[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
I don't have the experience with high end audio stuff that others may have here, but we've relatively recently purchased a pair of EPOS M12.2 speakers, which we're using with a Rotel RA-06 amp, and we're very pleased with their performance over a variety of types of music. I've been told What HI-FI really like them too, preferring them over some more expensive speakers (this info was passed on by a friend after we bought them). Well worth the £400 in my opinion. -- Impeller SqueezeBox 3 Wireless | Rotel RA-06 amplifier | Epos M12.2 speakers | Partington Super Dreadnought stands Impeller's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8396 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
As ever thanks for the replies. I have been given a few ideas to try and at least a direction to go in. I'll let you know how I get on after listening to a few different combinations. -- GaryC GaryC's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8418 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
GaryC;171299 Wrote: Hi Following the huge success of the SqueezeBox with my wife I am in the lucky position of being able to move my SB3 powered midi system to the conservatory and replacing it with a more capable system in the living room. Assuming I get another SB3 I will have a remaining budget of £1200 for an amp, speakers (and stands if required) and interconnects. Given the above what combinations of amp/speakers would you audition? The vast majority of my collection is now in FLAC format and I listen to a wide range of music. I intend to take my SB3/QNap to the shop to audition the equipment - has anyone else done this? Oh - one last question. I noted that a linear power supply can make a difference. Can anyone recommend a part number/supplier in the UK. Thanks in advance. Gary A very difficult question! It all depends on so many variables. One important factor is your room's properties. Carpted, wood or stone floor? Other damping in the room? Size of room? Are you prepared to purchase second hand? (A lot more for the money.) How domesticated (nice looking) should the system be? (WAF = Wife Acceptance Factor) Personally, if I had to start from scratch today with the sum you mentioned, I would splash out on a killer pair of speakers (example: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-NS-1000-XW-lautsprecher-loudspeakers_W0QQitemZ190073512643QQihZ009QQcategoryZ23323QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190073512643 ) and tide over with a good second hand amp for the rest of the money until I feel up to spending a bit more on the amplification. A speaker like the NS-1000XW would also allow some customisation of the sound according to room brightness since if has variable levels for the mid and treble units. A lower price option which is not as nice to look at is the plain NS-1000. Note: If you never want to play very loud a speaker like the NS-1000 might be overkill. It really can play very loud and still clean. Note2: Obviously, most of the time you can't audition ebay purchases. A popular item such the Yamaha should be fairly easy to sell on however. P.S: You can have my Triangle Celius speakers if you are near Oxford -and for a very reasonable sum too since I need the space! ;-) They are very nice, but don't have the kick of the Yamahas. (I have a few linear supplies laying around too.) -- P Floding P Floding's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2932 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
My local dealer let me take a load of equipment home for a few days over a period of time just before Christmas and I ended up with a pair of Kef iQ5s (£400) and an Audiolab 8000S (£500). A little less than your budget, but I'm extremely happy with them. I would have bought the iQ7s (£600 - they sounded magnificent) but they are bigger and it was just a WAF stretch too far. The Quad 21L2s (£699) sounded wonderful with the Audiolab, but failed the WAF test too. -- Fifer Fifer's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=639 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
Speakers I'd try: Spendor sp100, vandersteen 2ce, triangle celius, dynaudio 1.3se. All of these can be gotten for around $1k-$1.3k us used, so should be within your reach. They're all very different, and all very good (I've owned the sp100 and the celius, but the 1.3se is the one out of this group that _I_ would buy). The yamahas that p floding pointed out are fairly famous classic speakers: it might be hard to get a listen to them. I've never heard them, but their reputation is pretty great. I'd match the amp to the speakers afterwards. -- totoro squeezebox 3 - mccormack dna .5 - audio physic tempo 4 totoro's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5935 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
Phil Leigh;171324 Wrote: PF - don't the Yams need apowerful amp to drive them? They are infinite baffle and not too easy to drive as I remember. Phil I believe the older NS-1000 series is fairly sensitive, and not a dificult load either. Certainly nothing like panel speakers! My 50W Krell KSA-50S drives them to ear-splitting levels (but that amp can pump out 50 amps). To test this I just hooked up my old Rotel RB-970BX. It kicks very reasonable butt with my Yams (NS-2000, very similar to the 1000 series). I think the Rotel can be improved by removing the 5A output fuses, BTW (if one dares). Also, the spades didn't fit the puny terminals on the Rotel very well. It still sounds pretty good. I could live with this sound. In fact a lot better than I was prepared for! (I think I could fool anyone it was the Krell playing.) The NS-1000 series is from an era when amps often were poor at delivering current, wheras today's amps are much better at this (even cheaper ones). BTW, unvented boxes shouldn't be less efficient than ported ones, except if the cabinets are really small and a lot of trickery is done to try to extend bass? (It's more of a question than a statement, as I'm not a speaker guru.) -- P Floding P Floding's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2932 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
Hi PF! Generally (dangerous phrase I know) IB speakers are rather hard to drive as the air-brick effect stops the bass drivers moving freely. Linn Isobariks for example were quite tough - lots of amps - but then their impedance curve in passiv mode was all over the place! Cheers Phil -- Phil Leigh Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
Phil Leigh;171345 Wrote: Hi PF! Generally (dangerous phrase I know) IB speakers are rather hard to drive as the air-brick effect stops the bass drivers moving freely. Linn Isobariks for example were quite tough - lots of amps - but then their impedance curve in passiv mode was all over the place! Cheers Phil ok, this is not the thread to go deeper into this. I can just report that my old 60W Rotel goes pretty loud and plays cleanly too into the NS-2000. -- P Floding P Floding's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2932 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
P Floding;171342 Wrote: To test this I just hooked up my old Rotel RB-970BX. It kicks very reasonable butt with my Yams (NS-2000, very similar to the 1000 series). I think the Rotel can be improved by removing the 5A output fuses, BTW (if one dares). Also, the spades didn't fit the puny terminals on the Rotel very well. It still sounds pretty good. I could live with this sound. In fact a lot better than I was prepared for! I'd like to correct myself, as I started to develop an headache and had to switch back to the KSA-50S... Just another reason I don't like A/B! First impressions are extremely deceptive. -- P Floding P Floding's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2932 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
adamslim;171348 Wrote: But surely the isobarik process (static pressure, i.e. having two drivers working in tandem to ease the pressure load of an infinite baffle) is completely designed to remove this air-brick effect? I think their difficulty to be driven was caused by much more than the driver/cabinet 'philosophy'. Presumably 'passiv' is a Linnism? ;) Adam Nope - passiv was a typo :o) The air-brick effect is very much present in Isobariks (which I ran for 10 years!) - think about what is happening between the rearmost bass driver and the cabinet... They could suck the life out of a lot of amps. -- Phil Leigh Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Audition Advice
I second the recommendation of Spendors and Dynaudios -- I used to have the BC3's and they were fabulous. My brother is still listening to them. I also love the sound of ProAc speakers. My living room SB3 plays into ProAc 1SC monitors; my listening room SB3 plays into my Genesis 500's--I'm also a big fan of ribbon tweeters and servo-controlled woofers. You're going to have to go somewhere, even a friend's house, to listen to speakers to see what flavor you like and what size and style your wife will accept! -- sc53 sc53's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8690 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31780 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
