Streamer, Amp & Floor Standers for £1500

andycc72

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My friend is looking to buy a streamer, amp (could be an all in one) and floor standing speakers and has a maximum budget of £1500

He is based in Denmark and his room is 4x4 metres. He is not against buying used. He loves Reggae and old school Hip-Hop and as such bass is important to him. Hence why he wants floor standers (he won’t entertain a sub).

I have suggested the following based on UK prices

NEW

Q Acoustics Concept 40 - £599 (open Box)
Bluesound Power 2 - £849
Total - £1,448

USED

Rega Elx R - £750
Node 2i - £300
Q Acoustics Concept 40 - £450
Total - £1500

Your suggestions up to a budget of £1500 or equivalent Danish Krone would be appreciated.
 
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Shame he isn't in the UK as he might have been interested in a pair of Rega RS7s (floor standers with side mounted subs) that would meet his music bass requirements that I am about to put up for sale that would easily fit in his budget
 
I was also thinking about

Used
KEF R300's with a PowerNode2.

Should just come in at around £1500. I know they're not floor standers but they're 3 way and should provide him with enough bass.
 
While it can be done, that’s a fairly tight budget for all the requirements. Is he absolutely married to the idea of floorstanders?

If it were me I’d consider standmount actives. Bluesound streamer direct to Acoustic Energy AE1 speakers.
 
While it can be done, that’s a fairly tight budget for all the requirements. Is he absolutely married to the idea of floorstanders?

If it were me I’d consider standmount actives. Bluesound streamer direct to Acoustic Energy AE1 speakers.
He’s not wedded go to floorstanders but he is too ‘bass’. He’s always been a bass head. He’s not ‘audiophile’ but he wants something that will dig relatively deep within the constraints of the budget.

I did think about actives. I thought you needed a pre amp with those AE1 speakers? I didn’t think the Node2i was a pre?

The Yamaha WXC 50 would be another option with these
 
why against a sub? it seems the logical choice imo.

the concept 40 bass response is more than 50hz so for a bass head, i dont think they would be the speakers to get.
 
why against a sub? it seems the logical choice imo.

the concept 40 bass response is more than 50hz so for a bass head, i dont think they would be the speakers to get.
Because he wants simplicity. He won’t have the patience to integrate it properly. He’ll just plonk it down and won’t get the best out of it.

He’s not an ‘audiophile’ he’s not concerned with detail’ neutrality, etc. He wants something that sounds decent and goes relatively deep. Relative to the sh!t system he has now.

What speakers would you suggest around the £500-£700 mark - new or used that can go relatively deep?
 
I would question the quality of the bass at the price point. Floorstanders at the price point can be guilty of spreading the budget a bit thin. And with a budget amp not providing massive current, it’s not going to control the bass well. The AE1s might not go so deep, but that bass is so tight and tuneful.

The bluesound can be used as a pre, I tried it out with my Event Opal monitors and it was admirable. Volume is controlled by the app, of course you don’t get the nice tactile use of a volume dial but you can set max parameters to avoid accidents.

He could always add a subwoofer at a later date. Something like the BK XLS200, with AE1s would make for a lovely 2.1 setup. In fact the Bluesound even has a subwoofer output and I think some crossover settings in the app.
 
I know he thinks he doesn't want a sub, but...


And


Will make him very happy.

Or just these


And a Node 2i
 
I'd suggest your friend has a look at a pair of Kali Audio IN-8 studio monitors and a node 2i as already suggested
 
I don’t know if he’s a studio monitor kind of guy. He likes reggae, hip hop and soul in the main and I don’t know if the studio monitors will have enough bottom end for him. He

I think he’d be happier with something like used Dali Oberon 7 and a Powernode 2i. Dali being a danish I would hope there’s a decent used market out there for them.
 
I don’t know if he’s a studio monitor kind of guy. He likes reggae, hip hop and soul in the main and I don’t know if the studio monitors will have enough bottom end for him. He

I think he’d be happier with something like used Dali Oberon 7 and a Powernode 2i. Dali being a danish I would hope there’s a decent used market out there for them.
Thats fair enough, studio monitors are a preference some don't like, but they can go extremely low if the correct one is used.

Honestly, there's hundreds of combos, I can't see your friend going wrong with a powernode 2i and the dalis
 
Could look at the focal alpha 80’s.

My friend has them and they dig deep, plus not to sterile for a studio monitor.

Paired with a Yamaha wxc50 and you have a very sweet system
 
Thats fair enough, studio monitors are a preference some don't like, but they can go extremely low if the correct one is used.

Honestly, there's hundreds of combos, I can't see your friend going wrong with a powernode 2i and the dalis
Me neither, the system he’s coming from was bought in a Danish supermarket so I’m sure the Oberon 7 and Powernode will blow him away.
 
The Alpha 80 is a 8" Studio monitor, using a Polyglass cone loaded in a large laminar port and of a 1" (25mm) aluminum inverted dome tweeter. It features a 40W amplifier for the tweeter and a 100W amplifier for the woofer, and has a frequency response of 35Hz to 22kHz (+/- 3dB).

Sorry was watching a show with the mrs and didn’t click send 😁

I couldn’t remember the figure but yeah 35hz is what I remember when I heard them. Was genuinely blown away by the alphas
 
I was in a similar situation last year, starting with a similar budget and I got some very good suggestions here

I ended up with the combination below and I need to admit I am very pleased with the Yamaha who does its job very well:
Yamaha R-N602
Q Acoustics 3050i

You can find atm a good offer for the Yamaha R803d, one level up to mine
Yamaha R803d £579 here Yamaha R-N803D Network Amplifier
and a good review here Yamaha R-N803D Network Receiver Review

And for speakers you have plenty of choice at around 900£.
KEF LS50 Meta £999
Daily Opticon 2 £899
 
I was in a similar situation last year, starting with a similar budget and I got some very good suggestions here

I ended up with the combination below and I need to admit I am very pleased with the Yamaha who does its job very well:
Yamaha R-N602
Q Acoustics 3050i

You can find atm a good offer for the Yamaha R803d, one level up to mine
Yamaha R803d £579 here Yamaha R-N803D Network Amplifier
and a good review here Yamaha R-N803D Network Receiver Review

And for speakers you have plenty of choice at around 900£.
KEF LS50 Meta £999
Daily Opticon 2 £899
I’ve read some good things about the R-N803D on another forum. Many happy owners.
 
why against a sub? it seems the logical choice imo.

the concept 40 bass response is more than 50hz so for a bass head, i dont think they would be the speakers to get.
Hi,

As a Concept 40 owner, I can say that the bass frequency response quoted by Q Acoustics is very conservative. Mine go down comfortably to around 40Hz in my room, and the bass they have is punchy, equivalent to the Dali Oberon 5 and more so than the Monitor Bronze and Silver 200. But, overall, it is not a speaker for bass heads. It is better for people wanting accuracy in the bass. It doesn't extend much or at all beyond 40Hz and doesn't move much air for that "trouser flapping feeling".

I would recommend bass heads get a subwoofer. It isn't easy, or cheap, to get the intense, room shaking bass "bass heads" love without one. Two 6 inch standmounts and good 10 or 12 inch sub will give more bass weight and extension than floorstanders in his price range. Combine with with a Powernode 2021 or NAD D3045, both of which have a high pass filter to send the bass to the sub and the rest to the speakers, should make setting it up easy.
 
Two BK Double Gem sub woofers (£390 each, £780)
WXC50 streaming preamp £300
Pair of Tannoy Gold 7 placed on top of the Gems, £360
Leaves a bit for cables.

And although you say he won't entertain a sub this has the same footprint as a floorstander and is more flexible in terms of future upgrades.

You may find ex demo or second hand cheaper

If that does not produce enough base then……..
 
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Hi,

As a Concept 40 owner, I can say that the bass frequency response quoted by Q Acoustics is very conservative. Mine go down comfortably to around 40Hz in my room, and the bass they have is punchy, equivalent to the Dali Oberon 5 and more so than the Monitor Bronze and Silver 200. But, overall, it is not a speaker for bass heads. It is better for people wanting accuracy in the bass. It doesn't extend much or at all beyond 40Hz and doesn't move much air for that "trouser flapping feeling".

I would recommend bass heads get a subwoofer. It isn't easy, or cheap, to get the intense, room shaking bass "bass heads" love without one. Two 6 inch standmounts and good 10 or 12 inch sub will give more bass weight and extension than floorstanders in his price range. Combine with with a Powernode 2021 or NAD D3045, both of which have a high pass filter to send the bass to the sub and the rest to the speakers, should make setting it up easy.
Thanks.

I have two subs so am firmly on board the sub-train. My friend on the other hand wants convenience and is not inflicted with this disease/hobby :)

In the end I recommended:

NEW:
Dali Oberon 7 paired with Yamaha R-N803D

Used:
Kef Wireless 1

All with the relevant caveats.

Remember he is coming from something he bought in a Danish supermarket so I'm sure either of the two above will delight him.
 
Two BK Double Gem sub woofers (£390 each, £780)
WXC50 streaming preamp £300
Pair of Tannoy Gold 7 placed on top of the Gems, £360
Leaves a bit for cables.

And although you say he won't entertain a sub this has the same footprint as a floorstander and is more flexible in terms of future upgrades.

You may find ex demo or second hand cheaper

If that does not produce enough base then……..
I'm sure that would be a superb system with enough bass to shake the house. Integration of subs will be too complicated for him. He wants simplicity and no subs :)
 

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