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NeilThurston

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Dear friends

I am looking at getting some new speakers and as a newbie I am snow blind with the options available and the terminology used to describe the attributes and characteristics of options available.

Not that I listen to that often, but, my typical listening spectrum would include Fleetwood Mac, Adele and Oasis. Perhaps a mixed genre....

Given my musical persuasions, are there any descriptions, intrinsic speaker characteristics / specifications that I should be looking for so I can narrow down my search somehow ?

I hope to soon have a Rega Elex if that helps at all?

Perhaps a difficult question to answer, but thoughts as always would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Neil
 
If looking at a Rega Elex, then going to assume budget for speakers in the 1k-2k range, but need to confirm a budget range.

What size listening space do you have? Do you have any ideas of likely layout and other related constraints?

Will speakers end up against wall/corners, on bookshelves or do you have some room to find a good placement? Ie what speaker size are you after - bookshelf/standmount/floorstander?
I am going guess standmount as perhaps a better choice with such an amp.
 
I reckon something with good tonal balance, so Spendor, Spendor A2 should do you well. (I didn't mention them before as I wasn't aware of the price). If my room wasn't such a damn nuisance I would have been considering a floorstanding Spendor or another Davis to what I eventually got).
 
If looking at a Rega Elex, then going to assume budget for speakers in the 1k-2k range, but need to confirm a budget range.

What size listening space do you have? Do you have any ideas of likely layout and other related constraints?

Will speakers end up against wall/corners, on bookshelves or do you have some room to find a good placement? Ie what speaker size are you after - bookshelf/standmount/floorstander?
I am going guess standmount as perhaps a better choice with such an amp.
Hi, thanks for the reply !

I am tentatively looking at the following upgrade - first Rega Brio to the Elex, than to look at upgrading my speakers from Tanoy Revolution XT 6F..

Ideally I would be looking at some floorstanders as I can get my head around paying for speaker stands and I don't really have any bookshelves.

I have kind of got my eye on some MA Silver 500s, but not sure if they will suit my musical tastes ?

My room is around 7m x 7m.

I was just thinking if there is an easy way of narrowing down possible options by intrinsic speaker specifications as different speakers suit different genres.

I am a newbie and don't really have a clue, but, budget to be around 1.5k, hopefully less on the used market.

Hope this help s
 
Maybe something like these?
or these?
 
Pushing your budget a bit though. So how about these?
 
I’d stick with a Rega speakers if your staying with their amps. They do sound quite awesome.

Never shouty, never dull. Just very well balanced, grown up speakers that play everything well. Like a great speaker should.

You haven’t had the Tannoys long, are they not suitable?

The Elax will get more out of them.

I’d start with the amp and see what you think. The Brio is a little small for a room that size. And the Tannoys will be happier with more current.
 
If you really need to change the speakers immediately I’d see what is available, used, from Neat and Spendor, and Kef Rs.
 
I have kind of got my eye on some MA Silver 500s, but not sure if they will suit my musical tastes ?

My room is around 7m x 7m.

Well room is certainly big enough assuming you have some freedom of placement as they do need some space around them. As for suiting musical taste, they are full range speakers (down to 30Hz or so) so they suit any musical taste. Its more a case of if you had to cram them too close to a wall they can be a bit bass heavy like any similar size and similar capability speaker. Speaker suiting music taste to my mind tends to work the other way - ie will your musical taste let you get away with less bass extension.

I have the silver 300 (better fit for my placement options than the 500) and like a broad range of musical genres from bass heavy EDM (house/trance/liquid D&B) through some pop/rock and alot of smooth jazz/lounge etc as well and they suit it all. I particularly like that well produced sounds very dynamic and energetic on them like you can find with active monitors (at least with a good amp). Good full range production really shines on them as well. Some people describe them as fast, certainly the dynamics of drums/percussion etc really pops on them, I do however have a good gutsy amp amp driving them - Yamaha A-S2100 - which is more comparable with the Elicit-R.

I have tried them with a decent sub but never felt the need to use with the 300 as even they can reproduce as much sub bass as you typically get in most music production.

If you were going for the 300 or 500 (or for that matter any other larger floorstander) and like rega amps, in the past I would have suggested looking seriously at the Elicit-R, but its replacement seems to have suffer a massive price hike. With larger floorstander, I prefer to over do it a little on the amp to get the best bass control.
 
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If I’d start with the amp and see what you think. The Brio is a little small for a room that size. And the Tannoys will be happier with more current.
This makes great sense of course. Speakers often take on completely different characteristics when given a different power source.
 
This makes great sense of course. Speakers often take on completely different characteristics when given a different power source.

Yes indeed. The Brio is an excellent amp, but really better for smaller rooms.

It will be out of its depth in that room and with the Tannoys.

Filling a big room always takes power. And not infrequently, lots of it.
 
Hey guys, some really interesting thoughts and great ideas as always ! I think the course of action will be to move up the Rega ladder and see how the Tannoys get on. I am not desperately unhappy with the Tannoys, far from it, but just starting to hear weaknesses in my setup...Also, as I will be buying used good speakers take months to come round so I thought it might make sense to have a plan in place as not as easy as breezing into a shop and bing bang bosh...
 
@NeilThurston I have a pair of Rega RS7s up for sale soon - awesome transmission line speakers with side mounted subs
 
@NeilThurston I have a pair of Rega RS7s up for sale soon - awesome transmission line speakers with side mounted subs
Cheers for thinking of me, appreciated ! As a property guy I remember being taught to buy the cheapest house in the most expensive neighborhood. So, looking at getting some bottom end MA gold's but need to pimp up my amp first...more money...Off to Turkey next week for a six week walking holiday so everything on hold till I get back.
 

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