Can the Mercury V1s be bested <£100?

[Cookeh]

Afternoon,

Noticed the V1s are for sale on RicherSounds (£80) and I've recently been looking into upgrading my Diamond 9.0s. Are there any better bookshelf speakers available at or around this budget? My original budget was around £130 as I was looking at the Q Acoustics 2020i, but the V1s seem like a steal (especially considering how well reviewed they are) and I wouldn't want to stretch too much above £100 if possible.

They will be paired with my Pioneer SA770 with a FiiO E7 as a DAC.

Thanks chaps,
Cookeh

 

[Cookeh]

Mmm, when I got the 9.0s I always intended the 9.1s to be my upgrade route - but now that Ive seen the V1 essentially half-price it is incredibly tempting. I think my SA770 is only a 6 Ohm amp whereas they are 8 Ohm speakers - not sure if that would make any difference.

I must admit the V1s are very well reviewed indeed, but I have heard a lot about the Boston Acoustics Range at around £100, unfortunately there are no comparisons anywhere that I can see - or indeed a comparison between the 9.1s and the V1s.

Out of interest, and with the intent of potentially upgrading my spare amp, what are the Topping amps you are discussing like and are they another 'Bay special?

 

[Cookeh]

Thats just it, I have to have front ports due to my desk space at home. Rules out a lot of very good budget speakers. Now that they're at a similar price I may have to demo them both at RicherSounds and see which pairs better.