Standmount choice

Hi Paul

I'll recommend ATC's SCM11 monitors.  The SCM11's detailed, superbly balanced right across the board and also work well in small rooms.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

A hifi enthusiast friend and I just a few days ago did an A/B comparison between the Spendor S3/5R and SA1 and concluded that the SA1 was the better speaker - more detail and bass, particularly at low volume. Of course, it costs quite a bit more, especially if you add the matching stands. As for finishes, the most conventional would be satin wenge which resembles dark mahogany or rosewood.

PMC DB1i - I own this speaker and find it very easy to live with. Plenty of bass (more than the SA1), very detailed and it's not difficult to drive, ideally suited to a small room. The amp I use is a Musical Fidelity A1 (rated at 36W).

ProAc - I still own a pair of Response 1 SC speakers, bought 17 years ago. To be honest, I think it's superior to both the Spendor and PMC, even after all these years. Very sweet, unfatiguing sound, which is ProAc's trademark. It's been updated now, replaced by the Response D1. I would audition the new D1 as well as the smaller Tablettes.

The other speaker in roughly the same price range I'd highly recommend auditioning is the Elac BS 243, which comes in a cherry veneer or piano black. Elac is a German brand, not very well-known in the UK but it looks like they might be making an effort to change this because this model was reviewed - very favourably - in the Oct issue of Hifi World. I've heard this speaker and I think i offers fantastic value for money - the ribbon tweeter gives a very sharp and clear treble while the bass is quite unlike anything I've heard before from a speaker that size. The mag review gave Atacama Audio as Elac's UK distributors.

Hope this helps. Good luck and happy listening! 

Having owned (briefly) ATC SCM 11s, I would recommend the PMC DB1i over the ATC.  The PMC has a more balanced sound with more satisfying and articulate bass, even given it's smaller size.  To me the PMC is more musical and more entertaining.  I can't imagine someone being unhappy with the DB1i.  Although, I agree that for the money the TB2i may be a better value. 

splendor SA1 or my favs the rega RS1 are both brilliant sounding speakers, really put a lot of others to shame...

Many thanks for the detailed reply that is really helpful I will check out the Proac D1.

Paul

MUSICRAFT:

I'll recommend ATC's SCM11 monitors.  The SCM11's detailed, superbly balanced right across the board and also work well in small rooms.

If you look at the size of the speakers the OP is considering,  I would have thought the SCM7s would be a better choice than the SCM11s in a small room. (Cheaper too.)

I also agree that (from experience of both) that the PMC DB1i is a preferable listen than the somewhat 'shouty' and utterly ruthless ATC SCM11s.

The S3/5Rs are nice (and they can do that 'holographic' thing with the right system and music) but a little too warm and smooth and refined for me. Ok in a small room with chamber classical/jazz/acoustic and vocal material at reasonable volume levels, but lose it to the SA1s for sheer verve and swing.

If you are using Naim in a small room, then their own n-SATs (£790) are excellent for this size of speaker. I haven't heard them outside of my own system though. I have no idea how they will perform with Roksan gear.

The Rega RS1s can do 80+ percent of what any of these speakers can achieve for only £399 so be careful not to ignore them.  

The TB2 has a very different sound to the DB1 but both are very good speakers - you really need to hear them to decide which is right for you.  As a slightly cheaper alternative you may want to consider the KEF Q300's and spend some spare cash on speaker cables / interconnects. Despite the low price compared to the rest of your selection they will work nicely with the Kandy.

Another good option is the Dali Ikon 5. It may be a floor standing speaker but it has a very small footprint and with the ribbon tweeter it has a glorious top end.