MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
After a little inspiration.
Not fussed how cheap or expensive, just tell me why you like 'em and which amp you're using.
I'm looking to replace a pair of Missions in a smallish room, using a decent Marantz amp so recommendations re similar systems especially welcome.
Thanks in advance.
I have some cheap Gale speakers from Richer Sounds from a few years back. Not as good as my old Mission 731's so I am looking for some new ones. Really want some large Castle stand mounts.
None of this sub satellite crap. Big sound needs big speakers!
Ruark Icons, because I designed them.
There's a pair on ebay, prefect for you Rusty!
I got a full set of 5 Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo speakers off ebay for £200.
They were in perfect condition, very happy with them.
"Collection only" brings up the bargains on EBay.
Really Al?
Wow.
I thought you were a lawyer?
Always liked Ruarks, but not heard the Icons.
Will put them on the shortlist.
Rega Ella mkII in Cherry.
Love them to death. Whenever I demo others, I have to spend £1400 to get something I think is an improvement.
I've seen them go on ebay for £140!
(is impressed by cynic-al)
AVI preamp and mono bloc power amps, ATC SCM20 speakers with Harbeth subwoofers. Reason - the best speakers I've ever heard which would fit in a normal size room are ATC SCM50 Actives, but they are too big for my tiny shoebox.
I'm using some Neat Ultimatums XLS and also have some lovely little Dynaudio 42's which I can recommend if you can bring them away form the walls and give a little space to at the sides. They need good stands though as well. The Neats are just stunning but they should be for the price.
Sonus Faber Concertino/Home/Rel 5.1 system with Onkyo receiver. Previously run the front two using a Music Fidelity A1 and a Quad 303, but sadly the room can't accomodate a cinema and hifi system.
Jamo concert 8's fed by a leema acoustics pulse amp. Neither of which are available to purchase new anymore but if you trawl that well known auction site you can quite often come across the jamos for ridiculously low prices (considering they were over £1500 when new, can be had mint for £3-400). All very personal but I've yet to hear them bettered for under £3k!
Can't really get them too far off a back wall.
Have enjoyed Royd, Regas and LS3/5a in the past.
Have been offered some mint MA RS1's, but want to audition a few more (BX2's, Dali's etc) before I take the plunge.
Rega RS5's. Moorgate Acoustics have them for around half price at £550. Blooming lovely sounding things.
Not the deepest bass but so musical and beautifully balanced across the range.
Old pair of technics liners why?...because there old and awsomely loud iv had them sins I was about 15 when mother upgraded to missions
Sony Brooklands Edition floorstanders coupled to a Sony FA3ES streaming from my phone via an Apple Airport.
Sat at work blasting it out 8)
In a small room, with a Marantz combined unit, Monitor Bronze.
Nice, small speaker, good sound across almost all genres.
Helped, of course, by the directional cables plaited from mermaid pubes.
Dali Zensors with Denon M39 by pc,B+W 601s2 rocking it in lounge.
Some classic KEF 104/2s for me, can get them for a 200 quid or so on Ebay - bargin.
No Lester, that's not me, I only worked there for a couple of years in the 90s (in pre law days Rusty).
Wharfdale pacific pi-10 (I think) which are good but miss my pair of rogers db101's (lent them to a friend and it has sort if becime a trade after they did me a massive favour - not complaing but really miss those speakers!) - which I think looked nicer and had a great sound. Both very old now but buying new hifi never seems to get to the top of my todo list!
Dynaudio Excite X12 with a Cyrus 8 amp.
Arcam solos and just bought a denon ceol piccolo to drive them.
Sounds good, takes up very little space and logs straight onto spotify.
Al - that is a very cool thing to be able put on your cv.
Did you use a tuning spoon at Ruark, or the more traditional fork?
Celestion f30 from a samasung home cinema amp because they do music well and can pack a punch for films.
😡
[u][b]
IT WASNT A SPOON[/b][/u]
Spoonist.
Spendor S8E's with either a Sony 770ES or a pile of chrome bumper Naim amps.
Sony ES integrated does 80% of what the Naims do at 1/10 of the ££
If like me you secretly enjoy a bit of geekery, internet research and fettling it might be worth keeping an eye out for something second hand and needing repair. Just check you can still get drivers etc. I've got some nice Rogers speakers that were the price of two new tweeters, and my active monitors were also a bargain, just needed new tweeters too. I knew the people they came from so there was a bit less risk perhaps.
Same goes for amps etc - some nice stuff to be found on ebay/gumtree that might just need a squirt of deoxit to bring back to life.
Ruark Epilogue here, the small ones bought around 1999-2000, and a Cambridge Audio amp.
Rusty, you have just won teh interwebz!
Tuning spoon!
Superb!
I have some Monitor Audio 7's for sale that would be ideal as they're small bookshelf speakers. Just had 2 new drivers fitted to them from Wilmslow Audio at a cost of £75 but I'll let them go for less than that as I just want shift them. Very highly rated speakers in their days as well and would cost over £500 today if new. My emails in my profile if your interested.
If your going new the ones you mentioned, the BX2's and Dali's I can definitely recommend as well.
Tannoy 631 se s that i have had for the last 16 years, still as good as they day i bought them. With my Technics A600 mk3 amp, which i have also had for the same time.
I have some cheap Gale speakers from Richer Sounds from a few years back.
I initially got a Gale centre speaker when I was putting my AV setup together. It was toilet, with sod all EM shielding. Put it within three yards of the TV and the screen looked like an acid trip in a 60s movie. I took it back and swapped it for something that wasn't mince.
I auditioned everything they had in Richer Sounds, back when they were happy to let you spend all day in the shop with a bag of CDs and half a mile of cabling. Walked out with a pair of Paradigm Mini Monitors as my front speakers, along with smaller Paradigm surround speakers and the aforementioned Gale monstrosity. If I were doing it again I'd have got four Mini Monitors, they're ace.
ATC SCM 50 Active Towers + Benchmark HDR Preamp/DAC + Squeezebox Touch + FLAC.
Some very old but lovely sounding AVI Biggatron speakers, (neutrons unfortunately named bigger brother) specifically designed for studios. Ebay bargain a number of years back.
Powered by Audiolab pre and power amps with a Rotel 965 BX LE discrete Bitstream CD player or a Thorens TD166 turntable with Rega phono stage.
ATC Active 20's. I like them because they sound good, they don't require lots of amplifier boxes, they were relativity cheap and it's stopped me wanting to upgrade.
Some lovely old Mission 731is, which sound great even with just a cheap Cambridge Audio amp. Just got some speaker stands which have done wonders for the sound.
Mission 780se and Rotel rb/rc 850 pre/power combo.
Tannoy MX2s. Connected to a homemade valve amp!
Naim Audio Ovator S600, currently running in passive mode as I can't afford another power amp (or indeed a different active x/o).
Prior to that, I had active SBLs, and active IBLs. Before that, Mission 782s and 770s.
Obviously the S600s are ace. Will always have a soft spot for the IBLs though, when I have a bigger house they will be in the bedroom system 🙂
Can only agree that eBay collection only will yield some good bargains
B&W 601s wuth NAD electronics - 11 years going strong and still absolutely love the sound.
Interestingly, in the last few years I have made a couple of mates who are both sound engineers and have the exact same setup - which is reassuring that it must be a pretty good matchup!
A pair of B&W CDM7s over ten years old. Driven by an Audiolap 8000P. They mainly get used for movies these days bit they still sound great
when I had a house with big rooms it was B&W 604s floors standers , with a musically fidelity amp, but two monoblocs for the bass, and the in-line tone control
Now - Arcam AVR 280 and a cambridge minx mini20 system - cos the front room is very small!
I've always been impressed with my Linn Kans but, apparently, they cost more now secondhand than they did new!
Rachel
I use a set of mark 1 Audio Physic sparks, they replaced a set of Martin Logan SL3. I like them becase they are very small, very sweet sounding and have remarkable soundstaging and dynamics for their size. I also really like how they look. No crossover other than a capacitor for the treble which reminds me of the original Epos designs in many ways. I use a small Exposure 2020 integrated to drive them which suits them very well. Front end is a clearaudio champion limited with an AT33PTG and NVA phono 2 stage. At one point I had a Lavardin IT and Martin Logan SL3's and I don't really feel I'm missing much.
I like a bit of hifi me.
A pair of MS-15 I bought in 1987.....
NAIM/NAIM/NAIM/NAIM/NAIM into a pair of:
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which, at the time of audition, delivered both "HiFI" and music better than the NAIM equivalent that was on offer... quelle horreur!!
I'm running Linn Saras, hardly unto date! Powered by a 70w Onix amp made in Brighton some years ago but no longer available as far as I know. It was bought on the understanding that it would be traded in again for a Naim set up, but that never happened, and the shop, Brighton Hi Fi closed! Still sounds good though, 🙂 players Linn Sondek and a Naim 1 CD.
I am currently running a pair of Mordaunt Short MS 50i's dating from around 1998. I picked them up around 6 years ago off eBay and they are still going strong. They are too big for our front room really though.
They are driven by a Cambridge Audio amp and a Marantz CD player, which sounds pretty good to our ears, not amazing, but good enough for casual listening. Also running the PC through an old A&R Cambridge (Arcam) amp and tuner with some Eltax Monitor 3's in the spare room/office. This setup can be had on eBay for not much and sounds reasonable too.
the understanding that it would be traded in again for a Naim set up, but that never happened
That is a tragedy. I feel for your loss. 😯 😉
How about building your own?
I have built a set of his transmission line speakers and his large sub.
Not heard a set of speakers to match these.
Stunning detail, and tunable to suit your ears. Running mine through a pair of Rotel monoblocks.
leema zero's tiny but sound so much bigger. had PMC TB2's but they were too big for the room sonically and visually. great for annoying the neighbours but they had to go. designed by ex BBC engineers.
being powered by a naim 90/92 pre-power that will eventually be replaced with a unitiQ and a nap100
not my set up but you get an idea of their size (they are quite deep though)
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Neat Acoustic's Motive SE 2's, small enough not to dominate the room.
With a Denon AVR 2310 amp, which I've limited the volume adjustment on, after damaging the speakers once 😳
Ben.
Neat Acoustic's Motive SE 2's, small enough not to dominate the room.
With a Denon AVR 2310 amp, which I've limited the volume adjustment on, after damaging the speakers once 😳
Ben.
Running a pair of mission m33i floor standers through a marantz av receiver using some van damme blue speaker cable.
Pretty impressive sound to be honest!
QUAD 11L's through Cyrus 8 .
I've a small room so this setup suits well.
Spacious sounding, delicate and intricate yet has the guts to more than loud enough if you like. Bass is very well controlled and never boomy despite them being relatively close to a back wall.
The finish of the Quads is very nice too.
We've got a pair of Kef Q5SE connected to a cheapish-but-adequate Cambridge Audio Azur 540R AV receiver thing. They sound pretty good to my ears, but I do hanker after the setup my dad uses:
Castle Warwick speakers, some kind of Naim pre-amp/power-amp combo (32/250 high cap? something like that) that he had sent off to have different innards put in, LP12 phono and an Arcam CD17 CD player. Sounds lovely, and has done in every room he's ever installed it in.
Edit - I seem to remember my mum being eternally pissed off at him for the amount he spent on hifi stuff.
love that picture of high end kit in a completely bare room, bet there is some high freq ringing in there!
Tannoy MX2s. Connected to a homemade valve amp!
Ooh I would love to make my own amp, would you do it again?
Polk Audio, front, center, surrounds and 2 subwoofers.
Not trying to hijack, but along the same subject, has anyone used a wireless subwoofer and if so, how effective is it? Have an unusual room configuration and need to place a subwoofer in another location(would require a real mess with running the wiring).
1984 vintage in the front room- Castle Richmond stand-mounts, Naim Nait1 amp, LP12 turntable. bought as a job lot last year fro £400 and really enjoyable.
Also have some B&W DM5 speakers(2nd model they made i think) from 1976 in the dining room which set me back £4 some years ago.
So many comparisons between mtb and hi-fi worlds- but thats a whole other thread i've been meaning to start though!
Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference 3 speakers driven by a Krell KAV-400xi amp - which is slight overkill as they're reasonably sensitive, but it works very nicely.
I'm also using the Anthony Gallo sub bass amp for a little extra low end. Stereo imaging is incredible, transients are excellent. It's all ~4 years old now, and I really hope to keep it unchanged.
Some lovely old Mission 731is, which sound great even with just a cheap Cambridge Audio amp. Just got some speaker stands which have done wonders for the sound
This but with a 20yo basic Rotel amp. Good for dynamic rock and pop. It's weakness is vocals
Quad 21L (floorstanding versions of the 11L) from my aged Arcam Alpha 8 amplifier, from Apple Airport Express (using its own DAC) streaming ALAC (lossless) from iTunes.
I ought to position the speakers better, cut down the speaker cable (QED I think) and use a better cable from the AEX into the amplifier, but I've given up that level of obsession.
(And the least said about the unused LP12 in the loft the better.)
What did you say about the LP12 in the loft?
Cambridge Audio Minx
Nice neat little speakers, pack a punch for the size
Here's a photo seen as I'm lying on the sofa anyway
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantasticmrmatt/12156352973/ ]image[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/fantasticmrmatt/ ]fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr
NAD 3020i amp with some TDL RTL MkII speakers.
I originally had some Kef Coda 9 floorstanders that were great, but they had manufacturing issues with the front baffle bonding to the main enclosure and after 3 pairs, I gave up and got my money back.
The TDLs are great - really let rip, but aren't too large. Although they aren't great in our current house as we've had to put them across a corner and they don't seem to like the wooden floor.
When we re-decorate I think I'll be getting something a bit smaller and slab-like. Probably something like the Monitor Audio BX2.
Denon dm38 dab with Dali Zensors....sounds great and only a small hse so perfect fit. Mind u the LG soundbar and wireless sub in the front room, runs it close, mainly cos of access to spotify...
Bought a set of these new 25 🙄 years ago,not mine-web photo
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Still going Very well thank you, powered by a Technics SU-90V amp and SH8066 graphic equalizer. For those of you who don't know they are Warfedale Vanguards and replaced a pair of Castle Conway's which the amp blew up 
OK, so I was considering putting a FS, OT add on, but someone here may be interested. I have a pair of Jamo Cornet 40 III's with some nice stands and a Denon PMA-350SE that is never used so would be better off at a new home.
The amp is lovely and the stands are A1. One of the speakers has a dry joint I think as it cuts out at lower volumes but the drivers and cases are good. Not really thought about value yet. e-mail in profile!!
Pair of Dali lektor 6 and Yamaha amp
Neat motive 2's driven by various varieties of naim kit.
q acoustics towers in gloss black with their centre and sub and tangent rears. good soild sound
bennn - Member
Neat Acoustic's Motive SE 2's, small enough not to dominate the room.With a Denon AVR 2310 amp, which I've limited the volume adjustment on, after damaging the speakers once
Ben.
Snap!
I have a pair of those as well.
I bought mine 2 years ago and I love them to bits.
NAD 3020 and KEF Coda 8s. Yes, a man of a certain age.
NAD 3020 and KEF Coda 8s. Yes, a man of a certain age
And another here - NAD 3130 and B&W DM110s.
Had to replace one tweeter, but not bad for nearly 28 years old. Still have the Dual turntable I bought at the same time.
B&W 805's with CDX/82/250/hi-cap. And I also have an LP12 in the loft.......
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors with an Exposure 2010s2 amp fed by a (cirkused) LP12. I really like it but there's lots of good gear around and everyone has different taste, so not sure if I'd say "get those!" to you...
If it's for a small room, how about looking for speakers that are specifically designed to go close to a wall? Most speakers are designed to be a bit away from walls and will likely be compromised to some extent if they are placed close to a wall or (even worse) in a corner.
20 years + NAD 3020i amp through B&W DM110s here. Still using my trusty Technics MASH CD player from the same vintage and a newish Pro-Ject turntable.
Tannoy HPD315s from 1976, in home built cabinets. Mindblowing, honest! Always wanted some Sonus Fabers mind...
Rega RS3's driven by Rega Elicit R amp