Which of these 3 are best bookshelf Speakers?

[admin_exported]

I bought Arcam Solo Mini and it came as a package with Dimon 10.1's.

I was given some advise on this forum and have shortlisted the following, by budget is £400 max.

B&W 685 £373

Monitor Audio RS1 (Ex demo) £250

Dali Lektor 2 £299

I like the sound of these but the MA look good value?

Any advise appreciated

Ian

 

[Anonymous]

Hi IDB,

Just wondering why you need new speakers if the Arcam came with Whafdale 10.1 speakers? The 10.1's get good reviews and should suite the Arcam.

As the Arcam only produces a small amount of power I wouldn't go with the 685's and probably not the RSI's either. As to whether the Dali Lektor 2's are better than what you have, I'm not sure but I like mine!

 

[Anonymous]

Inter84 Thanks for coming back to me.

My wife bought the system for me and the speakers came with it as part of the package, however I had a listen to other brands and they have more clarity and detail ( to my ears anyway) so I shortlisted some others.

The 10.1's are good, but I was advised I could do better with the Arcam and after some auditions today I tend to agree

Ian

 

[chebby]

If you have the budget, then Rega RS1's (£390) will be excellent partners. Very efficient at 90db (8 ohms) and a lovely sound.

They are also available in Piano gloss black (or white) for a 10% premium. (Or standard real cherry veneer.)

 

[Anonymous]

If you don't mind older 2nd hand speakers there are loads of bargains .. here are 2 :

snell K/II speakers ... ebay item 300345997087 ... buy it now of £275

or CURA CA10 ... ebay item 270413365335 ... buy it now of £270

 

[the record spot]

And, to wade in on the secondhand front again, Mission 751s, roughly £100, but brilliant for the money. They were superb at their original RRP (£300), and a good pair will not be wanting against current models. Expect plenty of detail and a lively and very articulate presentation. Good bass too as it's not a "mini" bookeshelf, such as the Dali Lektor 1, but a substantial standmounter.

 

[JoelSim]

Not interested in the AVI Neutron V then? Superb speakers and in my opinion much better than those on your list.

 

[Frank Harvey]

chebby: If you have the budget, then Rega RS1's (£390) will be excellent partners. Very efficient at 90db (8 ohms) and a lovely sound.

They are also available in Piano gloss black (or white) for a 10% premium. (Or standard real cherry veneer.) Gloss black will be the RX1

But I agree, the RS1 would be a great partner for the Solo, especially at their clerance price.

Inter 84 - the Arcam may not look like it produces much power on paper, but it's far more powerful than any other 'mini system' at a similar rated power. We've used ours with the 684 and 685's, ATC SCM7's, ProAc Tablette 8's, and the RS1's. For normal volumes it has more than enough power for any of these speakers, and you'll only find it struggling if you like listening to Prodigy at club levels or you're playing it in a larger than average room.

 

[plastic penguin]

IDB:

I bought Arcam Solo Mini and it came as a package with Dimon 10.1's.

I was given some advise on this forum and have shortlisted the following, by budget is £400 max.

B&W 685 £373

Monitor Audio RS1 (Ex demo) £250

Dali Lektor 2 £299

I like the sound of these but the MA look good value?

Any advise appreciated

Ian

For pure synergy, the MA's are hard to better. Can't comment on Rega but from what one or two have, on the forum, said the Regas are very open and detailed sounding, but lack a little bottom end oomph. That's a trait, from personal experience, that Arcam thrive on.

 

[chebby]

FrankHarveyHiFi:chebby: If you have the budget, then Rega RS1's (£390) will be excellent partners. Very efficient at 90db (8 ohms) and a lovely sound.

They are also available in Piano gloss black (or white) for a 10% premium. (Or standard real cherry veneer.) Gloss black will be the RX1

But I agree, the RS1 would be a great partner for the Solo, especially at their clerance price.

Rega RS1 in piano gloss black Dave. (not Monitor Audio)

 

[Frank Harvey]

Apologies - my fault for skimming

 

[crusaderlord]

If you can find some Epos M5's then these are great speakers and sounded lovely with my Arcam CD73 and A70 a while back.

I got a pair for £175 unused off the usual site only a few months back for a 2nd system - 2nd hand ive seem them go for £150. They are worth looking out for and many say are better than the newer M5i replacement model.

You can even get the new M5i for £275 from Superfi at the moment which sounds a decent deal too.

 

[gpi]

IDB:
I bought Arcam Solo Mini and it came as a package with Dimon 10.1's.

I was given some advise on this forum and have shortlisted the following, by budget is £400 max.

B&W 685 £373

Monitor Audio RS1 (Ex demo) £250

Dali Lektor 2 £299

I like the sound of these but the MA look good value?

Any advise appreciated

Ian

How long have you had the Wharfdales? Bear in mind they need quite a few hours under their belt to perform at their best, like all new speakers.

To better the 10.1s you will have to increase your budget if buying new (otherwise it will be a sideways step) or look at buying second hand.

Also, do you have the Wharfdales on proper stands?

 

[bay24]

JoelSim:Not interested in the AVI Neutron V then? Superb speakers and in my opinion much better than those on your list.
I would second the neutron v(although I am a little biased) but they are hard to drive so not sure If the mini would struggle only being 30-50watts.

 

[sthomas048]

bay24:JoelSim:Not interested in the AVI Neutron V then? Superb speakers and in my opinion much better than those on your list.
I would second the neutron v(although I am a little biased) but they are hard to drive so not sure If the mini would struggle only being 30-50watts.

Another vote for the Neutron V here. I absolutely adore mine. I dont think that would be a problem, i think the minimum watts for the AVI is 30w. Its odd how the Neutrons dont get more coverage. I picked mine up cheap from Ebay. They look great too !