Yes- the word HiFi tells you all you need to know about how long it has been since I’ve upgraded my sound system.
I was thinking of getting some new smallish speakers (max budget about 300£, max size about 25cm width).
In my head I would think that wired speakers would be better for the money than ‘smart’ bluetooth enabled things like Sonos/Google speakers etc simply because some of the cost has to go to the smart bit rather than just the speaker itself.
Is that a misconception, and are the modern speakers all really good now?
I was looking at something like the BOSE 301 bookshelf speakers but these are too wide for the space I have….
Any thoughts/advice appreciated, thanks in advance.
Oh and these would probably be connected to my old NAD amp!

One thing to consider is Bluetooth/wireless speakers are likely to have some form of amplification built in, i.e. the Ruark MR1’s, which you can connect wirelessly too, or plug into via a 3.5mm headphone jack. In order to connect them to a Nad amp it would have to be via one of these methods I would have thought.

So for this the question may be, what do you actually want, something to plug into the Nad amp, or something that will allow you to stream?

thanks- I would prefer better sound quality as the main objective. I can stream if needed by plugging my google audio cast into the jack of the amp.
I do appreciate that all of that, and streaming in general will reduce sound quality some level.

I’d also imagine that the built-in amps would not be as quality as a dedicated amp but I may be wrong when comparing to an old amp.

I may also want to go old school and play some vinyl so that won’t be streamed.

If you are set on using the NAD amp & can just connect up a Chromecast Audio for streaming, then just get some plain old Bookshelf speakers, rather than anything ‘smart’.

This is what I have just done funnily enough with my old NAD3020i – hooked it up to a Chromecast Audio; it sounds fine.

I’d be looking at something like these:

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/standmount-speakers/monitor-audio-bronze-2-walnut.html

They also do a smaller version for about £50 less.

Get wired ones. Have a look on Ebay for some second hand AVI Nu Neutrons.

It depends on which way you’re planning to wire your speakers. Cable direction is a critical component of sound quality.

If by 25cm wide you mean an all in one unit rather than the width of each speaker then you aren’t getting enough of a stereo spread to really warrant a ‘good’ speaker setup in my personal opinion.

The best deals and sound quality/£ are to be had on an amplifier and bookshelf speakers now that they aren’t as fashionable. I actually have such a system for sale (monitor audio speakers, arcam amp) around your budget which I won’t spam here but feel free to PM if interested at all.

yeah about 25cm for each speaker.

Thanks for advice so far- I’ll have a look at the Richer Sounds ones rather than second hand thanks.

Another question – would a 20 year old NAD amp still give the required output to modern speakers or would they be wasted if wired into an old amp?

Cheers

A 20 year old NAD amp might fail at some point (capacitors are usually the first thing to go) but there wouldn’t be any incompatibility. Likely repairable but your call on whether worth the cost.

it’s worth looking on eBay as loads of people are getting sucked into Soundbars/smart Speakers/Sonos so there’s a lot of really nice kit on the second hand market.

would a 20 year old NAD amp still give the required output to modern speakers or would they be wasted if wired into an old amp?

It’d be fine in my opinion, impedance if the only thing you might need to check (the Ohm rating) but can’t imagine you need to worry greatly about this.

Sorry, the earlier question was just trying to work out what you really wanted, it sounds to me like this is stereo speakers.

I’d check out which q-acoustics fit the size you want, 3020i’s maybe? They always get a good write up and seem like decent sound for lower budget.

+1 for the qAcoustics 3020i’s. Also check out Fyne Audio F301’s. If you’re near a branch of Richer Sounds they’ll probably have these in store to demo. Neither will disappoint. Will just boil down to personal preference.

Hi,

This is a little beyond your stated budget, and it may not suit your use-case.
https://minirigs.co.uk/speakers/bundles I picked up the 2:1 system a few years ago as I was travelling so much – it meant I could get decent sound wherever I was without carrying around a huge system. Now that I’m more staled I find myself still using them as they are so versatile and the sound is so good.

They can be used with bluetooth (pretty good sound and battery life), or wired (better sound and excellent battery life).

Maybe no good for you, I just thought they were worth you taking a look. I love them, and have had no regrets about buying them despite the high price.

edit: Hmmm, seems like a cannot do a link for some reason. The speakers are minirigs from minirigs.co.uk, and I was specifically recommending the ‘two stereo speakers + subwoofer’ bundle.

I’ve got the monitor audio bronzes linked above at Richer Sounds. Great set of little speakers and easy to drive. Don’t go stupid loud when you turn it up to eleven, but that’s to be expected for their size. One thing to bear in mind is that they need a bit of space around them. So if you only have say a 27cm width gap to slot them into they’ll sound really boomy.

Edit: Going full Hi-Fi I thought they actually sounded better when they were NOT bi-wired.

Edit: Going full Hi-Fi I thought they actually sounded better when they were NOT bi-wired.

Well bi-wiring is pretty much in the same camp as directional cables.

Another question – would a 20 year old NAD amp still give the required output to modern speakers or would they be wasted if wired into an old amp?

Yeah. It’ll be fine. Those Monitor Audio I linked to (for example) are very easy to drive and pretty sensitive.

slowoldman

Well bi-wiring is pretty much in the same camp as directional cables.

Erm….I’m fairly cynical about all this stuff but my floorstanders definitely sound better when bi-wired.
When I tried bi-wiring, my Dad who is a technical luddite (they still have a 28″ CRT that must be 23 yrs old) found the whole thing hilarious, but was surprised at what an improvement it made…

These are available for £400 and you could sell the NAD and spare CCA to recoup some cost if needed.

Come with a CCA for wireless, amps built in and Bluetooth for those wanting it. Even has a phono stage for using with a turntable.

EBay
Stealth ad…

I’ve got some b and o vintage ones on ebay

I went with Q Acoustics 3020’s and a 3070s with a Tangent Ampster amp that has bluetooth built into it.

Excluding the sub this can be had for about £300ish

Have a look at DALI Spektor 1. Fab VFM (about £160), great performance bookshelf speakers.

Cheers all, thanks for thoughts and recommendations.
In the end I’ve gone for some DALI Zensor 3….. mainly on the basis that they also have a rear-firing bass port which may or may not do anything but it sold me.
Fingers crossed the sound will be good

From what I know of Dali speakers you should be in for a treat 🙂

I’ve a pair of Z3s too, reviews say takes a while to run them in and its true. Took a couple of months for them to peak. Some people leave them on all day out the house for a week or two.