Speakers and stereo amplifier for £1500
The tweeter in one of my speakers has recently stopped working so I think it's about that that I upgrade my existing speakers and stereo amp: Mordaunt-Short Avant 906is driven by a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A amplifier.
Although the speakers and stereo amp are fairly low-end, the rest of my equipment is much better: a stello DA100 Signature DAC, a Lehman Audio Black Cube Linear headphone amp and a pair of Sennheiser HD 650 headphones.
My budget is around £1500 maximum for both the amplifier and speakers. I mainly listen to classical, opera and techno. I also like to listen to music fairly loud so the speakers must be easy to drive (according to the Mordaunt-Short website, my current speakers have a sensitivity of 90db - at least they used to!)
What would you recommend for this price range? So far I was considering the Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 6s, the Tannoy Revolution Signature DC6T and the Monitor Audio Silver RX6s. From a quick Froogle search they cost £700, £750 and £800 respectively. But maybe there are better deals? I live in London.
As for the amplifier, I was considering the Rotel RA-1520 and Roksan Kandy K2 (£700 / £750); however, the looks of the Roskan amp are putting me off a little, but not entirely.
What do you think the best choice would be for the types of music that I listen to? Can I expect a speaker setup at this price range to sound as good as my headphone setup?
Thanks,
Ciaran
IMO To get the best from those genres of music, I would put forward the following to demo:
Leema Pulse + Proac Tablette Anniversary (Slightly over budget)
There is a good condition 2nd hand Leema Pulse at Kronos AV for about £500
New Pulse can be got from Sevenoaks £740
If the Proac are out of budget, then PMC DB1i
Regards
Cno
Active speakers should be on your list at this kind of price. Genelec, Dynaudio, Adam, Acoustic Energy all have products worth shortlisting.
Active speakers should be on your list at this kind of price. Genelec, Dynaudio, Adam, Acoustic Energy all have products worth shortlisting.
Yup..........especially Dynaudio Focus 110 Active.
When it comes to dynamics and imaging, the Pulse is one of the best I've heard. Ideal for Classical and/or Big Band music.
Active speakers should be on your list at this kind of price. Genelec, Dynaudio, Adam, Acoustic Energy all have products worth shortlisting.
Yup..........especially Dynaudio Focus 110 Active.
yup... I have passive Focus 110s driven by Pathos amp and they sound great with electronic music as well as with classical. very powerful bass so you must be carefull with positioning. if you can allow for some 2-3 feet from back wall you'll be ok.
anyway, if you get a chance to audition actives do it. IMO you'll really struggle to beat active speakers with a conventional passive set - up (amp + passive speakers). especially at this price point.
good luck
[quote=ciaranhearne]
I mainly listen to classical, opera and techno.
What a terrific combination !! BTW I have the Rotel 1520 amp and rate it highly.
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Welcome...
I'd suggest you get to Richer Sounds and listen to a Cambridge 840V2. There are many other brands I could throw at you but you really need to listen at leat three different amps. The amps you mentioned are superb but do offer something different.
Apart from the aforementioned makes have a listen to: Creek Evo 2, Arcam A18 and perhaps Leema Pulse, which, I believe, is still available at £750 from Sevenoaks, Brighton.
Speakers: MA RX6, MS you mentioned, Epos, Totem Arro (funds permitting).
Leema Pulse MKII-S; Naim CD5i MKII; Denon TU-260L MKII; MA RS6 speakers; Pro-ject Xpression 1; loads of different cables...
Formerly known as plastic penguin