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Radicool

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Hi, I recently delved into the home stereo world. With no prior knowledge and only by a friend recommendation, I first bought Sansui A60 in near perfect condition. Then just by how they look and thought price is good, I got Tannoy Eclipse 2. I thought it's not a bad beginning in terms of sound. Then I started to get familiar with this and that and got Arcam A19. At first me and the wife were in no doubt it sounded better. Then I decided to pair it with b&w P4. They sound awful, with each of the amps... Muted and unclear, boomy bass and no trebles. Now, I know these require 50w min from an amp and the Arcam is 50 and the sansui is even 45. Can someone clear it for me if this is the reason please?
The other thing is, when swapping everything about trying to find out which combination currently at my disposal is best, I now like the original sansui-tannoy more than the arcam-tannoy. I'm confused, am I doing something stupid... Having decided to sell the sansui and find a match for the arcam, now I am totally confused if I should keep it and sell the arcam... or just sell everything and go completely different route.
sorry for my lack of experience guys, I hope someone can spare their time for an advise. Will be much appreciated 🤠
 
The P4 were a pretty good speaker but will likely be 20+ years old now, first thing is to double check you have connected the speakers with the amp Red to Red and black to black. At that age the tweeters may have dried out if they were ferro fluid filled.

If you have Spotify there are playlists on there of test tones, if you play a sweep from 20-20khz then this may help identify if the tweeters are defective.
 
The particular pair of B&W PM4's you bought are basically broken. Can you fix them for a reasonable price? Maybe. However even if fully fixed and sounding better than new, they will still be a mediocre sounding speaker.

In a system with a digital source, the speakers are the key. Get them right and the rest of the system should fall into place easily and cheaply enough.

You doing your own AB demos at home and deciding which combinations you like best is a good approach. As long as whatever you try can be sold on for what you paid for it, or returned for a full refund.

The thing with speakers is that for most people it's not just the sound and the price that counts. It's the looks and size too. With taste in looks and size being highly personal.
If you can say what sort of size and looks you'd be happy with, I might be able to nominate a few speakers for you to try...
 
Thank you for you reply guys.
I didn't know about Spotify having this feature and will try it out but to be honest I have up on p4 and now trying to return them.
My dilemma is now which of the two amps to keep. Shame the sansui doesn't have an external preamp option as the arcam can be used as a separate preamp and I thought I might keep it and use this way. From its reviews and sound I think it's a good option until my budget allows better one.
lyndsayt, my living room is around 6m x 3m. I'm a metal and rock fan but I listen to all kinds of music too, except bassy r&b. I play guitar too and the sound I look for is the natural where you here everything cristal clear with real base.
Thanks
 
Then I decided to pair it with b&w P4. They sound awful, with each of the amps... Muted and unclear, boomy bass and no trebles. Now, I know these require 50w min from an amp and the Arcam is 50 and the sansui is even 45. Can someone clear it for me if this is the reason please?

Assuming both amps are performing as the manufacturers intended, then I doubt the sonic differences you're hearing is due to the amps. Most likely the speakers are the problem, as suggested by previous posters. They either don't suit your sonic tastes or are faulty (my money is on the latter).

Amp power at 45W+ RMS into 8 Ohms shouldn't be a problem with either of those speakers in an 18 sqm room unless you listen at ear-bleeding volumes. However, higher powered amps often have "stiffer" power supplies which are better able to control a speaker's bass.

I have no idea of timescales here but I'd suggest you take your time to reach a definite conclusion about your preferences. It's too easy to start hastily switching things around which can be wastefully expensive (the hifi merry-go-round). Live with the gear for a while (weeks not days).
 
Assuming both amps are performing as the manufacturers intended, then I doubt the sonic differences you're hearing is due to the amps. Most likely the speakers are the problem, as suggested by previous posters. They either don't suit your sonic tastes or are faulty (my money is on the latter).

Amp power at 45W+ RMS into 8 Ohms shouldn't be a problem with either of those speakers in an 18 sqm room unless you listen at ear-bleeding volumes. However, higher powered amps often have "stiffer" power supplies which are better able to control a speaker's bass.

I have no idea of timescales here but I'd suggest you take your time to reach a definite conclusion about your preferences. It's too easy to start hastily switching things around which can be wastefully expensive (the hifi merry-go-round). Live with the gear for a while (weeks not days)
 
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Assuming both amps are performing as the manufacturers intended, then I doubt the sonic differences you're hearing is due to the amps. Most likely the speakers are the problem, as suggested by previous posters. They either don't suit your sonic tastes or are faulty (my money is on the latter).

Amp power at 45W+ RMS into 8 Ohms shouldn't be a problem with either of those speakers in an 18 sqm room unless you listen at ear-bleeding volumes. However, higher powered amps often have "stiffer" power supplies which are better able to control a speaker's bass.

I have no idea of timescales here but I'd suggest you take your time to reach a definite conclusion about your preferences. It's too easy to start hastily switching things around which can be wastefully expensive (the hifi merry-go-round). Live with the gear for a while (weeks

I think the same, I need to take more time with what I have at the moment. I'm starting to appreciate it more.
 

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