Atmos Upgrade - Opinions sought

chris_f

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I currently have a question about upgrading my speakers, I’ve had them years and my Q Acoustics 1000si sub has just crapped out.

I have set of Q Acoustics in an Atmos setup as follows

1010i Centre
1050i Floorstander Fronts
1010i surround rear
1010i surround front high
Ceiling speakers rear high
1000si Sub - just died

Yamaha RX A2060 running it all.

My question is this, should I replace just the sub or are speakers improved so much I should replace the lot?
 
I guess the question(s) is....

Are you happy with your current system (speakers) if you get a new sub or have you wanted to upgrade - felt its lacking for a while...?

Whats yours budget to upgrade?
 
I guess the question(s) is....

Are you happy with your current system (speakers) if you get a new sub or have you wanted to upgrade - felt its lacking for a while...?

Whats yours budget to upgrade?
I don’t have a budget as such. I feel the system is lacking a bit but that is probably more to do with the amp setup more than the speakers perhaps.

If the general consensus is that speakers are not markedly improved since the 1010i‘s came out, I’ll probably keep them
 
Speaker tech certainly doesn't move as quick as stuff like amplifiers / TV's etc.

You can improve the 1010i's by a HUGE margin but it just depends what you want in terms of performance / budget. Even if you spent £10k on some new speakers they'd be something better out there!

How about getting a new sub - then try and set up your amp/speakers properly and see how things sound. If you still feel you want more and have some spare cash burning a hole in your pocket then yes look at some new speakers. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I currently have a question about upgrading my speakers, I’ve had them years and my Q Acoustics 1000si sub has just crapped out.

I have set of Q Acoustics in an Atmos setup as follows

1010i Centre
1050i Floorstander Fronts
1010i surround rear
1010i surround front high
Ceiling speakers rear high
1000si Sub - just died

Yamaha RX A2060 running it all.

My question is this, should I replace just the sub or are speakers improved so much I should replace the lot?

Sub first, then front three. You have good av-receiver so ideally would look at least next level to budget speakers. Do upgrade in stages if you feel it´s too much right away.

How large room you got with possible openings? Would you be willing to spend 500-1000£ for sub or less? Also if you have size requirements or certain finish you fancy (black, white or certain wood veneer)..?
 
I’m thinking about the B&W 603 S2 5.1 setup whlist retaining the 1010i’s as Atmos high for now.

i like B&W stuff. Thoughts?
 
I’m thinking about the B&W 603 S2 5.1 setup whlist retaining the 1010i’s as Atmos high for now.

i like B&W stuff. Thoughts?

Can you listen few brands before making the choice or does it have to be blind buy? 600 range is more on the brighter side and the center channel haven`t got much praise. They are quite expensive looking at the 3k£ package price. Few options you should consider:

  • Kef Q750 & Q650c & Q150
  • Focal Chora 816 or 826 & Chora 800CC & Chora 806
  • Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G & Silver C250 7G & Silver 50 7G or Silver FX (on-wall)


If you buy speakers get them without the "package" sub (= 5.0)cause there is no need to match sub and speakers from same brand! We can look much better sub from company that specializes in them if you give some information which i asked in earlier post. There is ton of options, need to draw the line somewhere regarding price, size, finish. Would help also if you give rough estimate how large your room is? (example 5x4m)
 
Thanks so much for your recommendations, I haven't had a chance to listen to any alternatives yet, I need to find somewhere to get some demos.

I thought about B&W as I have a Zeppelin and the sound from that is wonderful, assumed (perhaps wrongly) that their home cinema would be the same.

And room is about 5.5m x 4.5m. TV is 5.0m away from listening position.
 
Thanks so much for your recommendations, I haven't had a chance to listen to any alternatives yet, I need to find somewhere to get some demos.

I thought about B&W as I have a Zeppelin and the sound from that is wonderful, assumed (perhaps wrongly) that their home cinema would be the same.

And room is about 5.5m x 4.5m. TV is 5.0m away from listening position.

Check local Richer Sounds, Seven Oaks Sound Vision, Audio-T, Hifix, AV-Online, Peter Tyson etc. Call the shop(s) and book demo time when you know which models intrest you most. Ideally you would compare 2-4 main speakers side by side to get some idea of different brands. Get a demo for the 603 S2 too as you clearly have sweet spot for B&W. It seems they have went in different direction and also dropped the larger 3-way centre out from 600-serie. Big mistake. Center channel is most active speaker in your system (movies).

Room is decent sized. You sit quite far away, if possible move couch little bit closer to tv, away from rear wall as it should have positive effect for overall sound quality.

Subwoofer wise there is lot of options depending of size, finish etc. From 500£ upwards up to 1k£ few listed below. Also you want to consider buying two subs if not right away then later. Why is that i leave link to bottom of this post. Check the dimensions of the subs and tell us which of those intrests you most / what is possible so we get some idea what is possible.








 
I ended up going for the SVS sub, couldn't resist a cheeky centre upgrade also.

Means I might have to eventually replace all my Q with the B&W now, what a shame... :)


IMG_6229.JPG
 
I ended up going for the SVS sub, couldn't resist a cheeky centre upgrade also.

Means I might have to eventually replace all my Q with the B&W now, what a shame... :)


View attachment 1662534

Good purchase (SVS), hope you didn`t pay full price for either one! If you are happy with the B&W sound you could consider 606 S2 with stands as mains. 400£ vs. 1600£ (603 S2) massive difference in price and now that you have real subwoofer you don´t necessarily need towers.


Check the SVS quick guide and download phone app (high pass filter to LFE, phase 0, volume to -10) before running YPAO. Afterwards check speaker size all Small, crossovers etc. and tell us how they sound. :)
 
So I did all of the above before YPAO, the B&W centre is bright but I kind of like the pinpoint accuracy of it, every little detail is there.

I can honestly say the difference between the Q 1000ci and the B&W is like having cotton wool in your ears and then pulling it out.

The SVS sub response is deep and tight, it just sounds effortless and all-encompassing rather than a box in the corner banging away.

All in all have a new found love for my set up. Thanks ever so much for your assistance
 

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