Disappointing speaker demo - may just move to Sonos?
Discussion
I'd suggest a pair of Mordaunt Short Aviano1 XR if you can find some. Often crop up on Ebay, and quite a bassy sound I've found.
Managed to bag a pair for the workshop, and have them powered by a Denon R-40 DAB radio thing. They go more than loud enough with that in the workshop, which really needs bigger speakers (and much better acoustics)
Managed to bag a pair for the workshop, and have them powered by a Denon R-40 DAB radio thing. They go more than loud enough with that in the workshop, which really needs bigger speakers (and much better acoustics)
justin220 said:
I'm not surprised you were disappointed. I've got the Oberon 5s and even they have next to no bass. Very detailed though. Subwoofer definitely required.
Really? I have some too, and they seem to have a fair bit of bass to me. Driven by an Arcam SA30, usually from a turntable. I'd not bother adding a sub. I guess this is relative, though!I’ve got Sonos all round the house , I love it’s so easy to keep adding to your collection,
I have a pair of 5gen2 and a sub in the living room , sound great , But in the bedroom I have a pair of Play3 I got used for less than £200 for both , if you look on Facebook market place they still pop up all the time , the Play 3 is a brilliant little speaker , still runs on the latest software.
I highly recommend picking up a pair , see how they sound , and worst case sell them if you don’t like them or stick them in other rooms around the house ,
I have a pair of 5gen2 and a sub in the living room , sound great , But in the bedroom I have a pair of Play3 I got used for less than £200 for both , if you look on Facebook market place they still pop up all the time , the Play 3 is a brilliant little speaker , still runs on the latest software.
I highly recommend picking up a pair , see how they sound , and worst case sell them if you don’t like them or stick them in other rooms around the house ,
aizvara said:
Really? I have some too, and they seem to have a fair bit of bass to me. Driven by an Arcam SA30, usually from a turntable. I'd not bother adding a sub. I guess this is relative, though!
Something I always found interesting is how much your ears and taste adapt to what you are used to. For years I had some sennheiser hd25s which are really designed for monitoring so have a nice even sound. I thought they had adequate bass response and was happy with how they sounded but wanted to go Bluetooth. Ended up with some Sony h910n and thought they sounded very muddy at first. However now I am used to them, I put the hd25s on the other day and thought they sounded totally crap and tinny.I thought the Oberon's would good bass, they have a larger woofer than most bookshelves and the reviews seem to praise the low end.
Existing speakers, hpf, proper sub.
For 90s rave i got a used svs pb2000 well in your budget that goes deep, sounds very clean and has caused plasterboard damage and fallen pictures in my living room. If you get a used one you can use the change on aliexpress for a rgb laser, smoke machine and a strobe.
For 90s rave i got a used svs pb2000 well in your budget that goes deep, sounds very clean and has caused plasterboard damage and fallen pictures in my living room. If you get a used one you can use the change on aliexpress for a rgb laser, smoke machine and a strobe.
Tim Cognito said:
aizvara said:
Really? I have some too, and they seem to have a fair bit of bass to me. Driven by an Arcam SA30, usually from a turntable. I'd not bother adding a sub. I guess this is relative, though!
Something I always found interesting is how much your ears and taste adapt to what you are used to. For years I had some sennheiser hd25s which are really designed for monitoring so have a nice even sound. I thought they had adequate bass response and was happy with how they sounded but wanted to go Bluetooth. Ended up with some Sony h910n and thought they sounded very muddy at first. However now I am used to them, I put the hd25s on the other day and thought they sounded totally crap and tinny.I thought the Oberon's would good bass, they have a larger woofer than most bookshelves and the reviews seem to praise the low end.
aizvara said:
Yeah, on room dimensions, I remember I spent a bit of time positioning the oberons, having noticed that there are drop-offs in bass in some places around the room.
I guess a demo situation might not always get that perfectly right too.
Yep. Adding a sub usually causes more issues than it fixes given an untreated room. I guess a demo situation might not always get that perfectly right too.
You can find almost new KEF LSX wireless speakers within your budget - far superior to anything from Sonos.
They are complete hifi in a box as they'll stream from Spotify, Qobuz etc. Also - they have a sub out, were you to want more bass.
I have Sonos in a couple of rooms, it's not hifi.
They are complete hifi in a box as they'll stream from Spotify, Qobuz etc. Also - they have a sub out, were you to want more bass.
I have Sonos in a couple of rooms, it's not hifi.
Sheets Tabuer said:
I think we both know that what the OP really needs is an 8-pack of No 32's 
Playroom is a couple of rooms from the living room
https://youtu.be/WM4ae4XzDis?si=leTljDxu4xQQIQIq
Luckily we are detached far enough from the neighbours enough not to bother them
https://youtu.be/WM4ae4XzDis?si=leTljDxu4xQQIQIq
Luckily we are detached far enough from the neighbours enough not to bother them
aizvara said:
Yeah, on room dimensions, I remember I spent a bit of time positioning the oberons, having noticed that there are drop-offs in bass in some places around the room.
I guess a demo situation might not always get that perfectly right too.
100% I found this in the demo room, I leaned forward on the sofa and it was like someone had turned off the bass. I thought it was only highs which were very susceptible to not being in the right position but I guess you can get dead spots with any frequency?I guess a demo situation might not always get that perfectly right too.
Tim Cognito said:
100% I found this in the demo room, I leaned forward on the sofa and it was like someone had turned off the bass. I thought it was only highs which were very susceptible to not being in the right position but I guess you can get dead spots with any frequency?
Having 2 subs help a lot to cancel out the standing wave nulls in a room, and if the room is tricky accoustically a dayton bass dsp can really help.NDA said:
You can find almost new KEF LSX wireless speakers within your budget - far superior to anything from Sonos.
They are complete hifi in a box as they'll stream from Spotify, Qobuz etc. Also - they have a sub out, were you to want more bass.
I have Sonos in a couple of rooms, it's not hifi.
They look pretty good, thanks, I think they had some in richer sounds with the gold accent which I wasn't so keen on but the all black versions look quite tidy.They are complete hifi in a box as they'll stream from Spotify, Qobuz etc. Also - they have a sub out, were you to want more bass.
I have Sonos in a couple of rooms, it's not hifi.
wormus said:
Tim Cognito said:
In what way are Sonos not good for listening to music?
Depends if you like music or listening to noise. Personally I’d go for a pair of vintage audiophile speakers and a half decent amp over modern, frankly cheap rubbish. Your ears deserve better. Tim Cognito said:
Douglas Quaid said:
Don’t go Sonos. They’re fine but they’re lifestyle speakers, which means they’re alright if you don’t really like listening to music much.
In what way are Sonos not good for listening to music?Sonos are good value sound and have decent room filling power for the money.
If you shop for an amp, speakers and steaming device to do the same job, you’ll struggle badly.
Sonos is a bloody site better than the (sub real Hi-Fi) Mini / Micro systems of yesteryear in the same price bracket.
I’d go as far as to say, single Sonos 5 is unbeatable for £549. You can find ex-demo ones for £429.
In separates land…..
OP needs good floorstanding speakers north of £1000 and an amp powerful enough to control them.
Either that, or as discussed, a pair of clean easy to drive small speakers and a REL sub running high level.
There really isn’t a £500 separates solution to give the sound required.
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