[pixelpidgeon]

morning. Am looking into at upgrading my MS Avant 902i to some floorstanders. The problem is ive never owned floorstanders previously, and theres not much in the way of listening to some examples where i am.

I have seen some Wharfedale 904 for £170 delivered. Has anyone got these, and what do they sound like to you? Im looking to spend £200 or under at the moment.

I like the sound of the Avanti's but am interested in floorstanders to get more depth, clarity. I like bands such as Pink Floyd, My morning Jacket, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Radiohead, kraftwerk and most types of Blues. So id like a speaker that you can hear all instruments but also does a good job with the overall sound, as my musical taste is a bit of a mixed bag.

Not asking for much out of my meagre budget am i?

any help apprecited. ta, pixel

ilthe rest of my system.

Arcam Alpha 7r & 8p,
NAD CD player
Beresford DAC,
Roku Soundbridge

[PeteW123]

I have the 914i floorstander speakers and am v happy with them, £220 from RS

they should give a nice improvement over the 902s you have. Good solid bass they have too.

Heard good things about the q acoustics 1030i but personally don't like their looks.

[BlueWizard]

I think you meant Mordaunt-Short 904, not Wharfedale.

The difference between the 904 and the 914 is the size of the woofers.

The 904 has a 130mm or 5" woofer.

The 914 has a 6.5" woofer or 165mm.

Both are roughly in your price range. Personally I would go for the larger woofer, other wise you are just buying the 902's in bigger cabinets.

The 914 definitely has better and deeper bass response.

If you can raise your budget, also consider the twin woofer 916.

If you like the sound of Mordaunt-Shorts, then the 914 is probably a real step up.

The 904 is more of a lateral move.

Steve/bluewizard

[pixelpidgeon]

Sounds promising.. been thinking further about the whole speaker upgrade, and i think im going to have to go the audition route and pay the slightly higher price on the high st. At the end of the day, i'm going to be listening to them for a few years.

Im going to a Richer Sounds at the weekend so i might enquire if they have some 914i's that i could have a listen to. I know that speakers sound better run in, so if i like the sound, then its more likely to sound better the more they are used.

Yeah i dont mind the look of the black 1030i's, but each to their own. Also was thinking of the tannoy mercury f4's, as they seem to be very popular in their (and mine) price range. Butthey seem to be out of stock most everywhere. cheers

Originally Posted by PeteW123

I have the 914i floorstander speakers and am v happy with them, £220 from RS

they should give a nice improvement over the 902s you have. Good solid bass they have too.

Heard good things about the q acoustics 1030i but personally don't like their looks.

[pixelpidgeon]

Ooops. I see i have typed 904 previously. These are the Wharfedale 9.4's i saw WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.4 SPEAKERS (PAIR) - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/2200 for details

From your knowledge would you say these are on par with the 914's or not?

Also, as my speakers are placed roughly 4 inches from wall at the back of the speakers, would i not bebetter off with the 'hole' at the front as in the wharefdales? Sorry not the most technical description i know..

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

I think you meant Mordaunt-Short 904, not Wharfedale.

The difference between the 904 and the 914 is the size of the woofers.

The 904 has a 130mm or 5" woofer.

The 914 has a 6.5" woofer or 165mm.

Both are roughly in your price range. Personally I would go for the larger woofer, other wise you are just buying the 902's in bigger cabinets.

The 914 definitely has better and deeper bass response.

If you can raise your budget, also consider the twin woofer 916.

If you like the sound of Mordaunt-Shorts, then the 914 is probably a real step up.

The 904 is more of a lateral move.

Steve/bluewizard

[PeteW123]

I have not seen any official reviews for the 9.4s, but I think that Wharfedale are supposed to be a bit 'warm' sounding speakers (nothing wrong with that, depends what you like), the other diamond 9.x series speakers do have good reviews.

Hi-Fi Hi-fi-speakers Home cinema reviews, hi-fi reviews and TV reviews - from the experts at whathifi.com

You may be right about the bass ports being better off pointing forward if the speakers will be close to the wall. My 914is are about 1.5 foot from the rear wall, and a foot from the side wall.

I did consider the 916i speakers originally, but decided against them as I had heard (somewhere) that their crossover, having two 'main' speakers, was sometimes a bit indistinct.

edit: interestingly, when I bought the 914i speakers, they were the same price £250 as the 916i speakers (though RS did a deal and sold them for £220 to me ).

Edit: I would also add that if you don't already, you should get a good interconnect for between your CD and amp. I had a £10 cambridge audio atlantic, changed it for a cambridge audio pacific £30, big difference, well worth it

[BlueWizard]

Speakers placed 4" from the wall could be something of a problem. In that case, perhaps the Wharfedale 9.4 would be better.

I know in general the Mordaunt are very well liked by those who have them.

But the Wharfedale Diamonds are also highly rated, award winning, and have a long proven history. They seem a safe bet.

I don't think you can go wrong either way. If you get the Mordaunts, and they sound a little muddy, you can always plug the rear ports.

Steve/bluewizard

[pixelpidgeon]

Dont mind warm so that could be a plus for me for the wharfedales. I have some pretty decent interconnects, bought off the avforums. The only thing is my amp setup gives a fairly 'warm' sound... it'll be a couple monve saved up either way, so ive still got a bit of time to look further into this before deciding. thanks

Originally Posted by PeteW123

I have not seen any official reviews for the 9.4s, but I think that Wharfedale are supposed to be a bit 'warm' sounding speakers (nothing wrong with that, depends what you like), the other diamond 9.x series speakers do have good reviews.

Hi-Fi Hi-fi-speakers Home cinema reviews, hi-fi reviews and TV reviews - from the experts at whathifi.com

You may be right about the bass ports being better off pointing forward if the speakers will be close to the wall. My 914is are about 1.5 foot from the rear wall, and a foot from the side wall.

I did consider the 916i speakers originally, but decided against them as I had heard (somewhere) that their crossover, having two 'main' speakers, was sometimes a bit indistinct.

edit: interestingly, when I bought the 914i speakers, they were the same price £250 as the 916i speakers (though RS did a deal and sold them for £220 to me ).

Edit: I would also add that if you don't already, you should get a good interconnect for between your CD and amp. I had a £10 cambridge audio atlantic, changed it for a cambridge audio pacific £30, big difference, well worth it

[pixelpidgeon]

Yeah currently plugging the ports of my 902i's. Wanted to front ported speakers next, so at the moment its looking like the wharfedales. thanks

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

Speakers placed 4" from the wall could be something of a problem. In that case, perhaps the Wharfedale 9.4 would be better.

I know in general the Mordaunt are very well liked by those who have them.

But the Wharfedale Diamonds are also highly rated, award winning, and have a long proven history. They seem a safe bet.

I don't think you can go wrong either way. If you get the Mordaunts, and they sound a little muddy, you can always plug the rear ports.

Steve/bluewizard

[tudj]

I just thought I'd add in that I have my 9.1's right against a wall - the banana plugs touch it. I have noticed no ill effect from them being so close.

[pixelpidgeon]

right. so even though the 9.1's are front ported, interesting to know that you can placeclose to a wall and not have a bad effect on the sound. cheers

Originally Posted by tudj

I just thought I'd add in that I have my 9.1's right against a wall - the banana plugs touch it. I have noticed no ill effect from them being so close.