Speaker change QA or MA or something else?

DavidT

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I am planning on upgrading my HC audio, at present I have a Denon AVR-X2100W, Q acoustics speakers consisting of 4x 1010i and 1000ci, BK XLS200 subwoofer. I am looking to change the AVR to either a Denon X2600H or X2700H, or a Yamaha RX-V6A sometime in the next few months when/if the prices come down. For speakers I am keeping my BK sub but am deliberating on changing the front LR to QA 3020i and keep the 1010i surrounds and the centre or change LCR to Monitor Audio Bronze 50 combining with the existing 1010i surrounds and BK sub.

Does this sound like a good plan? Changing to the 3020is at the front is just a £220 upgrade and the MA's will cost £480. Is the extra £260 difference worth it? My room is approx 3mx4m so not a big room.

For the cost of the MA's are there any better alternatives?

EDIT: I am limited on size, my TV is a 65" Sony on a 180cm wide cabinet so I only have 17-18cm either side of the TV for the speakers. I have no space for stands.

Thanks
 

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I am planning on upgrading my HC audio, at present I have a Denon AVR-X2100W, Q acoustics speakers consisting of 4x 1010i and 1000ci, BK XLS200 subwoofer. I am looking to change the AVR to either a Denon X2600H or X2700H, or a Yamaha RX-V6A sometime in the next few months when/if the prices come down. For speakers I am keeping my BK sub but am deliberating on changing the front LR to QA 3020i and keep the 1010i surrounds and the centre or change LCR to Monitor Audio Bronze 50 combining with the existing 1010i surrounds and BK sub.

Does this sound like a good plan? Changing to the 3020is at the front is just a £220 upgrade and the MA's will cost £480. Is the extra £260 difference worth it? My room is approx 3mx4m so not a big room.

For the cost of the MA's are there any better alternatives?

EDIT: I am limited on size, my TV is a 65" Sony on a 180cm wide cabinet so I only have 17-18cm either side of the TV for the speakers. I have no space for stands.

Thanks

Do you require some newer connections or features as you looking to swap the receiver? The amp side is identical on both so you paying for features and newer connections. The new model will sound same. The prices aren`t coming down as there is shipping issues worldwide. New models come next summer. If you aren`t in rush you could save little bit more for a real upgrade!

You should upgrade the center channel with QAs too as that 1000Ci is so old and the new ones are surely lot better. Keep in mind that center channel is most active speaker in your system so it doesn´t make any sense just upgrading the main speakers! My money would go to Concept 20 and Concept Centre if you pick Q Acoustics. And please wall mount your tv so you can have center channel on top and front edge of your av-cabinet



The new Bronzes are surely great option for about same price. I don`t know how the Concept sound, although i owned 2000i LCR ages ago which uses same drivers to Concepts (not as good cabinet / crossover components) and then later larger Bronzes which were better. And looking the feedback of the new Bronze range it´s similar forward sounding exciting product with wider dispersion. My money would go to MAs for movies without doubt as they really offer you superb bang for buck, but i don`t know which is more to your liking. If you have local Richer Sounds, SSAV, Audio-T or similar then give them call so you can compare them side by side. That will take 30min of your time and will give you some answers! They let you use the X2700H in the demo so it will be similar to your home situation.
 
My setup is probably used 80% movies/tv and 20% music but I no longer have any devices going through the receiver as it doesn't support 4k very well and so all my devices connect direct to the Sony 4k TV with an ARC connection to the receiver. I want to upgrade the receiver so I can use it to do the device switching and have eARC for the TV's inbuilt apps, I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+.

I cant move the centre speaker higher, the cabinet is 64cm high and whilst the centre speaker would be better on top of the cabinet it would make the TV too high. As a compromise I could angle the centre so it aligns better with my ears. I would also have the new L and R speakers on the cabinet , not wallmounted.
 
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My setup is probably used 80% movies/tv and 20% music but I no longer have any devices going through the receiver as it doesn't support 4k very well and so all my devices connect direct to the Sony 4k TV with an ARC connection to the receiver. I want to upgrade the receiver so I can use it to do the device switching and have eARC for the TV's inbuilt apps, I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+.

I cant move the centre speaker higher, the cabinet is 64cm high and whilst the centre speaker would be better on top of the cabinet it would make the TV too high. As a compromise I could angle the centre so it aligns better with my ears. I would also have the new L and R speakers on the cabinet , not wallmounted.

You mean new speakers L/R on the sides of cabinet? So would need to be quite narrow. Hope you didn´t mean putting them too inside the cabinet on same level with center channel? That would be waste of money! Putting ported speaker inside another cabinet you are definitely colouring the sound big time and would need to have it horizontally which affects the dispersion. Wouldn´t make any sense. If you have to keep the center channel there then ideally angling it as much as possible and i would push the speaker couple cm out to minimize the effect the placement has. Also i would choose sealed speaker (Bronze C150).
 
You mean new speakers L/R on the sides of cabinet? So would need to be quite narrow. Hope you didn´t mean putting them too inside the cabinet on same level with center channel? That would be waste of money! Putting ported speaker inside another cabinet you are definitely colouring the sound big time and would need to have it horizontally which affects the dispersion. Wouldn´t make any sense. If you have to keep the center channel there then ideally angling it as much as possible and i would push the speaker couple cm out to minimize the effect the placement has. Also i would choose sealed speaker (Bronze C150).
Yes, LR on top of cabinet next to the TV. I have angled the centre so it now points to ear height.
 
Yes, LR on top of cabinet next to the TV. I have angled the centre so it now points to ear height.
Ok good i got little worried.

Have you actually tried to turn the 1000Ci "off" from the Denon menu and watch one flick without center channel? Why i mention this is cause you have speakers quite close each other and would be intresting to hear your thoughts do you miss the center channel assuming you sit dead middle to 1000Ci usually. This would open up option to buy better main speakers so example MA Silver 50 which are going to go on sale very soon. You would use the money that would go for mains+ center to mains. If intrested try it out, if not then keep your original plan. The information is forwarded to main channels if center is turned off from menu.

This is so bad time to buy av-receiver, but if you really need it then no way around that. I would wait until christmas time if the availability is better and some changes in pricing. More competition is arriving, but the question is when. Due to covid example Yamahas factory in Malaysia is closed now and you know what that means. Not enogh products for customers.
 
I'm aware of the issue with buying the receiver now so I am happy to wait until supply is more plentiful and prices go down to more reasonable levels. Are the MA silvers worth the extra money. Whilst money isn't a big concern, value for money is and I am well aware of the rule of diminishing returns and making sure I dont mismatch components.

I will try turning the centre off and let you know what I think.

Thanks.
 
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I'm aware of the issue with buying the receiver now so I am happy to wait until supply is more plentiful and prices go down to more reasonable levels. Are the MA silvers worth the extra money. Whilst money isn't a big concern, value for money is and I am well aware of the rule of diminishing returns and making sure I dont mismatch components.

I will try turning the centre off and let you know what I think.

Thanks.

Yes for sure they are worth it. I`m not golden ear either and the last time i heard both ranges side by side there was noticeable difference, they were earlier generations. The drivers are better, the crossover components are better, cabinet is thicker and you get real wood veneer finish over vinyl wrap. If we think about ££ vs. sound quality vs finish then Silver is just in the sweet spot i dare to say. The step up to Gold range will be heard by most still and likely the Platinums aswell, but you need some expensive equipment to hear them at best.

What ever is the outcome of your test you may still have option to get Silver 50 and Silver C150 if you can wait cause as i said there is new model coming this year and that means the outgoing range is going on sale. However i would be also intrested what they are bringing this time with 7Gen Silvers. Monitor Audio usually keeps the pricing same so yeah definitely super exciting to see them.

Also if you are ready to wait longer with the receiver who knows if you could get better product cheaper by that time. I would want to make the step up Denon X3700H or Marantz SR6015 partly due to better higher Audussey version. Normally the prices would be way under 1k£ without covid, now they cost more than the day they were introduced!!!! Crazy! Yamaha RX-A2A costs bit too much, but let`s see closer the end of year.
 
Hi, lots of price drops on MA Silver range at the moment - just look at the SSAV clearance list, it’s huge. Some great bargains there for the current silver range. At the moment you can get Silver 200s for the same price as Bronze 200s!
 
Hi, lots of price drops on MA Silver range at the moment - just look at the SSAV clearance list, it’s huge. Some great bargains there for the current silver range. At the moment you can get Silver 200s for the same price as Bronze 200s!
Some good prices, I see the QA 3020i at £169.
 
QA3000i is comparable to Bronze range. Speakers will always make biggest difference and you typically keep them long time so it would make sense pay bit more for the long run.

@GRymerz upgraded from Dali Zensor 3 (larger similar to Bronze range) to MA Silver 50 and he said:

Ok got the MA silver 50 set up...aint bothering to bi wire...had a quick test as got to work....was blown away. yes ok less bass but still plenty for the size....but not bothered with the sub on....the sound from just the 2 speakers sounds like its coming from whole on the front of the room
really is a different story to the zensor 3.... its just crazy how they can get such big wide sound out of two little speakers... I mean they are small indeed. overall, MA silver are better than expected...they pick up low hz for such a small cone.... shocked as well as the amound of low end it can do...I mean.. you could use it without a sub in a small room...

img_9315-jpg.1367329
 
Ok good i got little worried.

Have you actually tried to turn the 1000Ci "off" from the Denon menu and watch one flick without center channel? Why i mention this is cause you have speakers quite close each other and would be intresting to hear your thoughts do you miss the center channel assuming you sit dead middle to 1000Ci usually. This would open up option to buy better main speakers so example MA Silver 50 which are going to go on sale very soon. You would use the money that would go for mains+ center to mains. If intrested try it out, if not then keep your original plan. The information is forwarded to main channels if center is turned off from menu.

This is so bad time to buy av-receiver, but if you really need it then no way around that. I would wait until christmas time if the availability is better and some changes in pricing. More competition is arriving, but the question is when. Due to covid example Yamahas factory in Malaysia is closed now and you know what that means. Not enogh products for customers.
This evening I turned the centre speaker off. I didn't like it at all! Dialogue was distant from the TV and hollow with no depth. I much prefer having a centre speaker. :)
 
@DavidT if I could ask what cabinet you are using?
Its an IKEA Besta. Three cabinets pushed together but there is a TV cabinet the same overall size.
 
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A bit of an update.....

I have replaced the front LR with my Boston Acoustics A25's which spec wise are much better than the smaller QA1010i's. I have done this to test whether larger front speakers will make any difference to the audio experience, subjective testing will have to wait until this evening.

My thoughts are to also look out for a bargain Monitor Audio Bronze or Silver C150 6G centre speaker and then match it with MA Bronze or Silver 50 6G front LR.
 
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A bit of an update.....

I have replaced the front LR with my Boston Acoustics A25's which spec wise are much better than the smaller QA1010i's. I have done this to test whether larger front speakers will make any difference to the audio experience, subjective testing will have to wait until this evening.

My thoughts are to also look out for a bargain Monitor Audio Bronze or Silver C150 6G centre speaker and then match it with MA Bronze or Silver 50 6G front LR.
Good time to look for a Silver C150 with the old models getting reduced
 
A bit of an update.....

I have replaced the front LR with my Boston Acoustics A25's which spec wise are much better than the smaller QA1010i's. I have done this to test whether larger front speakers will make any difference to the audio experience, subjective testing will have to wait until this evening.

My thoughts are to also look out for a bargain Monitor Audio Bronze or Silver C150 6G centre speaker and then match it with MA Bronze or Silver 50 6G front LR.

Lot`s of clearance stuff for sale here for MA:

 
I'm keeping an eye on SSAV clearance deals. No MA bronze or silver 50's at the moment. I'm tempted by the bronze C150 though. I'm hesitating a bit on the silvers as I'm not sure about any of the cabinet finishes.

No Silver 50s at the moment? It`s full of them the site i linked.
 
Sorry, I should have just said bronze. :(

What is with the finishes that you aren´t sure? Gloss black is nice, then you have all those superb wood veneer finishes. I have seen side by side Bronze and Silver as compared them (earlier gens), but i can say there is noticeable difference there when you go with Silvers. They just look so lovely. The vinyl wrap isn´t bad in Bronze, but when you see them closer the difference is there.
 
I haven't seen the bronze other than online but I have seen the silvers in white, black oak and natural oak. I wasn't keen. Online the walnut look quite nice, the gloss black is a no no for me, shame it isn't satin black.
 
Yes the walnut is nice! If you can visit any store that has those in display then highly recommended before ordering anything. It always look little different in live vs. pictures due to lighting etc.

 
Having spent the last few days with the Boston A25's FL and FR i am sure that the larger speakers have had a positive impact and I won't be going back to the QA 1010i's at the front. I have also tried not having a centre speaker and the A25's do make a difference here as well but I still prefer to have the centre.
 

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