psychotropic
Well-Known Member
is there anyone who would pack and move something like an amp? i don't suppose packers and movers do such small scale assignments right?
Favourite speakers under INR 20k
- Thread starter psychotropic
- Start date
Rem
New Member
Cost of going to Hyderbad and getting the amp = Food + Travel
Cost of satisfaction you get when you bring down your amp yourself without putting it in third persons hand = Priceless
So go for it bring it down yourself
Cost of satisfaction you get when you bring down your amp yourself without putting it in third persons hand = Priceless
So go for it bring it down yourself
skumar
Active Member
psychotropic
Well-Known Member
he he he ya, that's why i wanted to go on saturday, but since the shootout is happening, i'm going on sunday. Monday at the office is going to be a blast, I can just see it.
Add "a screwed up monday" to this :lol:
totally agree about the price making or breaking it. But Usher has been known for their superb pricing, so I don't imagine they'll mess it up with this one. My guess is that it would be in the 500-600 USD range (in the same region as the S520,. 479 USD....yes the Indian price is the same as the US price or slightly better).
From what I understand the idea of the bass module is to do away with the typical problems of a discrete subwoofer, and to make it a more integrated and sonically unified offering, as some say the bass to be "cut from the same cloth" as the rest of the sound. I think this is similar to the philosophy that Jacob used when putting in a bass module in the Rethm Saadhna, although the Lowther full range is the main driver, he added a peerless driver to it as part of a passive bass module. Of course the sonic differences with Usher's own sub we can ascertain only when it releases, but I have enough faith in Usher to know that they must have some really good reasons for doing this. (or maybe it turned out it was not such a good idea, and maybe that's why it hasn't released yet)
They've designed it so that the speakers sit on the modules. One module for each speaker, so putting them in the corner of the room is probably not a good idea, also, as you can see there is a rear port for the module, so again, putting it in a corner would, i presume, cause booming. Since the height is that of a typical speaker stand, i suppose you're expected to buy this module and use it when you have the space for floorstanders, and at that time you can throw away (or sell off) your stands. So they'd operate like floorstanders, is my guess.
Thanks for the insight, psycho!
I am still not convinced by the speakers midrange driver being located at around the 4 feet mark (above the bass module). Unless you are seated in a high backed chair or something similar I dont think you can get a sweet spot. But of course we would be down to personal preferences then.
I guess one can make up their mind about this only after seeing it, or even better, after hearing the combination.
psychotropic
Well-Known Member
i am going to establish my reputation as a nitpicker extraordinaire with this, but what the heck, i took a ruler and measured the picture, and while as absolute measurements this would be useless, it's pretty okay for relative measurements (there's one dead on straight one, where it looked like the angle would not be a significant impediment), from this i've concluded that this bass module is about 2.3 feet tall. I also did some snooping around at reputed speaker stands including the Partington Dreadnought and the Atacama HMS 2 which are both at about a little more than 2 feet tall. That would put the height of the bass module at roughly the same height (with maybe 2-3 inches more) than standard speaker stands, and I doubt this would make a material difference to your listening position. My (admittedly unscientific) calculations also suggest that the mid-bass driver is approximately 2.8 - 3 feet from the ground, and once again, there are many typical bookshelf speaker + stands combinations where this would be the case, and so i think i can safely claim that the height of the bass module will not be an issue. No disrespect at all, but it's my nature to nitpick (plus i am a lawyer, i have many things going against me ).
How it sounds and whether they get it right at all of course, is a totally different matter.
). How it sounds and whether they get it right at all of course, is a totally different matter.
you are completely spot on about the bass response
but vortex, i was only wondering have you heard these B25's with a NAD 325 ?
if so do your listening prferences rate it over the EPOS and MA BR2 ?
if so i think i may have pinpointed your musical tastes quite accurately
its another thing if youve heard the B25s with a PM 7001 though
I have heard the PSB Image B25s with various amplification equipment - NAD, Marantz, Arcam, Yamaha as well as Music Hall many times over.
Without any doubt I would rate it over the EPOS and the MA BR2. However it does not hold a candle to the greater charms of the EPOS M Series.
However, there is a niche group to which the EPOS (even the ELS speaker) belongs. This group of people might end up preferring EPOS anyway. Its got that relaxed, laidback quality even at moderately high volumes which is hard to match at this budget. The very fact that it is not a very boisterous speaker may appeal to some people.
The Image B25 is the exact opposite of this. Lastly I am one of those people who like the Marantz-PSB pairing better than the NAD-PSB one. Insofar as the C320 is concerned that is. I am sure I will like the NAD-PSB combination with the C352 or C372. With the Marantz-PSB pairing one cannot hope for riper or bloomier reproductions of trumpets, trombones and saxophones. Voice too is rich and a bit forward. On the flip side this combination can sound bright with aggressive recordings where too many things are going on at the same time. But if moderate volumes are your cup of tea, this is a very neat budget pairing.
i am going to establish my reputation as a nitpicker extraordinaire with this, but what the heck, i took a ruler and measured the picture, and while as absolute measurements this would be useless, it's pretty okay for relative measurements (there's one dead on straight one, where it looked like the angle would not be a significant impediment), from this i've concluded that this bass module is about 2.3 feet tall. I also did some snooping around at reputed speaker stands including the Partington Dreadnought and the Atacama HMS 2 which are both at about a little more than 2 feet tall. That would put the height of the bass module at roughly the same height (with maybe 2-3 inches more) than standard speaker stands, and I doubt this would make a material difference to your listening position. My (admittedly unscientific) calculations also suggest that the mid-bass driver is approximately 2.8 - 3 feet from the ground, and once again, there are many typical bookshelf speaker + stands combinations where this would be the case, and so i think i can safely claim that the height of the bass module will not be an issue. No disrespect at all, but it's my nature to nitpick (plus i am a lawyer, i have many things going against me
How it sounds and whether they get it right at all of course, is a totally different matter.
I dont know if measurement from the pictures would be the right way to conclude on the equipments' height. If it is as you surmise, then I guess it will be a very good option to go for. Lets wait and see.
From the looks of it though it sounds like the Usher S520 is going to be very hard to dislodge from the top of your list
.
M
mpw
Guest
Do look up the Lithos Acoustics Q10 fronts with the Q bic sub woofer. The sound is good. had auditioned it. Some people may not like the amplifier section of the sub woofer in a separate cabinet but the trip sopund good together. There is hardly any "listening fatigue" like i encountered with the Polk Tsi series.
kamalthukral
New Member
hello huys
i have bought one yamaha RX V 665 . now i have to buy the speakers so i found this forum more practical for raising my queries and seeking the suggestions of your expertise . my room size where i have to install the system is 15*12 . my kid is 11 months of age and he is a absolute naughty kid. keeping him in consideration i am planning to go for book shelves though i am interested in floor standers so the one i have short listed are
1. Wharfdele Movie star 70+
2. Wharfdele 9.1 (Fronts) WH-2(center and Surround ) SW-150
3. Focal Audio Sib & Co(5.1)
more over i "ll add in floor standers when my kid will be a little grown up i am open for all the valuable suggestion of you guys
i have bought one yamaha RX V 665 . now i have to buy the speakers so i found this forum more practical for raising my queries and seeking the suggestions of your expertise . my room size where i have to install the system is 15*12 . my kid is 11 months of age and he is a absolute naughty kid. keeping him in consideration i am planning to go for book shelves though i am interested in floor standers so the one i have short listed are
1. Wharfdele Movie star 70+
2. Wharfdele 9.1 (Fronts) WH-2(center and Surround ) SW-150
3. Focal Audio Sib & Co(5.1)
more over i "ll add in floor standers when my kid will be a little grown up i am open for all the valuable suggestion of you guys
psychotropic
Well-Known Member
BR2, B3, C3, 10.1, Atom
I know this is much delayed but this Saturday I finally managed to get a few auditions of speakers done.
My first stop was The Audio People in T Nagar, Chennai. Contrary to what I've heard about them, they were extremely helpful and obliging throughout the 1 - 1.5 hours I spent there, and offerred up speakers suggestions, happily connected and disconnected speaker pairs and let me play stuff for as long as I wanted. Yes, they didn't have the warmth and the friendliness of a Raghu, but very professional otherwise.
i lugged my C320BEE around for the auditions. The CD player at The Audio People was a Marantz SA7001. The material I used for auditions is
Supertramp - School (fantastic song, excellent recording, lots of interesting drum and bass work, and lot of sounds mixed together to test the resolving ability of the equipment)
Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King (3 songs from this album, the first 2 which are essentially one song, and 'Dive In' and 'You & Me', the recording is not stunning, but very good)
Sheffield Lab Test Disc
Stereophile Test CD (1) which has a couple of excellent classical recordings, and J Gordon Holt reading out from his pieceon "why hi fi experts disagree."
Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat (title track from the album, stunning recording)
Monitor Audio Bronze BR-2
First up was one of the prime candidates for me, the Monitor Audio Bronze BR2. Build quality and appearance wise these are lovely speakers. They are larger than the other bookshelves I've looked at and generally looked very well put together, although I didn't particularly fancy the look of the grille.
Hooked them up and started off with Dave Matthews Band and I immediately loved the sound. The size of the bookshelves meant that the low frequency extension was impressive. The bass was tight and tuneful and fast, the mids were neutral and clear without being warm, and the high frequencies were detailed and smooth. However, considering this was with the NAD, i can imagine that with another amp the high frequencies could possibly just sound a touch bright.
The one thing I noticed of course is that the low frequencies couldn't match my audio-technica headphones, but I guess that's expecting too much from a pair of bookshelves. Also this was in a long non-treated room, in my smaller 10' by10' room it would probably have a bit more bass authority.
Through the Sheffield Labs test disc and the Stereophile test CD the BR2s performed extremely well, reeling off everything from classical to jazz to rock with no apparent difficulty. Soundstage was good, and the dynamic range was as good as anything i've heard.
My lack of experience means I can't get into too much more detail, but suffice to say I thought the C320BEE + Monitor Audio BR2 was an excellent match. The sound was beautifully balanced, had enough heft in the lower registers for me to enjoy my rock music, and was detailed and smooth in the treble section. The mids were neutral, clear and unobtrusive, but probably not "warm" or "emotional", so maybe not the go-to speaker for jazz, but definitely works for me.
Only problem, these guys quoted 25k for it. Any idea if it's available cheaper anywhere else?
Have to run now, will post remaining speaker reviews later today.
I know this is much delayed but this Saturday I finally managed to get a few auditions of speakers done.
My first stop was The Audio People in T Nagar, Chennai. Contrary to what I've heard about them, they were extremely helpful and obliging throughout the 1 - 1.5 hours I spent there, and offerred up speakers suggestions, happily connected and disconnected speaker pairs and let me play stuff for as long as I wanted. Yes, they didn't have the warmth and the friendliness of a Raghu, but very professional otherwise.
i lugged my C320BEE around for the auditions. The CD player at The Audio People was a Marantz SA7001. The material I used for auditions is
Supertramp - School (fantastic song, excellent recording, lots of interesting drum and bass work, and lot of sounds mixed together to test the resolving ability of the equipment)
Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King (3 songs from this album, the first 2 which are essentially one song, and 'Dive In' and 'You & Me', the recording is not stunning, but very good)
Sheffield Lab Test Disc
Stereophile Test CD (1) which has a couple of excellent classical recordings, and J Gordon Holt reading out from his pieceon "why hi fi experts disagree."
Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat (title track from the album, stunning recording)
Monitor Audio Bronze BR-2
First up was one of the prime candidates for me, the Monitor Audio Bronze BR2. Build quality and appearance wise these are lovely speakers. They are larger than the other bookshelves I've looked at and generally looked very well put together, although I didn't particularly fancy the look of the grille.
Hooked them up and started off with Dave Matthews Band and I immediately loved the sound. The size of the bookshelves meant that the low frequency extension was impressive. The bass was tight and tuneful and fast, the mids were neutral and clear without being warm, and the high frequencies were detailed and smooth. However, considering this was with the NAD, i can imagine that with another amp the high frequencies could possibly just sound a touch bright.
The one thing I noticed of course is that the low frequencies couldn't match my audio-technica headphones, but I guess that's expecting too much from a pair of bookshelves. Also this was in a long non-treated room, in my smaller 10' by10' room it would probably have a bit more bass authority.
Through the Sheffield Labs test disc and the Stereophile test CD the BR2s performed extremely well, reeling off everything from classical to jazz to rock with no apparent difficulty. Soundstage was good, and the dynamic range was as good as anything i've heard.
My lack of experience means I can't get into too much more detail, but suffice to say I thought the C320BEE + Monitor Audio BR2 was an excellent match. The sound was beautifully balanced, had enough heft in the lower registers for me to enjoy my rock music, and was detailed and smooth in the treble section. The mids were neutral, clear and unobtrusive, but probably not "warm" or "emotional", so maybe not the go-to speaker for jazz, but definitely works for me.
Only problem, these guys quoted 25k for it. Any idea if it's available cheaper anywhere else?
Have to run now, will post remaining speaker reviews later today.
psychotropic
Well-Known Member
In additon to the BR2, the Audio People suggested two other bookshelves in the sub 20k range, the Klipsch B3 and the Energy C3. Both were similarly sized as the BR2 (large-ish for a bookshelf). The Klipsch features a horn-loaded tweeter.
I listened to them only with two songs, the Supertramp song and the Dave Matthews Band song.
Klipsch B3
The Klipsch was a bit....honky....a distinctive sound, warm, and the mids sounded quite nice, but somehow it was not to my taste. The LFE was comparable to the BR2, but the bass was not as tight. Overall a decent speaker, and definitely worth considering if you like that sound. It comes for around 19k.
Energy C3
The Energy apart from looking butt-ugly sounded like it had a very flat frequency response. Performed well with both the songs, somewhat close to the BR2, but perhaps because of the NAD, the combination was a bit too laidback for my tastes. LFE was excellent, bass was reasonably tight, but not as good as the BR2. Again this was in the sub 20k category, and would probably make a great pair with a neutral amp. It's a fairly old speaker though, and Energy has released many subsequent iterations of it, and I believe the latest would be the CB20, which is highly regarded but no one has in stock in Chennai.
I listened to them only with two songs, the Supertramp song and the Dave Matthews Band song.
Klipsch B3
The Klipsch was a bit....honky....a distinctive sound, warm, and the mids sounded quite nice, but somehow it was not to my taste. The LFE was comparable to the BR2, but the bass was not as tight. Overall a decent speaker, and definitely worth considering if you like that sound. It comes for around 19k.
Energy C3
The Energy apart from looking butt-ugly sounded like it had a very flat frequency response. Performed well with both the songs, somewhat close to the BR2, but perhaps because of the NAD, the combination was a bit too laidback for my tastes. LFE was excellent, bass was reasonably tight, but not as good as the BR2. Again this was in the sub 20k category, and would probably make a great pair with a neutral amp. It's a fairly old speaker though, and Energy has released many subsequent iterations of it, and I believe the latest would be the CB20, which is highly regarded but no one has in stock in Chennai.
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psychotropic
Well-Known Member
Next I proceeded to Grand Cinema in Kodambakkam, Chennai. Fantastic people. Everything that The Audio People was PLUS warm and welcoming and wonderful to interact with.
The speakers I auditioned here were the Paradigm Atom Monitor and the Wharfedale 10.1.
Paradigm Atom Monitor
First up was the Paradigm Atom. The construction seemed to be reasonable, but not great, but the speakers were not much to look at, and pretty small as well.
Went through all of the music I tested the BR2s with. Superbly detailed, perhaps even a touch more than the BR2, but again that makes me concerned about how it would sound with a non-NAD amp. The mids were also very clean and detailed. Soundstage was excellent. But due to its size the bass was just not there. It was tight and lean, but had no authority or heft. In many ways these speakers were similar to the PSB Alpha B1, but the B1s do better in the bass department, I would therefore give the nod to the B1 over this, just for that.
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1
Then I listened to the Wharfedale 10.1s for a lark. Gorgeous speakers! Easily the best looking of the lot I've listened to so far. The glossy baffle, the chrome surrounds for the drivers, and the dark wood cabinet make it look like something that costs a lot more than the 15k that it does.
The sound was...fun! The bass was generous, but not as tight and controlled as the BR2, perhaps because of the lack of distance from the rear wall. The mids were really smooth and involving, but the highs were ever so slightly veiled. Overall it seemed like a pair of speakers trying to sound like far more expensive speakers, but falling a bit short. However, I could happily imagine living with them, because of how much fun they were. Perhaps also because I listen to a lot of rock music, these speakers rock a fair bit. Of course, given a choice I'd pick the BR2 for its more balanced sound, leaner tighter bass (with no loss of authority) and it's superb dynamic range, but as of now they cost Rs. 10,000 more, unless i find a better quote elsewhere. But for someone with 15k for a pair of speakers, who listens to some up tempo music, and wants a speaker that's a pleasure to listen to, the Wharfedale 10.1 is worth an audition! As blasphemous as this sounds I'd pick them over the definitely more accomplished PSB Alpha B1
Now I only have the Usher S520 and the Dali Lektor 1 left to audition. I hope the Usher S520 makes me at least as happy as the BR2, in which case I'll pick it up just because it's cheaper!
So far my clear favourite to pair with my NAD C320BEE is the Monitor Audio Bronze BR2 . Watch this space to see if the Ushers knock them from their perch .
The speakers I auditioned here were the Paradigm Atom Monitor and the Wharfedale 10.1.
Paradigm Atom Monitor
First up was the Paradigm Atom. The construction seemed to be reasonable, but not great, but the speakers were not much to look at, and pretty small as well.
Went through all of the music I tested the BR2s with. Superbly detailed, perhaps even a touch more than the BR2, but again that makes me concerned about how it would sound with a non-NAD amp. The mids were also very clean and detailed. Soundstage was excellent. But due to its size the bass was just not there. It was tight and lean, but had no authority or heft. In many ways these speakers were similar to the PSB Alpha B1, but the B1s do better in the bass department, I would therefore give the nod to the B1 over this, just for that.
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1
Then I listened to the Wharfedale 10.1s for a lark. Gorgeous speakers! Easily the best looking of the lot I've listened to so far. The glossy baffle, the chrome surrounds for the drivers, and the dark wood cabinet make it look like something that costs a lot more than the 15k that it does.
The sound was...fun! The bass was generous, but not as tight and controlled as the BR2, perhaps because of the lack of distance from the rear wall. The mids were really smooth and involving, but the highs were ever so slightly veiled. Overall it seemed like a pair of speakers trying to sound like far more expensive speakers, but falling a bit short. However, I could happily imagine living with them, because of how much fun they were. Perhaps also because I listen to a lot of rock music, these speakers rock a fair bit. Of course, given a choice I'd pick the BR2 for its more balanced sound, leaner tighter bass (with no loss of authority) and it's superb dynamic range, but as of now they cost Rs. 10,000 more, unless i find a better quote elsewhere. But for someone with 15k for a pair of speakers, who listens to some up tempo music, and wants a speaker that's a pleasure to listen to, the Wharfedale 10.1 is worth an audition! As blasphemous as this sounds I'd pick them over the definitely more accomplished PSB Alpha B1
Now I only have the Usher S520 and the Dali Lektor 1 left to audition. I hope the Usher S520 makes me at least as happy as the BR2, in which case I'll pick it up just because it's cheaper!
So far my clear favourite to pair with my NAD C320BEE is the Monitor Audio Bronze BR2 . Watch this space to see if the Ushers knock them from their perch
.
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somen24in
Member
psychotropic
Now I only have the Usher S520 and the Dali Lektor 1 left to audition. I hope the Usher S520 makes me at least as happy as the BR2, in which case I'll pick it up just because it's cheaper!
as this sounds I'd pick them over the definitely more accomplished PSB Alpha B1
i am also waiting for your USHER s520 review therefore i think which one buy for my arcam fmj a18 amps
Now I only have the Usher S520 and the Dali Lektor 1 left to audition. I hope the Usher S520 makes me at least as happy as the BR2, in which case I'll pick it up just because it's cheaper!
as this sounds I'd pick them over the definitely more accomplished PSB Alpha B1
i am also waiting for your USHER s520 review therefore i think which one buy for my arcam fmj a18 amps
somen24in
Member
kindly name the shops or email or cell number, Can I Contact for 10.2:clapping:
Somebody posted on a different thread a few days back. Cant find it now or recall the title of the thread though, sorry
Regards
psychotropic
Well-Known Member
hey gobble, i have a feeling that might be an error, because the 10.2 for 14k i think will be very difficult, the 9.2 till very recently has been going for 14k, and the 10 series models are brand new.
Anyways, like I said, I really liked the Wharfedale 10.1 and quite frankly it's No. 2 among all the speakers I've auditioned so far, as far as my personal preference is concerned. Others may be more accomplished and stuff like that, but these babies were pure fun!
Anyways, like I said, I really liked the Wharfedale 10.1 and quite frankly it's No. 2 among all the speakers I've auditioned so far, as far as my personal preference is concerned. Others may be more accomplished and stuff like that, but these babies were pure fun!
Somebody posted on a different thread a few days back. Cant find it now or recall the title of the thread though, sorry
Regards
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