Newbie: Dali Spektor 2 or Elac Debut B5.2 - Advice needed

alal

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Hi all,

I need an advice on which speakers should I get for my amp. I really need help as I am not an expert in this area.
I own an old Sony amp TA-FE370 which I am very happy with, but I need a new set of speakers to go with it as my old Sony's are dying.

The amp supports from 4 - 16 ohms.
At 4 ohms it produces an output of 70W per channel.

My budget is limited and I do not want to go higher that £230.
I use it to listen to music only, MDs, CDs and Vinyls.

I've been searching and reading reviews and I am now facing a dilemma. Which set of speakers should I pick:
  • Dali Spektor 2
  • Elac Debut B5.2

I like a bit of bass in the sound, and I think that the Elac's tick that box more that the Dali (based on what I read on the web), but is this the right choice?
Getting a separate sub is not an option.

I went to RicherSounds and they are really not interested in helping me. They told me straight away that they don't have any speakers under £300, which is clearly not true as I can see plenty in their webpage. It's the second time I go to RicherSounds and the 2nd time they are not interested in helping... Maybe because I am not willing to spend the big ££... Who knows...

Can I kindly ask you (the experts) for advice?

Thank you very much!
 
Shame RS weren't more helpful as it would be best if you can listen before buying. Dali and Elac are both quality manufacturers - others to consider around that price would be the Q Acoustics 3020i, Monitor Audio Bronze, and the Mission LX's - but that doesn't really help you very much....

The Elac's are a good shout - they go pretty low (on paper anyway - don't expect too much in terms of clean bass when they try to dip low) and they are front-ported so this makes placement of them a little easier (if you place rear-ported speakers close to walls it can muddy the sound).

I'll be honest, I'd be a little worried about the longevity of your amp if you're buying new speakers and might instead think about active speakers like the Ruark Audio MR1. If that's not a concern for you though then I'd put the Elac's at the top of your list...........
 
I dont think youll be disappointed with the Elac's they punch well above their weight in terms of sound quality.
I went for the Slightly more expensive DBR reference 62's and am loving them. Obviously there are better and more expensive speakers out there, but for me the Elac's just get the music right.
 
Going the ebay route will get you reasonable speakers for under £230.
Going DIY will get you some very nice speakers for minimal time and money - for example if you buy a pair of Fane 12 250TC's and put them in braced sealed 80 litre cabinets.

And your Sony TA is a nice little amp. It should be good for many more years of faithful service.
 
Thank you for your replies.

The amp still behaves very well and for what I use it for I don't think I need a new one, it's just the speakers that are now showing signs of their age.

The DBR 62's are just too much and my office where the amp is, is very small, so no I don't think I would be taking the speaker full potential, not to talk about the price, which is higher. :)

The advantage of getting new speakers and I am leaning on getting them on Amazon, is that I can send them back if they don't sound right for me.
The Elac's are at £229 aatm.Going DYI, will make this impossible.

Any other speakers I may want to consider?
 
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You don’t consider Rega Kyte speakers.

Perhaps I am misspelling the name incorrect, but you’ll find it on google.

Do it your self/can be difficult. Comparing the Dali speakers you are considering, I don’t think the Oberon is going to sound ten times better.
 
Thank you for your replies.

The amp still behaves very well and for what I use it for I don't think I need a new one, it's just the speakers that are now showing signs of their age.

The DBR 62's are just too much and my office where the amp is, is very small, so no I don't think I would be taking the speaker full potential, not to talk about the price, which is higher. :)

The advantage of getting new speakers and I am leaning on getting them on Amazon, is that I can send them back if they don't sound right for me.
The Elac's are at £229 aatm.Going DYI, will make this impossible.

Any other speakers I may want to consider?

Hi, again, I don't think my post was very clear, I wasn't suggesting you go for the DBR62, what I meant to say was that the Debut B5.2's would be hard to better at their current price.
 
Hi, again, I don't think my post was very clear, I wasn't suggesting you go for the DBR62, what I meant to say was that the Debut B5.2's would be hard to better at their current price.
Just order a pair of B5.2. They are arriving Friday. :cool:
 
What amplifier do you have? It’s the Sony. Right. Apparently this speakers need an amplifier with lot of current, otherwise they can sound dull.

But in near field setup it would probably be fine.
 
What amplifier do you have? It’s the Sony. Right. Apparently this speakers need an amplifier with lot of current, otherwise they can sound dull.

But in near field setup it would probably be fine.
I'll let you know once I try them out. If not happy, I'll send them back.
 
Hi all,

I need an advice on which speakers should I get for my amp. I really need help as I am not an expert in this area.
I own an old Sony amp TA-FE370 which I am very happy with, but I need a new set of speakers to go with it as my old Sony's are dying.

The amp supports from 4 - 16 ohms.
At 4 ohms it produces an output of 70W per channel.

My budget is limited and I do not want to go higher that £230.
I use it to listen to music only, MDs, CDs and Vinyls.

I've been searching and reading reviews and I am now facing a dilemma. Which set of speakers should I pick:
  • Dali Spektor 2
  • Elac Debut B5.2

I like a bit of bass in the sound, and I think that the Elac's tick that box more that the Dali (based on what I read on the web), but is this the right choice?
Getting a separate sub is not an option.

I went to RicherSounds and they are really not interested in helping me. They told me straight away that they don't have any speakers under £300, which is clearly not true as I can see plenty in their webpage. It's the second time I go to RicherSounds and the 2nd time they are not interested in helping... Maybe because I am not willing to spend the big ££... Who knows...

Can I kindly ask you (the experts) for advice?

Thank you very much!
This true for many shops. Obviously, I am not uk based. But many hifi shops just looks at you, and walks away. I remember one time, epically. I was looking for modest expensive Cambridge amplifier, but no success.

Some shops just wants to sell high end gear. Epically if you are just beginning this hobby.
 
This true for many shops. Obviously, I am not uk based. But many hifi shops just looks at you, and walks away. I remember one time, epically. I was looking for modest expensive Cambridge amplifier, but no success.

Some shops just wants to sell high end gear. Epically if you are just beginning this hobby.
So true @Helix Hifi !!
It is just a shame. They lost a client, at least at this store. I will also be sending the central office an email with my experience.
 
The Spector 2 are are fine if you aren't happy with the Elac though I'm sure you will be.

The Dali are easy to drive, I have a pair in my bedroom with an older pioneer amp and they are very pleasant.

I am also a big fan of QAcoustics, so they would work nicely too if you prefer a bit more bass.
 
The Spector 2 are are fine if you aren't happy with the Elac though I'm sure you will be.

The Dali are easy to drive, I have a pair in my bedroom with an older pioneer amp and they are very pleasant.

I am also a big fan of QAcoustics, so they would work nicely too if you prefer a bit more bass.
Thanks. Which QAcoustics? I like a bit of bass and read that the Elacs do provide just enough...
 
What amplifier do you have? It’s the Sony. Right. Apparently this speakers need an amplifier with lot of current, otherwise they can sound dull.

But in near field setup it would probably be fine.
Yes that is true Helix they do like good beefy amplification to sound at their best and the Sony is no powerhouse for sure, but providing the OP doesn't require loud volumes and his room isn't too big the Sony SHOULD be just enough to get reasonable sound.
As with all new speakers as you well know Helix the OP should understand it's worth running them for a few days to loosen up and give his ears a few days to get familiar with their sound character. Fortunately, Amazon do give you plenty of time to return items.

Re: The Richer Sounds thing, I'm pretty sure they don't usually stock Elac anyways (I had to order mine online from a different retailer) and then RS couldn't really be bothered when I tried to order my Focal speaker stands (only a £250 sale) this sort of service is inexcusable for a company with their past reputation, very often small sales can lead to repeated custom for much larger sales..

I have had my own problems with RS in the past holding on to my money for ages (6 weeks) after doing a return and a thousand questions WHY I was returning the item blah blah.. then 7-8 phone calls to CS to ask why my money was not refunded, so have since been using a different company called Premium Sounds HiFi who have so far been excellent with everything I else have purchased.
Richersounds has lost a lot of custom from me since they messed me about, including my new OLED TV, Subwoofer, New speakers + Stands, New Node N130, New Denon PMA1600ne, New Project Turntable and new Cartridge, leads, speaker cables etc. I would estimate that to be around £6500 in lost sales for them, ..Oh well, their loss I guess.
 
Thanks. Which QAcoustics? I like a bit of bass and read that the Elacs do provide just enough...
3020i or 3030i - whichever fit the available budget.
 
Hi all,

I need an advice on which speakers should I get for my amp. I really need help as I am not an expert in this area.
I own an old Sony amp TA-FE370 which I am very happy with, but I need a new set of speakers to go with it as my old Sony's are dying.

The amp supports from 4 - 16 ohms.
At 4 ohms it produces an output of 70W per channel.

My budget is limited and I do not want to go higher that £230.
I use it to listen to music only, MDs, CDs and Vinyls.

I've been searching and reading reviews and I am now facing a dilemma. Which set of speakers should I pick:
  • Dali Spektor 2
  • Elac Debut B5.2

I like a bit of bass in the sound, and I think that the Elac's tick that box more that the Dali (based on what I read on the web), but is this the right choice?
Getting a separate sub is not an option.

I went to RicherSounds and they are really not interested in helping me. They told me straight away that they don't have any speakers under £300, which is clearly not true as I can see plenty in their webpage. It's the second time I go to RicherSounds and the 2nd time they are not interested in helping... Maybe because I am not willing to spend the big ££... Who knows...

Can I kindly ask you (the experts) for advice?

Thank you very much!

Hi there,

I was obviously sorry to read on the thread that you received poor service from one of our branches.

So that I may investigate further, and help resolve the matter to your satisfaction, please could you drop me a PM with your details?

Sincere apologies again, hope to hear from you soon.

Tom Griffiths
Head of Customer Service
Richer Sounds
 
Yes that is true Helix they do like good beefy amplification to sound at their best and the Sony is no powerhouse for sure, but providing the OP doesn't require loud volumes and his room isn't too big the Sony SHOULD be just enough to get reasonable sound.
As with all new speakers as you well know Helix the OP should understand it's worth running them for a few days to loosen up and give his ears a few days to get familiar with their sound character. Fortunately, Amazon do give you plenty of time to return items.

Re: The Richer Sounds thing, I'm pretty sure they don't usually stock Elac anyways (I had to order mine online from a different retailer) and then RS couldn't really be bothered when I tried to order my Focal speaker stands (only a £250 sale) this sort of service is inexcusable for a company with their past reputation, very often small sales can lead to repeated custom for much larger sales..

I have had my own problems with RS in the past holding on to my money for ages (6 weeks) after doing a return and a thousand questions WHY I was returning the item blah blah.. then 7-8 phone calls to CS to ask why my money was not refunded, so have since been using a different company called Premium Sounds HiFi who have so far been excellent with everything I else have purchased.
Richersounds has lost a lot of custom from me since they messed me about, including my new OLED TV, Subwoofer, New speakers + Stands, New Node N130, New Denon PMA1600ne, New Project Turntable and new Cartridge, leads, speaker cables etc. I would estimate that to be around £6500 in lost sales for them, ..Oh well, their loss I guess.

Hi,

I was obviously very sorry to read your comments regarding a recent purchase you made from us and offer my sincere apologies.

It goes without saying that your money should have been refunded promptly following your return of the goods, the fact you had to chase this up repeatedly really does concern me.

Would you you be so kind as to private message me with some more details so I can get to the bottom of what went wrong asap?

Many thanks

Tom Griffiths
Head of Customer Service
Richer Sounds
 
Just want to share an update as my ELAC Debut b5.2 have arrived yesterday and I just LOVE them!
Compared the sound with some Q Accoustics 3030i and the sound on the ELAC's is so much better in my opinion. The Q Accoustic sounds muffled to me and does not provide as much detail as the ELAC.

I am very happy!! Thank you all for your replies!
 
Just want to share an update as my ELAC Debut b5.2 have arrived yesterday and I just LOVE them!
Compared the sound with some Q Accoustics 3030i and the sound on the ELAC's is so much better in my opinion. The Q Accoustic sounds muffled to me and does not provide as much detail as the ELAC.

I am very happy!! Thank you all for your replies!
Elac are very underrated IMO, shame more shops don't stock them, Yours will only get better as time goes on, as mine did. Just wait until you eventually upgrade the amp, you will be even more impressed.
 

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