Help please! RE: Speaker-Kef IQ5 /Mission M34i & Cambridge Audio Azur amp / cd player

HAPPY2BHERE

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Hi, new to forum, so hello! :hiya: Am thinking of buying some new kit, but on a budget. Have googled my socks off and now feel totally overwhelmed! So here goes, any opinions, comments or reviews greatly appreciated.

Speakers - was thinking of Mission M34i or Kef IQ5
Amp - Cambridge Audio Azur 640a V2
Cd player - Cambridge Audio Azur 640c V2

Questions, questions! Know that Kef speakers won hi-fi award blah, blah, but heard that you need a more powerful amp. Would the Cambridge do this job? Are the Mission more user friendly in this respect? Also came across Kef Q5 speakers are these the same as the IQ5's? Someone mentioned that they are the equivlent to IQ7. In some posts people were a little disapointed by Kefs, anyone feel the same? Don't have a hi-fi shop anywhere near me and subsequently will be purchasing online - so you can appreciate my caution.

Thank you in advance!

Also put this post in amp section - sorry if not allowed!
 
If you going to purchase online that will rule out the KEF's as they are collection only, and yes there is a difference between the iQ5 and the Q5. Also worth considering are the MA Bronze range, although as to what they sound like I couldn't tell you as I haven't got off my behind yet to demo them !
 
Hi there, I was in your position earlier this year, looking at the same brands and ranges, and I ended up with the CA 640A and the CA DVD89. They are awesome components, and as far as the amp, you don't need to worry if it's sufficient at all. It is very powerful where it counts.

For speakers, after doing online/mag research I, like you, was interested in the KEF iQ5's but then I went and had a listen and was disappointed. The Monitor Audio speakers, both bronze and silver, just blew them away in my opinion. I ended up with the silver rs6's and absolutely love them, but the bronze br5's are great too, if you want to save a little money.

How big is your room?
 
In what respect did the Bronze outperform the iQ5, I know everyone raves about the MA's and i've read the reviews, I know I need to demo them but I need to travel to find them, I can however demo the iQ5's
 
The thing I noticed immediately, and I think most people agree, is the soundstage. To me the MA's soundstage was just deeper, wider and taller. And I also felt that they were more detailed and refined in the mid and high end frequencies. I didn't notice a huge difference in the bass b/w the iq5 and br5, but the rs6 bass performance is a whole 'nother level.

But if you are comparing the br5 and the iq5, I will say that a lot depends on your amp. Since I had Cambridge Audio, which is very warm and laid back, I was looking for a very bright and detailed speaker. I think there are some amps that the iq5's will sound better with. And to their credit, the iq5's look great and definitely go big and loud.

An interesting comparison, which I didn't do, would be to compare the rs6's (which I ended up with) and the iq7's...
 
The iQ7 never seem to get good reviews, amp wise i'll either be using something like a Yam 759 or the amp I have/had for my Hi Fi, again this is a Yam but was part of the midi Hi Fi range and was the equivilent to the TEAC REf 300. I'd love to go for the silvers and was reccomended the next step down from what you have (only single driver) as a better alternative to the BR5. Hopefully I can arrange a demo of the iQ5 to see how they sound with my amp and possible future AV amp. I'm not after the ultimate listening experience in terms of detail, I want something that I can listen to and enjoy.
 

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