Which speakers with Onkyo 8050? Please help

[admin_exported]

look to purchase an onkyo 8050 by the end of the day and was wondering if someone could give me an idea of which speakers to get second hand for this amp? there isn't really a budget just looking for a good match maybe a limit of £200 second hand or new?

i have been looking at the b&w 602 aparently there good for near field listening

my critera are

1) will be used primarly either side of my desk

2) gotta sound good

3) prefered 2nd hand maybe get more bang for you buck?

any links to ebay examples would be loved

opinions on the 602s sound like a good option and aprently good for near field? they would fit on my desk just haha.

theres the 601s and 685s as well but the smaller size may not preform as well??

anyway fire away thanks

 

[Anonymous]

pre warning this is my first hifi coming from a logitech sound system so please bare with no amount of research can beat good old audiophile experience so treat me like an amature i need to be maybe told what sounds good, btw i like a range of music electro, dance, dubstep, rock, pop etc pretty much all rounder.

thanks

 

[Anonymous]

anyone? i am running toslink from pc to onkyo and then obivous from there

 

[Clare Newsome]

I haven't heard the Onkyo, but know it has plenty of fans/users on the forums. I've tweaked the title of your thread to hopefully lure them into answering

 

[Crocodile]

Maybe have a plough through this thread?

 

[matthewpiano]

The 8050 is pretty gregarious and will work well with a wide range of speakers. I would certainly consider the Dali Zensor 1s, which work well reasonably close to walls, or maybe a second hand pair of Lektor 1s or Lektor 2s. These models are all very musical and involving and they are designed to work well positioned close to room boundaries. Something like Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s might get a bit too boomy in the bass positioned on a desk.

 

[Peter Kudelstaart]

Hallo Oscarjw1,

I'm a novice at hifi, but as no one is answering I will give you my opinion. I just bought B&W 686's for use on top of my desk. They are the smallest in the B&W 600 family and they are criticized on this forum for being too small for front speakers. Howerve for near field listening I find them excellent. The sound is rich and detailed. I have one point of criticism. I just don't like the sound of them when listening to loud rockmusic. It might just be me, because I don't like loud sounds on my ears. For music like Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd etc these speakers seam to be made for.

I auditioned these speakers together wil Dali Lektors and Monitor Audio Bronzes and found that the 686's sounded warmest. Whathifi rated both the Dali's and Monitor Audio higher then the 686's.

My advice to you is to go for a listen at your local Hifi specialist and find out what kind of sound you like and then buy new or second hand.

Greets Peter

 

[matthewpiano]

I've owned 686s and I'd counsel caution. They can be quite boomy and thick sounding at the bottom end unless you are really careful. The 8050 should be able to control them better than the Arcam A18 I had at the time, but I would make sure you audition the 686s very carefully to make sure they aren't too much for you. They were for me.

 

[Peter Kudelstaart]

@Matthewpiano: Every ear is different. Therefore listening to a number of speakers is to be recommended.

 

[matthewpiano]

@Matthewpiano: Every ear is different. Therefore listening to a number of speakers is to be recommended.

I quite clearly told the OP he should listen for himself. I'm merely sharing my experience, having owned a pair of 686s and having used them quite extensively.

 

[WishTree]

@Matthewpiano: Every ear is different. Therefore listening to a number of speakers is to be recommended.

Very very good point Kudelstaart

To OP,

Every ear is different. Therefore listening to a number of speakers is always recommended. I am not too sure with this rider in place whether any of my suggestions will make sense. But try to avoid the B&W 686. They are the worst way to spend money. My best way to spend money on bookshelf speakers is to get a Wharfedale Diamond 9.1. At some levels, I felt why I spent so much money on Proac D2 with a A/B comparision to Diamond 9.1

This is all my opinion. Other views may be different.

 

[the record spot]

I rather feel like defending Matthew's position here. Peter is of course welcome to the forum and it's always good to see new names on here, but if anyone on this forum outwith the staff has tried more gear than MP in recent years, then you'll count them off on the fingers of one hand. Once Peter's contributed more posts than you can count on the fingers of the other hand and been round here a bit, he'll realise that he was preaching to the choir all along.

To the OP it depends how much space you've got on the desk but Wharfedale 9.0s might be worth a look and though you won't hear much about them, I've heard good things of Gale's Mini Monitor Golds too. Both can be had new for less than £100. Need to have a listen though but there'll be no problem with the Onkyo driving them easily.

 

[Anonymous]

wow loads of great advice, just some more question on my new found knowledge, i quite like the sound of my focal speakers i have in my car, some say there bright sound i have dialed back the tweeters ( active crossover ) quite a bit assuming this gives me a warmer sound? so would the B&w 685 as ther front ported so thought would be better for close desk wall problems, there a warm sound but do they still hit the high notes well?

 

[dalwen]

@matthew,

I saw your new signature, question --> did you replace your Onkyo 8050:quest:

 

[matthewpiano]

The 685s are excellent speakers and actually more controlled in the bass than the smaller 686. They do like to be very well supported though and like a fair bit of space. If you really fancy them and intend to buy some used, you shouldn't have too much trouble selling them on again.

The other option to consider, given your last post, might be the Focal Chorus 705v.

 

[matthewpiano]

@matthew,

I saw your new signature, question --> did you replace your Onkyo 8050:quest:

No, not entirely. My system is always quite fluid and I have a couple of different amps at present. Not sure which way it will go but I'd rather focus on the OP's dilemma here.

 

[Anonymous]

okay so gonna try optical out from pc --> onkyo optical in --> B&W 685

will bob marley sound good that the main question

 

[Sizzers]

I have no idea how Rega RS1's may pair with the Onkyo as I find them a bit too much on the bright side with the rest of my (other) Rega set-up , but they are fantastically detailed and clear speakers. They never miss a beat or a line, and although they're rear ported believe me you can literally throw them anywhere - flat bang against the wall if you want. They have a flat-ish bass which is perfect for close listening and it doesn't boom at all..Just a footnote. Mr P mentioned the Dali Lektor 1's and I have a pair of these along with a pair of Focal 706V's, but they would be last pair of speakers I would lose. To my ears they are a lot better wall mounted but I wouldn.t want be sitting too close to them.

I have no idea how Rega RS1's may pair with the Onkyo as I find them a bit too much on the bright side with the rest of my (other) Rega set-up , but they are fantastically detailed and clear speakers.

They never miss a beat or a line, and although they're rear ported believe me you can literally throw them anywhere - flat bang against the wall if you want. They have a flat-ish bass which is perfect for close listening and it doesn't boom at all.

Just a footnote. Mr P mentioned the Dali Lektor 1's and I have a pair of these along with a pair of Focal 706V's, but they would be last pair of speakers I would lose. To my ears they are a lot better wall mounted but I wouldn.t want be sitting too close to them.

 

[Anonymous]

just won the auction for the onkyo amp so i suppose i am the new " proud owner" haha can't wait to pair them and get cranking with some tunes good feeling isn't

 

[Anonymous]

just got the behringer uca202 and the quality over a realtek sound card is just unbeliable 5star.