advertisement


Old or new £300 speakers?

Charlie_1 said:
You've not said what the rest of the system will be so assuming they will match...

Most of my speakers have been Linn. Out of those, you could get a nice pair of Katans for £300. They were launched in 2004 so would not be too old. Not made in China ;)

They were available in various finishes, black, cherry, white, maple, etc.
https://docs.linn.co.uk/wiki/images/4/41/Katan_info_sheet_rev2.pdf

Ideally, they need some power to come alive when driven passive, although sounded good on my 20w Sneaky DS. They were a bit subdued on my 12w Nait.

I had some Concept 20 speakers for a while. Very clear and detailed but didn't particularly boogie all that well plus Linn gear makes more sense of the music to my mind.

I've got 3 pairs of Kans dating back to the early-to-mid 80s and all working well :)
Click to expand...
The Katan and Ninka launched in 2001, they’re both fantastic, both some of my all time favourite speakers and have both spent longer than in my household that any other speaker, both have an amazing ability to grow with the system. Listening to Clapton Unplugged on my active Ninkas right now, the source is a Klimax Renew DS/1, it’s hard to believe that these speakers can be had for below £400.
 
Del monaco said:
Nice call. Dali's are quietly amassing a very good reputation.
Click to expand...

They are
Those Dali bookshelfs i've heard were flat un-involving.

In fact their older models were much better IMO, hand-made in Denmark, current line is probably mass produced "you know where"
 
Olsen said:
I'd love to hear these or next up in line.

Hope they survive the crisis
Click to expand...
It’s sad that so many folks are going under.I was born near Bishop Auckland in Co Durham and prior to the Pandemic there was a resurgence of business and hope. I was sad to see so many of those hopeful businesses going to the wall. It often puts your own crisis into perspective really.
 
Olsen said:
They are
Those Dali bookshelfs i've heard were flat involving.

In fact their older models were much better IMO, hand-made in Denmark, current line is probably mass produced "you know where"
Click to expand...
Flat involving or flat uninvolving?
 
Del monaco said:
Not all Chinese crap is crap surely?
Click to expand...
True.
But I've never taken to the more expensive Chinese crap either.
Having tried various modern samples of Kefs, Monitor Audios and many models up and around the grand mark I wasn't that keen on either the sound or the look.

50 quid will get you an nice pair of old Wharfedale 505.2s or 100 quid gets you the Rogers LS4a. Two speakers I'm quite happily using currently.
 
Minio said:
True.
But I've never taken to the more expensive Chinese crap either.
Having tried various modern samples of Kefs, Monitor Audios and many models up and around the grand mark I wasn't that keen on either the sound or the look.

50 quid will get you an nice pair of old Wharfedale 505.2s or 100 quid gets you the Rogers LS4a. Two speakers I'm quite happily using currently.
Click to expand...
505.2s with MF B1 amp was my first ever set up. Having paid £8 for a mint pair of old and very nice sounding JPWs I am wavering a bit.
 
Olsen said:
Seconded
Same for Tukan, Keilidh, Kaber, M109 etc
Click to expand...
Indeed, Keilidhs and Tukans are also great, Ninkas and Katans are a notable step up though. What I have found, is that Ninkas like a little more breathing space than Keilidhs, the Keilidhs work great right up against the wall and pointing straight ahead, Ninkas benefit from 10”-24” behind them with a little toe in. I have mine about 18” from the front (rear?) wall and about 3.5’ from the side walls and they work great.

Keilidhs will always hold a special place in my heart because they were the first speaker I heard as an impressionable 10 year old that made me realise that there was more to be had from HIFI than simply louder, and it was always a treat to listen to music with my aunt. It was a proud moment when I manage to buy a pair of my own.
 
Second hand every time.

Your sound per pound ratio is sooooooo much better.

There are tons of s/h speakers out there. Take you time - if you are mobile drive out to audition / and only pay if you are happy.

My best ever speakers (I've had for 10 years now) were about 20-25% of their new cost and they still sound fab. (Ruark Crusaders mk2, £450)

Trust your eyes and ears and be prepared to say "no thanks" and walk away from speakers you don't like or are too expensive.

Edit: Also, selling on s/h stuff costs you very little compared to selling stuff you bought new.

Happy Hunting

Mike
 
I'd be looking at 2nd hand. I recently unearthed my Mordaunt Short MS3.30s; 30 year old speakers - and they sounded lovely! I only swapped them back to the LS50s because I couldn't bear the thought of the £800 KEFs being redundant. The soundstage was better than the KEFs, they just lacked a little detail (but not much) You can pick up the Mordaunts for about £40 now, an absolute bargain. It's got me looking at 2nd speakers in the £600-700 range - you must be able to get something amazing for that?
 
For € 250 I got a pair of nice Ditton 66 speakers. After full restoration I found they sounded awful: no treble, no deep bass, very shouty mids.
But that was at my place. At my son's they sound fair, with deep bass and adequate treble level.
So don't buy on paper or on somebody's advice. Test in your own room. And
'My best speakers are XYZ' won't necessarily be useful comments.

I could tell you that my Arcam One + speakers sound fantastic. But have you read it anywhere else? Heard at yours?
That is also the problem with reviews and retailers.
 
Second hand speakers can offer much better bang for your buck.

Last year I bought a pair of Celestion A2s in fantastic condition for £300 and struggled to shift a pair of Neat Elites with a few minor cabinet marks for about £200. Doubt you'd get anything nearly as good new for that sort of money.
 
Del monaco said:
Not all Chinese crap is crap surely?
Click to expand...
Someone on Audio Asylum uses the tag "Buy Chinese, bury freedom". So American. Some of my Chinese crap has been very good, some was crap, and some was downright dangerous. Un-earthed and open bottom. But it now sounds pretty good. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Class-A-Single-Ended-6N1-6P3P-finished-Tube-Amplifier-HIFI-Valve-Amp-DIY-Kit/122365759051?_trkparms=aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=226063&meid=0064684f850241aeb501bce9fef3da3c&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=12&mehot=lo&sd=281545961227&itm=122365759051&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV1Demotion&brand=Unbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
But that's amps. Carry on.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Yep, I'd probably look for a pair of Ninkas or Proac Studio 125s, unless someone makes you an offer you can't refuse on something far nicer.
 
OP: I recently bought Elac Debut B6.2s try out as I was bowled over by the Debut B5s when it was launched. This is a very good loudspeaker regardless of price and astonishingly so for the new price of under £300. This would be my recommendation to you new (and I have had various lower priced Linns Kans, Tukans, Komponent 110, and Linn would have been my default 2nd hand recommendation at this price, but now not sure that they would compare as well with the Elac).
 
Rana said:
OP: I recently bought Elac Debut B6.2s try out as I was bowled over by the Debut B5s when it was launched. This is a very good loudspeaker regardless of price and astonishingly so for the new price of under £300. This would be my recommendation to you new (and I have had various lower priced Linns Kans, Tukans, Komponent 110, and Linn would have been my default 2nd hand recommendation at this price, but now not sure that they would compare as well with the Elac).
Click to expand...
Another of Guttenberg’s recommendations.He thought it was just so sweet.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Indeed, Keilidhs and Tukans are also great, Ninkas and Katans are a notable step up though. What I have found, is that Ninkas like a little more breathing space than Keilidhs, the Keilidhs work great right up against the wall and pointing straight ahead, Ninkas benefit from 10”-24” behind them with a little toe in. I have mine about 18” from the front (rear?) wall and about 3.5’ from the side walls and they work great.

Keilidhs will always hold a special place in my heart because they were the first speaker I heard as an impressionable 10 year old that made me realise that there was more to be had from HIFI than simply louder, and it was always a treat to listen to music with my aunt. It was a proud moment when I manage to buy a pair of my own.
Click to expand...

What are you amplifying your Ninkas with? I’ve had various pairs over the years, including active with 5125s and 5100s... now have a pair with a Sneaky DS that sounds better than it has any right to!

Cheers

Iain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top