andya
Rank: Soloist
Posts: 12
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Post by andya on Nov 11, 2020 14:49:07 GMT
In an effort to spend as much money as possible before I pop my clogs at some hopefully distant date I've been attempting to buy a new pair of speakers for my main system. I've been running a pair of Jamo Concert 11s for a few years and they are the oldest item in my system so I wondered if I could do better. Looking at up to £7.5k but less would be fine if they sounded great. Any replacement has to be an improvement otherwise I'll just keep the Jamos and go buy an electric car whilst spending even more!
To begin with, back in June, I felt like having something slightly different and the Gradient 1.4s caught my eye so I contacted Ketih at Purite Audio with details of room size (16' x12') and current equipment, Octave HP700/Octave RE320, Linn Akurate with Katalyst and Roksan Xeres 20+. Keith. like many a dealer, tried to sell me what he had on hand so offered me a pair of ex-demo Active Gradients that he's been trying to sell for some time, whcih would negate my Octave amps. So I explained it was only the 1.4s I was interested in. Ketih discovered the factory was shut for 4 weeks and production would be ready after a further two weeks. So I said I was happy to wait and never heard from Keith again. I'm not prepared to chase dealers if they are not interested in selling someone some £5k speakers.
So next step was to look at some Aurum Cantus loudspeakers as I have fond memories of a pair of Leisure 2 SEs I owned and they do look pretty. Contacted a dealer in Europe who tried to sell me a pair of ex-demo speakers that just weren't appropriate for my room so I gave up with them as well.
Just recently I went to my local Audio T dealer and although the local shop has a limited range of relatively expensive speakers they were happy to request a pair of Shahinian Compass 2s for me to have a home dem. I'd read that these could sound great but some people weren't that keen on them. Had a call from the dealer saying that the supplier would only send them if I was serious. Having spent £15k with Audio T over the past 3 years I felt I should be considered "serious", however I nearly gave up then and there. Let me say that if they had sounded great I would have bought them. The home dem proved that for my system and room they did not sound great, the treble was great but the mid-range had a blanket thrown over it. No problems with imaging and it had great timing but would have slowly driven me insane as male voices were not very good and someone was banging on a fruit box instead of a drum on most tracks.
I have decided to wait until some normality returns to life so I can sort which speakers are worth a home dem by listening at a dealer first.
Andy at Audio T, who has been excellent, as I expect from a dealer, has suggested a future listen to B&W 804 D3 and PMC Twenty5 24i. I've explained that the max room behind the speakers will be 30cm so I've also added Proac 30DRS, with the ribbon tweeter to the list.
I've also seen a pair of Heco Direkts on the Deco Audio website that look different to the normal box speakers so might be worth a dem and it's a dealer who I have had good experiences with in the past - once lent me a pair of Audion 300Bs for a home dem without any questions of whether I was serious or not.
Anyway, if any of you have any suggestions for speakers that could be added to the demo list then please let me know.
Andrew
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Post by julesd68 on Nov 11, 2020 15:13:20 GMT
Some interesting experiences with dealers there Andrew - how frustrating!
I'll just thrown in some immediate thoughts. Firstly, I share you opinion of Deco Audio - Peter is a top guy and I have only ever received superb service from him in the past. I've not heard the Hecos but have read very mixed opinions on them - they certainly look cool so worth a demo.
I would add Sonus Faber to the mix - I've been so happy with my Venere 2.5 that if I was ever lucky enough to upgrade, I would certainly look higher up their range. I bought mine from Dave at Radlett Audio who often has very good ex-dem deals on SF and it would be worth giving him a call to see what he has in stock - there might be some other goodies too. Dave was absolutely faultless in his service with me.
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Post by daytona600 on Nov 11, 2020 17:13:56 GMT
Valves + close to rear wall Klipsch Forte / Cornwall place direct on wall / in corners ( cornwall ) terrible specs & measure very badly but make most speakers sound broken , dynamic , punchy and a total riot good reason in production since Noah was a boy ot near field active monitors like Hedd30 Low volume Punch , clarity , dynamics are world class & if you ever need to rock out 1200wpc 126db @ 1metre hedd.audio/studio-monitors/type30/ |
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Post by edward on Nov 11, 2020 17:50:32 GMT
Andrew, have you thought of contacting Gradient in Finland direct and asking them to ship you a set of 1.4s for a demo? And then if you don't like them you have the right to ship them to their UK local dealer (Purite). I'm sure if you chat directly with Gradient they will soon see you are a serious buyer who is likely to keep the 1.4s.
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 11, 2020 19:02:40 GMT
I'd get in touch with Tony at Coherent Systems.
He has a very wide range and the most in depth knowledge of any dealer I've ever dealt with
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Post by wannarock2 on Nov 11, 2020 20:28:20 GMT
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andya
Rank: Soloist
Posts: 12
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Post by andya on Nov 11, 2020 20:30:02 GMT
Thanks for the info guys. Agree that Sonus Faber range are worth a look and the Klipsch Forte looks interestng from the reviews I've found. Still have this urge for something different to the norm and one of these may tick that box. Plus thanks for the recommendation for Tony at Coherent Systems and Dave at Radlett, I'll take a look at their websites. Hadn't considered contacting Gradient direct as it has the possibilty of getting a bit messy but it might be worthwhile seeing what they say. Thanks again, glad I decided to post as unlike some other forums where I'm a lurking member you guys have stuck to the point! Andrew
Edit - just saw the comment about Revel BE series and had read a review this afternoon on ASR as Amir had tested a single speaker, so perhaps another to the list. Thanks
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 11, 2020 20:35:17 GMT
I find asking open questions What, why, when, how can work wonders
Give them enough room to prove themselves good or bad
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Post by julesd68 on Nov 11, 2020 21:58:11 GMT
I was looking at the MAX website this evening and came across these - Sonus Faber Olympica II wenge, x demo, £7998 reduced to 5149Sonus Faber Olympica II Black gloss, sealed, £7998 reduced to 5599Wish I could get the black ones - would match my piano very nicely ...  There's some other nice gear on his website. www.midlandaudiox-change.co.uk/offers-used-exdem-equipment.html |
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Post by MartinT on Nov 12, 2020 13:03:29 GMT
Some bad experiences there. If a dealer is interested in selling, then they should organise for demo kit and not ask "if you're serious". What a cheek - why would you want a demo otherwise, do they want a promise of a purchase first?
I would have recommended Usher as their beryllium midrange driver is fantastic for voice. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any serious importer in the UK at the moment. Another off-the-wall suggestion is to listen to some JBLs - they're exciting like the Klipsch but not as wayward as horn-loaded speakers. Finally, Focal make some great speakers which slightly verge towards bright but there's no doubting their midrange quality.
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Post by brettj on Nov 13, 2020 0:04:49 GMT
Dealers and I don't tend to agree. Theirs is always better than mine.
ATC is a possibility. I have their ATC SCM19v2.
End game for me.
Would the SCM40 fit?
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Post by jandl100 on Nov 13, 2020 3:16:18 GMT
Hi Andrew
Yes, some interesting experiences with dealers there. Makes you wonder how they stay in business, and whether in fact they should still be in business.
Maybe I missed it but I didn't notice if you stated what kind of music you listen to - if it's primarily dubstep or girl with guitar or genuine all rounders that would likely lead to different recommendations.
Before I make any suggestions I would like to know what you'll be using them for.
I bought my current speakers from Audio Emotion and found them very helpful and informative. They were clearly focused on a sale, but were knowledgeable and happy with the concept of loaners. That was 10 years ago, up until then I was having great fun changing speakers every few months. So I guess they did something right!
Based on over a decade of speaker swapping enjoyment, my approach would be to buy used at sensible prices and just try a variety over a period of a year or so - ebay is your friend, used judicially, although at your price level dealer loaners may be a better option. But first find some dealers you have confidence in!
Also going to audio shows opened my mind to different possibilities, one of which led to my current 10 year speaker stint. But sadly that's not possible at the moment.
I've had enjoyable results from remarkably small monitors (LS3/5a plus subwoofer) to 6 foot high panels. Technology has varied from standard cones and domes in a box to electrostatics and ribbons and horns and open baffle. Same tech and hybrids. Point and squirt and omnidirectional.
All different, all fascinating. Some worked for me, some didn’t. Very personal things, speakers.
Yeah, just try some with an open mind and see how you get on. You'll know when it's time to stop.
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Post by ChrisB on Nov 13, 2020 7:05:16 GMT
It seems to me that the single most influential factor here is your need for speakers to be close to the back wall. That rules out a lot of the pack.
Apart from ATC and Klipsh mentioned above few things to consider may be vintage AR, Snell and Allison designs, Audio Note and NVA perhaps?
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Post by tarzan on Nov 13, 2020 10:12:51 GMT
Close to a wall? Probably rules out the ProAc D30RS as these are supposed to chuck out a ton of bass..... could be wrong mind, home demo all the way! Especially if you spending that amount of dosh, good luck and have fun.  |
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andya
Rank: Soloist
Posts: 12
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Post by andya on Nov 13, 2020 11:39:25 GMT
Thanks for the comments guys.
My musical tastes have been described by a friend as eclectic, so anything from rock to jazz to classical. I'm hoping the Space Optimisation on the Linn Akurate will help in placing the speakers close to wall. Tending to look at speakers with either a front facing port, downward facing (hence the Proacs) or no port. Although the Klipsch Forte with its rear facing passive radiator seems to work for a lot of people in reviews I've read
Just waiting for some return to normality and I'll be investigating the suggestions.
Cheers
Andrew
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📶NAS > Gustard x26p DAC > Benchmark LA4 Pre-Amp > NAD M22-V2 Amplifier > Revel F228Be Speakers
