Bottleneck

[Phugoid]

I have been using an old set of B&W DM 550 bookshelf speakers and am wondering if these should be upgraded to match the rest of the system, as I am not blown away with the sound.

I have a Meridian 206b CD player, Audiolab 8000A integrated amp and have recently acquired a Linn Axis turntable to replace my ratty old Sony PS-T33.

Does anyone know much about these old speakers? Am I right to think by upgrading these I'll hear tangible gains, or is the weakness somewhere else in the system?

[Frances The Mute]

They're a nice speaker, but dated and certainly not the last word in detail.

The Meridian and Audiolab combo should realise quite a decent level of performance. The Axis can be a little flat sounding (depending on cart/mods etc) so CD replay should be detailed and engaging.

Speaker choice will typically depend on your musical tastes and room type. Something transparent like Dynaudio would work very well with that rig and most types of music.

[Phugoid]

Thanks for the response.

I was with a friend when he picked up a set of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s last weekend, after we heard them auditioned in Richer Sounds. They sounded fantastic, would you recommend these for my system?

[Phugoid]

Oh and music prefrence - mostly rock/pop, some electro. Room type - quite large, wooden floors.

[telecat]

The B&W tends to be a warm if detailed speaker which would suit the Audiolab but maybe not the Meridian. I'd possibly look at second hand Mission 751's or 752's which have a big but leaner bass extension. If the Bass is a bit lean I'd look at Tannoy's especially the Dual Concentric speakers. Others have suggested the EPOS ES11's and Royd Minstrels. PMC also get a good mention. New Is a minefield. Loads of speakers out there and if you like the sound of them then I'd listen to them in your own room to get an idea of which works best.

Edited by telecat on Thursday 28th June 12:38

[TonyRPH]

Phugoid said:

Thanks for the response.

I was with a friend when he picked up a set of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s last weekend, after we heard them auditioned in Richer Sounds. They sounded fantastic, would you recommend these for my system?

You can still get the Wharfedale 9.1's from SuperFi for £99.95

But you do need a good sturdy pair of stands to support them on, to get the best from them (that goes for any 'bookshelf' speaker).

I use Soundstyle Z1's.