Opinions on hi fi setup

[Danrv]

Hi
I have a fairly budget setup and am in the middle of changing CD players (Aracam Alpha one to Cambridge Audio Azur 640C).
Amp: Rotel RA-01
Speakers: Sony SS-86E
Stands: Atacama Nexus 6
Hi Fi tower: Target
Cables: QED Qunex 1,Cable talk 3.1 speaker cable.

This is a bedroom setup and the speakers are positioned in each corner
to inhance the bass a little.
I am very pleased with the sound (I listen to all styles) and am looking forward to the CA Azur 640C CD player.
I've accumualted the system purely on WHF reviews and find that pre- listening to the equipment is not always convenient.Arcam CD player was from a musician friend who works for Arcam (not sure if he still does).
Speakers from Currys (no listening room).
Would a better pair of speakers eg. Monitor Audio BR2, make much difference
to the sound?
The Sony's have a 5 star WHF rating and were a bargain at £100 but would be interested to hear how much
difference a pair of speakers from a dedicated speaker company would make.
Any advice appreciated.

 

[trailer]

I think most folk will say that your speakers are the weak link.

However, I would say do have a listen to a few pairs first before buying another pair. Get yourself a short list (MA's, B&W's and I'm sure a few others will suggest some more) and see what you think.

Apart from that I think you have got a pretty decent set up.

 

[Danrv]

Thanks for the reply.I thought that to be the case.

 

[Doron Or]

You mentioned you like good bass.
Perhaps try Dynaudio?
I listened in few occasions and they have very good bass without having beastly size.
Here are the Contour 1.4S:

Good luck,

Doron

 

[Danrv]

Thanks for the pic.I'll look into those.
I'm not really into big bass it's just that with the Sony's away from the corners of the room,the bass was lacking.Rather than switch on the EQ on the Rotel I considered it best to position the speakers to achieve the best sound.
The speakers are probabaly a little too far apart in relation the the listening
position but they sound best this way.

 

[Cable Monkey]

I think most folk will say that your speakers are the weak link.

However, I would say do have a listen to a few pairs first before buying another pair. Get yourself a short list (MA's, B&W's and I'm sure a few others will suggest some more) and see what you think.

Apart from that I think you have got a pretty decent set up.

You do have to be careful when giving advice on some older Sony speakers. I would take a pair of Sony SS-AL5 MkII standmounts above most of the above mentioned. They were £1500 new and it is rumoured there was a lot of collaboration with B&W over the woofer which marries well with Sonys choice of silk dome tweeters. The SS86E's were highly considered in their day so I am not sure opting for another budget level speaker will yeild huge improvements. Different isn't always better. I know auditioning is not easy but speakers make or break a system. Rubbish in, rubbish out is obvious but after your source the speakers will make that link between your system and your room and as such need to be given due consideration.

 

[Danrv]

Just had a look at the price of the Dynaudios.£2000 new!
No doubt they sound great but would it be a good idea to use
them with my £250 Rotel amp.Out of my league I'm afraid.I'm quite happy with
high-end budget equipment.

 

[Nobber22]

You mentioned you like good bass.
Perhaps try Dynaudio?
I listened in few occasions and they have very good bass without having beastly size.
Here are the Contour 1.4S:

Um...I think those speakers are a little too good for the Rotel and they won't like going in the corner of Dan's room.

Dan, check out something with a front port such as Tannoy's Mercury F1 or Wharfedale 9.1s as these are happier in corners - they should both be a step up from your Sonys too. MA BR2s are better still, but even with the front prot, they like abit more space around them than the other two.

 

[Doron Or]

Just had a look at the price of the Dynaudios.£2000 new!
No doubt they sound great but would it be a good idea to use
them with my £250 Rotel amp.Out of my league I'm afraid.I'm quite happy with
high-end budget equipment.

Perhaps I jumped too high here but my approach is that as a long term investment good speakers usually worth every penny.
Most likely it will be the last item to be replaced if ever in your system.
This at least was my experience with mine which grew with my system.
Also, from my personal experience very good speakers will sound decent with mediocre gear whereas poor speakers will not sound half decent with state of the art equipment.
Also I would try used ones/demo too especially if they are not heavy beasts and hence not very expensive to ship.
Some other options I would recommend are Totem Acoustics:
http://www.totemacoustic.com/english/products/bookShelf_model01.htm
Here are a list of dealers:
http://www.totemacoustic.eu/english/dealerlocator/uk/index.html
Highly regarded speakers, Extremely clear with good tonal balance from my auditions, compact and beautiful designs and affordable costs for the base models.

And last but not least:
Sonus Faber Domus Concertino (www.sonusfaber.com)
at http://www.absolutesounds.com/index...1&manufacturer=Sonus Faber&manufacturer_id=11
and
http://www.oxfordaudio.co.uk/news1.html

Good luck,

Doron

 

[trailer]

You do have to be careful when giving advice on some older Sony speakers. I would take a pair of Sony SS-AL5 MkII standmounts above most of the above mentioned. They were £1500 new and it is rumoured there was a lot of collaboration with B&W over the woofer which marries well with Sonys choice of silk dome tweeters. The SS86E's were highly considered in their day so I am not sure opting for another budget level speaker will yeild huge improvements. Different isn't always better. I know auditioning is not easy but speakers make or break a system. Rubbish in, rubbish out is obvious but after your source the speakers will make that link between your system and your room and as such need to be given due consideration.

Agreed, although he did say they were purchased for £100 not £1500.

 

[Bassbin]

I used to have a pair of those Sony speakers and thought they were good. I think if I were upgrading I'd try a pair of Quad Lites (£150) and then add a small sub from BK electronics range later on.

Personally I'd put the budget for a CD player into a Squeezebox or similar and pick up a used CD player from ebay for £30-40.

 

[Danrv]

Thanks for all the help.I've now added the CA Azur CD player to the system and am confident that
the Sony's aren't a restricting factor.
The whole sound is super crisp & clear,more than before and more detail is now revealed.
I do remember the WHF buyers guide saying that these speakers
are good enough to cope with equipment upgrades so I'm a little
undecided whether to upgrade them or not.