[sheep butt]

Hi i have the kefs 2005.3 but am looking to upgrade i want sumin that is good for music and films but wall mounted, i have been looking at the kef 3005se and the t305 series but dont know if the budget will stretch as far as the t305 but might be able to get it to!! Also i was looking at the b&w mt25 or mt30 or mt60d, what would be the best to go for? i am also goin to make it 6.1 later on as my kef 2005 are.. I will need a new amp as well so info on best matching wud b good but wouldnt wanna spend no more then £500 on amp.

[PSM1]

What is your current receiver?
To be honest all these sub/sat systems are never going to be great with music. If you really want good musical performance then you should be looking at standmount speakers really. If they have to be wall mounted then maybe the Monitor Audio Apex range may be a good compromise between size and performance. Have you heard the B&W and Kefs?

[sheep butt]

I have the Panasonic SA-XR700 but I'm still goin to keep this as I am building a house so goin to use this amp for the kitchen ceiling speakers I think and then mayb get an onkyo for the others, na I havnt heard b&w but have heard the kef 3005se, I don't really like floor standers to b honest and my wires are all in the walls set up for wall mounted, I did kinda look at the monitor audio bx5 but just didnt want them floor standing, so all the 1s I said to u roughly the same?

[PSM1]

The B&W speakers are not bad for their size but will always be compromised for music. Given your restrictions the Monitor Audio Apex range could be your best option. If you can buy the receiver now then I would look at some of the good deals on last years Yamaha models. The A810 can be bought for your budget and would be well worth it as well as giving a noticeable improvement over your current receiver.

[sheep butt]

Ye the apex do look real nice just that they are a lil bit to much, so the b&w over the kefs? Which 1s were the better ones tho? Wud it be the mt60d? Or mayb the mt30?

[PSM1]

The best way is to go and listen to them then pick the ones that sound best to you. If going for the B&W (or even the Kefs) then I would not get the matching sub as they tend to be expensive and do not perform that well. You can save some money and get better performance by getting a BK ELectronics sub instead. The Monolith or XLS400 will give you more bass than you could ever want for a lot less than say the B&W sub.

[sheep butt]

The thing is there's no where near me that has them to listen to like that, the amp I was goin to buy was a onkyo 807 is that ok to power mayb the kef 3005se wiv 1 of those amps? And which sub wud b best as they say 1 betta for music and the otha betta for films? Sorry I'm just not to good with all this just want to get a good sound! So if u had a choice out of the kef 3005se or the b&w mt30 what wud u pick?

[PSM1]

What is your total budget for receiver and speakers? I take it you will get the Onkyo secondhand?
Onkyo are not known as being the best for music hence I would look at equivalent models in the Denon or Yamaha ranges instead.
I would probably tend towards the B&W but to be honest would get neither if musical ability was high on my list. On the sub front the XLS400 is said to be better for music but the Monolith is going to be no slouch in that department either so do not think there is a wrong choice between them. Either will do the job perfectly well and will not be the major compromise in your system.

[sheep butt]

Umm prob like 1500 to 2000 really, ye I was just goin to look around, have u got any models to suggest in the amps? I do really like this apex set but really dunno if can afford the lot, can u just buy the 3 fronts? And would they b alright wiv the rest of my kef 2005.3 as surrounds and then just upgrade slowly?

[PSM1]

It is less important to match the fronts to rears so you could just get the front 3 for now and continue to use your Kefs. Then you could get the rears as funds allow. The current deals on the Yamaha A810/1010 are hard to beat as are the prices on the Denon 2312/3312. These are all on heavy discount due to new models being released so you would need to act fairly quickly to ensure you get one before the supply runs out.

[Dav1dF]

With the Apex package, you really would need to be looking at the cream of the crop AV receivers around the £1,000 mark (rrp) in order to start doing any sort of justice to them. Ideally, a good £1,500-2,000 receiver is needed to get the job doen properly.

I would've recommend changing the front three speakers of your 2005 package for something like the R100's and R20c, but this option would also need a better receiver than you'll get for £500.

[sheep butt]

Well could I get a really good 2nd hand reciever as that would be cheaper wouldnt it? If I did get them as front three would they b ok with my kef 2005 as surround? And wud my amp be ok ish until I got a better one? I really want them now I have read bout them.

[sheep butt]

What about the Yamaha rx-v3067? And has this amp got multi room?

[Dav1dF]

Originally Posted by sheep butt

Well could I get a really good 2nd hand reciever as that would be cheaper wouldnt it? If I did get them as front three would they b ok with my kef 2005 as surround? And wud my amp be ok ish until I got a better one? I really want them now I have read bout them.

KEF's from different ranges gel well together because of the UniQ drivers. Many people are using 2005 and 3005 satellite speakers as surrounds for the iQ, Q and R ranges, and there are even Reference users that are using 3005's as rear speakers.

Originally Posted by sheep butt

What about the Yamaha rx-v3067? And has this amp got multi room?

Most receivers over £500 have at least a second zone.

[sheep butt]

so would that yamaha be any good to run the apex? so the kef 2005 would be fine to go with the apex? are the r100s and r20s wall mounted 1s? as they look quite big.