Speaker upgrade :)

jetpaczx

jetpaczx

jetpaczx

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Joined
7 Oct 2014
Posts
380
Hello all,

I have just upgraded my amp to a Marantz PM6006.

I have Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 which are great speakers but I am think I want something MORE. :)

So I am looking for suggestions in the £200-£300 mark.

The ones I have been looking at so far are the Monitor Audio Bronze 2

Any other ideas?
 
New, and around £250? Dali Zensor 1, Wharfedale Diamond 11.1, Acoustic Energy 101.......... You really should go have a listen.

Unless your room is very small, or the speakers have to be tight in to a corner, then personally I'd be tempted to seek out a used pair of Monitor Audio BX5 floorstanders. The extra bass depth they give over the BX2/BR2 is very seductive. If you like your sound tight and fast then Rega Alya floorstanders are tremendous, but not for bass-heads. Staying with floorstanders, Focal Chorus 714 have the pace and excitement of the Regas but with bass, but they don't boom in a tight location like the BX5 floorstanders will.

Back on used standmounters, Focal Chorus 705 or the step-up Focal Aria 905 if you can find a pair. Possibly KEF iQ10?
 
What about second hand? You can get proper bargains, for your £300 budget I managed to get £1700 of speakers (stereo & center) so you would get far higher quality speakers second hand rather than new.
 
I'd think twice about the Monitor Audio, or at the very least demo them with their backs against the wall then. Although they're front bass-ported rather than rear they're still designed to be 12-18" away from the back wall. In fact, you're going to find that most of the larger sized bass-ported speakers will want some space behind them if they're to sound neutral. Using a bass port bung (a foam cylinder supplied with new speakers) to stop up the hole will help tame things a little, but the overall balance will still veer towards bass-heavy. It might even affect vocal clarity as adult male voice is down in the 80-160Hz region.

If you're happy with the treble and midrange from the Diamonds have you thought about adding a sub instead?
 
jetpaczx said:
I am here for suggestions. I got the Wharfdale 9.1 on a recommendation here :)
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Well, are you happy with the top and midrange then or not? You said you wanted something "more", so what in your mind does more mean to you?

Also, did you get the PM6006 demoed (and if so then with what make & model speakers) or did you just buy off the page?
 
I am happy with them I was just looking for an upgrade.

No unfortunately I didn't I am unable to leave home at the moment so demoing isnt something I can currently do for at least 3 months or more.
 
Maybe since you like the Wharfedale sound, stick to Whafedale but the higher end models? Like myself went from Kef Q to Reference.

Or take a risk and buy a unknown brand, sometimes it can work well, sometimes not. Worst case scenario you sell on, if you bought them second hand loss isn't that much, or you could re-use them- say in a computer system, or if you find it doesn't work with certain amp brand, and you have another amp brand it may work well with that.
 
jetpaczx said:
I am happy with them I was just looking for an upgrade.

No unfortunately I didn't I am unable to leave home at the moment so demoing isnt something I can currently do for at least 3 months or more.
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In order to make some proper recommendations it's necessary to understand what you're searching for in the sound. I mean if you just want to burn through some cash then pop online and mail order to your hearts content. But if you're looking to make an improvement in the sound in a specific direction then you really need to define what it is that would complete the sonic picture for you. Otherwise this is all just a bit of a waste of time really, do you see?

I'm not being difficult, it's just that if you don'yt know what you want then no-one here or elsewhere can really help you.

Ball back in your court then; what have you heard in other systems that makes you feel your system is lacking?
 
I am pretty new to it all, I have picked up a Rega Planar 3 (Rega Elys 2 Stylus) just recently so I wanted speakers to go with the Rega and Marantz.

I wanted speakers that make the vinyl really pop. The 9.1 cost me £50 second hand I just felt that if I paid for better quality speakers I would get improvement over the Wharfdales.
 
Better speakers may help but you've got this big limitation that they're going to be wall mounted. That means simply throwing cash at this won't necessarily make things better, and it may end up making things worse. You could end up hating the sound.

You're also not really answering the question; "something more" "make it better" "make vinyl pop" don't mean a thing unless you can be SPECIFIC about what more/better/pop mean to YOU.

What is it about the sound that you want to improve. Is it the bass, or the clarity of the separation of instruments, do you feel it needs more treble, something else? Also say WHY do you feel it needs this or that improvement?

It could be that you're happy with the Diamonds but you feel they're bass-light, and you'd like to hear the beat more on your Dub and Drum-n-Bass tracks, or just in general. Alternatively you might say that the high notes are a bit coarse or that when the music gets busy then its hard to keep track of what the individual players are doing.
 
Just sounds like you want "better gear" but it's hard to quantify that. Better amp, better speakers. But also better quality build too, and finish. And higher quality, more rigid stands.

Plus maybe a subwoofer.

Wall mounting will definitely hurt sound quality.
 
No need to feel embarrassed. We all start somewhere, and by the look of things you've made some decent purchases. I get the impression that you might have bought mainly on recommendation / review / deals rather than audition though. Would I be wrong?

QUESTIONS:
You say the 9.1's are wall mounted. What EXACTLY do you mean: wall brackets, dedicated wall shelves, sitting in some spare space on a wall unit with a load of gear piled around them, in two alcoves either side of the chimney breast etc?

Also what HEIGHT are the tweeters relative to your ears when you're sat(?) listening: higher - about the same level - lower?

What's the rest of the ROOM FURNISHING like - Clean/Minimalist/Spartan; with tiled or laminate floor, mostly bare walls, very little furniture, window blinds but no curtains - or Heavily furnished; carpeted, soft and squashy sofa, bookcases, heavy curtains, lots of knick-knacks - Something in-between; e.g hard floor but soft furnishings and curtains?

General LISTENING VOLUME; Do you listen at quiet levels i.e. you wouldn't have to turn the volume down to answer the phone - or Moderately loud, you'd have to raise your voice a little to have a conversation - or Very loud, normal conversation would be difficult?

Describe the ROOM layout; size (L x W), patio window/bay window/normal window, living room/bedroom/office/study/conservatory/through-lounge leading to dining room, door ways, any other factors/info/considerations?

Your SEATING POSITION; if you imagine the speakers and you forming a triangle, about how far apart are the speakers, and how far from you to EACH of the speakers? Try go give the distances to the nearest foot or 1/4 of a metre.

WHERE is the rest of the gear (amp, turntable, any other bits)? Be specific; if the turntable is on the same shelf as the speakers, say "It's on the same shelf as the speakers", if it's on a dedicated stand, describe the stand (metal/glass/wood) and where it is in relation to the rest of the gear i.e "It's on a metal and glass TV stand on the left wall adjacent to the speakers and about 5ft from the nearest speaker. The amplifier is on the next glass shelf below"
 
lucid said:
No need to feel embarrassed. We all start somewhere, and by the look of things you've made some decent purchases. I get the impression that you might have bought mainly on recommendation / review / deals rather than audition though. Would I be wrong?
  • The Rega was based on my brothers own Rega so I have been listening to it on and off for 15 years. The Amp was bought based on recommendations and reviews there was a few reviews saying it paired well with the Rega.

QUESTIONS:
You say the 9.1's are wall mounted. What EXACTLY do you mean: wall brackets, dedicated wall shelves, sitting in some spare space on a wall unit with a load of gear piled around them, in two alcoves either side of the chimney breast etc?

  • Wall brackets.
    2CVvTXC.jpg


Also what HEIGHT are the tweeters relative to your ears when you're sat(?) listening: higher - about the same level - lower?

  • About 1 foot higher.

What's the rest of the ROOM FURNISHING like - Clean/Minimalist/Spartan; with tiled or laminate floor, mostly bare walls, very little furniture, window blinds but no curtains - or Heavily furnished; carpeted, soft and squashy sofa, bookcases, heavy curtains, lots of knick-knacks - Something in-between; e.g hard floor but soft furnishings and curtains?
  • Clean, Laminate, blinds, heavy curtains. some furnishings.

General LISTENING VOLUME; Do you listen at quiet levels i.e. you wouldn't have to turn the volume down to answer the phone - or Moderately loud, you'd have to raise your voice a little to have a conversation - or Very loud, normal conversation would be difficult?

  • Varies I tend to have it up loud when listening to music mainly. It is also the sound for my PC.

Describe the ROOM layout; size (L x W), patio window/bay window/normal window, living room/bedroom/office/study/conservatory/through-lounge leading to dining room, door ways, any other factors/info/considerations?

  • 10'x10', Office/Man Cave, normal window.


Your SEATING POSITION; if you imagine the speakers and you forming a triangle, about how far apart are the speakers, and how far from you to EACH of the speakers? Try go give the distances to the nearest foot or 1/4 of a metre.

  • About a metre.

WHERE is the rest of the gear (amp, turntable, any other bits)? Be specific; if the turntable is on the same shelf as the speakers, say "It's on the same shelf as the speakers", if it's on a dedicated stand, describe the stand (metal/glass/wood) and where it is in relation to the rest of the gear i.e "It's on a metal and glass TV stand on the left wall adjacent to the speakers and about 5ft from the nearest speaker. The amplifier is on the next glass shelf below"
  • Turntable in on the desk below the speakers (in pic below left side). with the Amp underneath. Not the most idea situation but I am lucky to have this room as my man cave
Click to expand...
 
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