looking to upgrade my AV system ... need some advice and suggestions without breaking the bank

Yep. As stated in my previous reply. I'd remove the MA W10 sub and get one of the 3 mentioned in my post #22. In fairness I'd replace any of the packaged same brand subs though!

ah yes sorry... it only just clicked in my head as to what you were referring to

thanks!
 
I've just pm'd you mate 👍🏼
 
Pretty much agree with what @Jester1066 has said.

In my AV setup I have the MA Silver 200 6gen bundle with an extra pair of the Silver 50 so 7 speakers in total running from a 2014 Marantz SR6008, which was the 2nd down in the Marantz range at the time.

My room is rather bigger than yours and I wanted the 200s as fronts for the extra higher power handling and SPL and also they look better IMHO than stand mounts. Because I've set the crossovers at 80Hz the sub does all the heavy lifting and I can swap in the 50s as the fronts for very little difference in sound. However the 50s are £500 and the 200s £1000.

The Silver W-12 sub is actually very good but it is £1000 and I'd expect the SVS SB1000 Pro to have very similar performance at half the price. However I chose the piano black option (£+10%) and wanted everything to match and got a great deal from Peter Tyson where I effectively got the sub for free.

My final comment is regarding the C150 v C350 centre speaker - the C350 is HUGE ! Jester1066 has said it's important that the front 3 speakers LCR are matched. The C150 is matched to the 50 and 200, not just the drivers but also visually with the dimensions.

Have a good think about where your seating will be and where and how the FX speakers in particular in these packages will be mounted and the direction they face.

Enjoy your planning :)
 
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My final comment is regarding the C150 v C350 centre speaker - the C350 is HUGE ! Jester1066 has said it's important that the front 3 speakers LCR are matched. The C150 is matched to the 50 and 200, not just the drivers but also visually with the dimensions.
Yep forgot to mention the shear size of the C350 (Dimensions WxDxH (mm) 560 x 265 x 235). The main difference between the C150 & C350 (other than size) is the latter is a 3 way speaker, so have an extra mid range driver in addition to the tweeter. This helps with clarity on dialogue and is useful if you have people sitting off axis to the speaker (as in my case).

Whilst it is not an exact visual match for either the 200's or 100's it's not out of proportion to them either and will still work well.

Have a read of this thread, which also has pictures showing a C350 paired with the Silver 200's


I agree with @mascholes - the FX's need careful placement (in relation to seating etc), as they are Bipole/Dipole (switchable), so behave and sound different to traditional monopole speakers. There's plenty of threads on this forum about them. I use them too so am happy to offer advice.
 
Have a read of this thread, which also has pictures showing a C350 paired with the Silver 200's
What I'm seeing is the 300s with the C350. :)
The 50s and 200s match C150.
The 100, 300 and 500 match C350.
 
What I'm seeing is the 300s with the C350. :)
The 50s and 200s match C150.
The 100, 300 and 500 match C350.
From the same thread I linked to:

Post in thread 'Upgrade from MA Bronze to Silver?' Upgrade from MA Bronze to Silver?

This forum member is using a C350 with Silver 200's 😊 (scroll down the post, pics are at the bottom)

Edit: the 300 is the best visual match for the C350. Likewise the C150 is a better visual match for the 50's & 200's... But the C350 neither looks or (arguably more importantly) sounds bad/out of place when paired with 100's, 200's or 300's. I'll admit it would probably look "weird" next to or near the smaller Silver 50's though 😉🤣😊
 
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Have a good think about where your seating will be and where and how the FX speakers in particular in these packages will be mounted and the direction they face.

excuse the stupid question here.. the FX speakers are the rear speakers?

@Jester1066 you mentioned that the speakers are Bipole/Dipole (switchable)...
what does that mean? ive never heard of this terminology with speakers.... 🤔
 
@Jester1066 I looked at the right thread but there's 4 pages and many photos and the one you're refering to is in post 81.

The 50s and 200s match C150.
The 100, 300 and 500 match C350.
That's what Monitor Audio say but you're free to disagree.
 
i got a question in regards to some speakers...
how do the speakers in this package

1599

compare to the following

2999

Q Acoustic q3010i vs Monitor Audio Silver 100.
the MA silver 100 are double the price.. does that mean its double the performance?


cheers!
 
excuse the stupid question here.. the FX speakers are the rear speakers?

@Jester1066 you mentioned that the speakers are Bipole/Dipole (switchable)...
what does that mean? ive never heard of this terminology with speakers.... 🤔
Not a stupid question...

Here's an article that explain the different types of speakers:


and a video:



From a personal perspective, I use the FX surrounds as my sofa is near (less than 3ft) my rear wall. The FX speakers are particularly useful in this scenario. As the sound from is fired directly at you but bounced of the adjacent walls.

If your seating position is more than 3ft away from your rear wall, you could use a set of say Bronze or Silver 50's on stands.

Here's a link to the FX manual, which explains how to position them:


Ideally a picture of your actual room (including seating position) would be useful. We'd then be able to gauge which speakers would works best.
 
@Jester1066 I looked at the right thread but there's 4 pages and many photos and the one you're refering to is in post 81.


That's what Monitor Audio say but you're free to disagree.
That's the beauty of this AV stuff! We all have different tastes etc. There's no definitive right or wrong answers. You are though right strictly speaking, pairing the C350 & 200's is not a visual match. 😊
 
Here's an article that explain the different types of speakers:
awesome thanks, ill check this out and the manual.. cheers


Ideally a picture of your actual room (including seating position) would be useful. We'd then be able to gauge which speakers would works best.

yep that makes sense... something to figure out once we move in.

on a side note..
i just noticed that 3700 bundle with the MA Silver 200's is only 50 pounds more?

so whats the catch here?
 
on a side note..
i just noticed that 3700 bundle with the MA Silver 200's is only 50 pounds more?
so whats the catch here?
£50 more than which package?
 
Q Acoustic q3010i vs Monitor Audio Silver 100.
the MA silver 100 are double the price.. does that mean its double the performance?


cheers!
Not really double the performance as such. The MA silvers have a real wood vaneer finish vs the QA's cheaper vinyl, different drivers etc They'll sound different for sure.

Those QA's are a closer range match in terms of driver technology and finish to the MA Bronze range imo. They are nonetheless very good speakers!

This is why you should go and demo as many different brands of speakers... They'll all have a different sound, finish etc. You may love the look of the MA'S, but not their sound etc
 
the MA silver 100 one...
I see now. Well the 200's are a more expensive model speaker than the 100's. Have a look on the Monitor Audio website to compare the 2 in terms of spec.

That's actually quite a good deal ino. The 200's have an RRP of £999 on their own vs the £100's which are RRP £649 a pair.

I'd still swap out the sub for a cheaper, but equal performing SVS model personally.
 
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Not really double the performance as such. The MA silvers have a real wood vaneer finish vs the QA's cheaper vinyl, different drivers etc They'll sound different for sure.

Those QA's are a closer range match in terms of driver technology and finish to the MA Bronze range imo. They are nonetheless very good speakers!

This is why you should go and demo as many different brands of speakers... They'll all have a different sound, finish etc. You may love the look of the MA'S, but not their sound etc
oh ok.. so it seems that in this scenario the difference is more down to the build of the speakers rather than the actual quality.
good to know.. cheers
 
I see now. Well the 200's are a more expensive model speaker than the 100's. Have a look on the Monitor Audio website to compare the 2 in terms of spec.

That's actually quite a good deal ino. The 200's have an RRP of £999 on their own vs the £100's which are RRP £649 a pair.

I'd still swap out the sub for a cheaper, but equal performing SVS model personally.
yeah i mean for 50 pounds it would would certainly make sense to get the 200's over the 100's.. i wonder if thats a typo?
just seems a bit weird that the price difference is so small.

not complaining... may it stay like that!
 
oh ok.. so it seems that in this scenario the difference is more down to the build of the speakers rather than the actual quality.
good to know.. cheers

Not just build quality, but also different tweeter, bass and mid range drivers and technology. It's these differences that give each speaker is unique sound signature.

For example, the MA bronze have a vinyl finish vs the silvers real wood vaneer. But this is only part of the reason the silvers are more expensive. The silvers also have better quality drivers (tweeters, bass) than the Bronzes - which will make the sound slightly different. Go up to the Golds and they have a different tweeter altogether.

Some brands of speakers will sound "bright" and have a forward treble. Others will sound "warm". Only your ears can decide which you prefer!

yeah i mean for 50 pounds it would would certainly make sense to get the 200's over the 100's.. i wonder if thats a typo?
just seems a bit weird that the price difference is so small.

not complaining... may it stay like that!
Don't underestimate the 100's!

Before buying my current speakers, I auditioned both the 100's & 200's side by side. I actually preferred the overall sound of the 100's, despite the 200's having dual 5.25" bass drivers vs the single 8" in the 100. You of course may feel differently 😊

Here's my thread, detailing my non scientific review of my audition. Which also included other brand speakers at similar price points: (Have a read)


😊

PS: I was so impressed with the Dali Opticon 2's MK1 on my 2nd audition trip, that even now I'm considering getting a set of the new version (MK2's)


For my stereo system in the bedroom! 😊
 
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yeah i mean for 50 pounds it would would certainly make sense to get the 200's over the 100's.. i wonder if thats a typo?
just seems a bit weird that the price difference is so small.

not complaining... may it stay like that!

Nice deal when the 5.1 package alone costs 2865£! 3050£ but as this is bundle deal and when they remove the W12 it won`t drop 1000£. You have to ask how much it will cost then. With the S100 you need speaker stands so they would end up costing more, silly. You can also change the FX speakers to Silver 50 if they work better in your room. And also swapping the center channel if there is space for it. You are stepping quite far away from the original budget 1k£ - 1,5k£.

MA typically refresh ranges about 4-5years apart so the Silver range is next in line and that will be end of this year or next year. No official word when. If it would happen this year then you would start seeing price drops and offers for them. It would be terrible to see new range coming just when you have bought something.
 
@Gasp3621 IAgree with virtually everything you say above, except this:

With the S100 you need speaker stands so they would end up costing more, silly.
I believe the @RogerDingo already has some stands he could potentially use with the 100's. If they are suitable this would add nothing to the cost.

Having said that I do agree that the bundle with the 200's is a cracking one 😊
 
Yeah then no issue if the top plates are decent sized. You could post pics of the S100 as they are quite "fat" so need some decent stands to look good. For my taste the thicker stands the better with those type speakers. S200 may look better they are so small and comes with 5,25" drivers, not 6" as mentioned. :) The earlier gen had 6" drivers, but they downsized the latest gen S200. Will be intresting to see which way they go with the new ones when ever they arrive.
 
Yeah then no issue if the top plates are decent sized. You could post pics of the S100 as they are quite "fat" so need some decent stands to look good. For my taste the thicker stands the better with those type speakers. S200 may look better they are so small and comes with 5,25" drivers, not 6" as mentioned. :) The earlier gen had 6" drivers, but they downsized the latest gen S200. Will be intresting to see which way they go with the new ones when ever they arrive.
My bad. I've amended my post to the correct driver size. I blame my error on replying late (or should that be early? 😉)

Were you asking me to post a picture of my 100's on the stand I have? Or for the OP to post a pic of his current stands? 🤔

If it was aimed at me. I'll happily post one later.
 
Edit: the 300 is the best visual match for the C350. Likewise the C150 is a better visual match for the 50's & 200's...
It's not just about the visual match. LCR speakers should use identical drive units. Hence I repeat the Manufacturers (and my) advice 50s and 200s match the C150, and 100s, 300, and 500s match the C350.
 
All this theoretical advice is fine, but I think you need to go and listen to say the Bronze v the Silvers to get an idea whether spending twice as much is worth it to you.
 

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