Need advice with new Yamaha mini hifi and sub setup

To get the best from bookshelf speakers they really need to be on proper stands. This often takes up as much space as a floorstander. The Silver 100 is both wider & deeper than the Bronze 6!

Speakers need to be fixed firmly in space so suspending them from the ceiling will likely mean screwing a mount to a joist. That will potentially transfer energy into the ceiling. Same principle we touched with isolation from the sideboard only worse, as this could travel upstairs/next door!

Wall mounting can work if you have solid walls but you then lose any flexibility for fine tuning positioning.
 
Yeah, after demoing a few speakers today I'd say wall or ceiling mounting is out of the question.

Spent two hours at RS demoing speakers... all through the Yamaha R-N803 network amp.

The MA Bronze 6 are actually narrower than I thought and would work out just fine, placement wise. They sound good and I don't believe I will need a sub with these speakers for music. It is a bit bright but clear and the lows are wide but not boomy. The low/mids could be better but to be honest I might not have noticed it if it wasn't for the other speakers I tested.

In the demo room there just happened to be a pair of Focal Aria 906 on stands which looked interesting. The sales rep's face lit up when I asked about them. They were impressive to say the least! Clarity and balance were really great. Vocals were easily better than the others I tested. Bass was controlled in a good way and had power. Highs were bright but balanced and the mids were best out of the speakers tested.

Tested the MA Silver 100 as well but they were quite bulky as you said in your other post. They took up the most room out of the bunch. Bass was really good but the middle ground wasn't as good as the Bronze 6 nor the Focal 906. It was mostly bass and highs but really good bass and highs. The bulkiness put me off a bit though.

Revel Concerta2 M16 was the other set I tested and was very close in comparison to the Focal 906. The bass was wider though and more room filling, not by a great deal much though. Vocals weren't as good as the Focal but only slightly. They were £1000 and not sure if I agreed with that especially after listening to the Focals.

Form factor, the Bronze 6 fit the bill but I cannot deny the upgrade in quality with the Focal. So I am torn at the moment. Price wise the Focal setup is almost £300 more (plus whatever stands I get for them) than if I were to take the Bronze 6 bundle. I'm concerned that the Focal's bass may not be enough when set up in my lounge though. I don't think my CA sub works well with hifi so not really looking to utilise it anymore. For that reason the Silver 100 is still a contender. and is roughly the same price as the Bronze 6 bundle.

Any thoughts?
 
Any thoughts?
First thought is now you know why someone else can't tell you which speakers to buy! ;)

Not sure how there's a £300 difference when there's only £70 between the speakers?

Focal ARIA 906 (Noyer Walnut)

Monitor Audio BRONZE 6 (Walnut)

Maybe worth a call to the store to check the pricing & maybe also to the online team. Another option is to look at used.

Unfortunately there's only one way to find out if they'll work in your room.
 
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First thought is now you know why someone else can't tell you which speakers to buy! ;)

Not sure how there's a £300 difference when there's only £70 between the speakers?

Focal ARIA 906 (Noyer Walnut)

Monitor Audio BRONZE 6 (Walnut)

Maybe worth a call to the store to check the pricing & maybe also to the online team. Another option is to look at used.

Unfortunately there's only one way to find out if they'll work in your room.

Yes indeed! Very subjective.

The difference in price is due to the Bronze 6 bundle being discounted as a deal at £950. There's no bundle deal with the Focal speakers so it's the advertised price at Peter Tyson and RS.

Peter Tyson said they would be able to take off £100 quid though.
 
So... I ended up going with the Yamaha R-N803D and MA Bronze 6 bundle. For the money it made the most sense and I'm happy I did. It produces the sound I was looking for and doesn't take up a load of space. Quite happy and Peter Tyson were spot on with their service.

Thanks again to RBZ5416 and Joe for all the advice!
 
Glad you ended up with something satisfactory. I'd be interested in the results obtained by the Yamaha room correction if you've set that up?
 
Glad you got sorted. Not too dissimilar setup to me. I have the Yamaha R-N602 with MA Silver 6's which are discontinued now. I have a long room and the speakers can really fill all of it no problem. I find the bass is fine at loud volumes but feel it could do with a little more punch and dynamics at lower volumes. I'm looking into getting a music sub.

Enjoy. You can't fault the Yamaha units. Loads of features, connectivity and a nice clean sound in my opinion.
 
Glad you ended up with something satisfactory. I'd be interested in the results obtained by the Yamaha room correction if you've set that up?

Thanks.
I've gone back to redecorating the lounge now so the hifi is stowed away upstairs at the moment. As soon as everything is back to normal I will test it out and let you know.
 
Glad you got sorted. Not too dissimilar setup to me. I have the Yamaha R-N602 with MA Silver 6's which are discontinued now. I have a long room and the speakers can really fill all of it no problem. I find the bass is fine at loud volumes but feel it could do with a little more punch and dynamics at lower volumes. I'm looking into getting a music sub.

Enjoy. You can't fault the Yamaha units. Loads of features, connectivity and a nice clean sound in my opinion.

Thanks. The Bronze 6 is working out really well and I think I got a really good deal on it & the amp for £950.

I didn't get a chance to demo the Silver 6 but the Silver 200 was on a similar offer... not sure it would have the desired affect with two less woofers and only rear ports though. Then again the woofers in the Silver should be of better quality and probably would have made up for it.

I tried my Cambridge sub with it and got it to blend really well but my oh my... the house felt like it was going to come down. I could only set the sub volume as far as a 1/4 of the way. I think that sub is meant for surround only. :)
 
Finishing off my redecorating of the lounge and trying to free up as much space as possible so was thinking of replacing my TV's sound bar with the Bronze 6 speakers.

Is it wise to run the tv sound through the hifi amp via optical or should I invest in a proper AV receiver and have it connected to the Bronze 6 via the second pair of speaker terminals on the tower cabinet?

I more than likely will not be upgrading to anything higher than 2.1 audio anytime soon.
 
No reason not to run stereo for the TV, I do as do many others. Just a case of how well the setup can present dialogue as a phantom centre rather than seeming to come from one side. So the speakers need to be equidistant from the TV & your listening position needs to be centred.

Of course if you want multi-channel in future then you'll need a separate AVR, but don't just connect both amps to the speakers as that's a recipe for smoke. You either need an AVR with pre-outs that you feed into the stereo amp for the front L/R or a speaker switch.
 
Tried a few things today... not a fan of the Bronze 6 as stereo TV speakers. Couldn't get them to recreate the centre. Dialogue sounds as if it's coming through a stage PA. Just didn't sound natural to me. I think it is mostly speaker placement and room acoustics than anything else though.

I also tried out the YPAO feature. It's worth it if you're using a sub and I can see how it would be vital with home cinema but I don't think it's very beneficial for a pair of load speakers. I was definitely able to blend in my sub more efficiently but the Bronze 6 really doesn't need a sub for music. Without the sub it produces a flatter, more subdued sound than if using Pure Direct. However, comparing it to the amp's flat settings (non Pure Direct) it sounds better and less boomy.

Pure Direct, with this setup, is almost perfect imo. After having a play about with the settings I'm quite happy to leave Pure Direct on permanently.
 

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