What speakers should I go and listen to in the sub £200 area?

saitrix

saitrix

saitrix

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Hi,

I am looking at getting myself new speakers to go with a Cambridge Audio 640A amp. Now so far I have a list of 5, I am wondering whether I have missed any that I really should try out.

Mission M32i
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Kef iQ1
Mordaunt-Short Avant 902i
Monitor Audio BR2

Edit - Is having a DAC worth it? I am running an xmod from my pc to my amp currently.
 
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in my humble opinion, the 902i's are good, as are the wharfedales. for the price.
Both can be had cheap online.

The IQ1's only have a 4" driver...not good for the low stuff.

positioning is important here. 2 points to note:
the MS902i is rear ported, 12" from any rear obstruction i.e. a wall
the 9.1s are front ported, can get a lot closer to a wall

As for DAC, the more the better really, without going into the realms of 2k for a TAG or something :)

sorry for my ignorance, XMOD?
this obviously is doing the DAC for you, just a normal soundcard?

I can hear the difference between onboard sound, soundblaster soundcards, and my M-audio firewire interface.
The better the DAC on the card then the better representation of the audio you will get. But no need to go OTT if your using a CA amp and some small bookshelf speakers.

End comment...let your ears be the judge.

2nd end comment...get some stands and position your speakers correctly to your listening position. It WILL make a difference.

edit:
XMOD from creatve, 25 quids worth of headphone amp AND digital conversion. I am sure there is better out there to do the job, but without heaing it I couldn't comment. Something internal, EMU or M-Audio for decent low budget DAC would be a step in the right direction.
 
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You can get a lot better than the 902i for this price.

Check out the monitor audios, B&W, maybe even some cheap dynaudios, pro ac if your lucky. I rank the 902i below all of these.
 
If you want to go second hand you might be able to pick up some monitor audio B4s or B5s.

imo i preferred monitor audio, Wharfedale, and B&W than Mordaunt short, they seem a little too budget for me, although when I last demoed Mordaunt short speakers there MEZZO rang were not out yet.

If you can only afford £130 and want a new pair of speakers then get Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 as they sounded very good and were worth the cash at £180.

If you can push to £200 get the monitor audio B2's I have the B4s and they are really really good :D. I think your best bet is to find a pair of second hand B4s or B5s.

I'm not too sure on pricing for B&W speakers any more but they had a lot of bass for a "book shelf" speaker. Also factor in the cost of a decent pair of speaker stands if you get "book shelf" speakers. Then you might find it's worth spending the cash on just a pair of floor standers :)
 
If budget is a concern, and second hand is a practical option. I'd scour the bay for local sellers (pick up only) and find something interesting. If you don't like it sell it on again. Just now there's some Linn Keilidhs, Ruark Talisman 2, a set of missions with stands, and some large Pionneer florrstanders, all within a few miles of my house. All these should sell for £150 or less, and would be I think quite decent, and very educational to at least listen to for a week or 2. These are the sort of speakers that retailed for ~6-700 quid when new.
 
Minstadave said:
Tannoy Mercury F4 look good at £150.
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I agree! I bough a pair of these - now they are £400 floorstander speakers and an absolute steal at this price. Go well with my Marantz CD5003 and PM6002. Give a proper `big` sound that is unachievable below £200
 
Thanks for all the comments. I can't have either stands or floorstanders due to me being at uni I have to be able to fit the stuff in my car! Plus it also means I have to have less than ideal placement, right now my Gale's are less than 12" from the wall, about 8" I would guess. So really I need front ported speakers?

Unfortunately can't really go 2nd hand as it is for my christmas present.

-Ad-, I have heard the 902i can be difficult to match with the correct amp. I thought I'd chuck it in there to make a more complete range to listen to.

lozza23_uk, I will look into DAC's then. :)

Are Quads worth looking at?

Also is the Monitor Audio BR1 meant to be any good?
 
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whitecrook said:
I would agree. DIY is the way to go for proper hi fidelity on a budget. However this presumes the op has the tools and the skills and the inclination to do this.
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It is a present though for me. So I can't exactly do that, otherwise I would consider it.
 
If size is not an issue (the sub) get these:

http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-021-LG&tool=3

I bought this system when they were first released (around the £330 mark) and I still use them now, over 2 years later (i think). I don't think I could ever live without the control pod now, it's sexy and so handy. I hate sub woofers that have the bass control on the back (wtf?).

Note: This system WILL turn your room/house into a nightclub, the quality is amazing and I've never had the balls to turn the volume up to the max, so I don't know when they start distorting (if ever).

If you are a complete audiophile, the best option for you is to buy your own amp, buy your own stereo speakers, buy your own decoder and buy your high quality audio cables. IF you don't have the cash for that, then the next best option is this system.

Seriously recommend.
 
I don't want, or have the space for a 5.1. I already have a cheap hifi seperates system you see, but with quality interconnects and cables (QED). Just the amp and speakers being upgraded, and most probably the DAC by the looks of it.
 
offtopic

Soundsgood you sound like you have an interest/experience in building loudspeakers - what have you done? Any build pics/reviews? I'm about to build a half chang with some fostex 207e drivers in the new year.
 
Scott Salisbury said:
z5500 snip
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They are great value for loudness and for those with a limited budget, but they arn't that good. I still love my old set that I gave to my parents, but they only get used in the play room for gaming etc.

Stereo speakers are obviously better as you have also said, but getting 5 proper speakers, an av amp, and powered sub is far superior to the z5500s. Obviously cost more, but with £300 you could get yourself a dedicated 2nd hand av setup that would show them up for the pc speakers they are.

SoundsGood said:
Sure you can, just give them a link to some nice fullrange drivers :cool:
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I want infinite baffle subs in an av setup. The batbarn on avforums inspired me :D
 
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