WHICH 5.1 DO I CHOOSE?

[admin_exported]

Hi, I'm looking for 5.1 system to upgrade. My room is 3.3M back to front and 3.2M side to side and 2.4M high. The amp I have is the Onkyo TXNR 807 and use the Chord Carnival Silver Screen Speaker cables with QED screw-loc banana plugs, Chord Crimson Plus Sub cable and Chord Super shield 3D ready HDMI.
The fronts + rears and centre will be wall mounted using the appropriate bracket supplied by manufacturer.
budget £700
WHARFEDALE DIAMOND SW150, WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.1 X4, WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10CM CENTRE.
CANTON MOVIE 125MX
Q ACCOUSTICS Q7000
Q ACCOUSTICS 2000I (NEW)
Q ACCOUSTICS 2000
MONITOR AUDIO BR2 AV 5.1
TANNOY HTS 101
Thanks for any help, ADE

 

[Oldboy]

For that budget i can't see past the Q Acoustics 2000i speaker package, once you add the cost of the brackets to wall mount the speakers you won't have much change from your budget and imo they are the best speakers you can afford...just look at the award it got this year if you need any further assurance!

I would always stear towards full size speaker packages for better results but if space and style is a concern then the Q Acoustics Q7000 has been well received but if it was my money then the 2000i would be what i would buy without question! I still have my 1010i speaker package and i have been very satisfied with it and as the 2000i package represents a substantial leap forward i would go for that.

I'm now in a position where i want to go up a level in terms of speaker quality otherwise i would consider the 2000i package myself but i'm looking at the £1200 mark now and it's a fight between three packages, the B&W 685 theatre pack, Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 5.1 or the Dali Zensor 5 5.1...it's a hard choice so i can understand your dilema!

 

[Anonymous]

The MA BR2's I have seen as cheap as £599.99 and the right up is very good from this magazine, however like you say BX2's are also very good, the cheapest I've seen them with 6 or 12month Interest free (terms & conditions) for about £989.99. Yes the improvements are very good for the 2000I. The Dali's Iv'e heard and WOW they are highly impressive as too B&W but out of my price range. Why do they make so many choices, lol. Thanks for your input and advice, with the offer of interest free I may go with the BR2's or you choice of the 2000I. Hopefully the Boss wil let me. Good luck with your choice too, Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

The MA BR2's I have seen as cheap as £599.99 and the right up is very good from this magazine, however like you say BX2's are also very good, the cheapest I've seen them with 6 or 12month Interest free (terms & conditions) for about £989.99. Yes the improvements are very good for the 2000I. The Dali's Iv'e heard and WOW they are highly impressive as too B&W but out of my price range. Why do they make so many choices, lol. Thanks for your input and advice, with the offer of interest free I may go with the BR2's or you choice of the 2000I. Hopefully the Boss wil let me. Good luck with your choice too, Thanks

 

[Oldboy]

I really don't think you can go wrong with either package tbh...i think the MA BR2's will be a good choice at that price and well worth the investment, arguably MA speakers have a little more allure than Q Acoustics and have a bit more of that pride of ownership feeling about them. I haven't heard them or seen many reviews which is why i didn't recommend them but the WHF review is very positive now i've read it...it's a tough choice but i think the MA name and quality would sway me in the end just like yourself! I hope the boss agrees and let's you get them ray:

Thanks for the input on the Dali's as they are the only package i haven't had a demo of...yet! I was very impressed by the B&W and MA BX2 packages but they still require additional outlay after you buy them....decent speaker stands and brackets for the centre and surrounds for wall mounting where as the Dali package just require a bracket for the centre speaker i think. Looking forward to getting a demo very soon.

Many thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

It's looking like the BR2, unless the QA2000i drop in price, which I cant see. THE BOSS HAS AGREED, lol, as long as I save. Thanks for the input by the way. The Chord carnival speaker wire for the price is very clear, precise and responsive, however the ones I heard the Dali through waa AGAIN either the Chord signature or the Odessey 4, one of them. But if your going to get speakers like that then why scrimp on the cable for the speakers etc. Also the Chord CRIMSON Plus sub cable again is highly rated and exceprional at delivering precice tones and levels of base, although it can become overly excited at repeated bass tones and sometimes loses it's way with the rest of the speakers. Theres me the Chord fan, but some of their stuff is good. i SE TO USE THE Eccosse CS2.3, GOOD BUT sILVER sCREEN FOUND GIVES MORE DETAIL, JUST CANT WAIT TO GET THE SPEAKERS TO PUT WITH IT. Again thanks for your advice hope your new speakers etc sound amazing, NOT jellos at all, lol, cheers

 

[John Duncan]

Sorry but, whilst I'd nearly always advocate full size speakers over sub/sats, if you really must wall mount them I'd look very hard at the style speakers on your list like the Q7000; BR2s or Diamond 9.1s are going to look huge on the walls, and the boss is going to hate you

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for input, what would you perhaps recomend as a smaller alternative, but delivers similar sound, most of the BOSE system range I've heard and although nice there to me too over powering with base, even when tweaked, and the centre lacks clarity with vocals almost muffled because of he base. I'm looking for speakers with bannana points as I've paid for the plugs fitted and ready to go. I havent heard some of the other packs but if you or anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great.

 

[Anonymous]

Decided on stands too not wall. Would the W9.1'S and the SW150 SUB go with the BXFX & the BXC from MA or is it better NOT to mix and match? Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Always try to keep the front 3 speakers from the same range, it's important to ensure they are timbre matched to ensure a cohesive sound stage. Not so important for the rears, but still advised. Any decent sub hold integrate well, the SW150 is a cracker for its price, I used to own one. I would stay away from Bose (and that's from an ex-owner), they are good at what they do, but they are not very good value for money.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that, with that in mind, is there a good centre from Wharfedale? The 10cm and 10c I havent heard from wharfedale diamond or would you recommend the Wharfedale SUB with the BXC, BX1, BX2? Or the Wharfedale sub with any other, I do think I'm going for the BXFX for the rear back surround. I have at the moment the Gale 30 series for the surround back which I hope will be included in the final set up, even though theyre oldish there a great surround. So In all then

The Wharfedale Diamond sub sw150

Cntre=?

Wharfedale 9.1 front

Wharfedale 9.1 front high

Wharfedale 9.1 Front Wide

BXFX rear back surround

Gale 30 series High back surround

Or would you suggest something else like the QA2000 (REDUCED NOW) WITH the BXFX rears back surround, gale High Back Surround and use the QA for front and high and add another 2 QA2010 for front wide?

Choices, I really appreciate input, as I want to think forward and hope not to update the speakers as the BOSS says for years. Would you scrap the Wharfedale 9.1, keep the sub and choose something else to with it? If Yes, please advise anyone, Thanks again for input. Here is what I have to and hope to use these speakers with . Thanks

Onkyo TXNR807>CHORD CRIMSON PLUS SUB cable>PANASONIC FULL HD 37" TV>CHORD SILVER SCREEN BANANA PLUGGED (BY CHORD) SPEAKER CABLE> CHORD SUPER HDMI 1.4v HDMI X7>TCI OPRICAL x3>QED COAX x3>SKY HD+>PS3>XBOX ELITE WITH CHORD CHRYSALLIS INTERCONNECT>WII>PC W7-6GB RAM DDR3-WITH 1,5TBHDD-i7 PRO-HD5870 GC x2-THX SOUNDCARD>PANASONIC DMPBDT-110