Buying advice

[paul cliff]

I bought myself a Denon AVR-x500 Av receiver yesterday from Richer Sounds Maidstone, great service as ever, and I love the amp.

I need some speakers to go with it - as I'm using the speakers from the Logitech 5400 at the moment.

I was looking at the Wharfedale DX1 HCP: DX-1 HCP | Wharfedale Hi-Fi
It has great reviews in this price range, I saw it yesterday in the flesh and am concerned it looks a bit...small (should I be concerned)

Other options is building a set over time using Roth's Oli RA range (Satellites, Centre and Sub, not floor standers): Speakers and Monitors

I really love the look of these speakers (which is rather important) but am not sure on audio quality compared to others in the price range as reviews are scarce...

I've not moved into my new place yet so not sure on distances etc, but its not a massive room, see the pic attached, the wall on the right would be the TV wall, with the sofa roughly level with the table on the left.

This would be a very TV/Movie focused system, with little music listening.

Thanks for any guidance you can offer.

 

[Mr Andy]

I think the Wharfedales look nice but I agree they are rather small. They are also a bit shiny which can be a bit distracting (I've ended keeping the grill on my centre due to reflective aluminium surrounding the drivers)

 

[paul cliff]

I think the Wharfedales look nice but I agree they are rather small. They are also a bit shiny which can be a bit distracting (I've ended keeping the grill on my centre due to reflective aluminium surrounding the drivers)

Thanks Andy, the grills will be staying firmly attached, I've been the victim of a poked tweeter in the past, never again! especially as I have a 2 year old niece and my little one is 1 in September! - Maybe i'll make her wear the cloth gloves that apparently come with the speakers - at all times.

 

[PSM1]

I would suggest these speakers for the Denon receiver:
Monitor Audio Vector AV Black 5.1 Speaker Package - Monitor Audio - AudioVisual Online - Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
They are currently less than half price so a real bargain and you will not get better unless spending closer to £1k.
Wharfedale speakers are often recommended for bright sounding receivers like Onkyo and Sony so may not be the best match to your Denon although alot will depend on personal sound preference so try to have a listen first to see what you think.
The Roth speakers are nice so would be worth a look and could probably do with a better receiver than the Denon you have to get the very best from them. In terms of a sub if going the Roth way I would not get that sub but would instead look at a BK Electronics one instead as they will sound far better for less money.
Are you planning on putting carpet down on the floor? Looks like a tiled floor at the moment and if you plan to keep that then I would look at putting a rug or something down to help absorb some sound. With all those hard surfaces you are going to end up with a lot of sound reflections that are going to detract from the overall sound quality.
How do you plan to mount your chosen speakers? The best option is either on speaker stands or wall mount them on proper brackets. Speakers (including the centre) will not sound their best on or in a cabinet or shelf.

 

[copicuk]

Hi, I am in a similar situation. I have discussed it on another av thread here

I would suggest these speakers for the Denon receiver:
Monitor Audio Vector AV Black 5.1 Speaker Package - Monitor Audio - AudioVisual Online - Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
They are currently less than half price so a real bargain and you will not get better unless spending closer to £1k.
Wharfedale speakers are often recommended for bright sounding receivers like Onkyo and Sony so may not be the best match to your Denon although alot will depend on personal sound preference so try to have a listen first to see what you think.
The Roth speakers are nice so would be worth a look and could probably do with a better receiver than the Denon you have to get the very best from them. In terms of a sub if going the Roth way I would not get that sub but would instead look at a BK Electronics one instead as they will sound far better for less money.
Are you planning on putting carpet down on the floor? Looks like a tiled floor at the moment and if you plan to keep that then I would look at putting a rug or something down to help absorb some sound. With all those hard surfaces you are going to end up with a lot of sound reflections that are going to detract from the overall sound quality.
How do you plan to mount your chosen speakers? The best option is either on speaker stands or wall mount them on proper brackets. Speakers (including the centre) will not sound their best on or in a cabinet or shelf.

Hi,
I am in a similar situation which I discussed on another thread, here.
So can I ask, would you say the MAVs are a better option than the Tannoy HTS 101s?

I am curious as well about which receivers suit which speakers. I have a pal who owns the Sony dn1040 receiver and he raves about it. So I am very much leaning towards the Sony DN840, which appears to be essentially the same amp but has slighlty less ability at its audio limits and slightly less bells n whisltes (who needs 8 HDMIs anyway!) and is, of course, £150 cheaper. My pal is also happy to help set up the Sony and that in itself is worth a lot as he already knows how to get the best sound out of his Sony.
However I have read that the Sony can be a little bright, I have also read that about the Tannoys. In fact Ive also read that the MAVs out of the box are very bright, but apparently that settles down within weeks. (Can anyone confirm this?) So with that in mind I am wondering if there is a receiver that would marry better than the Sony? Conversely if I am going to stick with the highly recommended Sony (and its very handy networking capabilities) which of the speakers packages would you recoemmend to pair with it?

Thanks for your input

 

[PSM1]

Tannoy speakers are a popular recommendation for Sony recievers while the MAV may not be the best pairing since both are considered bright sounding. That said a lot will depend on your personal sound preference since if you like a bright sound then the Sony/MAV combination may be perfect for you. I would say if you are going to buy without a demo then sticking to the more tried and tested pairings is probably a safer option however, if you can go and demo then try so of these so called mismatched pairings to see how they sound to you. Then pick the combination that sounds best to you since this will be the best combination for you no matter what anyone else says.
Although you friend has a Sony all recievers around the price point you are looking at will have auto set up. This will make setting up pretty much the same level of difficulty for any make of receiver and Sony will have not different settings than a Yamaha etc. So your mate should be able to help you with a Yamaha or Denon or Sony with the same level of expertise. If you like the sound of the Sony best then get it but do not get it just because you think it will be easier to set up compared to another model. Again listen to a few different receivers and pick the one that sounds best to you.

 

[paul cliff]

I would suggest these speakers for the Denon receiver:
Monitor Audio Vector AV Black 5.1 Speaker Package - Monitor Audio - AudioVisual Online - Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
They are currently less than half price so a real bargain and you will not get better unless spending closer to £1k.
Wharfedale speakers are often recommended for bright sounding receivers like Onkyo and Sony so may not be the best match to your Denon although alot will depend on personal sound preference so try to have a listen first to see what you think.
The Roth speakers are nice so would be worth a look and could probably do with a better receiver than the Denon you have to get the very best from them. In terms of a sub if going the Roth way I would not get that sub but would instead look at a BK Electronics one instead as they will sound far better for less money.
Are you planning on putting carpet down on the floor? Looks like a tiled floor at the moment and if you plan to keep that then I would look at putting a rug or something down to help absorb some sound. With all those hard surfaces you are going to end up with a lot of sound reflections that are going to detract from the overall sound quality.
How do you plan to mount your chosen speakers? The best option is either on speaker stands or wall mount them on proper brackets. Speakers (including the centre) will not sound their best on or in a cabinet or shelf.

Thanks.

Carpet will be going down ASAP.

Denon is purchased now, so no changing that - well, i'm not going to - for £99 in Richersounds, i'm happy.

I am more likely to go the Roth route to be honest, I much prefer the look of them and did manage to find a few reviews that were positive.

The sub was the only part of the Roth setup I wasn't sure on, I'll look at BK's - any one in particular?

I'm going to mount the speakers on the wall I think, I don't want stands due to the little one crawling etc

The centre might have to go in the unit though, on a shelf - I can't see the missus going for mounting it above the tele and it doesn't fit in front of it on top of the unit. This would unfortunately mean it's off centre, I'm going to live with it and see how I feel. It's this unit here: http://galleryplus.ebayimg.com/ws/web/271364205201_1_0_1/1000x1000.jpg
The right hand door is always open with a shelf, the shelf will have to house the centre speaker.

 

[paul cliff]

The sub was the only part of the Roth setup I wasn't sure on, I'll look at BK's - any one in particular?

Saying that, the Gemini MkII is the only one in my price range really, so I guess that one!

 

[copicuk]

Tannoy speakers are a popular recommendation for Sony recievers while the MAV may not be the best pairing since both are considered bright sounding. That said a lot will depend on your personal sound preference since if you like a bright sound then the Sony/MAV combination may be perfect for you. I would say if you are going to buy without a demo then sticking to the more tried and tested pairings is probably a safer option however, if you can go and demo then try so of these so called mismatched pairings to see how they sound to you. Then pick the combination that sounds best to you since this will be the best combination for you no matter what anyone else says.
Although you friend has a Sony all recievers around the price point you are looking at will have auto set up. This will make setting up pretty much the same level of difficulty for any make of receiver and Sony will have not different settings than a Yamaha etc. So your mate should be able to help you with a Yamaha or Denon or Sony with the same level of expertise. If you like the sound of the Sony best then get it but do not get it just because you think it will be easier to set up compared to another model. Again listen to a few different receivers and pick the one that sounds best to you.

Brilliant thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.
I have now found a few threads complaining about Vector subs constant hum
That would drive me nuts, especially as sub sits at my feet by the sofa.
N.B salesperson confirmed hum issue. Also sale is only for black model.
Apparently the satellites are excellent, so almost worth getting them with an upgraded sub.
I will try and get a demo of at least the Tannoys at RS, they dont stock the vectors.

 

[BlueWizard]

For what it is worth, here is a review of the Wharfedale DX-1 HCP from Sound and Vision Magazine -

Wharfedale DX-1 HCP Speaker System | Sound & Vision

Generally 4 to 5 Star ratings in all categories.

"...these little speakers support their dual identity—part hi-fi, part home theater—with panache and sensitivity to the emotion of a performance. They would mate acceptably well with inexpensive receivers, but given their lowish sensitivity and that often-miraculous midrange, they’d do even better with mid-priced receivers. Pretty much anyone looking for a solidly performing sat/sub set should give these a close look."

Bare in mind, you can only expect just so much from small speakers.

Steve/bluewizard

 

[PSM1]

I used to have my centre in a cabinet like yours and when I moved it out to wall mount it there was a fairly noticeable improvement in sound quality. It sounded very boxy in the cabinet since it interacted with it quite badly. I would advice against it if at all possible.

 

[paul cliff]

I used to have my centre in a cabinet like yours and when I moved it out to wall mount it there was a fairly noticeable improvement in sound quality. It sounded very boxy in the cabinet since it interacted with it quite badly. I would advice against it if at all possible.

Yeah, after negotiations it seems I should be able to wall mount the TV now and have the speaker either on the cabinet or mounted on the wall - so no problem.

Would you say the BK Gemini is worth the extra £100 over the Roth sub?

 

[PSM1]

BK subs are very good value for money and normally have to pay a lot more for another make just to match it. Hence I suspect it will be worth the extra.

 

[copicuk]

For what it is worth, here is a review of the Wharfedale DX-1 HCP from Sound and Vision Magazine -

Wharfedale DX-1 HCP Speaker System | Sound & Vision

Generally 4 to 5 Star ratings in all categories.

"...these little speakers support their dual identity—part hi-fi, part home theater—with panache and sensitivity to the emotion of a performance. They would mate acceptably well with inexpensive receivers, but given their lowish sensitivity and that often-miraculous midrange, they’d do even better with mid-priced receivers. Pretty much anyone looking for a solidly performing sat/sub set should give these a close look."

Bare in mind, you can only expect just so much from small speakers.

Steve/bluewizard

Good write up. thank you for the link.

 

[copicuk]

another decent write up here

 

[spyder viewer]

.....and a rather good one here: 5.1 bookshelf system upgrade: Wharfedale DX1 HCP | AVForums