How do I spend more than 50 quid on speakers!?

[Minio]

Sorry about the open ended title but I seem to have become attached to an old pair of cheap Wharfedales whose size and balance just seems right for my room and system. Having recently sold some kit I now have a bit more than 50 quid to spend.

Room is 3.5 by 6 metres. Amp Naim 250 dr RSL Nac 72 TPR Hicap. CDX2.2. Vinyl PT Anniversary.

I’ve had some more expensive speakers over the years but not settled. I like a drier faster sound with tight bass and good imaging for jazz and rock.

A big ask?

 

[Gaius]

Kans.

 

[SteveG]

Might be worth thinking about Naim speakers - SBL's maybe.

 

[DavidS]

If you like the Wharfedales keep them.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Anything but Kans. The worst speaker ever made... probably. I'd also avoid Naim...
Keep the PT Anniversary, sell the rest and start again

 

[Charlie_1]

Like Gaius, I love Kans but can't listen to them all day. Perhaps 30 mins for Kan 1s (most fun) and 2 hours for kustone Kan 2s. I don't use a NAP250 so perhaps I'd be happy with Kans all day in that case.

Katans (~£300) and Tukans (~£150) can play all day though, albiet without quite as good timing as Kans.

All are great for jazz and rock, provided you don't need to move much air and 'feel' the bass. My Kan 1s sound the wierdest and a bit rough round the edges but are the most fun (original Kef bass unit / Hiquphone tweeter). Kans 2s and Tukans sound much more 'normal' but still boxy / a bit compressed. Katans sound more open and relaxed but still fun and great rhythm/bass timing. All make it dead easy to get straight into the music, provided source and amp are delivering the goods of course.

Also got Majik 109s and Q Acoustics Concept 20. Majik's sound good but not as much fun as the other 4. Concept 20s have good sound but don't convey the rhythm and fun of music so well, not to my ears anyway.

Tried Audio Note SX2's but they didn't do it for me and now gone - lovely realistic sound on 50s songbook vocals / jazz though but I'm too flat earth and they didn't boogie for me. Royd Edens were good but preferred Linn.

This is just one person's view. You may feel completely different about any or all of them. My source is LP12 and Nait 1 or Creek 4140. Music is mostly pop/rock/soul/jazz. Have fun exploring!

 

[madmike]

A pair of Epos E11s would be great....quite a unique sound.

 

[david ellwood]

+1 for Kans. But you'll need to upgrade from the PT.

 

[Minio]

+1 for Kans. But you'll need to upgrade from the PT.

Had the pta 25 years. It’s basic problem being, it blows most other sources out the water. So I’ve felt no desire to move that on. Just had a riveting performance from Mary Coughlan to blast the cobwebs out of the ears.

The Katan idea is appealing. I’ll look out for a pair. Loved the Epos ES11 in the past, with Audiolab.

What about Harbeths? Preferably bigger than P3s?

 

[marshanp]

...Keep the PT Anniversary, sell the rest and start again

You seem to have achieved (whether by accident or design) a certain pleasing system synergy... why would you throw it away?

 

[Woodface]

SBLs if you have solid walls.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Harbeth, Spendor, ATC, Proac all very good. For a left field vintage suggestion... Mission 770's!

 

[Yomanze]

Royd Merlins or Sorcerers.

 

[Rockmeister]

I'm trying to get my head around your list of 'likes' for the new speaker sound, and your also liking old wharfedales, who's sound is almost exactly opposite to your list

 

[ff1d1l]

Yamaha NS 1000, JBL 44 series, as big as you can afford, or JBL L40s. Tannoys, 12" or 15" in large and solid cabs, and if possible pre controls crossovers - ie Reds or Silvers.
You need good electronics upstream, or these will just show you the shortcomings.

 

[mandryka]

Sorry about the open ended title but I seem to have become attached to an old pair of cheap Wharfedales whose size and balance just seems right for my room and system. Having recently sold some kit I now have a bit more than 50 quid to spend.

Room is 3.5 by 6 metres. Amp Naim 250 dr RSL Nac 72 TPR Hicap. CDX2.2. Vinyl PT Anniversary.

I’ve had some more expensive speakers over the years but not settled. I like a drier faster sound with tight bass and good imaging for jazz and rock.

A big ask?

Take a chance on these, you can send it back if you don't like

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=362645395703

 

[Guest432]

You can't upgrade from the PT Anni, it's probably one of the best TT's ever made. Clive on AoS is selling a Radford STA15 so I'd get this and the Tannoy Ardens that are on eBay and dump the Naim amps in a heartbeat.

 

[peterm]

I paid £86 for a pair of nice condition B&W DM2s a year ago and used them in the main system for a couple of months in place of Shahinian Obelisks whilst we had some building work planned.

They aren't as good as the Obs of course at that price, but I didn't feel in any great hurry to switch back again (I have now though and relegated them to a second system elsewhere).

They do have a very tight bass and, despite being quite large, work well close to walls without becoming at all boomy.

Wish I hadn't sold the pair I owned 45 years ago!

 

[dannybgoode]

I’m well into my secondhand speakers now. Total convert having bought a mint pair of RAM 200’s for £150 - just don’t see why I’d spend four figures on a new pair of speakers these days.

Get a really good pair of vintage ones at a good price and job done. Ok you’ll need to spend a tad more than £50 but not much .

That said if the money fairy was to leave me a whole chunk of change that I could spunk on a pair then the Spendor D7’s or D9’s would very quickly end up in my listening room

 

[Del monaco]

That said if the money fairy was to leave me a whole chunk of change that I could spunk on a pair then the Spendor D7’s or D9’s would very quickly end up in my listening room

Don’t think you could sell them on if you did that to them though!