Help me choose between these speakers pleaseeee!!

Marantz Cinema Series AV Receivers
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AVcrazy

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Brass tacks gentlemen. I've been eyeing to get a good stereo after the tragic loss of my DSP-A1000 which when paired with my custom speakers; was pure magic.
I've done away with most of equipment and have decided to go for the Yamaha AS500 for now as it was the only decent amp I could find for less than 40k. Sounds slightly forward as compared to some other Yamahas I've heard but it's powerful, accurate and images nicely. I got one used for 23k. I plan to upgrade to a better amp maybe next year.

So now I'm looking to buy speakers and here are the choices that I have as of now:

1. Quad 12l2 Classic @30k
2. Epos M12i @40k (includes stands)
3. JBL 4312ebk @45k
4. Quad 22l2 @42k

All the above speakers are used except for the JBL which is unused.
My maximum budget is 45k. I'm looking for the best speaker possible for 45k. Is there any other speaker I'm overlooking in this budget? Anyone know any other deals available in/outside the forum?
Will I need a sub if I go with the bookshelves considering my amp is slightly forward. If yes then which sub? Is Yamaha YST-SW160 any good?
Any help is really appreciated guys! :)
 
In the list its no doubt Epos M12i its very beautiful speaker but I dont know what type of music you like.So always we have a theory "trust your own ears".So just go and audition those speakers.Usually speaker signature depends with full setup including the source.
 
Assuming that all these are bookshelves, I would recommend Tannoy's entry level towers (Mercury or may have got renamed to something else) because this way, you will have integrated solution and will not have to worry about subs unless you need more bass than what was really recorded :).
 
This was my initial query for reference: http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/60259-stereo-conundrum.html

Since then I decided to get a decent amp and go for a pair of good to great speakers; both of which I can upgrade later. In my case I'll be upgrading the amp first so I'm looking for a pair of speakers that does well with the yamaha and will kill with a better amp.

As of now I'm slightly biased towards the JBLs coz they seem to be just right in terms of design; a 12-inch driver for that much needed bass.
I've had a bad experience with bookshelves. Most do not provide that bass extension for satisfactorily reproducing certain tracks that I love. Although truthfully I haven't heard that many bookshelves but I guess that's the problem with most. Which brings me to my question that will a sub be necessary? If yes, is the Yamaha sub I mentioned any good?

Also what about the Quad 12L2 vs the Epos M12i?
 
Different size of drivers and cabinets so you cannot compare the jbls with epos and quad.
only way is to listen with your amp, no one can help you but yourself
 
JBL's are easy to drive and though they like power, it can be run on 20 watts of high quality tube power. In fact it can sound better with less power than more if quality of power is better.
The quads are not easy to drive. And they need power and current. But they sound awesome when driven right. But no substitute for power for these.

Epos ... no idea.

Cool.
Srinath.
 
Hi
While Quad and Epos are both great speakers (I am not too sure about the JBLs for stereo), I would agree with bornfi, espl considering all these are a resale. A good entry level tower could largely address your requirement for a sub at a later date like you say. I personally am not much for using a sub with a dedicated stereo setup. My guess is the yamaha amp of yours will give you reasonably good lows. I heard the Tannoy Mercury once long time back ( I am sure you could strike a deal for a new pair of that for under 50K), though I am not too well informed about the Mercury, though I presume the V4I has rave reviews if its the same model. Maybe consider some wharfedales popularly available on hifimart. Good luck!
 
I have heard the Tannoy V4i and while it was good it was nothing remarkable. Okay speakers overall, just slightly bright.
Wharfedales are fine but most of their offerings are more suited for HT use than for critical stereo listening. Wharfedale denton and jade series were better but the rest I did not find satisfactorily resolving and slightly artificial sounding.

I've heard the 4312 before but it was its "b" model (4312B ie), paired with a McIntosh Pre-Power and they were phenomenal. They just sounded soo accurate! And thus I'm slightly biased towards these.
I've heard on this forum before that the AS500 may not be able to drive the 4312s (which beats me coz these are rated at 93dB; wayy sensitive than any speaker I've ever owned), so I am in doubt whether my amp will be able to push these babies. Anyway, the 4312e in my case are packed and brand new and so auditioning is out of the question. :(

I'll be getting to audition the epos and the quad 22l2 (again) sometime this week. The quad 12l2 may/may not be available for audition again as the owner has gone to Ladakh.

Anyway, I have about two weeks to decide. Any more inputs on the above speakers or any alternatives will be greatly appreciated!
 
I've not owned a Yamaha A 500. But I'll bet it can drive the JBL's, would it sound as best as it can (what mac was used to run it when you heard it) - that is the question. I also have heard the Old JBL b's. Not the new. But if anything you may need more power for the quad's. Not the JBL's. Quality of power is more important with the jbl's.
A mc 240 and a mac c22 pre will run the 4312 and sound awesome.

My friend says a cary tube amp 70 watt a ch runs his 801's far far better than anything he's heard. There is something about tubes. Could on 30 watts to act like 100.

Cool.
Srinath.
 
bornfi said:
Assuming that all these are bookshelves, I would recommend Tannoy's entry level towers (Mercury or may have got renamed to something else) because this way, you will have integrated solution and will not have to worry about subs unless you need more bass than what was really recorded :).
Click to expand...

u mean to say - an entry level floorstander will be better than a nice pair of standmounts for stereo ?
 
AVcrazy said:
I have heard the Tannoy V4i and while it was good it was nothing remarkable. Okay speakers overall, just slightly bright.
Wharfedales are fine but most of their offerings are more suited for HT use than for critical stereo listening. Wharfedale denton and jade series were better but the rest I did not find satisfactorily resolving and slightly artificial sounding.

I've heard the 4312 before but it was its "b" model (4312B ie), paired with a McIntosh Pre-Power and they were phenomenal. They just sounded soo accurate! And thus I'm slightly biased towards these.
I've heard on this forum before that the AS500 may not be able to drive the 4312s (which beats me coz these are rated at 93dB; wayy sensitive than any speaker I've ever owned), so I am in doubt whether my amp will be able to push these babies. Anyway, the 4312e in my case are packed and brand new and so auditioning is out of the question. :(

I'll be getting to audition the epos and the quad 22l2 (again) sometime this week. The quad 12l2 may/may not be available for audition again as the owner has gone to Ladakh.

Anyway, I have about two weeks to decide. Any more inputs on the above speakers or any alternatives will be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...


please take your amplifier with you - do not skimp on this.

If your source is a laptop and a portable dac - please carry that. Since you already had AV gear, you will be having interconnects and speaker cables too.

Take the trial as closer to home conditions as possible with your own stuff.

It may be a pain - but its worth it - IMO

regards
 
Okay so I did some more digging in and tried to find people (fellow FMs/friends of friends) who currently own the JBL 4312ebk.
Unfortunately most of the people have sold their JBLs coz they were not satisfied with the bass of the speakers. Most quoted them to be dry and dull. Some even suggested adding a sub to augment for it's dry nature!:sad:

This has made matters worse for me. Not only am I not able to locate someone who owns these currently but now after hearing such reviews I'm completely put off.

Does anyone know somebody in Mumbai who owns these currently? :sad:

Luckily though I got to audition the Epos (at a friend's house who owns these, still couldn't audition the sellers unit). They sounded fine running on a parasound pre-power. Nice and detailed but not as punchy as some other bookshelves I've heard.

The hunt continues......
 
AVcrazy said:
Okay so I did some more digging in and tried to find people (fellow FMs/friends of friends) who currently own the JBL 4312ebk.
Unfortunately most of the people have sold their JBLs coz they were not satisfied with the bass of the speakers. Most quoted them to be dry and dull. Some even suggested adding a sub to augment for it's dry nature!:sad:

This has made matters worse for me. Not only am I not able to locate someone who owns these currently but now after hearing such reviews I'm completely put off.

Does anyone know somebody in Mumbai who owns these currently? :sad:

Luckily though I got to audition the Epos (at a friend's house who owns these, still couldn't audition the sellers unit). They sounded fine running on a parasound pre-power. Nice and detailed but not as punchy as some other bookshelves I've heard.

The hunt continues......
Click to expand...

JBL model are studio monitors, what you expect? Judging by your comments, you will require sub irrespective of which speaker you buy.
 
@JayaRaa: While they are being marketed as Monitors, I can tell you they are anything but. The frequency response was far from flat on the 4312b which I remember very well.
I am just disappointed that even though these have a full 12 inch driver, they "lack" bass. While music tastes and perceptions are subjective, I'd like to buy a speaker that does most genres good than one or two brilliantly.
I know that I have no right to comment on their alleged lacklustre bass performance; coz I've not heard them; but it seems to be the prevailing opinion.

@bornfi: I would agree with mpw here. A good bookshelf will give you better fidelity than any entry level floorstander. Period. In fact the bloated bass on some of these floorstanders; kills rather than adds to the overall experience.

@Robin: I liked the Epos. Very transparent sounding. But they just didn't dig my mojo. So to speak. But I'm still considering it.
 
Hello All, thought I'll update the thread with the latest:

Finally found a guy who was using the JBL 4312e. He was running these on a Bryston 3BSST Power and a Lightspeed Attenuator Preamp (Didn't check the interconnects, sorry.).
He pushed in Metallica's 'Black Album' on an old Marantz CD6002 and OH GOD!
In one word: Beautiful. Enter Sandman was never this vivid! Song after song delivered in pure precision.
Tried a few other artists and then we plugged in his NAD C356BEE integrated. DUD.
It sounded as if all life was sucked out of the CD. Very bland and uninspiring presentation with none to moderate punch. Tried rotating the treble and bass knobs on the speakers but not much help.

I sat there for like 3 hours or so and listened to about a dozen artists of different genres. These speakers are very nice and detailed but the only caveat is that they are extremely snobby about the partnering equipment. I guess it would be safe to say that our mid-fi integrateds may not have enough balls to make these boxes sing.
Also on an unrelated topic; I found the build quality on these slightly lacking. Its 19 (or 18?) mm MDF but it feels sort of cheap. Well not cheap but definitely not high end.
About the bass: I think I was satisfied with the bass when run on the bryston. Not very punchy but fast and most importantly: accurate. On the NAD they sounded quite anaemic.

Don't know what to do. Still pretty confused.
 
I find Nad amps to be a bit thin and gutless. The one and only Nad amp I liked was a 3090. And it wasn't all that powerful, 80 watts and it also lacked a bit of bass, but it sounded so tube like I'd forgive it. In fact it measured high on distortion and shifted all the punch to the mid freq's, In other words very inaccurate, but it managed to sound great doing so. NAD2400, 2600 etc all same issue, thin and gutless.

If the Bryston is too much $$$ for you, try and find a Nakamichi PA7 or a PA5. The NS1000 I have may be a near replica of that JBL for the power, however I doubt they would sound the same.

Also Metallica I think they have moved into the JBL factory, right after they kicked out Guns and Roses didn't they. Match made in heaven.

NAD preamps OTOH, will bring anything to life, If you have access to something like a NAD 1155 or something - try that.
They would make anything sound awesome, even those boomy over driven bass Rotels and pionees spec series other imprecise and slow sounding amps.

Cool.
Srinath.
 
Last edited:
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