Stereo set up - Aviano 6 or Q300 ?

[MusicGarage03]

Hello HiFi-ans!
This is my first thread in this forum though I have been referring to this for more than couple of years.

I came across Hifivision, when I was about to set up a Home cinema for my room which measures 12 X 13. I was illiterate about all these big brands you discuss here and fancied the 5.1 set up of Sony , Philips and Samsung etc. But after coming across this forum and a back ground research I zeroed down on Denon DHT 390 XP Htib and a NAD T550 DVD player which I use as a CDP (A used one) which is serving its purpose till date and my ears are now tuned to differentiate quality sound as I have been coming across the Wharfedales, Polks etc.

Now, the disease called "Upgrade" has attacked me and keeping the 5.1 Set up intact, I'm planning to go for a stereo set up. This may take a while since I'm on the research mode now !

My primary options are Marantz CD 5004 > Marantz PM 5004 or a Cambridge Audio Amp > Aviano 6 FS / Q300 BS,

Kindly help me out on the Amp & Speakers.

I'm planning on a budget of 80k - 90 k, Suggestions?

Thanks & Regards.

 

[tirthankar]

80-90 k for speaker + amp? What is going to be your source? Also what sort of music do you listen to? Any specific reason you settled on the two speakers?

Q300 and aviano 6 are pretty different in the sense one is a bookshelf and the other a floorstander, with a different set of strengths and weaknesses. I have heard the aviano with a ca 650a amo and it was a pretty good combination. What other speakers have you auditioned?

Edit: Welcome to HFV from my side as well.. missed that this is your first post..

 

[musicbee]

Welcome to HFV mate.

KEF Q300 is good. Have not heard the Aviano.

Either Marantz PM6004/Yahama AS500/CA Azur 650 for the KEF. Marantz 5004 is entry level.

I'm assuming the budget of 80-90K is for CDP, speakers & amp - Unless you have a large CD collection I would rule out a CD player. Better to invest in a PC (or upgrade an old PC) and add a good DAC or soundcard. And if you have an old PC and add the Asus Xonar (9K) you will have more budget for the speakers + amp.

 

[yahoo0212]

For a room of dimensions 12x13 would suggest Q300 s over the Aviano 6. You wont be able to enjoy the FS in such a small space.. So Q300 s over Aviano 6... and if u like sound/signature of Aviano 6 over Q300,, you can even go for Aviano 2 s..

 

[Flash]

As yahoo mentioned for a 12x13 room a FS is overkill.
Look at the Q300 as well as the Aviano 2 (thee is a FM from Pune who is selling it right now along with his CA amp) look at the for sale thread. It may just interest you.

There are some bookshelves that are in the same price band as well.

 

[MusicGarage03]

80-90 k for speaker + amp? What is going to be your source? Also what sort of music do you listen to? Any specific reason you settled on the two speakers?

Q300 and aviano 6 are pretty different in the sense one is a bookshelf and the other a floorstander, with a different set of strengths and weaknesses. I have heard the aviano with a ca 650a amo and it was a pretty good combination. What other speakers have you auditioned?

Edit: Welcome to HFV from my side as well.. missed that this is your first post..

Thanks for the reply Thirthankar. I was on a tour for over a month now which kept me away from the cyber world. Never mind for the delay in my reply.

Well, the budget includes a CD player in it. My audition list is too short perhaps. I started with Wharfedale 10.1 & 10.5 which was pretty good. Loved the sound signature of Wharfs. Initially I was intended towards Book Shelves as my room dimension is quiet small. For some reason my interest inclined towards Floor standers ( May be I fancy Bass too much ???). I did come across KEF Q300 and Q500 which put me in amazement. Other models were Polk Audio TSi 300 and Rti A7. I did Check a Chennai based brand Torvin, auditioned some of the models (I don't remember any now, as I ruled it out of my wish list). At last the Aviano 6. Quite elegant in design and the performance was class apart. In my opinion, for the price tag it comes with, it can do justice to a variety music genres. It was a first sight love. But, I cannot comprehend how would it perform when its been used in a room that hardly measures 150 Sq.ft! Then I gave a thought about Q300 but I would definitely need a stand for it (Since I don't have space to occupy a BS). This combo would cost me more than 40 grands and I wonder if it is worth spending too much on a Book Shelves?

My choice of music has a broad wavelength which would literally include everything. I'm not stuck up in a particular Genre. Rock - The Beatles, Metallica, Dream Theater, Cold Play, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, RHCP etc etc. I do listen to R&B and pop a little bit. I would worship the 1990s work of ARR. Ilayaraja has a special place as well. But, on a Saturday night when the Whisky gets me freaky, I love to be blown away by the Sub Woofer - Club & Progressive trance? When I'm tired with malt and barley, I go green with Bob Marley (Meant the Genre lol!)! So, Anything is fine! I know this is a weird list but as long as it is music, I'm game !

And now, this is where I'm. A little confused. For a stereo Set up, keeping the above things into consideration (Room size and music list), what would you suggest me thirthankar? A Floor stander which is powerful and balanced or a detailed Book Shelf paired with a Sub woofer?

My sincere thanks to your valuable suggestions. Regards from Chennai.

 

[MusicGarage03]

Welcome to HFV mate.

KEF Q300 is good. Have not heard the Aviano.

Either Marantz PM6004/Yahama AS500/CA Azur 650 for the KEF. Marantz 5004 is entry level.

I'm assuming the budget of 80-90K is for CDP, speakers & amp - Unless you have a large CD collection I would rule out a CD player. Better to invest in a PC (or upgrade an old PC) and add a good DAC or soundcard. And if you have an old PC and add the Asus Xonar (9K) you will have more budget for the speakers + amp.

Thanks Musicbee! I loved the Q300s. The budget includes a CDP in it. (I do have a good collection of music CDs). May be I would consider a DAC a little later. Your suggestion is greatly appreciated. ;-)

 

[MusicGarage03]

For a room of dimensions 12x13 would suggest Q300 s over the Aviano 6. You wont be able to enjoy the FS in such a small space.. So Q300 s over Aviano 6... and if u like sound/signature of Aviano 6 over Q300,, you can even go for Aviano 2 s..

Yea. What you said was right. I do understand I cannot do justice to the floor stander by keeping it in such a small room. I loved the sound signature of MS. What if I go with a set up like this. CDP + Yamaha AS500 + Aviano 2 + Matching Sub?

BTW, you have jaw dropping set up man. I envy you! And also tell me how do you find the combination of Marantz and Mordaunt Short? Pros and Cons of it. And many thanks for your suggestion.

 

[MusicGarage03]

As yahoo mentioned for a 12x13 room a FS is overkill.
Look at the Q300 as well as the Aviano 2 (thee is a FM from Pune who is selling it right now along with his CA amp) look at the for sale thread. It may just interest you.

There are some bookshelves that are in the same price band as well.

Many thanks for your ideas Flash. I would check the sale thread right away (I know it is over a month and I would've missed a good deal. Let me see if I get lucky again).

 

[MusicGarage03]

As yahoo mentioned for a 12x13 room a FS is overkill.
Look at the Q300 as well as the Aviano 2 (thee is a FM from Pune who is selling it right now along with his CA amp) look at the for sale thread. It may just interest you.

There are some bookshelves that are in the same price band as well.

@ Flash, The choice between BS and a FS - Guess its a old and a topic which would have been discussed a lot of times!

If I'm going for a BS, say a Q300, I know its highly potential but I cannot power those with powerful amps like CYRUS or a ARCAM which would alter my budget altogether.

So, If I'm going for Q300, what would be the SW you would suggest me. Something that blends properly with the speaker without dominating the whole music with heavy bass. I read in one of the threads where for a question like this, you suggested a sealed sub woofer to a ported one. For a room dimension I have mentioned above, could you suggest me a BS and a proper SW combination for a stereo set up which falls in my budget (around 40 grands for the speakers)?

Thanks in advance. And forgot to mention , the set up list you got there - Man, looks like you got one electronic megastore in your place! ;-)

 

[Flash]

@ Flash, The choice between BS and a FS - Guess its a old and a topic which would have been discussed a lot of times!

If I'm going for a BS, say a Q300, I know its highly potential but I cannot power those with powerful amps like CYRUS or a ARCAM which would alter my budget altogether.

So, If I'm going for Q300, what would be the SW you would suggest me. Something that blends properly with the speaker without dominating the whole music with heavy bass. I read in one of the threads where for a question like this, you suggested a sealed sub woofer to a ported one. For a room dimension I have mentioned above, could you suggest me a BS and a proper SW combination for a stereo set up which falls in my budget (around 40 grands for the speakers)?

Thanks in advance. And forgot to mention , the set up list you got there - Man, looks like you got one electronic megastore in your place! ;-)

Considering a room size of 12x13. with Speakers like the KEFQ300 which are bass heavy. You would ideally not need a sub.
Yes I know a FS seems very tempting considering that imposing looks and multiple array of speakers.
However they are meant for larger rooms and need place to the rear / sides to get the best out of them.
A BS is a little more forgiving in this aspect

A bookshelf priced at 30k will always be better than a FS at the same price.

However if you do decide to go for a sub for stereo. Setting one up to integrate with the speakers is not that simple and that's why a lot of people steer away from a sub for stereo.
Infact there are 2 schools of thought and been debated here and on other forums upteen number of times.
1. A purist approach that a sub is not required for stereo since music tracks in general very rarely falls below 50-40hz region.
2. The other school of thought is integrating a sub can bring forth texture to music that was previously missing

So it purely depends on which route you want to take.
Your budget of 40k is for speakers with sub or without it


PS : lol ... the megastore is still expanding. hyeah:hyeah:

 

[MusicGarage03]

I go with option 1. I prefer stereo music compared to a 2.1 set up. I appreciate the forth texture a sub woofer adds to the music but the application would be quite limited. May be once in a while I would need it, not for a long time listening which I usually do. So I made up my mind for the Book Shelves - Q300! (May audition few more models - PSBs, Paradigm etc). As of now, the KEF.

I read in one of the threads where a FM did quite a hunt for his 300s to settle for CA 650A. Whats your say about this. I see the Q300 is one of the most widely discussed speakers in BS segment. A matching amp is quite a task to accomplish and the FM (Satyajit from Kolkata) did a good job in setting up his stereo.

My interest is inclined towards the Marantz, Cambridge audio and the Yamaha - Given a choice what would you pick among these? I see the Marantz PM6004 goes well with Q300. For a tight bass, warm mid range and not too bright but crisp high frequency - what amp would you suggest. I know preference varies from person to person and it is quite difficult to explain sound with vocabulary. Not that I'm lazy to do auditioning with several amplifiers. But the list would be never ending and I don't even have a personal vehicle to commute. Even the other FM Satyajit from Kolkatta who preferred CA550A the previous day settled with CA650A finally. Moreover burn in, break in etc etc. So many factors into consideration. So, my wish list is quite limited - both economically and practically. But I greatly appreciate the suggestion what the fellow members in this forum give to amateurs like me than blindly going with the five star rating of any biased magazine.

Also, lets not forget the CDP. A CDP that matches the amp and what would it be?
Regards from Chennai.

 

[yahoo0212]

@MG03 Audition Mordaunt Short s Mezzo 2.. with Cambridge Audio 550 or Marantz PM 500x // 600x integrated amps... I am sure you will be blown away by the clarity and bass of these bookshelves which are priced equivalent to the AViano 6 Floorstanders.. They are worth every penny.. Since u r from Chennai contact Cressida AV zone for an audition of the Mezzo 2...

I am telling you this after my recent auditions at Mumbai.. which included... Mezzo 2, KEF Q300 and KEF R300 as well. IMHO I found the mezzo 2 better than the 99k R300..

 

[Flash]

I am telling you this after my recent auditions at Mumbai.. which included... Mezzo 2, KEF Q300 and KEF R300 as well. IMHO I found the mezzo 2 better than the 99k R300..

Hemant,
Would like to know where the Mezzo 2 scored over the Q300 and R300

 

[MusicGarage03]

@MG03 Audition Mordaunt Short s Mezzo 2.. with Cambridge Audio 550 or Marantz PM 500x // 600x integrated amps... I am sure you will be blown away by the clarity and bass of these bookshelves which are priced equivalent to the AViano 6 Floorstanders.. They are worth every penny.. Since u r from Chennai contact Cressida AV zone for an audition of the Mezzo 2...

I am telling you this after my recent auditions at Mumbai.. which included... Mezzo 2, KEF Q300 and KEF R300 as well. IMHO I found the mezzo 2 better than the 99k R300..

Thanks a ton for your suggestion Yahoo0212! I would definitely check Mezzo2. Your suggestion is greatly appreciated.

As an indicative info, could you tell me what was the source of the Mezzos when you auditioned them ? Also for the other speakers..?

 

[yahoo0212]

Hemant,
Would like to know where the Mezzo 2 scored over the Q300 and R300

""Well All Auditions are subject to individual tastes ""

I found the Mezzo perform better in the Vocals and high freq range,,,I am sure the ATT tweeter technology was at work..Bass was also very good..The voice reproduction reminded me of d singer Mohit Chauhan.... lol.:lol: . who s famous for his vocals ...

Q300 -- bass was good vocals were clear but high s were not so great as the Mezzo

R300-- produced a really good Soundstage , great/balanced bass with better vocals than the Q300 ... and the Piano Black finishes jus gives it superb look..
I heard Jodha Akbar s 1st two tracks and could really feel the wide enveloping soundstage while playing Azeemo SHaan Sehensaa-track...
But 99k is too much for these BS...

Thanks a ton for your suggestion Yahoo0212! I would definitely check Mezzo2. Your suggestion is greatly appreciated.

As an indicative info, could you tell me what was the source of the Mezzos when you auditioned them ? Also for the other speakers..?

I auditioned Mezzo s with Denon 510 or 710 (i don remember exactly...but it was a denon) integrated amp...with CA CD player....

 

[S.P.KRISHNA]

The Mezzo is high end series in Mordaunt short and hence the diffrence in SQ.