. if the op has a collection full of the libertines, etc. then i definitely wouldn't recommend them, but equally, if they have a lot of well recorded music they might save a lot of money - worth a demo at any rate. and in their own room, rather then a test room.

I disagree Craig. We find the 11's and 19's deal extremely well with rougher music, although we do find the 40's are quite different in comparison. Do you now feel your 19's deal with this type of music well? It's the first thing we noticed when we got them in.

i was responding to Joel about the 40s, although if they were whf reference speakers he heard they would've been 50s.

i read a review somewhere that said the SL drivers had distortion comparable with a lot of electronics, if that's the case any nastiness in the sound will have come from upstream.

as to the 19s, i haven't heard anything more revealing or honest at the price. have you? i find it pretty easy to hear differences in recording quality with them.

i'm quite suprised you've changed your tune about the 40s.
emotion-40.gif
read one of your posts from an old thread last night...
 

MattSPL

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MUSICRAFT:
and possibily even simpler some ATC active monitors.
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Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

Yes exactly
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Spending 5k on a pair of speakers and then an amp and speaker cables to do them justice, would easily have you a lovely new pair of ATC scm50asl's, or scm100asl's if you have the space.

If you want to hear the music as its supposed to be heard, there is no better option.
 

JoelSim

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Craig M.:FrankHarveyHiFi:
Craig M.:Whf usually say that with good recordings there is little to match them, and i think they're right but the trade off is revealing more about bad ones. if the op has a collection full of the libertines, etc. then i definitely wouldn't recommend them, but equally, if they have a lot of well recorded music they might save a lot of money - worth a demo at any rate. and in their own room, rather then a test room.

I disagree Craig. We find the 11's and 19's deal extremely well with rougher music, although we do find the 40's are quite different in comparison. Do you now feel your 19's deal with this type of music well? It's the first thing we noticed when we got them in.

i was responding to Joel about the 40s, although if they were whf reference speakers he heard they would've been 50s.

i read a review somewhere that said the SL drivers had distortion comparable with a lot of electronics, if that's the case any nastiness in the sound will have come from upstream.

as to the 19s, i haven't heard anything more revealing or honest at the price. have you? i find it pretty easy to hear differences in recording quality with them.

i'm quite suprised you've changed your tune about the 40s.
emotion-40.gif
read one of your posts from an old thread last night...

One of my posts?
 

RobGardner

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Why not try some Wilson Benesch Curves? They look great and sound fantastic. They are also reasonably compact for a floor stander, using no more space than my old LS3/5as on Partington Super Dreadnought stands. They seem to impart none of their own character on to the music and have a holographic soundstage.
 

Frank Harvey

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Craig M.:as to the 19s, i haven't heard anything more revealing or honest at the price. have you? i find it pretty easy to hear differences in recording quality with them.Nope we love the 19's.

i'm quite suprised you've changed your tune about the 40s.
emotion-40.gif
read one of your posts from an old thread last night...

Not really. We've never really felt that the 40 is THE best speaker at it's price point (although could you say that about any speaker seeing as it's so personal?). I think it's certainly the most neutral, but I think that is going against it in demos. Most people want a little warmth or a little character. We just find that because of it's balance, it's not the all rounder that the 19's are. Maybe it's just too revealing. We've found most people tend to pick ProAc, PMC and Spendor at that price point.

I think initially when I heard them it was with the Rega Saturn and ATC amplification, which certainly helps smooth them off a little, especially at higher volumes. I have usually recommended alternatives alongside the 40's for people to try rather than a blanket recommendation.
 

IJ

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Can't help thinking, if you want to spend around £5000 and have a well made, good to look at speaker, you should really take a look/listen at the "Dancer" Usher range.

Ok I gather they are possibly not widely stocked in the UK and never suggested by resident experts on the forum, but spending that sort of money, it must be worth a drive to listen to a real alternative to the usual suspects.

Many reviews suggest they have a sound/quality well beyond their price point.
 

hifikrazy

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IJ:
Can't help thinking, if you want to spend around £5000 and have a well made, good to look at speaker, you should really take a look/listen at the "Dancer" Usher range.

Ok I gather they are possibly not widely stocked in the UK and never suggested by resident experts on the forum, but spending that sort of money, it must be worth a drive to listen to a real alternative to the usual suspects.

Many reviews suggest they have a sound/quality well beyond their price point.

I'm using a pair of Usher Be-718 (sometimes called Tiny Dancer, sorry Elton). Yes, due to cheaper manufacturing costs in Taiwan, they are great value for money. They replaced my B&W 805, which is saying something in itself. However, I'm currently finding that the bass is a bit loose and uncontrolled in my present listening room, which is why I've been considering the ATC SCM19 or SCM40. Was hoping the sealed box design would help. Also heard that the Proac D18 or D28 may suit as well.
 

IJ

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hifikrazy:IJ:

Can't help thinking, if you want to spend around £5000 and have a well made, good to look at speaker, you should really take a look/listen at the "Dancer" Usher range.

Ok I gather they are possibly not widely stocked in the UK and never suggested by resident experts on the forum, but spending that sort of money, it must be worth a drive to listen to a real alternative to the usual suspects.

Many reviews suggest they have a sound/quality well beyond their price point.

I'm using a pair of Usher Be-718 (sometimes called Tiny Dancer, sorry Elton). Yes, due to cheaper manufacturing costs in Taiwan, they are great value for money. They replaced my B&W 805, which is saying something in itself. However, I'm currently finding that the bass is a bit loose and uncontrolled in my present listening room, which is why I've been considering the ATC SCM19 or SCM40. Was hoping the sealed box design would help. Also heard that the Proac D18 or D28 may suit as well.

I am using the same speaker. I dont know what amp etc you are using, but when i used them with my old Exposure pre/power amp, the sound was very good, but really missing something. Changing to a Parasound pre and Usher P1.5 power amp was like night and day. These tiny dancers really need some power and drive for best results. Final icing on the cake was a change to a pair of Zonotone speaker cables.

For me, bass is spot on and amazing for a standmount. These speakers never become tiring to listen to.

For the 5000 budget, some of the range of floorstanders should be in reach
 

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