Decent set of Towers.

RogerMesenseless · 27 Aug 2012 at 19:32

So, I'm thinking of getting a new set of floor standers but not really sure what to get.
I currently have a pair of Eltax Concept 200's. I've had then for a while but not very impressed. (The not particularly expensive so you get what you pay for, right?)

Ideally, I'd like to pay around the £150 mark. Would also be open to second hand but would prefer to have some new.

Powered by a Kenwood KA550d.

Thanks

Kei · 27 Aug 2012 at 19:52

What is it that you found lacking in your eltax speakers?

With that kind of budget, i'd only be looking at second hand as you're not going to get enything miles ahead of the eltax you already have. If space isn't a problem take a look at vintage speakers as most of the large stuff is able to reproduce a full sound without the need for a subwoofer. (think house shaking ability) There is a nice looking pair of old KEF C series Cadenzas on that auction site in Rickmansworth with 2 days left for a fair price. If i was local I would be buying them as they are the big version of the Chorales that i presently use and love. (They would have the extra bass below 45/50Hz that mine lack due to their size and the extra B139 ABR, & nope i'm not affiliated with the seller) Celestion ditton's (UL's, 15, 25, 44 and 66) are spectacular bargains too and can certainly produce a full bodied sound. (the 15's less so as they are the small 8" drivers, but still pretty good by all accounts) With only 35W per channel to play with, they will need to be reasonably efficient too. B&W DM series were very good and some of the old rogers LS or studios (not the 3/5a as they are epically overpriced) were excellent too.

RogerMesenseless · 27 Aug 2012 at 22:38

Ok. Thanks for the help, I'll look at some of the ones that you suggested.
Also, what I found lacking with the Eltax Towers is that they are a too heavy on the bass, they sound very loose and boomy. I would prefer something with a tighter, punchier sound.

Kei · 27 Aug 2012 at 23:01

Are your eltax speakers ported? This can lead to boomy sound, as can positioning the speakers in the corners of a room and up tight against walls. This can be used to your advantage with slightly bass light speakers like i have done with my chorales. The f3 (-3dB point) on these is around 50Hz, which compared to modern speakers isn't too bad, but its nice to get it down in to the 30Hz territory.

There was a very nice looking set of B&W DM2-A's (8 days, but starting £30 over budget) and also a nice pair of celestion UL8 speakers too (6 days 99p atm) . If you can though i'd suggest going to audition something like this first as speakers are quite a personal taste.

RogerMesenseless · 27 Aug 2012 at 23:11

The Eltax towers are Ported, they have two 6 1/2's per tower. It's a little late now, so I'll try changing the positioning in the room tomorrow and see what happens

Yaayuh! · 28 Aug 2012 at 12:30

Wharfedale Diamond 10.3 i still think are worth more than they cost new now (can be found at £170!). They are however, heavily rear ported and need to be away from the walls quite a bit IMO.

What music do you listen to? This can help pin down a set of speakers with a soundstage tailored for your music.

RogerMesenseless · 28 Aug 2012 at 16:43

I listen to a pretty wide range of music, Drum and Bass, Alternative Rock, Jazz...
The Diamond's look very nice though, ill be sure to look into that.

Edit: I also had a bit of a shift around with my Eltax Towers, the sound a bit better but not so much better that I don't want some new ones

digyerownhole · 29 Aug 2012 at 18:20

I have the 10.3s as the fronts in my 5.0 setup. Even via the Onkyo amp, music sounds great through them. They took a few months to properly bed in, but they perform so well I've not bothered with a sub yet (one year on from purchase).

RogerMesenseless · 29 Aug 2012 at 22:06

Sounds Promising!

mrk · 30 Aug 2012 at 15:18

I demo'd the Diamond 10.3 before buying the Tannoy Mercury V4 and felt the Wharfs lacked low down oomph but had ample clarity in symbols and highs. They're damn fine speakers and much better than the Eltax but if you want the best of highs, mids and lows the budget will need to be upped!

Yaayuh! · 30 Aug 2012 at 15:22

mrk said:
I demo'd the Diamond 10.3 before buying the Tannoy Mercury V4 and felt the Wharfs lacked low down oomph but had ample clarity in symbols and highs. They're damn fine speakers and much better than the Eltax but if you want the best of highs, mids and lows the budget will need to be upped!

Lacked bass? Really not what i've heard with my ears when demo'd.

Also, if you do have issues, the speakers can handle some tweaking:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/speakers/978096-new-wharfedale-diamond-10-series-6.html

AVForums said:
BlueWizard posted up on an earlier comment of mine, suggesting (because i do not run a sub) that i set the Yammy amp to output LFE to the 10.3s (essentially set the system as 'Large' fronts, 'Large' centre and LFE going to the fronts). Having done this, i really can't see why anyone would want to run a separate sub! Monsterously thumping bass from the 10.3s - even in my detached house going anywhere near half volume on the yammy with bass set at max is loud enough to move the foundations! They really do seem to handle the extra bass very well, with no sign (even at max bass +10dB on the amp) of any speaker damage etc.

mrk · 30 Aug 2012 at 15:30

The detail in the bass wasn't as good as the Tannoys and at the time the price difference wasn't huge. I was buying new though but demoing used units.