Best floorstanders for under £400

MrRockliffe said:
Where are they from, as you may be able to send them back if you're finding them under powered?

Also, are you selling your current pair to fund them, or could they be used to get a better amp if you find it's not quite powerful enough?
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Canterbury Audio, in store only I think.

Moving my current 2020i's upstairs to use with my Audiolab M-One on my PC.

Want something a little more grand for the living room. But I do like the sound from the 2020i's, the N9 drives them perfectly.
 
lucid said:
That's 30W but with no reference to impedance, frequency, THD or whether it's RMS or not.

30Wpc R.M.S. in to 8 Ohms at 20Hz-20kHz, 0.05% THD is a repectable power level. Most good budget British Hi-fi amps from the 80s and 90s were in that range, and with their large toroidal transformers and decent output transistors they could generate a fairly healthy curent swing so did just find with the less efficient bookshelf speakers they were typically paired with. This is because the power measurement was done in a way that left a lot in reserve.

The N9 is a decent product, but the marketing men like to have big numbers to shout about. Measuring at 6 Ohms, and a higher THD (1%), possibly 1 channel driven rather than 2, most likely peak power rather than RMS, and at 1kHz where the amp is most efficient, all makes the final result look good on paper, but in real world situation it'll translate to something around 15-20W per channel measure in Hi-fi terms.

You could still have some fun with that as long as you weren't after room shaking volume.

If the dealer has an N9 or Marantz equivalent in stock then deffo arrange a listening session. Or take the N9 down.
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Thanks for the technical explanation there Lucid :)
 
It looks like I'm a little limited with what speakers I can go for with the N9 really.

Of the ones I'm looking at, it seems the monitor audio bronze 5 and the fyne audio f302 would probably be the best bet.
 
lucid said:
Pros: more detailed, tighter, with a wider sound stage

Cons: need more driving (higher volume) before they come alive. Less bass extension. A bit more revealing of any shortcomings in the music and/or source.


Whether or not someone likes the sound of any speaker is very subjective. The specs only give part of the story. The acid test is listening to them with your amplifier to see if they're a good electrical match, then listening critically to hear if they give the sort of sound presentation you enjoy.
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Thanks lucid, pretty much as I thought. These would probably be superior speakers if my amp was up to it.

I think I'm leaning towards the monitor audio bronze 5's at the moment. Or maybe the Dali Zensor 5's.
 
GoRedwings19 said:
IvanDobskey>How did you get on with the 3050? They have the new 3050i model out but haven't listened to it yet. I loved the 3050 when I had it.
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Only decent speakers I have had up until now are the 2020i's, which are fantastic for the money.

I did consider the 3050, but they are just too big for my living room really. I went for the Monitor Audio Bronze 5's in the end at £475.

Hopefully will get them on Wednesday.
 
Yadda said:
This thread has made me look at upgrading my speakers (~15 year old Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo 3 floorstanders). Let us know how you get on with the Bronze 5's.

Damnit, I can feel my wallet twitching (in a good way). :)
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Despite being 15 years old, I think those are pretty good speakers :)

Speaker tech hasn't really changed much over that time period, so I'd say you'd have to spend a bit more to get something significantly better. Maybe the silver 6's. I noticed there's a refurbished set on richer sounds for £449.

Hoping to get my bronze 5's delivered tomorrow, so will report back. Just hoping my Denon N9 is up to the job.
 
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Got them all set up now and had a play:



Very impressed with the design and build. They feel high quality straight out of the box. Like the way the grilles are held in place magnetically, nice touch.

Sound wise, I initially found them a little harsh on the trebbles on some music. But my ears are adjusting accordingly. I think they will probably mellow as they are run in.

Overall very happy with them. I have now moved my 2020i's up to my pc setup, so it's all good :)
 
Yadda said:
The new speakers look great in situ. Very nice!




Thanks for the advice, maybe I'll keep the AEs for bit longer and improve my CDP instead (I've been looking at mods such as replacing the clock).
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Cheers :) They are a little crammed into the limited available space, but they still sound a decent upgrade on what I had.

Definitely worth hanging on to your speakers for a while longer I think. Unless you spot a deal on something.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
audio is just as important as the screen if not more important IMO. as in the music, etc can really set the scene. there is a reason why IMAX cinemas have a ridiculous number of speakers and sound fantastic.
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Definitely true :)

Happy to stick with decent stereo for the time being though. Quality surround sound could get expensive real fast and I do use my setup for playing music a lot. Plus there's the room size issue and running cables....
 
Psycho Sonny said:
I think the bare minimum usually for home cinema is 3.0 or 3.1.

Essentially the centre speaker is the most important. It's the one the majority of spoken voice comes out of. So you may find it sometimes you can barely hear people speak as it's not mixing well to 2.0.

I would definitely get a centre and sub. Those 2 add so much. The rear speakers add little compared to those 2.
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Would need a new amp first unfortunately, mine is stereo only :(
 
Psycho Sonny said:
maybe food for thought for the future.

i originally had 3.0. then went 3.1 then went 5.1.

i felt the biggest difference was going 3.0 to 3.1 and 5.1 only really comes to life with decent movies. for the majority of viewing tv shows it's pointless.
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Certainly a possibility in the future, once we have a bigger house with a bigger living room.

Enjoying the bronze 5's in stereo at the moment :) First proper pair of speakers I have owned.

The little N9 is doing a surprisingly decent job of driving them at the moment.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
i have an older more bassier version of those speakers.

Monitor Audio BX6's. I got the pair plus the centre speaker for £220. Second hand but were in mint condition bar a tiny scrape on the base. I used some black nail polish to fill it in and it now looks perfect.

Monitor Audio IMO make some of the best value for money and good looking speakers available. I know Q acoustics can sometimes match them in the value for money however they don't look anywhere near as good.

Monitor_Audio_Bronze_BX6_Speakers__Pair_22431-2.jpg.jpg

a stock picture of mine
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Looks like you got a good deal there :)

The Mrs dad has a pair of monitor audio silver 6's which sound fantastic. So I already knew of the companies pedigree.

I know my bronzes aren't rated as the bassiest of speakers, but the depth of bass is a noticeable improvement on my old 2020i's.

I think my next upgrade will be a more capable amp. Just need to find one that supports dnla.
 
GoRedwings19 said:
What kind of amp are you looking at?? I have a slimline multi channel amp and an ordinary stereo amp. I use the Multi channel amp for video switching duties but the sound is via the stereo amp.
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I'll be after a decent stereo amp with networking capabilities. Really need dlna support as I play most of my music from my pc upstairs.
 
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