Small floorstanders (QAcoustics Concept 40) or large standmounts (Focal Aria 906)

JJHook

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Hello. My room is roughly 5.5m x 4m with 2.4m ceilings. The speakers will be on the longest wall, about 2.2m apart. The listening position is roughly 2.5m from the speakers.

Larger floorstanders are not feasible. They dominate the room too much in this position. The combination of depth and height are too much.
The concept 40s however still have the height but aren't as deep as some but I'm struggling for a demo of these, online purchasing only. RS don't have them, PT is too far away, Seven oaks are advertising but don't have them in stock etc etc.

I've heard the Focal Aria 926 floorstanders and enjoyed but they are too large for me, hence the 906 consideration.

I currently have the Dali Oberon 5s which I want to replace. They sound great on my slower music but get a little muddled on the faster metal music I listen to. I've listened to the Monitor Audio Silver 200s on my Cambridge 851a but they aren't really an improvement on the Dali's. They do add a tad more detail in the high mids and treble but not necessarily more accuracy. The overall presentation is better on the Dali's to my ears.

I've never been a particular fan of QAcoustics. I've found them a little bland in the past compared to their peers but the Concept 40s seem to be well respected with many comments about their detail retrieval and a good open soundstage and seperation.

The Focal 906 have equally positive reviews and may add some timbre and tone with their slightly larger main driver. I've already heard the Focal tweeter on the 926, which was up there with the best I've heard.

Any shared experiences appreciated.
Thank you
 
Hello. My room is roughly 5.5m x 4m with 2.4m ceilings. The speakers will be on the longest wall, about 2.2m apart. The listening position is roughly 2.5m from the speakers.

Larger floorstanders are not feasible. They dominate the room too much in this position. The combination of depth and height are too much.
The concept 40s however still have the height but aren't as deep as some but I'm struggling for a demo of these, online purchasing only. RS don't have them, PT is too far away, Seven oaks are advertising but don't have them in stock etc etc.

I've heard the Focal Aria 926 floorstanders and enjoyed but they are too large for me, hence the 906 consideration.

I currently have the Dali Oberon 5s which I want to replace. They sound great on my slower music but get a little muddled on the faster metal music I listen to. I've listened to the Monitor Audio Silver 200s on my Cambridge 851a but they aren't really an improvement on the Dali's. They do add a tad more detail in the high mids and treble but not necessarily more accuracy. The overall presentation is better on the Dali's to my ears.

I've never been a particular fan of QAcoustics. I've found them a little bland in the past compared to their peers but the Concept 40s seem to be well respected with many comments about their detail retrieval and a good open soundstage and seperation.

The Focal 906 have equally positive reviews and may add some timbre and tone with their slightly larger main driver. I've already heard the Focal tweeter on the 926, which was up there with the best I've heard.

Any shared experiences appreciated.
Thank you
The 906 is an amazing standmount speaker which i love listening too.
It's polite once warmed up and fills a room effortlessly and works well with "most" amplifiers
needs to be demo'd to ensure its treble remains recessed. Not to be partnered with a bright or midrange heavy amp
runs most genres of music equally without favouring any one type.

It's weaknesses

its sheer size... you need a big stand for them!
needs a heck of a run in before playing or that bass may overwhelm the music
does not do good at high volume or in large rooms. Your room is at the limit of what the 906 is rated for in an "Ideal" world.. they sound best in rooms up to 15m2.

It's that cambridge.. trying to match a speaker to that sound..

If you are heading back to RS.. definitely give the 906 a go..

BUT ... and this is a huge curved ball here and it may not work at all.. see if they have the Klipsch R-610 or R-620 there to have a listen too... my main concern here is that treble! the speaker is totally the opposite to the Aria.. it's in your face, loud and rude. it's a party animal. Klipsch do run pretty well with marantz and thats the only reason i am thinking on them
 
Thanks, appreciated.
I'm not sure the CA851a has the typical Cambridge sound. I've seen comments that they are bright and that the Dali's are bright but the two combined aren't particularly bright!
Using the Oberon 5s, in my room, the CA851a and the ArcamSA20 sound remarkably similar, and Arcam have the warm reputation, although I think maybe they aren't as warm sounding as previous models.

I have some old Apollo stands 400mm high which are a thick set 90mm diameter single tube with a significant top plate. I could use these to test on a home demo of the 906s.
 
If you found q acoustics bland why even consider them? You are going by reviews that you don't agree with. I like q acoustics buy they do have a type of sound that the more expensive ones improve on but it's still similar.

If you have good stands you might be better not limiting yourself to two particular models and try find a type of speaker that suits better. In the 1000 ish pounds arena I think you are looking (judging by the q Acoustics price) there are lots of options that would fill a 5x4.4m room
 
Hello. I've not heard the QAcoustics Concept 40, I've only heard other less refined QAcoustics. I can't judge a pair of £1000 speakers by their £300 stablemates, hence my request for comments from those who have them or have heard them.
The reviews seem to point to a big improvement over the lesser models in their dynamics and detail which would address considerably the things I didn't like about what I heard from tests of the lesser models. Only last week in a test the difference I found between Monitor Audio Silver 200 and 300 was quite significant.
I'm going to try other standmounts but the Focal is the most likely example from what I have heard so far.
 
I have demoed the Silver 200s, concept 20s and used to have the concept 40s.

The Concept 40s are a sideways move to the Silvers in terms of sound quality and are a bargain at £699. They feel better built and significantly heavier than the Silvers or anything at a similar price point. They are slim and not too deep but they have a large rear port and sound horribly boomy if you don't give them enough space, even with bungs. The are only recommended if you can give them a clean quality signal as they have lovely detail, amazing soundstage. There isn't really anything to complain about for their price.
 
I have demoed the Silver 200s, concept 20s and used to have the concept 40s.

The Concept 40s are a sideways move to the Silvers in terms of sound quality and are a bargain at £699. They feel better built and significantly heavier than the Silvers or anything at a similar price point. They are slim and not too deep but they have a large rear port and sound horribly boomy if you don't give them enough space, even with bungs. The are only recommended if you can give them a clean quality signal as they have lovely detail, amazing soundstage. There isn't really anything to complain about for their price.
Thank you. What sort of distance from the wall would you say? I can probably realistically allow around 200mm.
 
I had mine about 11 inches inner side and about 12 inches outer edge as they were toed in. Tbh I think i have a lot of room gain...

i tried them in another smaller room and they weren't as sensitive to walls..
 
2 more small floorstanders to add to your demo list:

MISSION qx3 (I have never seen any bad user reviews)
Wharfedale EVO 4.3 (smaller version of the award winning EVO 4.4, bottom ported so in theory can be placed closer to the wall)
 
2 more floorstanders to add to your demo list:

MISSION qx3 (I have never seen any bad user reviews)
Wharfedale EVO 4.3 (bottom ported so in theory can be placed closer to the wall)
Thanks, I spotted the 4.3s for a potential demo. Don't know anything about the Missions. I'll have a look.
 
The Missions look like well built and weigh almost the same as the concept 40s but cheaper. Feature technology from the much more expensive flagship zx range. The qx2 bookshelves have been well reviewed and are award winning.
 
These are division up from what you’re currently considering. Very much worth a thought.


 
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