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Speaker upgrade recommendations please

J

jellyheadjeff

pfm Member
Hi,

My recent amplifier purchase seems to have been too much for my very elderly Gale GS302 speakers and resulted in both passive bass driver units foam perishing. So new speakers needed. Not spent much time with my Hi-Fi in recent times so totally unfamiliar with all the speaker options that now exist. Whilst speaker choice can be very personal/room dependant I'd appreciate some recommendations to at least narrow down potential candidates. My current system is Naim CDS3/XPS2/52/SCAP/newly serviced 135's. Would consider either new or second hand options with a budget of say £1-£3k. Room fairly small (about 12ft x 10ft and awkward narrowing meaning I have no option but to place the speakers on a wall boundary). I'd be interested in your recommendations.

Regards

Jeff
 
If you liked your Gales why not consider having them refurbed. Linn Kans can work well against a wall though they're not to everyone's taste.
 
I'd assumed not cost effective to repair as I believe the passive drivers were gale manufactured or am I missing something about re-foaming? Besides I'd like to think that my gales were probably the weakest link in my system (though that said I did buy some linn kabers some time back to replace them but went back to gales as I preferred them). That was on the end of a nap250 mind.
 
Ah kans -remember those well in times past. I'm after something with considerably more bass extension than kans mind. I was assuming speakers have improved over the years and a more modern design would be worth considering. I've head people speak well of Spendors and Neats for instance but haven't heard either.
 
I have a very similar system to yours and I run with Shahinian Obelisk's which are truly superb. Indeed the Shahinian Arc's or Compasses would also be brilliant in your system.

Warning - once you heard the Shahinian sound there's no turning back !
 
Interesting - the chap who sold me my kabers went over to obelisks I believe and waxed lyrical about the different sound. Are they ok against a wall though? I thought the omni-directional nature of the drivers meant they were better out in a room a bit?
 
The Ob's are fitted with castors ...... I keep mine right againsy the back wall. For listening purposes it's simply a case of wheeling them out a little until the desired sound is achieved. In my case this is only 6" from the back wall. When I've finshed listening I simply wheel them back. My wife is also happy as she can easily clean behind which means domestic acceptability is achieved !

I've always thought speakers need to be rigid and spiked - this was the case with all my previous speakers (Linn Kans, Linn Isobariks, Linn AV5140). However, Shahinian goes against all of these idea's but the sound produced is simply staggering.

Where do you live ? More than happy for you to pop round for a demo on more or less the same equipment as yours.
 
I've had home demos of a few speakers this year. Enjoyed the Neat Momentum 3i's and Petite SX. I preferred the Petite's more, they worked better in my room.

The speakers I fell in love with though were the Roksan Darius S1's. They are £4.500 so a tad over your budget (and mine) but they blew me away. I strongly recommend you get a demo, you won't regret it.
 
Staffordshire ... ST18 9BB is the postcode !

Offer still stands - it is a bit of a drive but might be well worth it as you'll be amazed !
 
+1 for the Neat Momentum 3i's that blackmass recommends. They have great bass for the size. They won't win any beauty awards though for the price. Another would be Tannoy Monitor Golds (used) in their own cabinets or make your own. These are the best speakers i have heard, but of course they would be as i have them.
 
I found Thiel CS1.6 nice also unfussy regarding positioning, now second hand only so not too expensive.
 
jellyheadjeff said:
Interesting - the chap who sold me my kabers went over to obelisks I believe and waxed lyrical about the different sound. Are they ok against a wall though? I thought the omni-directional nature of the drivers meant they were better out in a room a bit?
Click to expand...

My Arcs are about 600mm from the back wall. 3.6 x 3.6 M room (12x12x8), CDSII, 52, Avondaled 250, LP12.
Perfect
 
Phonography are in Winchester, which I think is not that far away from you. They stock Shahinian and are now Naim dealers.

Well worth seeking their counsel.

Richard
 
Considering your present amplification and wall/room requirements combined with a desire for deep bass, I would think a pair of Isobariks would do the trick and certainly would be within budget. Coincidentally, I am using active briks in a room not much different in size from yours with similar amplification.
 
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