Good, cheap used speakers

[battered]

Globs said:

legzr1 said:

You've gone quite a way in destroying this thread.

Really?

Get a grip, Leg.

Yes, really.
As for getting a grip, look in a mirror. Your posts here have ensured that I haven't bothered reading many of the contributions here and certainly won't bother adding my own. If you want to get into a fight, and you apparently do, take it somewhere else.

[legzr1]

battered said:

Yes, really.
As for getting a grip, look in a mirror. Your posts here have ensured that I haven't bothered reading many of the contributions here and certainly won't bother adding my own. If you want to get into a fight, and you apparently do, take it somewhere else.

That is a shame and apologies if I contributed in your decision.

On the other hand, I'm pleased I'm not the only one to pick up on his 'style'.

[Globs]

battered said:

Yes, really.
As for getting a grip, look in a mirror. Your posts here have ensured that I haven't bothered reading many of the contributions here and certainly won't bother adding my own. If you want to get into a fight, and you apparently do, take it somewhere else.

Clearly it's time for me to stop posting then, sorry for causing you so much bother.

[anonymous-user]

How about TDL RTL2s? Similar sensitivity to the Tannoys you already have, but a bit more bass.

[TonyRPH]

As I pointed out in the beginning of the thread, I think the OP is limited by the Pi Amp he has.

He would do well to get on to Ebay and find a Marantz / Sony / Yamaha amp for around £100.

I think it'll bring his existing speakers to life, particularly at high volumes (which seems to be where he's having issues).

[anonymous-user]

TonyRPH said:

As I pointed out in the beginning of the thread, I think the OP is limited by the Pi Amp he has.

He would do well to get on to Ebay and find a Marantz / Sony / Yamaha amp for around £100.

I think it'll bring his existing speakers to life, particularly at high volumes (which seems to be where he's having issues).

Could go cheaper than that, and look for an Arcam Alpha, Creek 4040, or a nad of some description.
It probably doesn't matter which way round he does it, try the amp fix first, and keep the speakers, or see if new speakers fix the problem, and upgrade the amp if they don't. The Mercury's were a budget speaker though, with not a great deal of bass even driven by a decent amp - but I'd agree about the high volume listening.

[StescoG66]

Alas the Tannoy of today is not the same Tannoy of 5 years ago.... now owned by a cheap and cheerful electronics conglomerate...... Great shame for a once great brand.

Anyway, personal opinion FWIW is avoid Marantz amps as they all sounde thin and scratchy to me. Yamaha amps are lovely, not impressive on first demo but have an easy, detailed sound which is very revealing. I would then pair that with the afore mentioned Eltax Symphony 6 or if you can find the 8 then better still.

Am a bit out of touch with the HIFI scene now. Still enjoy my music, still have separates (of sorts) but don't have a grasp of what is currently out there.

Can I make a radical suggestion? Look for a Pioneer A400 and a pair of Ruark Sabres. Punched way above its weight!!

[battered]

A Pioneer A400 is a good choice, just make sure to avoid the A400x. I had one, it boasted ' improvements' that made it sound dull. Don't pay too much for what is now a 20yo item and was only £200 new. The magazines loved them at the time, they took out a lot of advertising.

[StescoG66]

Another lovely wee combo I had - and thoroughly enjoyed - was a Musical Fidelity B200 with Mission 780SE. Prior to the MF I had an Acoustic Research AR-A04 amp. Somewhere along the line I also had a pair of Sony APM20ES Speakers too...... A fair few bits have passed through my hands down the years......

[legzr1]

AR-A04 - blast from the past!

I had the pre/power C-06/P-10, matching CD player and EB101 turntable - still got the turntable!

[StescoG66]

legzr1 said:

AR-A04 - blast from the past!

I had the pre/power C-06/P-10, matching CD player and EB101 turntable - still got the turntable!

EB101 was a brilliant deck. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for one in future as I thought they were ace.

My last turntable was a Manticore Mantra with RB300 arm and an AT-OC5LE. Sold in the name of domestic harmony...........

[jbudgie]

StescoG66 said:

legzr1 said:

AR-A04 - blast from the past!

I had the pre/power C-06/P-10, matching CD player and EB101 turntable - still got the turntable!

EB101 was a brilliant deck. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for one in future as I thought they were ace.

My last turntable was a Manticore Mantra with RB300 arm and an AT-OC5LE. Sold in the name of domestic harmony...........

Also still got the EB-101

[legzr1]

StescoG66 said:

EB101 was a brilliant deck. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for one in future as I thought they were ace.

My last turntable was a Manticore Mantra with RB300 arm and an AT-OC5LE. Sold in the name of domestic harmony...........

I was offered £20 for the smoked lid and told just to throw the rest away around 20 years ago!

[StescoG66]

legzr1 said:

StescoG66 said:

EB101 was a brilliant deck. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for one in future as I thought they were ace.

My last turntable was a Manticore Mantra with RB300 arm and an AT-OC5LE. Sold in the name of domestic harmony...........

I was offered £20 for the smoked lid and told just to throw the rest away around 20 years ago!

Bet you are glad you didn't. Besides - if it were me I couldn't

[HardtopManual]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I actually had a Marantz PM 6010 OSE before the Pi-Amp, but it sadly died and refused to be resurrected. I didn't particularly want to replace it with an equally huge box, hence the smaller amp. To be honest, I thought the speakers sounded equally soft at high volumes with the Marantz.

I haven't read any hifi mags since the mid 90s, so if you say "lively speakers and amp" to me, I think of KEF Codas and a Kenwood amp (3020?).

I may relegate the Pi thing to the bedroom. It's really not bad for the money, but I suppose I need a "proper" amp in the lounge, and suspect, having read this thread, that a nice amp will be better bang-for-buck than new speakers.

[battered]

Decent amps are 30-40 a go, a cheap experiment. Rotel did some good cheapies in the 90s one of them for loose change would do a good job.

[TameRacingDriver]

This thread reminds me why I no longer frequent hifi forums

[Globs]

TameRacingDriver said:

This thread reminds me why I no longer frequent hifi forums

So true. It has certainly reminded me .

I should have just recommended a Beeswax fuse for "incredible precise detail through the entire frequency range, bigger and deeper sound stage, and even more musical"
https://www.thecableco.com/Product/Premier-Bees-Wa...

I mean - how could anyone not want those things right? And very reasonable prices.

..and if there are some heavy duty HiFi people I'll also mention the importance of some mid range digital optical cables because everyone likes "Natural detail without metallic etching and ringing" and "Realistic attack and decay of dynamic contrasts" don't they.
https://www.thecableco.com/Product/Optimism-EMM-ST

Swimming against the tide is unrewarding and pointless, lesson learned. Again . Enjoy your 'HiFi' guys.

[legzr1]

Globs said:

So true. It has certainly reminded me .

I should have just recommended a Beeswax fuse for "incredible precise detail through the entire frequency range, bigger and deeper sound stage, and even more musical"
https://www.thecableco.com/Product/Premier-Bees-Wa...

I mean - how could anyone not want those things right? And very reasonable prices.

..and if there are some heavy duty HiFi people I'll also mention the importance of some mid range digital optical cables because everyone likes "Natural detail without metallic etching and ringing" and "Realistic attack and decay of dynamic contrasts" don't they.
https://www.thecableco.com/Product/Optimism-EMM-ST

Swimming against the tide is unrewarding and pointless, lesson learned. Again . Enjoy your 'HiFi' guys.

I can't see anyone mentioning or vaguely suggesting any of that crap on here.

I can see your contributions on here however.

Difficult to see which is most unhelpful...

[GravelBen]

To try and bring this thread back on topic...

I recently picked up a wee Pioneer A109 stereo amp (30w/ch) to play with (bargain impulse buy really), currently hooked up to a pair of probably 30+ year old Wharfedale Laser 90s but I'm feeling the urge to buy some cheap but nice bookshelf speakers to use instead. I'm enjoying the simplicity of a basic stereo setup and the Laser 90s are pleasant enough for casual listening, but a bit slow and woofly in the bass department and I'd like more detail and clarity (without getting into harsh treble).

If I buy some better speakers and make the $50 amp the weak link in the system it will give me an excuse to buy a nicer amp in future too...

Seen a few good deals around on Wharfedale Diamond 9.1, 10.1 and 220 models (all at similar prices, $380-400NZ new or less second hand) but I'm finding quite contradictory reviews on them online, from hifi-review 5 star love to random forum reviews claiming they're a triumph of marketing and sound like rubbish. Spotted a few others I'm less familiar with second hand at varying prices too - Wharfedale Pacific Evo 8, Jade 1, other brands I'm aware of good reputation without knowing specific speaker models - B+W, Polk, Yamaha etc.

Other options I've seen on special at comparable new prices... Monitor Audio MR1 ($300 ) & MR2 ($400), Onkyo D-055 ($200), Cambridge SX50 ($400)

So instead of debating the mathematics of distortion, does anyone want to give me some recommendations of standout models to look for? If you're really bored you can search trademe.co.nz for an idea of second-hand prices here, its our equivalent of ebay.

Or should I just keep doing what I have been and search the web for reviews of anything that looks interesting in the hope of grabbing a bargain?