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Speakers £3,000 Maximum Any Ideas

those jbl's weren't popular in japan - a reserved people, and the horn looks like a pair of bum cheeks - not a fact that was lost on them I have heard.

Also, that model has gone up a lot recently. I've seen them for circa £500-£800 in the last couple of years, I believe personally they are going up in price because other models are becoming more scarce rather than because they are at the top of the JBL tree.

There are still ''smart money'' JBL's to be had, but again you are importing from Germany , USA, or Japan - but this has the highest freight.


NB
The speakers behind are 'likely' to be one of two brands, but to cut a long story short its a big assed 2 way with TAD drivers.


If I had a bum like that I'd be seriously worried. Or impressed. Besides, they aren't hairy enough for me.

There are others on the site that are better known. If you can find a pair of 4344, 4345, 4350, 4355 etc. in good shape that don't need an overhaul, then all power to you (or them). I'm at the stage where I can't be @rsed to spend time rebuilding such classics (not that I've found any) so if I wanted a pair, I'd be inclined to buy from someone who has restored them sympathetically and with conviction. I realise this is not a path others would take and I can live with that. Some kind of horn system might suit the OP though, given his room issues.

hairyderriere.
 
Had to return the demo Harbeth SHL5's and the Mrs wasn't too happy as we both liked them. I had to explain that the demo pair are not for sale as they are B grade cabinets.
I collected the PMC FB1i at weekend and from the off she was not happy. If I hadn't heard the Harbeth's then they would have been okay but not a significant improvement over the Rega R5's. The PMC's need a bit more volume to allow you to apperciate the difference but even so they sound like they are coming from 2 boxes as the Mrs, myself and Terry [Fruitcase] also noticed. As someone said on this thread the FB1i's are not a £2,500 speaker. I did like them at the Manchester show and at the shop though but not so much in our room.
I may try some different speakers like Audionote but there aren't any dealers near Rochdale. The Harbeth's are darned good though.
 
I hope you would be able to make a more informed decision soon after trying out more speakers. Your short experience with the FB1i's has mirrored my impressions on the PMC in general. I used to own the LB1 Signatures and listened to the EB1i and IB1i and similarly feel that the PMCs(and ATCs) need to be played at high or above average volume levels in order to come alive. They also do not disappear as easily as the SHL5s and that is the reason you feel like you're listening to two boxes with the PMCs.

Good luck in your speaker hunting.
 
I can't believe no one has suggested a pair of Naim Ovator S400s....
I've had a pair on loan for a week with my CDX2/XPS2/NAC202/NAP200 system.
Simply in love with them.
Very dynamic but also very neutral, they simply get the music out without colouring it in any way.
 
Atc scm 40's are well within budget and work well with your amps,they are a tad inefficient but your 135's should be ok provided you don't turn the wick up too much!!!!!
 
Well, they're here at last. I went for the Harbeth SHL5's. I've just unpacked them and stood them on a pair of chairs until the stands arrive which should hopefully be tomorrow.
Christened them with a bit of Van Morrison; it's a lovely evening but I think I will stay in tonight.
 
I am currently on the lookout to upgrade my existing speakers Rega R5. I currently run them with a Rega Dac/NAC52/Supercap/NAP135's. The current room did not suit my previous speakers as the room is very hard, suspended floors and vinyl floor covering.
I have recently auditioned Proac Response D18, decent bass but a bit bright at the top end and PMC FB1i bass not as good but very easy on the ear. The PMC FB1i were the favourite of the two. They have only been auditioned in the shop mind.
I have previously tried a pair of aged Shahinian Arcs which although the bass and mid was superb the top end was jarring on some vocals.
I was wondering if a pair of Harbeth SHL5's on decent stands would fit the bill but there aren't any dealers in the Manchester area. I believe Tony recently had a pair for sale but it looks like I missed the boat there.
I listen mainly at lowish volumes which still permit conversation so cranking the level up to get a good sound is not usually an option.

Pete , I listened to the FBIi's a while back against b&w 804's , the B&W's whizzed all over them. The PMC's just didnt feel alive, the bass was non existent , there was no imaging and the sound was woolly in comparison to the B&W.

However I do have very powerful amps (MF a5's) and think this has a bearing on the result, these were taken to the dealer, did you do the same?

Home demo my friend, only way to be sure.
 
good choice! Harbeths should work very well with the Naims which will give you a little less of a relaxed sound than they can present in some systems I imagine. However, in case you get twitchy they go very well with valves too! Im using a valve amp that has EL34's in a push pull layout, and this gives power and valvyness (apologies to students of english!) that really makes the most of what the Harbeths do. Hope you have the open frame stands coming. Keep us in touch with how it all goes.
 
I can't believe no one has suggested a pair of Naim Ovator S400s....
I've had a pair on loan for a week with my CDX2/XPS2/NAC202/NAP200 system.
Simply in love with them.
Very dynamic but also very neutral, they simply get the music out without colouring it in any way.

Seconded - they're very good.
A guy at my local dealer's with a Naim system preferred the new £3k Monitor Audios though! (ribbon tweeter)
 
The Harbeths don't sound spectacular, bass heavy, bright or dynamic they just sound right to me. And what is more the wife doesn't mind me having the stereo on so much now but we will see if this lasts.

The stands which arrived yesterday are the 400mm version of these in black filled 3/4 with the Atabites:

http://www.atacama-audio.co.uk/slseries.htm

I don't know about cables but stands do make a difference because thay didn't sound as good balanced on dining chairs or my old none mass filled tubular stands which I used for my old Linn Index.
 


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