buying some floorstanding speakers...would like some advice...please!!!

ifrank castle

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hello all!!! hope your having as much fun as i am at work!!!

i'm a newbie here to these forums...so please b nice to me!!!! apologies now if someone has asked this question first....

anyways....it is my bday next month and i've decided to blow around £300-400 on a pair of floorstanding speakers.....i have my eyes on some mission m35's....

would someone be so kind to give me their honest opinion on these speakers or even suggest some alternatives!!

i'd like to thank you in advance for any help given!

kind regards

unkle faz.......
 
Hi mate, welcome.

Cant tell you much about the missions but I can recommend a couple of alternatives.

A lot of people here seem to have the KEF Q series. The Q4 £400 is meant to be great. I have the Mordaunt-Short 906, which I, as well as many, would recommend these. Theyre an excellent speaker for £350 (I got mine for £280).
Theres also the Monitor Audio B4s and the Acoustic Energy Evo's, both of which are superb.
 
wharfedale pacific evo 30's. Not bad looking but an awesome sound, esp when linked to superior kit such as Musical Fidelity and Naim.

these can be had for 450ish on ebay and as ex-demos. 650 new.

look around at second hand kit. you can always find well looked after stuff and save a fortune on new.
 
IMO it is quite a risk spending that kind of money on second hand equipment which you have never seen, and do not know how it's been looked after. It's not so bad with most electronics, as theres little that can go wrong, but speakers can be over or under powered, which can obviously damage the components.
 
ebay is a definate no no :nono: too many scams etc for my liking.....

i'd perhaps go and buy shop floor equipment as you can ask a sale persons if the equipment has been abuse in any way (and from what they say u can tell if they are telling the truth), plus you can actually see if theres any scratches or dents.....

but i'm a sucker for wanting to open a box for the first time!! (kinda sound like a woman!!!)

those kef's q4's look stunning!! mmmmmm.......
 
Another vote for MS906s - had mine three months now and they're great sounding speakers, nice looking and not too obtrusive.
 
Mango Bob said:
Another vote for MS906s - had mine three months now and they're great sounding speakers, nice looking and not too obtrusive.

Mango Bob, I agree. I initially went for the 904s as I thought floorstanders would be on the border line of being too big. When they arrived I was well happy, but then I though, "hmm, 906s, not much bigger :) , two drivers :D , more bass :laugh: ". Never looked back! :rotfl:
 
unkle faz said:
anyways....it is my bday next month and i've decided to blow around £300-400 on a pair of floorstanding speakers.....i have my eyes on some mission m35's....
unkle faz.......

Na m8, what you want is a cracking pair of Acoustic Soloution AV120's :D only £49.97 from you know where. Your fit right in with the Dover massive with them, plus they will sound the nutz connected to your Alba midi system :rotfl:

But seriously, go for the Kef's, you know it makes sense.
 
unkle faz,

it really depends what type of music you listen to, how well recorded and produced your discs are, and what kind of volume you like. also, is it for music only or dvd or both? answer those and maybe you can begin to compile a recommended shortlist

speakers make the most difference to a system, are the most varied of all hifi components, and should definitely be chosen according to taste. for example, if you want to rock the house, youd be mad to choose the Kefs or Missions over say B&W DM603s. If you have a vast collection of choral music (?! you never know), then the tables may well be turned..

also, 2nd hand is definitely the way to go. speakers are THE safest things to buy 2nd hand, and you can pick up great items close to half price. as an added bonus, some old models are also vastly superior to their new versions - Mission's 75 Freedom series was theyre absolute best and **** all over those beech boxes they churn out nowadays. also bear in mind that some brands have fortes at different ranges/price points: B&Ws pricier ranges are overrated and overpriced but their DM600 range is superb, Kef's Q series is poor but theyre XQ and Reference ranges are breathtakingly good.

hope this helps a little!
 
superpixel,

"speakers are THE safest things to buy 2nd hand"... :confused:

Are you sure about this mate?

Considering other components, such as amps, have very little moving parts, whereas speaker drivers/tweeters are almost constantly in motion, I can almost bet my life on the fact that speakers are the most risky hifi components to buy.

Unless you can explain otherwise?
 
Well, either speakers are working, or theyre not.

Its rare that the drivers are damaged and still operating. And if they are, youll soon know about it within about 10 seconds of listening.

So, yes theyre moving parts, but theyre not like a car, where wear and tear deteriorates them. The electronics, circuit boards, functions, remote control sensors etc, and mechanical parts of CD players and amps are all fragile and much more liable to malfunction over time. A turntable is also fragile and its movement IS of the sort that can gradually deteriorate.

Also, to repair a speaker costs next to nothing. £800 of Mission speakers will mean £40 for the tweeter and £50 for the bass/mid driver. A single op amp from a £800 amplifier on the other hand might cost you £150...

If youre worried though, obviously buy new with warranty. Bear in mind most speaker 'faults' are blamed on misuse though and not covered! :)
 
Hi,

I have a set of the M35s, I have paired these with a M3C2 centre. They sound full and deep with warmth and richness. I would certainly recommend a pair esp if you can pair it wih a good amp to drive them. I just changed my Yammy 630 for a Denon 3801 and it certainly makes a difference to them. They requrie a wee while to run in, couple of days in my case. Oh and make sure you have the room for them cause these beasts aint small.

KH
 
roohster2 said:
Since when?

I love my Kef Q's superb looking and sounding speakers and the reviews are nothing short of superb also which is how i made my decision to buy as well as advice on this forum so i agree not sure where he gets the idea there poor from.
 
my point wasn't to knock the Kef Qs, rather to convey that Kef's quality shines MUCH more in their expensive ranges, whilst the converse is true for B&W.....this was just a tip when buying speakers based on listening, its unwise to dismiss one brand based on listening to just one range, or to extrapolate from one brand's range to another, thinking the more expensive one must be even better.


but I do think Kef Q's are poor...my ideas come from a passion for hifi for many years, extensive listening to countless models and brands, and living with a pair of Kef Qs for 2 weeks. Reviews and flavours of the year come and go in mags, and avforum users are not to be trusted as much as your own ears (and yes, this includes me!).
 
i'm gonna use these speakers for both music as well as as for dvd playback....

i mostly listen to rock music (no dance or clubby stuff for me), and i like to listen to ma music loud even though the neighbours complain (and i'm only using tannoy revolution r1's atm!!)

the only recorded music i have is on minidisc (sony mds-jb940 QS) both my recorder and playback. and this sounds fine on playback, i can hardly tell the difference between the cd i've just copied onto md from the original cd....
 
unkle faz said:
i mostly listen to rock music (no dance or clubby stuff for me), and i like to listen to ma music loud even though the neighbours complain....

In that case I'd recommend a set of headphones.
Seriously, don't you care about the people around you who have to listen to your choice of music?
 
i'm afraid i have got a pair of headphones and generally use them after 11 pm so i don't disturb the neighbours....they are nice old ppl...i just used 'to annoy the neighbours' as a figure of speech...sorry for the confusion....

soo....any advance on kef's??

still unsure! :confused:
 
Now that I know you're going to use them responsibly ;) .....

You should definitely have a listen to some Q4s...
and I know you said you wanted floorstanders, but you owe it to yourself to audition a pair of PMC DB1s. Fantastic little speakers.
 
I got my mission 783s for £430 in the summer. I'm still very impressed, and I would steer clear of the m35s when such a superior mission speaker is available for the same sort of price.
 
Unkle Fez, speakers suited to rock music and for playing loud are a rarity amongst English speakers...

The single most important thing you should do is ditch your preconceptions, and head off to your hifi store and get listening. It may seem tempting to choose from the comfort of behind the mags and this forum, but this could lead to misery and really isnt worth it. What could take hours and hours weighing up other people's opinions would take a 2 minute listen to sort things out.

Your definite starting point should be the B&W DM603 (S2 preferably rather than S3, but both are good). Compare it against the Kefs/Wharfedales/Missions, but there should only be one winner, truth be told - and I'd imagine the B&Ws will be your benchmark to beat. From that point, I'd then listen to some Rega Juras if theyre still around - these can party more than you'd think. The Jamo X850s are also excellent.

So to buy in this country: B&W DM603, Rega Jura, Jamo X850.

If you're daring enough, you might import from the US: Klipsch RF-3 (i only listened for 15 mins, but I was impressed enough to safely say these are the best of the lot. and, you can turn the wick up on these like no other speakers.)
 

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