Speaker Suggestions Please :)

IamMed

IamMed

IamMed

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Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be buying some new speakers for new HiFi however I'm more than likely buying second hand so demo'ing whatever I buy will be pretty much impossible.

Speakers will be paired with a Sony TA-F808ES Amp and a Sony CDP-X707ES CD Player (with swoboda mod hopefully)
Already have the amp, just waiting on the cd player.

Room size is currently small but HiFi will be moving to a larger room at some point or another, so I'm a bit undecided on wether to get floorstanders or bookshelfs.

Music mainly listened too is dance and club but I do like some rock and others sometimes for a change.

Budget will be around £250-400, any suggestions I get here I'll start keeping an eye out for on auctions etc
 
Please form a queue no rushing.... :p

Been keeping an eye on current listings on auction etc and generally the only speakers that look half decent for reasonable cost is B+W and some Missions.

Quite like the look of the Mission 753 and 773e's but no Idea how good they sound :(
 
The Mission 753's were apparently some of the best speakers mission ever made. They are highly recommended by a lot of people. They have also held their value pretty well.

The 773e's seemed like a bit more of a budget affair, I remember seeing them for sale in richer sounds for about £130 a pair at one point. Still decent as far as I can tell though.

It's really hard to know what you're buying when looking around second hand things. It's also pretty impossible for us to tell you how they'll sound without actually listening to the combo.

As for the floorstanders vs bookshelf argument, it really depends on what you want. Floorstanders can be put into a smaller room, however you've probably heard all the arguments about boomy bass etc. I think in your case you should be looking around the second hand market and buying something that is at a good price and that has good reviews and good user feedback with similar kit to yours rather than measuring the speaker dimensions exactly.

You can also go into a hi-fi shop and listen to some things. Manufacturers tend to keep a similar style throughout their range. Take your amp into a shop and see what they have to suggest. Who knows, you might find a set of speakers at £400 new which you really like.
 
if i were you i would look at some kef iq5s there realy good had a liston to them awile ago and was amazed at the detail and power thinking about saving for some my self. i have mission v61s there quite good for drum and bass so they would prob be good for dance. rock music is sweet on them.
 
Problem is with demoing is lack of transport, closest place that sells decent speakers new here is nottingham which involves about an hours bus travel and 40mins of walking minmum.

With a 25kg amp thats a bit of a mare :D

The amp itself doesn't really have any weaknesses that I know of, its regarded as one of the best integrated amps sony ever made, every review I have read has only ever given it praise.

Have had a look into the 753's a bit more and they seem pretty much what I'm after but they have 1 huge fundamental drawback which is they dont go below 50hz :(

Have seen a set of Technics EX7 floorstanders up for sale which look promising but no reviews anywhere :(

Have decided to defineatly go for floorstanding speakers over bookshelfs as it will save me from upgrading again later on when I move.
 
would stay away from the technics floor standers, will prob just be a pair that were bundled with a midi system.

Your right to look at the mission range for starters though. The 773e whilst not in the same league details wise as the 753 do offer really nice sound and bass for the price, and they are easy to drive to. if you are into a more Hi-Fi sound then I would defo look for either the 752 or the 753 ( freedom model if you can ) they still sound absolutly great. the bass is deep and incredibly fast, and the detail is stunnin gas well. They can be harder top drive though so just make sure your amp is up to it.

Another brand if your into dance music is B&W, the DM602 although a floorstander produces HUGE bass, *** 603 is the floorstander and would prob be right up your street.
 
I would be careful of not getting speakers that are too bassy for the room, with HT you have options to tailor the bass managment, but for stereo, with an amp with no tone controls you're stuck. I found the B&W 603's uncontrolled in the bass department. (I also have a pair of 601's)

Don't let the "poor" bass response let you decide, in a small room standmounts are fine. B&W 601's for PC setup- fine. Ruark standmounts in a Hi-Fi , fine. You only need floorstanders in larger rooms. And good floorstanders start at £500+
 
I'm aware of which technics speakers are from midi systems and those that are not ;)

Have a pair of Technics SBFW12 Bookshelfs currently and they blow most others I've heard away in terms of bass and volume but they are lacking in mid and high range.

As stated in original post room is currently small but where ever I move next will have a large living room for music only.

Haven't seen any Mission 752.s around yet but have seen a few 753's but I dont think there the freedom model :(

Amp does 120w DIN in Class A so I'd imagine running the 753's shouldnt be a problem.

Will have a look later for the B+W 603's gotta dash up town for a bit.

Thx for the replies, keep the suggestions coming! :)
 
I've heard from some people that the freedom models were slightly less good. I forget exactly why though.

I think the 753s will still give a pretty good bass clout.
 
Nope the Freedom model was regarded as vastly superior. It was a revised tweeter mainly that took out what som econsidered harshness from the treble. left it with a wonderful detailed yet sweet sound

Oh, dont get me wrong, the standard ones are still amazing speakers, Just make sure that you dont partner them with an overly bright cd player and amp. although your sony will be fine.
 
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tom_nieto said:
I've heard from some people that the freedom models were slightly less good. I forget exactly why though.

I think the 753s will still give a pretty good bass clout.
Click to expand...

I've read a few reviews on the F and non F model and it seems people are divided, some prefer the revised tweeter, others prefer original.

Off to google those B+W now :)
 
The B+W look mighty ugleh! Though they do have good specs, they seem to come in a few revisions though and seem to sell anywhere between £250-500

Would they be a big improvement over the 753's? The 753's go for around £150-250

The Q75's look pretty interesting, pretty sure I seen a set sell other day but cant for the life of me remember how much they went for, have sent you an email anyhoo ;)
 
personally I would take the 753 over the B&W 603 any day of the week. The B&W has a really big sound but its just to much for liking, the missions hit hard but dont sacrifice detail at all.

The 753 were £800 when new, so if you can get them for under £200 you have got a bargain
 
Take a look at dynaudio 42 bookself speakers, they cost £400 new a few years back, so you should be able to get a good deal on them from somewhere..
 
Yep the dynaudio's sound fantastic, you will defo need a good pair of stands though.

Dont rule out bookshelfs, I recently upgraded my Mision 751 to a set of B&W CDM1 and they have more bass then many floorstanders Iv listened to
 
Problem is when you factor in the price of a decent set of stands it doesnt make them particulary cheaper than the floorstanders.

I'm currently thinking of limiting my budget to £200 for second hand set as I know I will eventually upgrade what ever I have now at a later point anyway and any savings I make on speakers now can go towards the cd player :)

(eventually want either B+W 801 or Infinity Kappa 8.2 have listened to both sets on this amp and cd combo and they were awesome!)

At £200 I'd guess the 753's would be the best choice?

The B+W 603 seem to have a few revisions all variating in price is there a big difference in the revisions?

Only the older series 1 and 2 sell for £200 mark
 
I know what you mean about the stands mate. There not cheap for good ones and with quality bookshelf speakers they are a must.

For some reason B&W speakers hold there value really well. As you mentioned there are lots of revisions with the 6 series, the later ones being a lot more refined. early ones were all 'crash, bang, wallop' if I had to chose between the 603 or the 753 I would pick the missions any day. I just love the detail they pull out.

I nearly bought a set myself, the only thing that made me get the B&W CDM1 over the 753's was the fact I had a nice set of £150 stands that I didnt want to ditch.

Driving the big missions wont be an issue with your amp either fella, I googled it. its a flaming monster :cool:
 
Cheap stands are to be avoided, used a pair of Atacama Nexus 6 and really light and wobbly, they're quite "tingy" metal (too thin) Picked up some Target R range and they're 40 kilos each! Those won't budge. Used a bit of rug anti-slip matting between speakers and the stand and it's a good contact between the two - non damaging to wood veneer and great anti-slip properties.
 
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