Speaker recommendtion £1500 max
Discussion
IceBoy said:
Hi All,
I need recommendation on floor or stand mount speakers for my Music/Av room.
I'm running a combination of Arcam and Denon amps in my AV cupboard (4 in total). I have Monitor Audio Radius 390 subs around the home (4x) and monitor audio ceiling speakers throughout the house.
This particular room has the Monitor audio ceiling speakers - rear mounted and one of the subs. I will probably go for the Monitor audio/kef centre speaker but not sure about what to use for the front L/R.
The AV will be used with both music and movies.
Any help much appreciated....I have been looking at Ebay for some used bargains, but again, don't know what to look out for....a bonus would be that they look interesting...if that is even possible?
IceBoy
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bowers-Wilkins-B-W-804S-s/263556743700?hash=item3d5d34c214:g:I2EAAOSwAgharoUHI need recommendation on floor or stand mount speakers for my Music/Av room.
I'm running a combination of Arcam and Denon amps in my AV cupboard (4 in total). I have Monitor Audio Radius 390 subs around the home (4x) and monitor audio ceiling speakers throughout the house.
This particular room has the Monitor audio ceiling speakers - rear mounted and one of the subs. I will probably go for the Monitor audio/kef centre speaker but not sure about what to use for the front L/R.
The AV will be used with both music and movies.
Any help much appreciated....I have been looking at Ebay for some used bargains, but again, don't know what to look out for....a bonus would be that they look interesting...if that is even possible?
IceBoy
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-of-Bower-Wilkins-8...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neat-Motive-SX1-Speaker...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neat-Acoustics-Motive-S...
legzr1 said:
You seem to have messed up the quotes but I’ll give this a go...
So, you agree no cable can add anything therefore any differences have to be because of something being taken away. To actually pay quite a bit of money for a cable that misses part of the frequency range seems a little silly.
YMMV - your mileage may vary - your opinion may differ etc.
I can’t see where you’ve mentioned which cables you use. Perhaps my eyes are as bad as my ears...
Apologies for messing up the quotes. I list the cables in my first post on the thread. The speaker cable I use is Naim Super Lumina.So, you agree no cable can add anything therefore any differences have to be because of something being taken away. To actually pay quite a bit of money for a cable that misses part of the frequency range seems a little silly.
YMMV - your mileage may vary - your opinion may differ etc.
I can’t see where you’ve mentioned which cables you use. Perhaps my eyes are as bad as my ears...
It’s my opinion, based on listening to many different cables over about thirty years that different cables sound different. For instance Silver coated cables can often sound quite bright and some people like the sound that this can bring when used in conjunction with a mix of electronic components in their own home, with their speaker positioning etc. If you do don’t agree then there’s no issue, but to keep telling me that different cables are a waste of money then we’ll have to accept that we’re never going to agree.
I suggested that the op upgraded his speaker cable largely because it looked in the first post like he may be using generic out of the box cables (as he didn’t mention anything different) and I personally believe that (a) brilliant speakers are available for way less than £1500 (I paid £1k for my WB Arcs and they are stunning) and (b) that investing the other £500 in some cables - noting that the system is pretty comprehensive and may need a fair bit of cable. The general rule of thumb is 10% of system value on cables and I estimated this at about £500.
Patrick1964 said:
It’s my opinion, based on listening to many different cables over about thirty years that different cables sound different. For instance Silver coated cables can often sound quite bright and some people like the sound that this can bring when used in conjunction with a mix of electronic components in their own home, with their speaker positioning etc. If you do don’t agree then there’s no issue, but to keep telling me that different cables are a waste of money then we’ll have to accept that we’re never going to agree.
I suggested that the op upgraded his speaker cable largely because it looked in the first post like he may be using generic out of the box cables (as he didn’t mention anything different) and I personally believe that (a) brilliant speakers are available for way less than £1500 (I paid £1k for my WB Arcs and they are stunning) and (b) that investing the other £500 in some cables - noting that the system is pretty comprehensive and may need a fair bit of cable. The general rule of thumb is 10% of system value on cables and I estimated this at about £500.
I don't think that many, with experience of hearing different cables in higher res system, would disagree that different cables can sound different; I also agree that different cables sound different............ there may well be a situation where the attenuation from a poorly engineered cable is so bad that it fixes a flaw present elsewhere in the system. Using two flawed products together may yield a flattering synergy but imho, when used in isolation, neither can claim to offer high fidelity. I suggested that the op upgraded his speaker cable largely because it looked in the first post like he may be using generic out of the box cables (as he didn’t mention anything different) and I personally believe that (a) brilliant speakers are available for way less than £1500 (I paid £1k for my WB Arcs and they are stunning) and (b) that investing the other £500 in some cables - noting that the system is pretty comprehensive and may need a fair bit of cable. The general rule of thumb is 10% of system value on cables and I estimated this at about £500.
Spending that much on cables is bonkers if you ask me.
Using oxygen free pure bare copper speaker wire in a sensible awg, lets say 14awg, will be more than adequate for the vast majority of people/ systems. This can be had for circa £20-30 per 50ft.
As for interconnects the the same can be said as long as they use good quality materials. I use the Atlas Element Integra, a Whathifi award winner and about £40 each. My system has 3 sets of these, so £120 worth of I.C.
So all in I use about £150 worth of cable on a system with an RRP of £12k, and it sounds great to my ears.
Spending 10x more on cables that are made from unobtainium will have a negligible effect and may even sound worse, if you can even hear the difference at all. In blind tests a lot can't.
Plus that would mean having £1.2k worth of cable , which is enough to make me think someone either has WAY too much money, or, is quite frankly, mental.
I am not saying different cables do not sound different, but the improvement of spending 10x more than necessary simply is not good value for money.
Using oxygen free pure bare copper speaker wire in a sensible awg, lets say 14awg, will be more than adequate for the vast majority of people/ systems. This can be had for circa £20-30 per 50ft.
As for interconnects the the same can be said as long as they use good quality materials. I use the Atlas Element Integra, a Whathifi award winner and about £40 each. My system has 3 sets of these, so £120 worth of I.C.
So all in I use about £150 worth of cable on a system with an RRP of £12k, and it sounds great to my ears.
Spending 10x more on cables that are made from unobtainium will have a negligible effect and may even sound worse, if you can even hear the difference at all. In blind tests a lot can't.
Plus that would mean having £1.2k worth of cable , which is enough to make me think someone either has WAY too much money, or, is quite frankly, mental.
I am not saying different cables do not sound different, but the improvement of spending 10x more than necessary simply is not good value for money.
Edited by SouthHamsGaz on Sunday 25th March 17:51
Edited by SouthHamsGaz on Sunday 25th March 17:52
Patrick1964 said:
Apologies for messing up the quotes. I list the cables in my first post on the thread. The speaker cable I use is Naim Super Lumina.
It’s my opinion, based on listening to many different cables over about thirty years that different cables sound different. For instance Silver coated cables can often sound quite bright and some people like the sound that this can bring when used in conjunction with a mix of electronic components in their own home, with their speaker positioning etc. If you do don’t agree then there’s no issue, but to keep telling me that different cables are a waste of money then we’ll have to accept that we’re never going to agree.
I suggested that the op upgraded his speaker cable largely because it looked in the first post like he may be using generic out of the box cables (as he didn’t mention anything different) and I personally believe that (a) brilliant speakers are available for way less than £1500 (I paid £1k for my WB Arcs and they are stunning) and (b) that investing the other £500 in some cables - noting that the system is pretty comprehensive and may need a fair bit of cable. The general rule of thumb is 10% of system value on cables and I estimated this at about £500.
Sorry, I read your recommendation of spending £500 on cables and £1000 on speakers and missed your list of gear. I’m also guilty of seeing ‘Naim’ mentioned a few times and started losing interest quickly - their idea of hoking punters into spending thousands on separate power supplies winds me up. 99% of other manufacturers can produce power supplies without issue. Why can’t Naim?It’s my opinion, based on listening to many different cables over about thirty years that different cables sound different. For instance Silver coated cables can often sound quite bright and some people like the sound that this can bring when used in conjunction with a mix of electronic components in their own home, with their speaker positioning etc. If you do don’t agree then there’s no issue, but to keep telling me that different cables are a waste of money then we’ll have to accept that we’re never going to agree.
I suggested that the op upgraded his speaker cable largely because it looked in the first post like he may be using generic out of the box cables (as he didn’t mention anything different) and I personally believe that (a) brilliant speakers are available for way less than £1500 (I paid £1k for my WB Arcs and they are stunning) and (b) that investing the other £500 in some cables - noting that the system is pretty comprehensive and may need a fair bit of cable. The general rule of thumb is 10% of system value on cables and I estimated this at about £500.
Although I’m aware that this company used to also dictate which speaker cable to use as getting the capacitance slightly wrong would see the amplifier actually oscillate! Sorry, I digress- this hobby attracts some mad, max ideas.
I don’t think any speakers come with cable ‘in the box’, generic or otherwise so there’s a fair chance the cables currently in use will be absolutely fine. Another £500 in the kitty towards the piece of equipment that’s makes a huge difference to the final sound has to be a go thing doesn’t it?
Just a shame the OP has bothered to reply and fill in some of the blanks.
Last point.
Spending thousands on cables to do what simple tone controls can do seems a bit daft. Simply buy an amp with tone controls if need be.
Anyway.....I’m sure you like the sound of your system. I like mine too and that’s all that matters really.
robinessex said:
"Yes, dear, they're quite compact, they'll blend right in." 
miniman said:
robinessex said:
"Yes, dear, they're quite compact, they'll blend right in." 
These would be more difficult though !!
I've been using a pair of Monitor Audio Gold 100s' for the last decade. I'm very happy with them. £1,250 in today's money.
https://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-13214-...
https://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-13214-...
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