Hello all,
Presently I am using my laptop and altec lansing MX 5021 speakers for my musical and movie needs.
I recently purchased a Denon AVC-A1D receiver from another forum member. I wanted to buy a pair of floor standers for stereo purposes for the time being, I am looking to upgrade to a full 5.1 later on. Bought the above receiver since it's a top end model from denon and should be good for both music and movies, its rated at 140W X 5 at 6-8ohms. My listening priorities is mostly music. I am not looking at bookshelves since I have no place to put them and I am not so keen on stands. My source will be a DVD player for now, and I am planning to use the DAC on my receiver. It would be placed in my living room, which is an L shaped room with an attached dining room. Size of the room would be 13 X 13 feet. Budget is around 30K. I had shortlisted the Wharfedale 9.5, Yamaha NS-555, Avant series from mordaunt short, Jamo C405.
I listen to almost all genres of music, acoustic stuff like the MTV unplugged variety, mark knopfler, pink floyd, vangelis, bryan adams, Jethro Tull, Bruce Hornsby, Piano instrumentals, guitar instrumentals, alan parsons project, occasional tamil and hindi songs. I want a balanced sounding speaker, with crisp highs, good vocals and fast, tight & accurate bass response. I am not a bass freak and dislike too much bass. I will not be listening at loud levels.
Went on a budget speaker audition and I wanted to share my experience and get some suggestions from other members also.
Day 1: Vectors, Hyderabad
Went there to audition wharfedale 9.5, they did not have that for demo, but would get it against order. Met another forum member there who wanted to buy the 9.1 hence demoed the 10.1 and 9.1 along with him. I found the soundstaging of the 10.1 exceptional. The speakers just disappeared in the room, bass was a bit lacking compared to the 9.1 but it had extension. Midrange in 9.1 seemed colored compared to 10.1, treble response was mostly the same. Vocals were better on the 10.1. Overall we felt the 10.1 to be better than 9.1. Source was a yamaha dvd player and the amp was yamaha ax-497. Tracks played were hotel california from hell freezes over dts cd and some indian classical instrumental. I wanted to audition Dali also, but they only had the ikon 6 for demo and it was expensive for me.
Day 2: Sound room & Cinebels
Went to Sound Room to audition mordaunt short speakers, they didnt have any models in my budget to demo, they we priding themselves that they deal only with the high end stuff. Walked out and went to cinebels to audition the Jamo C405. I dont remember the source used, but amp. I believe was marantz. Again tested with the eagles Hell freezes over CD and played the tracks, Hotel california and Take it easy. Speaker had good resolution in both treble and midrange, percussion in hotel california was there with depth and power, but the bass lacked speed esp. in the song take it easy where the transients betwen the kick drums sounded muddled. I don't know if it was a placement issue but the speakers were around 4 feet apart and 8" from the wall. Vocals were good though and the I felt the speaker was musical. Price quoted was 37K.
They also had klipsch F3 speakers. These speakers are almost as big as the wharfedale diamond 9.6, if not bigger. Played the same songs as above, detailing was good but it seemed a bit bright, midrange was a bit lacking and the vocals were not as good as the C405. Bass was good without being boomy, and fast, and in the song take it easy i could easily make out the transients between the kick drum. I was not interested in them as it would be an absolute overkill for my room. I do not remember if he quoted 33K or 53K for them.
Day 3: Profx, Onkyo
Went to Profx and they also played Hell Freezes Over for the demo. I listened to the KEF C7 & Polk Rti A5. I did not notice any major difference between the British and the american speaker, both of them were a bit bright and had slam. Not great on the midrange and vocals, kind of seemed like speakers you can party and dance to. They also had a demo piece of KEF iQ5, i never imagined this speaker to be so small. The dust cap in the middle of the midrange driver of one speaker was a bit damaged, but still the vocals were good, highs were a bit harsh and the bass was missing.
KEF C7 and A5 were quoted around 37K and he said he would give an 18% discount on the iQ5. The source was a Yamaha cd player and the amp was a denon, not sure about the models though.
Went on to onkyo showroom and they were more interested in selling HT stuff rather than stereo speakers. When I pressed on they took me to there demo room and the only budget speaker they had was the Elac FS58. They played songs from Jodha Akbar. The speakers were quite good, with good bass which went quite low, good midrange and smooth treble, but the price quoted was 50K for the pair. I found it ridiculously high, since I remember these were on sale on futurebazaar at 50% discount around 2 years back. They also had a dust covered Klipsch RF52, but he said those were not on sale and that they would be sent back to their head office and refused to demo them.
Day 4: SBT Corporation
I went there to audition mordaunt short aviano 6, but they only had the mezzo 8 and aviano 8, they said aviano said is against order but they allowed me to demo the aviano 8, which they just removed from the packing. This time I carried my laptop with me for the audition and listed to my personal collection.
This was straight out of the box with no burn in. Source was a sony DBP player and the receiver was a marantz connected via HDMI. I have to say the aviano had loads of bass, but the bass lacked detail and resolution -could be because its new and I think the aviano 6 will not be as bassy as this one. Highs were very good soothing, transparent and clear. Vocals were very good, I played hotel california(dts version) and some mark knopfler. The vocals really impressed me, they had warmth and presence. But the rest of the sound spectrum was muddy, there was no clarity in the upper mid region and all the instruments sounded together. Overall the speaker sounded dull. I think this is because the speakers were new and that it should improve as they burn in. Even the MS site says that they have to be burned in. Surpisingly when i played some choir songs from the "Stockholm Cathedral Choir" the speaker sounded quite balanced across the entire spectrum.
Can any members who are using please confirm how the speaker sounds after burnin ? Price for aviano 6 was 37.5K
Also listened to Boston Acoustics HS450. These speakers had good clarity and detail in both midrange and treble. I did not find them harsh. Vocals were not as good as the aviano. They were a bit recessed. Bass was present but depends upon placement. In the original place in the showroom, they were kept 1 feet from each other and close to the wall, they had good bass with extension and was not boomy. But in the demo room, the bass totally disappeared. This was connected to a denon receiver, but the source was the same. MRP was 40K.
Also auditioned the Jamo E750. The speaker had a rear firing woofer, not sure if its a passive radiator. But the bass lacked extension, though speaker was good at everything else. It also had good soundstaging. Price quoted was 47K.
Day 5: AV solutions
Auditioned the wharfedale 9.5 and 9.6. Source was Dune 3.0 BDP and the receiver was marantz connected via coaxial. I used the same songs I used to test the aviano. The 9.5 was quite a lively speaker, and managed to do well across the entire frequency range. Vocals were a bit recessed compared to the aviano. Midrange was also slightly lacking when listening to the violin. But otherwise the speaker was good. Wharfedales were supposed to be warm sounding, but I found them otherwise.
There was some probem with 9.6 and it sounded terrible only midbass and bass, even the guy giving me the demo was surprised. He said the tweeter might be bad and we stopped listening to it and I was not too concerned as the speaker is quite big. They did not have any other speaker for demo. Price for 9.5 was 26.5K.
After so many days I am back at square one. These auditions have given me insight into the vast differences among speakers. The price between the 9.5 and the others is 10K and I am finding it hard to justify. I absolutely loved the vocals and the smooth treble in the Aviano, bass I believe will improve upon break in. The C405 was marginally better than the 9.5, mids had good resolution. 9.5 felt more like jack of all trades. It sounded well across all genres of music but less refined and smooth than the others. Nobody had the NS-555 for demo saying its a new speaker in the indian market. Has anyone compared the ns-555 with the above speakers, they seem to get good reviews everywhere. Also the receiver manual states to be careful when partnering speakers with imp. less than 6 ohm. The Aviano are rated at 4-8 ohm, should I be worried about it ?
Does anybody have any other suggestions for Floorstanders in this budget. I am also open to buying used high end speakers if they fit my budget. I am looking forward to comments from members who possess these speakers.
Thanks
Presently I am using my laptop and altec lansing MX 5021 speakers for my musical and movie needs.
I recently purchased a Denon AVC-A1D receiver from another forum member. I wanted to buy a pair of floor standers for stereo purposes for the time being, I am looking to upgrade to a full 5.1 later on. Bought the above receiver since it's a top end model from denon and should be good for both music and movies, its rated at 140W X 5 at 6-8ohms. My listening priorities is mostly music. I am not looking at bookshelves since I have no place to put them and I am not so keen on stands. My source will be a DVD player for now, and I am planning to use the DAC on my receiver. It would be placed in my living room, which is an L shaped room with an attached dining room. Size of the room would be 13 X 13 feet. Budget is around 30K. I had shortlisted the Wharfedale 9.5, Yamaha NS-555, Avant series from mordaunt short, Jamo C405.
I listen to almost all genres of music, acoustic stuff like the MTV unplugged variety, mark knopfler, pink floyd, vangelis, bryan adams, Jethro Tull, Bruce Hornsby, Piano instrumentals, guitar instrumentals, alan parsons project, occasional tamil and hindi songs. I want a balanced sounding speaker, with crisp highs, good vocals and fast, tight & accurate bass response. I am not a bass freak and dislike too much bass. I will not be listening at loud levels.
Went on a budget speaker audition and I wanted to share my experience and get some suggestions from other members also.
Day 1: Vectors, Hyderabad
Went there to audition wharfedale 9.5, they did not have that for demo, but would get it against order. Met another forum member there who wanted to buy the 9.1 hence demoed the 10.1 and 9.1 along with him. I found the soundstaging of the 10.1 exceptional. The speakers just disappeared in the room, bass was a bit lacking compared to the 9.1 but it had extension. Midrange in 9.1 seemed colored compared to 10.1, treble response was mostly the same. Vocals were better on the 10.1. Overall we felt the 10.1 to be better than 9.1. Source was a yamaha dvd player and the amp was yamaha ax-497. Tracks played were hotel california from hell freezes over dts cd and some indian classical instrumental. I wanted to audition Dali also, but they only had the ikon 6 for demo and it was expensive for me.
Day 2: Sound room & Cinebels
Went to Sound Room to audition mordaunt short speakers, they didnt have any models in my budget to demo, they we priding themselves that they deal only with the high end stuff. Walked out and went to cinebels to audition the Jamo C405. I dont remember the source used, but amp. I believe was marantz. Again tested with the eagles Hell freezes over CD and played the tracks, Hotel california and Take it easy. Speaker had good resolution in both treble and midrange, percussion in hotel california was there with depth and power, but the bass lacked speed esp. in the song take it easy where the transients betwen the kick drums sounded muddled. I don't know if it was a placement issue but the speakers were around 4 feet apart and 8" from the wall. Vocals were good though and the I felt the speaker was musical. Price quoted was 37K.
They also had klipsch F3 speakers. These speakers are almost as big as the wharfedale diamond 9.6, if not bigger. Played the same songs as above, detailing was good but it seemed a bit bright, midrange was a bit lacking and the vocals were not as good as the C405. Bass was good without being boomy, and fast, and in the song take it easy i could easily make out the transients between the kick drum. I was not interested in them as it would be an absolute overkill for my room. I do not remember if he quoted 33K or 53K for them.
Day 3: Profx, Onkyo
Went to Profx and they also played Hell Freezes Over for the demo. I listened to the KEF C7 & Polk Rti A5. I did not notice any major difference between the British and the american speaker, both of them were a bit bright and had slam. Not great on the midrange and vocals, kind of seemed like speakers you can party and dance to. They also had a demo piece of KEF iQ5, i never imagined this speaker to be so small. The dust cap in the middle of the midrange driver of one speaker was a bit damaged, but still the vocals were good, highs were a bit harsh and the bass was missing.
KEF C7 and A5 were quoted around 37K and he said he would give an 18% discount on the iQ5. The source was a Yamaha cd player and the amp was a denon, not sure about the models though.
Went on to onkyo showroom and they were more interested in selling HT stuff rather than stereo speakers. When I pressed on they took me to there demo room and the only budget speaker they had was the Elac FS58. They played songs from Jodha Akbar. The speakers were quite good, with good bass which went quite low, good midrange and smooth treble, but the price quoted was 50K for the pair. I found it ridiculously high, since I remember these were on sale on futurebazaar at 50% discount around 2 years back. They also had a dust covered Klipsch RF52, but he said those were not on sale and that they would be sent back to their head office and refused to demo them.
Day 4: SBT Corporation
I went there to audition mordaunt short aviano 6, but they only had the mezzo 8 and aviano 8, they said aviano said is against order but they allowed me to demo the aviano 8, which they just removed from the packing. This time I carried my laptop with me for the audition and listed to my personal collection.
This was straight out of the box with no burn in. Source was a sony DBP player and the receiver was a marantz connected via HDMI. I have to say the aviano had loads of bass, but the bass lacked detail and resolution -could be because its new and I think the aviano 6 will not be as bassy as this one. Highs were very good soothing, transparent and clear. Vocals were very good, I played hotel california(dts version) and some mark knopfler. The vocals really impressed me, they had warmth and presence. But the rest of the sound spectrum was muddy, there was no clarity in the upper mid region and all the instruments sounded together. Overall the speaker sounded dull. I think this is because the speakers were new and that it should improve as they burn in. Even the MS site says that they have to be burned in. Surpisingly when i played some choir songs from the "Stockholm Cathedral Choir" the speaker sounded quite balanced across the entire spectrum.
Can any members who are using please confirm how the speaker sounds after burnin ? Price for aviano 6 was 37.5K
Also listened to Boston Acoustics HS450. These speakers had good clarity and detail in both midrange and treble. I did not find them harsh. Vocals were not as good as the aviano. They were a bit recessed. Bass was present but depends upon placement. In the original place in the showroom, they were kept 1 feet from each other and close to the wall, they had good bass with extension and was not boomy. But in the demo room, the bass totally disappeared. This was connected to a denon receiver, but the source was the same. MRP was 40K.
Also auditioned the Jamo E750. The speaker had a rear firing woofer, not sure if its a passive radiator. But the bass lacked extension, though speaker was good at everything else. It also had good soundstaging. Price quoted was 47K.
Day 5: AV solutions
Auditioned the wharfedale 9.5 and 9.6. Source was Dune 3.0 BDP and the receiver was marantz connected via coaxial. I used the same songs I used to test the aviano. The 9.5 was quite a lively speaker, and managed to do well across the entire frequency range. Vocals were a bit recessed compared to the aviano. Midrange was also slightly lacking when listening to the violin. But otherwise the speaker was good. Wharfedales were supposed to be warm sounding, but I found them otherwise.
There was some probem with 9.6 and it sounded terrible only midbass and bass, even the guy giving me the demo was surprised. He said the tweeter might be bad and we stopped listening to it and I was not too concerned as the speaker is quite big. They did not have any other speaker for demo. Price for 9.5 was 26.5K.
After so many days I am back at square one. These auditions have given me insight into the vast differences among speakers. The price between the 9.5 and the others is 10K and I am finding it hard to justify. I absolutely loved the vocals and the smooth treble in the Aviano, bass I believe will improve upon break in. The C405 was marginally better than the 9.5, mids had good resolution. 9.5 felt more like jack of all trades. It sounded well across all genres of music but less refined and smooth than the others. Nobody had the NS-555 for demo saying its a new speaker in the indian market. Has anyone compared the ns-555 with the above speakers, they seem to get good reviews everywhere. Also the receiver manual states to be careful when partnering speakers with imp. less than 6 ohm. The Aviano are rated at 4-8 ohm, should I be worried about it ?
Does anybody have any other suggestions for Floorstanders in this budget. I am also open to buying used high end speakers if they fit my budget. I am looking forward to comments from members who possess these speakers.
Thanks
