Which Speakers?

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Gareth82

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Mar 13, 2011
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Hi all, I'm new to the forums but have been a reader of What Hi Fi for many years now and I would be greatfull of your help. I'm thinking of upgrading my speakers and have got three on my shortlist and Im finding it hard to choose.

They are, Wharfedale XARUS5000, Audio Intimindation S-3000 Or Audio Intimidation S-5000.

I know that these are not what you would call true Hi Fi speakers but If you look at the specs they do seem like a whole lot of speaker for not alot of money and I must admit that I am abit of a bass junkie and the genre of music I listen to (hip hop, R&B, Metal And Drum 'N Bass) needs to have a speaker with a good bass reproduction. I have had a combo of stand mounts working along with a subwoofer in the past but I would like to get a floorstanding speaker to produce the bass I crave without the need for a subwoofer. My budget Is ony £250.00 which is why I have been looking at these three speakers as they all fall within my price range. Your feedback would be a great help as I am finding it hard to find any reviews on the Audio Intimidation speakers and they are hard to get a demo of and the Wharfedale speaker are a older model so I wouldn't be able to get a demo either but they have had some good reviews.
 
I think if you go second hand you will get much more bang form your buck so to speak!
 
Thanks for the reply. Going second hand is definately something I would consider. Are there any speakers that you would recconmend that I should look out for?
 
Gareth82 said:
Thanks for the reply. Going second hand is definately something I would consider. Are there any speakers that you would recconmend that I should look out for?
Click to expand...

Do you want floorstanders or standmount speakers?

What music do you generally listen to?

IMO decent floorstanding speakers in that price bracket would be:

B&W 603 S2's or S3's / Monitor Audio BR5 or BR6's / Acoustic Energy Neo 3's or AE109's (if you can find them in decent condition)
 
...he forgot to mention Mission 752s...

I suppose that makes them missin' Missions!

*boom, tish, thangewangoonite!*
 
Thanks for the replies. I would rather get floorstanding speakers, my taste in music varies but i mostly listen to hip hop, r&b and metal so would want something with a good bass response. I was looking at a piar of mission 753's this morning but they have got abit of damage to the top of them so wasn't too sure weather to go for them.
 
Depends how bad the damage is; superficial/cosmetic against something deeper. Mission no longer support the 75 series and the 753 has four main drivers, so you might have a problem if something goes. On the other hand, there's plenty of them knocking around. Likewise, the 752 floorstander. Both will deliver impressive results still (assuming they're in good condition and well looked after).
 
I have just found a pair of acoustic energy ae109 for sale second hand for £100 and acoustic energy ae120 for £125. Are these good prices for the speakers and which ones would you recconmend?
 
Gareth82 said:
I have just found a pair of acoustic energy ae109 for sale second hand for £100 and acoustic energy ae120 for £125. Are these good prices for the speakers and which ones would you recconmend?
Click to expand...

Superb speakers; great bass weight behind them with smooth & detailed midrange / treble etc... Great speakers and would work well in your system and with your taste in music

The Neo 3's are still a brilliant speaker as well and can be found new if you look hard enough
 
Thanks for the replies. I think that I will either go for acoustic energy or mission speakers. Just need to find some in good condition. The acoustic energy ae109s I have seen are going for sale online and are in the roeswood finish, they say they are excellent condition and by the look of the pictures they have no damage, the are only £100 with postage so they seem like quiet a good bargin.
 
Doubt you'd go wrong with either really; the AEs were well rated in their day, the Mission speakers came out the company's "golden era" in the mid-90s and they're a steal for the price you pay. Got my 752s for £80 a couple of years back and there's not a lot out there under £1000 I'd swap them for in a hurry. Two excellent companies.
 
Do the mission 752's have a good bass weight like the ae109's. I haven't heard the 752's before but have heard the ae109's running off a arcam alpha pre/power combo and the bass was pritty impressive for the the size of the bass cones. The intimidation s 5000 that i mentioned at the beginning have got two 12" bass cones, two 6.5" mids and two 1" liquid dome tweeters in each cabinet. They are more like dj speakers i guess and although they may have a good bass note i was worried about buying a speaker from not a well known brand, especially with so many drive units per cabinet.
 
Do the mission 752's have a good bass weight like the ae109's. I haven't heard the 752's before but have heard the ae109's running off a arcam alpha pre/power combo and the bass was pritty impressive for the the size of the bass cones. The intimidation s 5000 that i mentioned at the beginning have got two 12" bass cones, two 6.5" mids and two 1" liquid dome tweeters in each cabinet. They are more like dj speakers i guess and although they may have a good bass note i was worried about buying a speaker from not a well known brand, especially with so many drive units per cabinet.
 
It depends what you partner them with; in the setup I have (see below), the amp makes all the difference as the 752 and Marantz CDP tend towards more of a lean sound. As it stands though, the bass with the 717 is very impressive; deep and clear. No complaints from me and they'll rock out comfortably (I listen to a lot of prog/hard rock, so it's a pre-requisite for me).
 
The do sound like good speakers as well then, my next step would be to upgrade my amp to possibly the marantz PM6003 or yamaha A-S500possibly so once i manage to find a good set of speakers, I can base my amp choice around them if I have to. I've been having a hunt around on the net but the missions seem abit harder to get hold of than the acoustic energys. the ae120's I saw have been sold and the only thing wrong with the ae109's I saw was that they are missing the plinth that the floor spikes are on so it looks like I may have to do some more hunting around.
 
 
Thanks for the reply and the links, think i'll add the b&w and neo 3's to my short list, a few people have recconmended these to me now.

I've be offerd a pair of Kef Q4 brand new boxed for £150. Has any one got these or can recconmend them?

Thanks
 
Personally I wouldn't bother with the Kefs. Not very good speakers at IMO. Stick to the AE Neo 3's; they're a superb speaker & will withstand plenty of amp/CDP upgrades
 
Ok thanks, I've never heard the kefs before and didn't want to just buy them because they were cheep. I think I'm best to stick to acoustic energy or mission speakers then. I woud love to get b&w's but they are still quiet abit expensive second hand. Are there any versions of the neo 3 that are best to get or are they all pritty good?
 
ive just been offerd some mission 753 (originals). Are these speakers any good and what is the bass response like? my amp is rated at 100 watts per channel, would that be enough power to drive the missions? Thanks
 
Terrific. £700 on release back in the mid-90s and still good now. IMO, the 75 series was Mission at the top of their game. If they're in good nick, you've got the pick of the bunch. Can you demo first though before deciding? The original is reckoned by soem to be the better of the two (over the Freedom model). Either way, each type was good. If you've been offered a good price, it's a bit of a winner.
 
They come in the original boxes and are in the rosewood finish, the only mark they have got is on the top of the speaker at the corner. The owner said that they mechanically sound and that the only reason for him selling is that his amp has given up so he has decided to upgrade his whole set up. I wouldn't be able to demo them as he lives quiet far away and is going to deliver them free of charge for me. Because i can't demo them i would like any feedback on how they sound and if they would suit my music taste and deliver the bass that i crave. I have also got a pair of acoustic energy ae190 lined up just incase the deal falls through, they are also a good deal at £100 but they are missing the plinths that house the floor spikes.
 
I'd get the 753s in that case. They'll last for years and withstand many upgrades. You could always ask the seller if he'd be willing to let you hear them in your home if he'd be willing?

EDIT: In terms of whether they sound right for you, I can't say - they're a good sized speaker and bigger than my 752, which itself is a decent size, so they should be capable enough. Put them in with a good amp, or have them biamped and they'll deliver a great sound. I hear some people rate them with the Pioneer A400 (a 1990s amp), but I'd be sticking something with a bit more meat on it to really control those drivers.
 
Ok thanks. My current amp is rated at 100 watts per channel but it is really a budget amp so I guess the next thing to upgrade would be my amp. I'll have to ask the owner if I can have a demo and see how they responde to my amp.
 
My amp can run two sets of speakers so would I be able to Bi-Wire the missions that way or Should I not bother with BI-wireing them?
 
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