New system suggestions please.

@Paul7777x
@gibbsy

I found an outlet in my county that I can possibly audition
Denon
Marantz
And
Rega

Dali and not sure what others,

At this point thanks to @Paul7777x
I think I may steer towards the higher end gear. Are the qa40’s critical with placement,?
There are a few outlets in Northern Ireland that I can bargain for pricing. But I have to purchase before the end of June as due to Brexit, any date after this I would have to pay extra taxes and duty.
I will audition as much as I can first and then try the bargain for pricing.

on another note
That Yamaha unit for streaming,
I apologise I didn’t read the tech side fully,
But where would the be positioned?
Reason I ask is. I have a chimney brest in the room where this will be set up,
Denon receiver
Panasonic 4k player are placed on the right and the amp would be placed on the left of the brest, the laptop is normally parked at the opposite end of the room,
What way would all this be hooked up?
Thanks again.
 
You have had a number of good suggestions, but given the fact that you seem to like a matched set:




949 + 439 + 849 = 2237 - slightly over your budget but all of those components are very good value for the sound quality they provide. The Marantz and QAcoustics Concepts pair nicely.
 
You have had a number of good suggestions, but given the fact that you seem to like a matched set:




949 + 439 + 849 = 2237 - slightly over your budget but all of those components are very good value for the sound quality they provide. The Marantz and QAcoustics Concepts pair nicely.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I am just going through all options before I pull the plug.
 
@Paul7777x
I have 99% decided I will go with the Rotel A11 tribute and CD11 tribute.
Budget has taken a bit of a hit due to an unforeseen circumstance.
I am still unsure if my room is suitable for floor standers.
Could you suggest a bookshelf speaker?
Due to budget issue, I can purchase the Rotels today and use them with my Dali Spektor 2 for the moment. Do I add the Topping E30 to this?
Then I canget the speakers in a few weeks.
Thanks for your excellent advice and time taken to guide me.
 
I’m sure you’ll be happy with the Rotels.

As for speakers, in almost all cases floorstanders take up the same space as standmounts on their stands.

The QA 40s are pretty much easy to position according to the review from AVF above too.

However, for standmounts, these are currently the best bargain I can find. And an exceptional one at that.


Assuming you are using the laptop as your streamer you will indeed need a USB dac and the E30 is an excellent one.
 
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I’m sure you’ll be happy with the Rotels.

As for speakers, in almost all cases floorstanders take up the same space as standmounts on their stands.

The QA 40s are pretty much easy to position according to the review from AVF above too.

However, for standmounts, these are currently the best bargain I can find. And an exceptional one at that.


Assuming you are using the laptop as your streamer you will indeed need a USB dac and the E30 is an excellent one.
Last question ( I promise :) )
RS in Belfast are apparently out of stock and are unsure if they are finished with them or not,
Would you feel Oberon 5 would be a good substitute?
I know, floorstanders which goes against what I previously said, but I think I can re-arrange to make them fit.
 
What you can find is that for a given budget you can get higher quality standmounts. However that very often means that you need (paradoxically) a more powerful amplifier than you would for floorstanders. The floorstanders have a higher sensitivity.

The Rotels you have selected are very high quality but not very high power, so you may be better off with floorstanders. Unless you add a sub later on when finances allow.

If you can manage the Concept 40s then you should really try for those. As Paul says they don't take any more room and also don't forget you always have to add the cost of stands for the stand-mount speakers.
 

Last question ( I promise :) )
RS in Belfast are apparently out of stock and are unsure if they are finished with them or not,
Would you feel Oberon 5 would be a good substitute?
I know, floorstanders which goes against what I previously said, but I think I can re-arrange to make them fit.
The Oberons are very well reviewed certainly. And the Rotel amp has a very respectable current supply so will drive them with no difficulty.

Speakers are quite taste dependant in a much more definite way than amplifiers are, and certainly dacs.

But as you like the Spektors it seems unlikely that you will not enjoy the Oberons.

You might also consider the new Opticons.


And it’s worth calling the online number to see if they deliver these to your address.

 
The Oberons are very well reviewed certainly. And the Rotel amp has a very respectable current supply so will drive them with no difficulty.

Speakers are quite taste dependant in a much more definite way than amplifiers are, and certainly dacs.

But as you like the Spektors it seems unlikely that you will not enjoy the Oberons.

You might also consider the new Opticons.


And it’s worth calling the online number to see if they deliver these to your address.

Both good choices.

Probably about equal to drive given the sensitivity & impedance of each.

Note the frequency response however - as you'd expect the floorstanders can go lower (39Hz v 59Hz), the bookshelf are from the higher range, but you may find you want to add a sub later on if they don't have enough bass for you.
 
Adding a sub is never a bad idea.

I mention the Opticons because a range up usually can be relied upon to be a ‘better’ all round speaker.

And a standmount can usually be relied upon to be the better bet, pound for pound.

if it were my cash, and I had enough of it, I’d go for the Opticon.

certainly your point about the bass is well made. But ‘in room’ I’d be surprised if there was a huge difference.

and I’d expect the Opticon to be the more grown up speaker.
 
Ps, I’ve just checked the power output of the Rotel amp.

And it is quite excellent. Even for many an amp twice it’s price.

As usual, Rotel have not skimped a penny on their legendary power supplies.

From Hifi News.

6315FC51-D109-46FA-A356-76C8BA1F2CE2.jpeg
 
@Paul7777x

Thanks again,
As for the Spektors.! I really am not a lover of them to be honest. they just sound, flat for the use of a word.

I was looking att he specs of the Rotel there and I am unsure if this matters a whole lot or not. But output is rated at 8ohm

I heard of these but never heard them.
Fyne F302 or F303 both of those are 8 ohm.

OR

I know I mentioned before I wasn't a lover of QA. But the 3050i looks decent price. ( Mainly because of budget circumstance change )
Thoughts?
 
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@Paul7777x

Thanks again,
As for the Spektors.! I really am not a lover of them to be honest. they just sound, flat for the use of a word.

I was looking att he specs of the Rotel there and I am unsure if this matters a whole lot or not. But output is rated at 8ohm

I heard of these but never heard them.
Fyne F302 or F303 both of those are 8 ohm.
Thoughts?

It is best to completely ignore the Ohm rating on a speaker.

It literally has no meaning at all.

What matters is the lowest impedance and where it is in the frequency range.

For that you need a graph. Preferably an independently generated one.

As they are not readily available for almost all speakers, it is simply more realistic to understand an amplifiers output.

That is, does it have the power supply readiness to swing into low
Ohm parts of the speakers (and musics) demands when necessary?

For your budget you’ll find none do better than the Rotel.

If you look closely at the Hifi News measurements you will see a rating of 75W into 8 Ohms and 105W into 4 Ohms. Not at all bad.

More importantly, much more so is it’s dynamic power output.

That means how much power it can provide when the speakers impedance dips demand it.

The difference between its constant output and its dynamic output is large.

At 4 Ohms it is nearly double. That is the sign of a well engineered output.

The Rotel is not a ‘powerhouse’ as the hifi cliche goes, but, crucially, it does do what good amps are supposed to do.

For your budget you’ll not get appreciably better without denying yourself the CD player and effectively doubling your amp budget.

It will also easily drive the 303s.

Fyne Audio are essentially Tannoy. That is a very good thing. I’ve not heard anything but praise for their speakers.

If you absolutely cannot stretch to the Q Acoustics Concept 40s above then the 303s will be a good buy.
 
@Paul7777x

Thanks again,
As for the Spektors.! I really am not a lover of them to be honest. they just sound, flat for the use of a word.

I was looking att he specs of the Rotel there and I am unsure if this matters a whole lot or not. But output is rated at 8ohm

I heard of these but never heard them.
Fyne F302 or F303 both of those are 8 ohm.

OR

I know I mentioned before I wasn't a lover of QA. But the 3050i looks decent price. ( Mainly because of budget circumstance change )
Thoughts?

Ps, the 3050s are also well respected speakers. Some have mentioned a touch flabbiness in the bass. But then again, some people like that.

Hers a good, though not extensive review for your question oddly enough.


EDIT, perhaps not flabbiness. The ones I’ve heard are good speakers, and they can certainly do big and wholesome, but my taste (and in speakers this is important) is for agility.

I’d happily sacrifice a few Hertz at the very low end for being more fleet of foot (as it were).

There will really be very little in it between the two, but... that might make a big difference to someone with a taste for big bass over nimble tracking of a bass line.

The Concept 40s will give you both, and more of everything else than either the 303 or the 3050i. But if that is out of the question, getting a listen to both of the less expensive speakers would be a good idea.
 
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Ps, RS in Belfast stock both and they should be happy to let you listen to both if you can get there.

It’s not ideal as it’s not your living room, but both speakers will be in the same room so you should be able to tell if any difference is going to appeal to you.
 
Pps, it seems, if I’ve got Belfast’s prices right, that the 303s and the 3050is are around €140 less than the Concept 40s from Hifi Hut.

For a next league up speaker.

So if you can sell a kidney... :smashin:

Also, alas I think they are only available in black for that price, so if that’s a no-no then... nothing more to be said naturally.
 
Pd, don’t be put off by your lack of love for the Spektors, from considering either the Opticons or Oberons.

The Spektors are a very much budget speaker and the better Dalis will sound appreciably better.

Plus, you’ve been listening to them through an AV receiver, not the best match for even much better speakers.
 
Also... the Dali Spektors seem to go for around £120 + on eBay in the UK.

I’m not sure how well that will translate to Ireland, but it might help.
 
...the 3050i looks decent price.

Did you mention the room size? You'll need a large room for the QA 3050i to sound tonally balanced.
 
Ps, the 3050s are also well respected speakers. Some have mentioned a touch flabbiness in the bass. But then again, some people like that.

Hers a good, though not extensive review for your question oddly enough.


EDIT, perhaps not flabbiness. The ones I’ve heard are good speakers, and they can certainly do big and wholesome, but my taste (and in speakers this is important) is for agility.

I’d happily sacrifice a few Hertz at the very low end for being more fleet of foot (as it were).

There will really be very little in it between the two, but... that might make a big difference to someone with a taste for big bass over nimble tracking of a bass line.

The Concept 40s will give you both, and more of everything else than either the 303 or the 3050i. But if that is out of the question, getting a listen to both of the less expensive speakers would be a good idea.

Every speaker has its compromises. I think of it this way - if you prefer the bass guitar then go for the 3050, if you prefer the drums then the F303. If you want them both to sound better then the 40s.

Auditioning them is obviously the best solution if you can with a couple of your favourite tracks.
 
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@Paul7777x
As the saying goes, "No turning back now"

Ordered the Rotel A11 and CD11
And a pair of Oak finish Oberon 5's
Should be with me tomorrow, fingers crossed I made a good decision.
Thanks
 
@Paul7777x
As the saying goes, "No turning back now"

Ordered the Rotel A11 and CD11
And a pair of Oak finish Oberon 5's
Should be with me tomorrow, fingers crossed I made a good decision.
Thanks
I hope you love them. It’s always a bit scary spending wads of cash...

Once your ears/brain become accustomed to the new sound I’m sure you will enjoy the music sir :smashin:

Please pop back and let us know what you think.
 
Ps, the Apt-X Bluetooth will do a great job of streaming from your phone until you get a streamer.
 
Ps, the Apt-X Bluetooth will do a great job of streaming from your phone until you get a streamer.
I actually meant to ask you that,
Excitement setting in.
 

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