Question Floorstanding speakers in the £1000 range to pair with a Marantz PM8005

LivinInADisco

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Hi, I'm looking at upgrading my hifi speakers.

Spend: £1000 or so
Amp: Marantz PM8005
Room: small
Speaker Dimensions: Under 400mm/300mm footprint range. I don't have a great deal of room so anything too large will probably be out of the question.

I listen to a lot of bass heavy music, reggae, hip hop etc, format is usually vinyl or mp3/flac. I'm finding my current speakers just don't have enough low end. I don't need huge bass, I don't feel the need to introduce a sub, but I'd ideally like to be able feel the bass somewhat without having to really push it in the eq.

any recommendations?

ty.
 
You could do a lot worse than these,

DYNAUDIO DM 3/7Black Speakers Per Pair

No one has ever said that Dynaudios are bass shy.

But if you mean club like bass then there's really no option but a sub.

If that's the case this will knock your house down whilst still able to hold a funky tune.

Monolith-DF
 
Hi, I'm looking at upgrading my hifi speakers.

Spend: £1000 or so
Amp: Marantz PM8005
Room: small
Speaker Dimensions: Under 400mm/300mm footprint range. I don't have a great deal of room so anything too large will probably be out of the question.

I listen to a lot of bass heavy music, reggae, hip hop etc, format is usually vinyl or mp3/flac. I'm finding my current speakers just don't have enough low end. I don't need huge bass, I don't feel the need to introduce a sub, but I'd ideally like to be able feel the bass somewhat without having to really push it in the eq.

any recommendations?

ty.
Ps, what are you're current speakers, for comparison?
 
I also had the pleasure of hearing these in RS last week. Very good speakers indeed.

FOCAL CHORUS 726Black Speakers Per Pair

Clean and clear and quite capable of pumping out some serious Hip Hop bass.

Should be more than enough for an average or even bigger living room.
 
You could do a lot worse than these,

DYNAUDIO DM 3/7Black Speakers Per Pair

No one has ever said that Dynaudios are bass shy.

But if you mean club like bass then there's really no option but a sub.

If that's the case this will knock your house down whilst still able to hold a funky tune.

Monolith-DF

I have a 5.1 system in another room with a sub which is fun play music on occasions but I don't really want that much bass in generally listening. I generally don't crank it up too loud because of neighbours / small children.
 
Aha... then I think the Dynaudios will be an excellent upgrade. If you want to spend more th n the focal are,good, but I'd be surprised if you'd not be happy with the Dynaudios, and they are an excellent price.
 
Hi,

There are quite a few speakers within your budget range. Coincidentally am hunting for same & have auditioned a few.

Placed below is sound signature "I" heard/observed in respective brands:

Monitor Audio Silver: Open & Deatiled.
Top build quality, smart looks, nice sound. Excellent VFM - esp if you consider current price, as new lines are being launched. Have quite open & honest character.

B&W 683S2: Sounds good, but expecting club sound would be far fetched. Besides, it bypasses (ignores) certain frequencies in the spectrum. But what it reveals, it classy. They have diplomatic character.

Dali Opticon: Sounds refined & matured. A work of balance. Thickness of sound is just right. Doubt if theres a genre of music which Dali can't reproduce nicely. Besides music, works for movies alike.

Trinagle Elara: French made, spectacular transparency. Think French likes it transparent. For ex: Focals Chorus or even better Aria. Transparency is their forte!

Overall liked Dali Opticon the best. They have best involvement quotient of all. Besides, it's safe bet to expand 5.1 around them. Nonetheless, if one factors VFM, MA Silver is simply unbeatable!

Lastly, goes without saying, those are individual observations based on individual's liking. Without audition, reviews/recommendations alone will be of little help. Realised after reading for a month or so..Eventually it boils down to YOU!

Good luck in your endeavour! Cya.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

Here's a few others I've come across that sound suitable..

Wharfedale Reva 3 - Wharfedale Reva-3 Speakers (Pair)
Motive SX2 - Neat Motive SX2 review
Q Acoustics Concept 40 - Q Acoustics Concept 40 review
KEF Q750 - KEF Q750 Floorstanding Speaker
PSB Imagine T PSB Imagine T Speakers

Any opinions on these?

My options for listening tests locally are sadly rather limited. When it comes to finding speakers that work the best with an existing amp, how do people usually go about it? Home auditions? I've found that going through multiple options in multiple shops I often suffer from listener fatigue, if there is such a thing, and end up struggling to form a valid comparison.
 
Hi,

Well how to audition & shortlist is a long story - something I had no clue on until I met this person who "taught" me.

It was quite complex to say the least, but thanks to his step-by-step approach, within few (6 hrs lol), I realised what I was doing wrong all along :D I think a vast majority does that.

Like Management, Sound is both Science & Art - with both components Objective & Subjective aspects. People often bat of one aspect, while ignoring other. Sound is as much other entity, as much as how YOU hear (perceive it). Both aspects needs to be taken into consideration.

Heard of this line before - "buy what what your ears like"? Lol.. Sadly, it won't work :) WHY? Cus you auditioned hearing 5-10 songs & "liked" how they sound. They will still sound great, as long as frequency spectrum ur throwing at them are similar (if not same). But moment it's something else, your driving ur "tested" car on terrain you never tested before during test-drive. It's unverified. Period.

So OBJECTIVE Part first:

1. First thing in audition is - Reference piece of sound. Unless you know inside-out of this, what will you compare your speakers with? You might "like" a song, but sound engineer had something else in mind. Say, the song was designed such that vocals were in front layer, second layer has drums & in third background later you have guitar. Obviously it could be different order for another order.

A speaker playing smooth vocals + dull drums + ignoring guitar might still sound nice to "you", but it's not how song was recorded. Here we enter realm of subjectivity. Don't fall for it - as thing sing might sound nice, others won't. Speakers don't have Artificial Intelligence to change their sound rendition behaviour from one song to other. So find Speaker which is consistent across spectrum. Be objective first & then go for what you "like" among shortlisted ones.

So who knows which speaker is "most authentic" - the sound engineer who designed certain piece of sound. Period.
Practical Question is - Where can you get hold of Mr Sound Engineer? No need really. A sound piece is sound piece. You can record YOUR OWN - talk, tap, breath Ahhhh etc - and see how close diff speakers sounds to it. Alternatively, take best of the best Speaker (costing ££££) and hear what they do. Now among your budget speakers which is closest in transparency is what is most authentic of the lot. This is best approximation.

Like someone said - "A good speaker is not what says more, but which hides least".

Referencing is scientific & objective way to test.

Once shortlisted, now can hear which sounds "nice" to you. That's where subjectivity takes center stage.

If it makes sense, will share further thoughts. If it sounds too complex, my bad I can't explain :facepalm: lol

Cya & take care!
 
Ignore the typos.. It's not "scientifically" easy to type on small iPhone, esp with thick fingers :facepalm:

Cya :)
 
Hi,

Well, I re-read my previous post & noticed myriad typos in it :D

The point I was making is simple. Often I have come across people confused between objective & subjective aspects - wherein one would solely go by 'graphs', other would only go by 'what he hears the best'.

Pl be clear, while objectivity pertains to machine (speakers in this case), subjectivity pertains to 'your perception' of the machine. Goes without saying both have their respective roles in determining appropriate "machine" for "you".

To present an apt analogy - Beauty is in the eyes of beholder. Agreed. But health isn't. Health is pretty objective & scientific. While choosing apt female, health is no less imp than beauty. However, in "love" usually beauty outsmarts health. But then they say - "Love is BLIND" :D So either shortlist healthy females and then choose one you 'love', OR, among those you think you love, well they must be tested for their health. Either approach works fine - though in second instance, one's decision is often marred with partiality than practicality.

So going purely by your sensory perception (all though a key element), will land you with a blind speaker. Its important, I think, to know strength/weakness of what you're buying.

Key steps in finding speakers:
1. Decide budget (say £1000)
2. Get sound piece you know well (shouldn't just SOUNDS NICE to you, but you'd KNOW it)
3. In case, you don't have it (most don't), record your own pieces and use it as reference
4. If Pt 2&3 are impractical, go for most transparent/open speakers costing say £10000+
5. Compare your selected lot with this, whichever comes closer is your potential buy

Insofar as speaker list you've mentioned is concerned, one thing is clear - You like warm signature. Most of them (Reva, KEF etc) have warmth to them. PSB is Canadian, so not so warm. Haven't heard Motive, so cant comment. Concept 40 is well regraded and for price its definitely VFM product. That said, if one likes warm - B&W would surely be on list. Until last month, they were one of my favorites, but now they are not. Am still a novice, but can visualize what they are doing to sound & manipulations therein.

Though I don't like unusually bright speakers, I do like neutral natural tonality. Usually this 'warmth' we experience is, when speakers bypass 'harsh frequencies' (read B&W). In other words, speakers are not operating on a wider frequency spectrum, and not honest to how it was recorded. For ex: Say there's a sound piece such that - its warm & soothing, until there's a sudden car crashing moment accompanies with a screeching sound. An 'honest' speaker would show/try to show, both AS IS. A warm speaker (B&W) would accentuate warm/soothing part, but heavily downplay (suppress) screeching sound. It might still sound good.

That said, if you anyways don't listen to such songs & stuff, and prefer warm/soothing all along - I don't see reason why you'd want your speaker to yell SCREECHHHHH in your ears. Go for warm. Just as you like your coffee a certain way, so are speakers.

1. Reva: Warm & soothing. Brand value isn't that high. Haven't heard to be honest.

2. KEF: Warm is one thing, dull is another. KEF is DULL. I was almost about to pull trigger on 5.0 of KEF LS50 (looks stunning, and what great reviews felicitating them as mini-reference). It was a huge disappointment. Likewise was with R500, R700. If you have insomnia, KEF can make you sleep. Gotta love them for medicinal value, but not sound!

3. Motive: Is that Neat Motive? Well, I haven't heard.

4. Q Acoustics Concept 40: A strong contender. Certainly not as well established as its counterparts like B&W, Tannoy, KEF etc.. but most certainly VFM.

5. PSB: Its Canadian, so not so warm. I was little puzzled to see it, cus most speakers in your list suggested your inclination towards warm. That said, its not bright like Klipsch either.

From the above, "I" wont be drifting for KEF for sure. PSB series you mentioned isn't as refined, so out. Reva & Concept 40 sounds promising, and between these two, I'd choose Concept 40.

But my sole question to you is - Why are you closing your list this soon?
You may (should) hear following. They are in your budget or little higher (£1000 - £1150)
1. B&W 683 S2 (nice but operates on narrow spectrum)
2. Dali Opticon 6 (my choice so far)
3. Tannoy XT6F (yet to audition)
4. Monitor Audio Silver 6 (more detailed, little bright, best VFM)

Would strongly suggest you audition them before you pull your trigger!

Take care.
 
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Cheers Sethi.

The list was just ones I'd read about that got rave reviews. I'm pretty limited for local hifi shops where I am, so it will mean a fair trek to audition a wider range, so I want to have a good idea of what I want to hear before I, a. find somewhere that has them, and b. set out.
 
Hi,

That's cool. Well then this would be my 'suggested' list of speakers, based on my audition experiences -

1. B&W 683 S2: Nice speakers, best punch of the lot. Flip side is, it has tendency to bypass certain frequencies in sound spectrum (mentioned before). And this hold true not just for 600 series, but CM series as well. 800/Nautilus I haven't heard, cus sadly I didn't win the lottery :D

2. Dali Opticon 6: Best of the lot in my view (as mentioned before). Quite balanced, sound isn't harsh, but not thin either. Thin sound tends to appear brighter (even harsh) to sensitive ears. It got the right blend, punch and 'roundness' to sound, than say Focals which sometimes feels like piercing lasers (to my ears). Top choice for music and movies alike.

3. Monitor Audio Silver 6: As new series has been announced, prices have fallen drastically. To add, excellent build quality, nice non-overbearing looks, good detailing (separation of layers in music is quite evident). Put together, this is TOP VFM, and nothing stands close. Complete 5.1 package is being sold at £1999 @ Peter Tyson.

On the flip side, MA can be little bright at times - which may be forgiven, as there couldn't possibly be a perfect speaker for each & every song. (Some songs might not sound as good on say £10000 speakers, as they might on £500. Indeed that happens due to speakers, or ears or combo of both). However, one negative element I have observed with MA is - the approach is more inclined towards clinical, that musical. But all said & done, for the prices they are going at, its Simply UNBEATABLE! Am about to pull trigger on this.

4. Focal Aria: Transparency is their forte, it almost dissolves. However, just as with MA, I felt they have clinical nature - in fact Surgical. I couldn't handle them for 10 minutes. But that in no which way implies they are bad. Excellent transparency, best build quality, premium looks are some of their qualities. Its just not meant for me. You should however listen them, it might be your potential partner.

5. Above speakers are in addition to the list you've mentioned. In all fairness, they'd perform better than speakers in your list - for a small 10-15% increment in your current budget. Why not spend a little more on product which will last, at least, few years (or ears. maybe both).

Having said, why are you not looking at used/ex-demo? Given your £1000, well someone here is selling Focal Aria FS (926 I guess) + Center in £1000 price bracket. Likewise, SevenOaks has Ex-demo of Monitor Audio Silver 8 (3way speakers, Silver 6 is 2.5 way) at £699. They retail price is around £1250, so that's 45-46% discount.

The above list is a skimmed/filtered list. Though I have also added my preferences to each, in no which ways am suggesting that should be taken as benchmark. In fact its just a list, so treat it likewise & be your own judge - You also have 1 pair of ears, so do I lol.

Am almost sure, if you listen to the aforesaid, you might find your partner. I have a feeling though, that you might swing towards WARM than Clinical. Something soothing to spend Sunday afternoon with with eyes closed. If however, you may want to extend this closed eyes session to deep sleep, no one does it better than KEF :laugh:.. Lol just kidding.

Make an informed list, and set out for audition Sir :thumbsup:

PS: Don't sway too much by reviews, needless to say most are paid. Besides, I 'understood' every word in every review on every speaker... BUT there was a small issue - I couldn't FEEL a thing they said. Lol. With a heavy heart, I had to relinquish my lazy bones and had to audition - which I found to be like So Unfair. But world was never a fair place, right? :D

Good luck hunting. Take care!
 
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I have a 5.1 system in another room with a sub which is fun play music on occasions but I don't really want that much bass in generally listening. I generally don't crank it up too loud because of neighbours / small children.
If you don't want much bass while listening, then go for something smaller floorstanding speaker like Mission SX-03. Its the smallest among mission series. It has a sensitivity of around 80 dB and a nominal impedence. I think it would go well with Marantz.
 
Hi having had the same amplifier as yourself and recently upgraded to the Marantz Reference Range, I would say that the Bowers and Wilkins 683 S2's will be a perfect match for your amplifier. The PM8005 is a superb amplifier with a lot of power in reserve and it will drive those speakers perfectly. Having said that, always have a demo of the speakers with your amplifier and see what you think. Hope this helps :)
 
You might have purchased by now, but I have the Focal 726 and they have plenty of punch without being overbearing. They are not the prettiest speakers in the world though, nor is the finish that great for speakers that retailed around 1k. RS have had them up for 599 before. Cheaper the the 716 they were selling!
 
I'll throw the SVS Prime Towers into the hat.
These have a frequency response down to 30Hz +/- 3dB and being made by SVS (best known for their excellent subs) they produce good clean and low bass.They can be found for less than £1000/pair and have a small (30x20 cm) footprint.
They produce a very expansive soundstage, have great dynamics, clear detailed sound and for music you do not need a sub.
 

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