Would the £600 Razer 2.1 system be too much of a downgrade?

[bemaniac]

I'm looking at that lovely compact 2.1 system they just started selling for just shy of £600.

Currently I have a Marantz 2017 slimline AV amp, a pair of KEF Q500 floorstanders and my main problem which is my SVS PB2000 subwoofer.

I love the sparkle of the KEFs and warmth of the Marantz but I do like having a sub for music and movies. I find the SVSPB2000 is way more than I currently can handle bass wise especially with bluray. I like to have audible bass for music but not feelable bass way below the normal range plus I'm moving house soon and the sub is the size of a washing machine.

How much of a downgrade would the new Razer set be? They have silk dome tweeters and Kevlar midrange speakers plus a chunky little sub which should extend down to enjoyable levels for electronic music without shaking the windows. Or am I looking at another gimmick gaming only set here?

 

[Begbie]

Personally I'd get a DAC and some bookshelves before I spent my hard earned money on those horrible looking Razer things.

I'd bet you could spend half of that for as good sound.

 

[Marsman]

My first impression is, overpriced stylised gaming nonsense.

Razer give the size of the satellite woofers, but conveniently leave out the size of the subwoofer. They also don't give dimension specs. Looking at pictures, I'd say it's no more than a 6" woofer. Not surprised they don't give the size if it is indeed 6". You can get bookshelf speakers with woofers larger than that. Could be just a higher quality fart box?

These types of speakers have their place, but £600 is ridiculous money for 2.1 PC speakers. Aimed at gamer's who are more than happy to pay over odds for something with a little bling.

I'd just buy a BK Gemini II, bookshelf speakers (maybe a Q Acoustics 3020) and an amplifier, that for maybe around £100 less would be much better.

If the problem just the size of the subwoofer though, then why not just get a smaller one?

 

[crinkleshoes]

That would be a huge downgrade.

Razer stuff is already overpriced for the brand label... that's probably equivalent to a £200 computer orientated 2.1 system.

The Kef Q500s are great speakers and Marantz make great amps... just those alone will be better than the Razer system.

It sounds like your only problem is the sub... which is too powerful. You have 2 options which are far more favourable:

1. Figure out how to turn down the sub power... both on the sub itself and through the amp if that amp has that capability.
2. Buy a smaller sub

Strongly recommend against the downgrade, you'll hate it having used those Kefs for however long.

If you want an upgrade from the Kefs... look at these:
https://www.arendalsound.eu/collections/1723-thx

With a pair of those, you won't even need a sub...

 

[bemaniac]

Thanks, I'll rule them out. I do not want to lose even 1% of fidelity from the Q500s but do want something stylish and smaller as all hifi will need to be on top of my new desk when we move in a couple of months. I'm getting the 49" Samsung monitor so the desk will be quite wide so there will be room for 2 speakers and some isolation platforms either side of the monitor and there will be a much smaller area for a subwoofer.

 

[crinkleshoes]

Kef LS50

... that's what I use for PC speakers.

They have a small footprint, so fit on the desk well and their fidelity exceeds the Q900s.

I used to have Kef Q900s as my main fronts for living room, now have Arendal in there which is a big upgrade from the already great Kefs.