Speaker upgrade :)

jetpaczx

jetpaczx

jetpaczx

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7 Oct 2014
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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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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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lucid said:
Thanks for the info. From the top then, you've had access to your brother's Rega P3 system to listen to over the past 15 years. QUESTION: What's he running with that TT (cartridge, amp, speakers etc) and how does that sound compared to yours?

QUESTION: Is his room size and gear layout significantly different to yours?

He has all his stuff in his living room so plenty of space to set up properly, He as a Rega P3 (Not sure on stylus, Nad 3320, Kef Q10's (About 15 years old), His speakers just sound better and more pleasing to the ears.

From the picture, it looks like the speakers are pointing at different angles. QUESTIONS: Is that correct, is there room so that they could they be made to point in to the room at the same angle?

I think its just the crap picture I have taken. They are pointing at the pretty much the same I think.

QUESTIONS: Do the wall brackets hold the speakers rigidly, or is there some flex, or would they swing easily from side to side if pushed gently?

It looks like one of the speakers is pointing down slightly compared to the other. I take it that means the wall brackets have some adjustability for vertical angle?

The brackets have good angle to move side to side the tilt is at its maximum, so nothing more I can do with that :(.


Before changing your speakers, it's probably a good idea to see if we can get more from the ones you already have. QUESTION: Is it possible to get the layout so that both speakers are pointing almost straight ahead and at the same angle horizontally?

Adjusted as you suggested, but i think they are too high, I plan on decorating this room sometime this year I will be more mindful of the brackets.

ZDVA2M.jpg
Click to expand...
 
lucid said:
It's hard to keep track of all the Mission models. There just seem to be so many.

751's can be a bit hit or miss depending on the tweeter and how you get on with either version. I'm not sure if it was the mesh dome or silk dome tweeter that came first, but apparently the updated tweeter kind of killed the presentation. Thinking about it, it was possibly the silk dome tweeter that was the update. If we're talking about the Gen 1 versions, and they're okay close against a back wall then they're a worthy consideration.
Click to expand...

Not the Freedom version :).
 
OK after some thought I am going to reorganise the room, the speakers will be on stands and about 1 metre away from the wall...

Does this change the recommended one :)
 
lucid said:
Yes, hugely. You've gone from having too much bass reinforcement from the rear wall to very little at all. Now you're looking for speakers that are bass-rich to compensate. Stand-mounters: Used: original B&W DM601 S1 perhaps? Floorstanders (because, lets face it, they take up the same floor area so it's no different to speakers on stands, but you get more bass) - again in the used market because cheap new floor-standers are a waste of money - Monitor Audio BX5, Mission 752.
Click to expand...

What space should I have then?
 
Ok change of circumstances...

I have the space for Floorstanders, budget is still the same £200-£300

I can position them at optimal places ie 12" from wall.
 
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