Favourite speakers under INR 20k

[biyer]

to be perfectly honest, the Usher is superior to the Wharfedale in almost all regards. The bass on the wharfedale is more substantial, if that can count as a plus, but it's not as tight or as accurate as it is on the Usher. Why don't you do this? Go to grand cinema with your amp, listen to the Wharfedale 10.1 and then immediately come over to my place and listen to the Ushers, that will help you decide.

The Wharfedales are not bad speakers at all, and cost substantially less than the Ushers. For rock and pop the Wharfedales will offer more punch. For hip-hop and stuff like that I am sure the Wharfedales will do better than the Ushers. They are fun, great value and lovely to look at, but yes, the Ushers are in a different class altogether. Definitely worth saving up some extra money for.

Hey congrats on your new purchase. Been avidly following this thread. So do feel that the wharfedales would be better off for heavy metal and hard rock stuff?? I was considering upgrading to something better from my 9.2's as apraisals are expected..
I need something that gives me as close to possible rock concert feel(luckily have been to Roger waters and iron maiden live.Nothing beats live. )

 

[psychotropic]

hmm, from your description I am somehow getting the impression that you would value the thump over tightness, in which case the Wharfedale is probably a better option, and perhaps the 10.2 with a bigger cabinet might be even more suited, but you need to decide your priorities.

However, since you already have the 9.2 moving up even to a 10.2 might not be a substantial upgrade. Do definitely consider the Epos ELS8. They handled Judas Priest fabulously well, and you might like that sound.

Hey congrats on your new purchase. Been avidly following this thread. So do feel that the wharfedales would be better off for heavy metal and hard rock stuff?? I was considering upgrading to something better from my 9.2's as apraisals are expected..
I need something that gives me as close to possible rock concert feel(luckily have been to Roger waters and iron maiden live.Nothing beats live. )

 

[psychotropic]

@cranky - Since I can't bi-wire how many runs would be needed for each (positive and negative) terminal? I realise I should be able to work it out from what you told me, but I can't seem to

@everyone - Been listening to the setup in the little free time that I am getting. Listened the 25th anniversary reissue of Thriller yesterday, and it sounded fabulous. Never knew Michael Jackson had such good recording. Listened to some Hindi film music (New York), tamil film music (Kadhalil Vizhundein), some jazz fusion (killer band called Metro), and the sound is detailed, smooth and balanced. Oh ya also listened to some Abba and Joan Baez and even my wife had to concede that these were an improvement over the audioengines (this is significant because the only difference she has been able to identify between anything in the past, is louder and softer)

I'm a fan of teflon coated CAT5 for cheaper setups, but it will work out to about 250/m if you build it like I do, four runs with three for the bass and one for the treble, at about 60/- per meter run of single cable (60 x 4). It's all single-strand OFC, and the colours for the positive and whites for the negative. Google for the rest Three runs would work, two for the bottom and one for the top, and so would a single-wiring two-cable run but that would be marginal for decent bass.

That works out really well, and the difference between it and the TDK is marginal at best (IMO, and I have both). Braid it nicely (I leave the jackets on), use cable ties on the ends, and in about two hours you should have a good speaker cable that does pretty much nothing to the sound except pass it.

 

[square_wave]

BIYER,
Wharfedale are the last speakers you should be looking at if you are into hard rock and heavy metal. I have owned the 8.4s long back and had the 9.2s in my house for some time when considering some speakers for my gaming rig.
The highs and mids in the wharfedale are mellow and will lack the dynamic bite you require for the genre. The bass has size but lack the punch and attack for a rock lover.
You will be better off with something from JBL. If you can spend more, look at larger bookshelfs from Usher or some speakers from Dali, monitor audio, Epos etc..
You could also look at some good DIY kits from Madisound.
RBR-KIT, the ?Recession Buster Reference? Kit, Pair from Madisound
If you can get this done, you will be lightyears ahead of any budget speakers on discussion here

 

[psychotropic]

that's a fantastic idea! Great. I am not getting too much time to break-in the speakers because of work, but in a few weeks it should be okay i am guessing. To me they're already sounding lovely, but then I don't know better

Sure thing Psychotropic. Let me know when you think your system is ready and I will drop in with some speaker wire as well as the PSB Alphas. And just for the heck of it, lets play with both sets of speakers and see how they play. Of course only if that is fine by you.

 

[alladinkachirag]

@psychotropic
Since you had auditioned plethora of speaker I would like to seek your advice (of course everyone should chip in too with their advices) on a speaker at the same price for vocals..By this I mean for Ghazals, Old hindi songs Mohd Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar etc...I was inclined towards wharfedale 9.2 (not 9.1 because 9.2 would eliminate the need for subwoofer when listening to music) and monitor audio BR2. Now since everyone is going gaga over ushers I would really need to rethink...

 

[psychotropic]

mids and highs it's a no contest, the Usher trumps both the Wharfedale 10.1 (not heard the 9.2) and the BR2. You're in Bangalore, just hop over to ARN systems with your favourite CDs. Sridhar and Ali are very helpful, and I have a feeling you'll come out smiling (and perhaps carrying a box with you that says "Usher S520 - Made in Taiwan" like i did).

@psychotropic
Since you had auditioned plethora of speaker I would like to seek your advice (of course everyone should chip in too with their advices) on a speaker at the same price for vocals..By this I mean for Ghazals, Old hindi songs Mohd Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar etc...I was inclined towards wharfedale 9.2 (not 9.1 because 9.2 would eliminate the need for subwoofer when listening to music) and monitor audio BR2. Now since everyone is going gaga over ushers I would really need to rethink...

 

[Rem]

@everyone - Been listening to the setup in the little free time that I am getting. Listened the 25th anniversary reissue of Thriller yesterday, and it sounded fabulous. Never knew Michael Jackson had such good recording. Listened to some Hindi film music (New York), tamil film music (Kadhalil Vizhundein), some jazz fusion (killer band called Metro), and the sound is detailed, smooth and balanced. Oh ya also listened to some Abba and Joan Baez and even my wife had to concede that these were an improvement over the audioengines (this is significant because the only difference she has been able to identify between anything in the past, is louder and softer)

Psycho,

Could you give me a more detailed comparison of the the AE5 & the Ushers. Is it a no contest or do they compete well with the Ushers at any freq.

 

[psychotropic]

I used to have the AE2, so the comparison is a lot more unfair than with the AE5, but here goes:

In many ways they are similar the Ushers (paired with the NAD C320BEE) and the AE2s, both have a pretty balanced sound (although the AE2s do have a mid-bass bump but that is a useful trade-off because at its size), both are very detailed without being bright or harsh, but the Ushers take the cake here. The mids on the Ushers seem to be slightly (but only very slightly) more detailed and involving than the AE2s. The LFE of course is much superior in the Ushers, but the lower registers are more natural sounding, and generally far superior to the AE2s. The soundstage on the Ushers is larger. The dynamic range again is a no-contest, the Ushers are excellent. The only area where possibly the AE2s held an edge was in imaging, I don't think the Ushers are imaging as precisely as the AE2s did. But I have not played around enough with the Ushers positioning to say this authoritatively. (Speaking of imaging, i don't know why i haven't mentioned this earlier, but the best imaging i experienced was with the Paradigm Atom....ETCHED.....it was spooky.)

But then the AE2s cost 10k, the Usher + a new NAD C325 will cost more like 45k, and the gap between the two is nowhere as significant as the price difference would suggest. I would imagine that the AE5 at 19k would be similarly great value, presumably addressing the weak areas of the AE2 with regard to LFE and soundstage.

Psycho,

Could you give me a more detailed comparison of the the AE5 & the Ushers. Is it a no contest or do they compete well with the Ushers at any freq.

 

[Rem]

Thanks a lot for tht Psycho.

Exactly wat I wanted to know coz I have never heard the AE2 or AE5. But I thk once your Usher breaks in the gulf between them could get bigger. The Usher I have heard at ARN was brand new and was not broken in and I do believe they sound really gud before breaking in itself when compared to some other speakers.

As far as imaging is concerned I hve heard from some senior members that it has to do a lot with the room dynamics, speaker placement etc. Speakers could also play a role but placement and a treated room can make a big difference.

Wish I could listen to the AE5 so that I could compare it with the speakers I audition.

Cranky,Asit,Venkat,Dinyaar or RoC cud throw more light on imaging for Asit the change in amp made a huge difference.

 

[anm]

which cable is being talked about here? A cat5?

Three runs should be sufficient then.

For a 5m (2.5+2.5) run you will need 15 meters of cable. Cut them into three pieces of 5m each, then cut them at the center. You have now six individual pieces of 2.5m long cable - three for the left and three for the right.

Cut away (use a blade so you don't damage the conductor bundle) about 4-6" on the jacket to expose the wire bundle. You will see twisted pairs of colours (orange/green/blue/brown) with whites. Separate the pairs all the way till the exposed jacket, and strip the top 2" of the individual wires to expose the copper.

Now twist the whites together and colours together. Do this at one end, then add a cable tie. Lightly braid the three cables together till you get a nice rope lay of three cables. Add a cable tie at the other end to retain the lay, then repeat the strip and twist. You will end up with 12 strands per terminal when this is correctly done. Terminate the cables, or if you want to keep them bare, use immediately so they don't oxidise.

Repeat for the other channel.

Some people prefer to remove the jacket entirely and use only the wire bundles. I prefer to not go the distance, but you may want to.

 

[cooltoad]

A review of 10.1

Tech2.com India > Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf Speakers > Reviews > HiFi & TV > Speakers

Any opinion?

 

[srikarkav]

Hi cool,
Does the 10.1 has the same thump and tight bass as the 9.2s? 9.1 are very popular speakers but i did not like it one bit. Have a demo of both 9.2s and 10.1s one after the other, with your own CD's, if possible and then decide.

Thats my two cents. BTW have you got your amp?

cheers,
sri

 

[psychotropic]

The review seems pretty accurate. Interesting that they describe the bass as "rounded" which is what it is. It's not very tight, but it has punch, and will work well for rock recordings. And 38 hz is seriously low for a bookshelf.

A review of 10.1

Tech2.com India > Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf Speakers > Reviews > HiFi & TV > Speakers

Any opinion?

 

[rakshith]

hey mates !

am looking to buy a pair of tower speakers...not a very high end one...i have a onkyo 3100 system now, but no tower speakers for this set...the budget is around 10 K

 

[psychotropic]

any 'tower' speakers that you will get for 10k are very likely to be poor. The cheapest floorstanders that people on these forums seem to recommend are the Mission M33i which is around 13k, you could perhaps check these out. (I've not heard them personally)

hey mates !

am looking to buy a pair of tower speakers...not a very high end one...i have a onkyo 3100 system now, but no tower speakers for this set...the budget is around 10 K

 

[rakshith]

thanks buddy !!

 

[jai1611]

At that kind of budget, the Yamaha NS8390 are decent. They beat the Sonodyne offerings quite convincingly and are better than the Cambridge Audio S30's (I own both). I picked them up a few months back at 11k. Excellent VFM. Worth going and listening to. Suggest that you consider some bookshelf options as well.

 

[rakshith]

thanks psychotropic & Jai.

any idea where can i check them in Bangalore?

 

[cooltoad]

Hi Sri,
Yet to audition the 9.2 and 10.1 to arrive at a decision.. Got a used nad 320bee. You're right. I've to choose between 9.2 and 10.1. problem is 9.2 is not available in stock for auditioning.

Hi cool,
Does the 10.1 has the same thump and tight bass as the 9.2s? 9.1 are very popular speakers but i did not like it one bit. Have a demo of both 9.2s and 10.1s one after the other, with your own CD's, if possible and then decide.

Thats my two cents. BTW have you got your amp?

cheers,
sri