Wanted! Good Speakers + amp/avr in 1-1.25 lacs

[muzikman]

Hello Everybody,

I am from mumbai, India. About 7-8 months back I decided I needed a new Hi-Fi music system. and the budget and systems that I was looking for then was totally different. I looked at Onkyo 3300 and 5300 HTIBs but was not satisfied at all. Then I got busy with life and some time passed by. But now I am again starting to look around and see what I can get best for my money.

My budget then was around 35-40k. now I have upped it to 1-1.25 lac. So I wish to get something really good in that budget.

Sometime back I did check out a few sub-sat combos as they looked attractive in the price range. Here is what I found:

1)Mirage mx: good warm sound. Liked it immediately. Suitable for music too. But a little muffeled sometimes.

2) Kef 3005se: worst of the lot! High expectations but severely dissapointed. Not suitable for music at all. Too bright and sharp sound.

3) Jamo sat/sub (dont remember the model): a little better than kef eggs. But still too bright for music.

4) Morel sat/sub: similar to jamo. Nothing great. Too bright and sharp.

5) Bose lifestyle 48: demoed them just for the comparo (though way outta budget) surprisingly the best of the lot. Balanced sound. Tight performance. Good clarity compared to others.

6) Bose lifestyle 35: this system actually sounded a little better compared to lifestyle 48 for music as it sounded more warm and balanced compared to the lifestyle 48, which sounded much sharper compared to this. Liked this more!

All tested on denon 1611 except Bose lifestyle systems.

Also tested a couple of conventional speakers in the mean time. Kef and polk audio but nothing too great about them to write about. Polk sounded too boomy! Also heard a psb (model unknown and just checked one model as it was almost closing time and I had just dropped in as was passing by) at lakozy which sounded good but lacked the bass. That was alomost with all the three models of kef, polk and psb. Psb a bit better in clarity and overall sound if I recollect.

Then one day I was at atria mall at worli and thought to check out this hi-fi shop called Thump. I was shown and given a short demo of Energy speakers by Sameer. As I had just dropped in by chance so I had no CDs with me. Sameer suggested I bring my own CDs to Demo. But heres what I felt about the short Demo I took of two Energy models.

1)Energy CF-30: sounded really good and was impressed. It had good bass and nice and clear sound. Liked it. Sameer said a sub unit along with it would give better effect with Hip hop kinda music. I heard Hotel California (unplugged) and liked it.

2)Energy RC-50: after CF-30 I heard these and he played some instrumentle CD which had lots of Drums. And I was completely Blown away! WOW! These speakers sounded amazing! The bass was awesome and tight. Very good clarity. Overall superb sound. But I heard that this is a discontinued model. So which is the replacement model for RC-50?

I heard the above speakers with a Marantz PM-7003 Amp and some marantz CD player. The combination just sounded teriffic with the RC-50.

So now I have dropped the idea of buying a sub-sat combo but still have written my experience above for anyone who needs a comparo.

But now my hunt for good speakers begin. I have shortlisted a few below which I need to demo. Meanwhile all suggestions are welcome if there is anything else besides these which I can check out.

1) Warfedale Diamond 10 series (Diamond 10.7 + 10 cm + 10 dfs + 10 gx)

2) Q Accoustics 2000 series.

3) Mordaunt short aviano series.

4) Energy RC-50 equivalent model

5) Lithos Kontra

6) PSB Image

7) Quad L2 series

8) Monitor Audio RS

My requirement is great sounding musical speakers which should do a good job as home theatre for movies too. I need Amp/AVR + Speakers in around 1-1.25 lac (max 1.5 lac). room size is 19 x 13. and speakers will be kept on the wall which is 13 feet wall to wall.. so cant keep too much distance behind the speakers for rear ported speakers. I listen to all kind of music. also after hearing the Energy speakers I am also a bit confused whether to buy a 5.1 package + avr OR 2 centre speakers + avr right now in that budget and then later on add a centre and surrounds OR just to go for a stereo amp + 2 speakers? Guys please help me make a decision and buy a great sounding system. All suggestions welcome. Any help will be really appreaciated. also please do let me know where can I audition which brand/speakers. Thank you.

 

[Whitenoise]

Try Anthony Gallo Nucleus Micro Ti 5.1 package with TR1 sub paired with an Onkyo 609 or Denon 1612... if you bargain well you could get this package in your budget...

 

[Whitenoise]

Try Anthony Gallo Adiva 5.1 package with TR1 sub paired with an Onkyo 609 or Denon 1612... if you bargain well you could get this package in your budget...

 

[sud98]

Wrong post

 

[muzikman]

Try Anthony Gallo Adiva 5.1 package with TR1 sub paired with an Onkyo 609 or Denon 1612... if you bargain well you could get this package in your budget...

I don't want to go for sat-sub combination now... after hearing the Energy RC-50 i have changed my mind... though will still try Lithos Kontras as heard a lot about them and they are also not typical small sat-sub types.. but these anthony gallos look like all the other small sat-sub combos i have heard and mentioned above... so mostly thinking the best Floorstanding or atleast bookshelves in this budget.

Wrong post

why wrong post?! and what is an HTPC?

by the way my room size is about 250 sq. ft. and the type of music I listen to is a mixed bag. I listen to everything from current Bollywood to Old Hindi film songs, hindustani classical to western pop, hip hop, country, R&B, Soft rock, Jazz etc. anything from 1960's to current scene and all kind of music... whatever is good to ears.

music is the main priority but I am also a movie buff so wish to have a good HT experience also but again Music comes first! so say a ratio of about 70-30 of music and movies.

My source: I have a good CD collection but lately listen mostly downloaded stuff (usually about 240-320kbps mp3's.. ducking for cover ). and currently thinking of using my old pioneer DVD player (so I can use my entire budget on speakers and amp/avr right now) then later on thinking of upgrading it to a good BD player mostly. and also I have read about DAC's which I am still not too sure what they are... but will get one later if it helps...

so thinking of building a system slowly slowly in parts. at present good speakers and amp/avr. then a BD/DAC, then later on maybe centre and surround speakers (if I go for a AVR and 5.1 way)

so right now I am totally confused as to which way to go for... a dedicated stereo system or 5.1 HT way... as I heard that a quality of music will be much better sounding with same speakers when heard with a stereo amp than a AVR.

and I am also thinking about adding ATC SCM 11 in my "to demo" list. as heard a lot about them here. and also the new Energy Veritas series. more suggestions welcome.

So Guys please help me here...

 

[sud98]

HTPC - Home Theater PC

Wrong Post - I wanted to know the room size, source and listening preferences which I missed in your first post, hence renamed it as wrong post

If music is your first preference, then you have the following options - do note its tough to have one system satisfying both, so either you have a no compromise music system or a compromised system for music and movies.

For the budget and the amount of patience that most people have I think some compromise is in store.

Assuming you are re-using the source; keep around - 5-10k for cables and interconnects; Speakers - around 75k; AVR - around 45k

CD Player /DVD player plus DAC/HTPC as source
The last one will be more complex to build but will possibly be the most long lasting solution

For Amp - an integrated amp could be good for music but since it doesnt help from a movie perspective. You could go for AVR's that are deemed more musical like the Marantz or you could go the processor and multichannel amp but they tend to be expensive. For example the Emotiva UMC1 and XPA5 combo will come to 90k or so. Or you could buy a AVR with pre-outs so that you could add an amp once you have the budget.

For speakers - While you can go for really nice speakers in a 2.0 mode with 75k; with 5.1 it will be a compromise. But its good for you to hear them and then see what works for you. The ideal step up would be 2.0->2.1->3.1->5.1
but as I said it depends upon your ability to wait for the right combo for music.

From what I have heard - Jamo, Polk, Ushers, Paradigm, QA, Wharfedale are good in the 20k -50k range.

For a sub devote - 25-50k and check out the SVS,Deftech, Velodyne and HSU.

Patience is a real virtue, unless you are ok with multiple systems or a turnover of devices.

 

[mridulgoel]

Buddy

Q Acoustics, should be a good option, for you...

You can opt for following packages for your budget... :::

Package : 1
Q Acoustics 2000 Cinema Package
inc. : 2 x 2010 + 2000c + 2070s
Denon - 1611 - 5.1 Receiver
QED Cables and Interconnects
inc. : 50mtr Spkr Cable + 3mtr Subwoofer Cable
1mtr HDMI Cable + 3mtr HDMI Cable
1mtr Coaxial Cable
MRP Rs.1,09,240
Mounts / Stands Extra

Package : 2
Q Acoustics Package with FloorStanders
inc. : 2050 + 2010 + 2000c + 2070s
Denon - 1911 - 7.1 Receiver
QED Cables and Interconnects
inc. : 50mtr Spkr Cable + 3mtr Subwoofer Cable
1mtr HDMI Cable + 3mtr HDMI Cable
1mtr Coaxial Cable
MRP Rs.1,53,060
Mounts / Stands Extra

Upgrade Options :
2020 instead of 2010 : Rs.2,800
2080s instead of 2070s : Rs.18,000

 

[darshanjoshi]

Hello Everybody,

I am from mumbai, India. About 7-8 months back I decided I needed a new Hi-Fi music system. and the budget and systems that I was looking for then was totally different. I looked at Onkyo 3300 and 5300 HTIBs but was not satisfied at all. Then I got busy with life and some time passed by. But now I am again starting to look around and see what I can get best for my money.

My budget then was around 35-40k. now I have upped it to 1-1.25 lac. So I wish to get something really good in that budget.

Sometime back I did check out a few sub-sat combos as they looked attractive in the price range. Here is what I found:

1)Mirage mx: good warm sound. Liked it immediately. Suitable for music too. But a little muffeled sometimes.

2) Kef 3005se: worst of the lot! High expectations but severely dissapointed. Not suitable for music at all. Too bright and sharp sound.

3) Jamo sat/sub (dont remember the model): a little better than kef eggs. But still too bright for music.

4) Morel sat/sub: similar to jamo. Nothing great. Too bright and sharp.

5) Bose lifestyle 48: demoed them just for the comparo (though way outta budget) surprisingly the best of the lot. Balanced sound. Tight performance. Good clarity compared to others.

6) Bose lifestyle 35: this system actually sounded a little better compared to lifestyle 48 for music as it sounded more warm and balanced compared to the lifestyle 48, which sounded much sharper compared to this. Liked this more!

All tested on denon 1611 except Bose lifestyle systems.

Also tested a couple of conventional speakers in the mean time. Kef and polk audio but nothing too great about them to write about. Polk sounded too boomy! Also heard a psb (model unknown and just checked one model as it was almost closing time and I had just dropped in as was passing by) at lakozy which sounded good but lacked the bass. That was alomost with all the three models of kef, polk and psb. Psb a bit better in clarity and overall sound if I recollect.

Then one day I was at atria mall at worli and thought to check out this hi-fi shop called Thump. I was shown and given a short demo of Energy speakers by Sameer. As I had just dropped in by chance so I had no CDs with me. Sameer suggested I bring my own CDs to Demo. But heres what I felt about the short Demo I took of two Energy models.

1)Energy CF-30: sounded really good and was impressed. It had good bass and nice and clear sound. Liked it. Sameer said a sub unit along with it would give better effect with Hip hop kinda music. I heard Hotel California (unplugged) and liked it.

2)Energy RC-50: after CF-30 I heard these and he played some instrumentle CD which had lots of Drums. And I was completely Blown away! WOW! These speakers sounded amazing! The bass was awesome and tight. Very good clarity. Overall superb sound. But I heard that this is a discontinued model. So which is the replacement model for RC-50?

I heard the above speakers with a Marantz PM-7003 Amp and some marantz CD player. The combination just sounded teriffic with the RC-50.

So now I have dropped the idea of buying a sub-sat combo but still have written my experience above for anyone who needs a comparo.

But now my hunt for good speakers begin. I have shortlisted a few below which I need to demo. Meanwhile all suggestions are welcome if there is anything else besides these which I can check out.

1) Warfedale Diamond 10 series (Diamond 10.7 + 10 cm + 10 dfs + 10 gx)

2) Q Accoustics 2000 series.

3) Mordaunt short aviano series.

4) Energy RC-50 equivalent model

5) Lithos Kontra

6) PSB Image

7) Quad L2 series

8) Monitor Audio RS

My requirement is great sounding musical speakers which should do a good job as home theatre for movies too. I need Amp/AVR + Speakers in around 1-1.25 lac (max 1.5 lac). room size is 19 x 13. and speakers will be kept on the wall which is 13 feet wall to wall.. so cant keep too much distance behind the speakers for rear ported speakers. I listen to all kind of music. also after hearing the Energy speakers I am also a bit confused whether to buy a 5.1 package + avr OR 2 centre speakers + avr right now in that budget and then later on add a centre and surrounds OR just to go for a stereo amp + 2 speakers? Guys please help me make a decision and buy a great sounding system. All suggestions welcome. Any help will be really appreaciated. also please do let me know where can I audition which brand/speakers. Thank you.

I own RC50 and love it. CF-70 is better of the entire CF series. If you are looking for Energy RC-50, Thump has got a last pair. (Demo). RC's are replaced by Veritas. Not sure they are getting Veritas soon. They are priced much higher in US right now compared to RC's Even in US, RC's are difficult to find.

 

[muzikman]

Hello.

first of all sorry for replying after so many days as was out of town for some time and got really busy with life.

HTPC - Home Theater PC

Wrong Post - I wanted to know the room size, source and listening preferences which I missed in your first post, hence renamed it as wrong post

If music is your first preference, then you have the following options - do note its tough to have one system satisfying both, so either you have a no compromise music system or a compromised system for music and movies.

For the budget and the amount of patience that most people have I think some compromise is in store.

Assuming you are re-using the source; keep around - 5-10k for cables and interconnects; Speakers - around 75k; AVR - around 45k

CD Player /DVD player plus DAC/HTPC as source
The last one will be more complex to build but will possibly be the most long lasting solution

For Amp - an integrated amp could be good for music but since it doesnt help from a movie perspective. You could go for AVR's that are deemed more musical like the Marantz or you could go the processor and multichannel amp but they tend to be expensive. For example the Emotiva UMC1 and XPA5 combo will come to 90k or so. Or you could buy a AVR with pre-outs so that you could add an amp once you have the budget.

For speakers - While you can go for really nice speakers in a 2.0 mode with 75k; with 5.1 it will be a compromise. But its good for you to hear them and then see what works for you. The ideal step up would be 2.0->2.1->3.1->5.1
but as I said it depends upon your ability to wait for the right combo for music.

From what I have heard - Jamo, Polk, Ushers, Paradigm, QA, Wharfedale are good in the 20k -50k range.

For a sub devote - 25-50k and check out the SVS,Deftech, Velodyne and HSU.

Patience is a real virtue, unless you are ok with multiple systems or a turnover of devices.

from what I have understood and told so far is that the Pre-Power Amp combination is the best but its a costly affair. so I have been thinking of getting a good musical AVR like marantz or maybe NAD. but I don't quite understand what is the AVR with pre-outs?? can you please throw some light on that and also what would be better option... marantz or NAD or anythng else in my budget? also can you please throw some light on DAC. what, how and why are they used for and what would an ideal good DAC cost? as even though I have a good collection of audio CD's (300-400) which I have collected painfully over the years, but I still listen to a lot of new music in mp3 format downloaded on the ipod. so what would be ideal way to play them and hook them up with the AVR. do i need a good ipod Dock to attach the AVR or a DAC or both?? I have read some where in this forum that a good quality speaker set (around 1 lac or more) would clearly show the bad quality of lossy audio format so will it be too bad to listen to mp3 music on such good quality speakers? coz my mp3's are also usually 240-320 kbps. and i rip my CD's on 320kbps AAC using iTunes. because I believe that a really good quality speakers should even play good compressed audio (240-320kbps) with aplomb! hyeah:

I own RC50 and love it. CF-70 is better of the entire CF series. If you are looking for Energy RC-50, Thump has got a last pair. (Demo). RC's are replaced by Veritas. Not sure they are getting Veritas soon. They are priced much higher in US right now compared to RC's Even in US, RC's are difficult to find.

hi. can you please give some more info on your setup and what were your contenders before selecting the RC-50 and how they compare? what Amp/AVR, DVDP/BDP/CDP, DAC, ipod dock, cabels do you use with the RC-50?


thanks guys... your help and guidance is really appreciated. :clapping:

 

[muzikman]

Demo'ed speakers:

1) Paradigm monitor 9: good clarity and sharpness and big sound but a little too bright for my taste. a bit hard hitting sound! I felt that it can cause fatigue if heard for longer duration!

2) Warfedale Diamond 10.7 : decent clarity. Warm sounding. But a little too warm. or shall i say lacks sharpness. Bass thump is clearly missing! Highs not as clear as paradigm's. Also something was wrong with the one I demoed as the speakers were tearing a bit even on 45-50 % volume. But still sound signature clearly not that satisfying. All in all disappointing as was expecting much from these as had heard a lot about the warfs.

3) Energy CF-30 : had heard these earlier as have already mentioned in my first post but still tried them again just for the comparo. Heard them back to back on same track as all were put up together. And surprisingly.. Much better than both paradigm and warfedale! Ofcourse paradigms sound "bigger" but the sound signature of energy is much balanced in comparison. So I think the higher models should sound much better. Ofcourse have already mentioned about my first great impression of RC-50 in earlier post. The CF-30 sounded much more balanced.. Not too warm and not too bright.. Just about right in comparison. Good clarity and open sound. Highs and mids are clear. nice and good on ears. Bass is also clearer than the warfs.

4) Mordaunt short mezzo 8 : tried these last as they were almost out of the budget but still tried them just to compare with others and also can judge the brand's sound signature.. Though this can not be always correct as I am sure experts will point out but can give some idea of mezzo 6 and so on as the Energy has similar sound signature across the range almost. Now coming back to the demo.. Was really dissapointed! They sounded "dull" in comparison to energy and paradigm. Even the warfs sound clearer in comparison. Though it is on the same line as warfs. Very warm sounding. But not my taste. Highs and mids sounded a bit muffled. Lacks sharpness.


Heard the next model on a different day and date and not back to back with the above mentioned speakers but still comparison is possible.


5) Energy CF-50: Better than all the four speakers listed above. mids are much more detailed and clear. all in all much more balanced sound. not too warm and not too sharp.


again it all depends on personal taste and choice. everything mentioned above is my personal opinion and mean no offense to the users and owners of those speakers

wanted to audition monitor audio range but couldn't find them anywhere!

will demo some more to find something which suits and appeals me. suggestions are more than welcome

 

[yahoo0212]

Audition the Aviano 5.1 package.. AViano6 as fronts, 5 as center and 1 as rears and aviano 7/9 as the sub... excellent package.. shd be around 80k...

 

[sud98]

Try the Jamo's c605 or c607 or the Usher x718 or the PSB

 

[muzikman]

Try the Jamo's c605 or c607 or the Usher x718 or the PSB

where can i audition Jamo and Usher in mumbai? any idea? and whats your take on usher BE-718 diamond?

 

[sud98]

Jamo's would be at a Cinebels showroom, google for it.
Usher's check with sridhar ([email protected]) from arn systems (odyssey in this forum).

I had listened to the x718 which were really good. I havent heard the BE718 with or without the diamond as they were out of my price range

 

[muzikman]

Jamo's would be at a Cinebels showroom, google for it.
Usher's check with sridhar ([email protected]) from arn systems (odyssey in this forum).

I had listened to the x718 which were really good. I havent heard the BE718 with or without the diamond as they were out of my price range

well... sorry for nagging u but what made u choose paradigms over usher even though u liked 'em? and usher i just checked is only 80 watts! won't that be a little too less compared to 150-225 rms watts tower speakers that i have checked and get in same range? and what price are x718's for?

 

[parora]

Demo'ed speakers:

1) Paradigm monitor 9: good clarity and sharpness and big sound but a little too bright for my taste. a bit hard hitting sound! I felt that it can cause fatigue if heard for longer duration!

Try Paradigm special edition series, and you may (since sound is personal) forget everything else, but is MRP 83000/- for pair.

Cheers,

 

[sud98]

well... sorry for nagging u but what made u choose paradigms over usher even though u liked 'em? and usher i just checked is only 80 watts! won't that be a little too less compared to 150-225 rms watts tower speakers that i have checked and get in same range? and what price are x718's for?

Well for one their costs were around 10-15k costlier than the paradigm 9's at around 60k, if I remember right. Plus one has to spend around 5-10k for stands.

My primary requirement was movies with music on the side, while the Ushers are more built for music with not too many options for surrounds ( you need to use the s-520) so wasnt convinced of going for them.

BTW, wattage makes more sense for amps than speakers. So an 80w speaker can run beautifully on a 100wpc amp. Do note that most AVR's would struggle to give 100wpc irrespective of the specs.

 

[muzikman]

actually now i am even more confused after reading this post:
http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/2575-speakers-ampli-2-lacs.html

coz i am also in a similar position like "lostworld" in that thread... i have 70-80% use for music and 20-30% movies! so whether i should go for a stereo amp and 2 front speakers only or the AVR route with 5.1?! as i am a movie buff too who regularly hire DVD's.
i thought of going for a stereo amp with 2 speakers but even though I play and have a good CD collection... I also listen to a lot of lossy (downloaded mp3) music lately as many international music CD's are not available anywhere even in mumbai! .... so will a stereo setup be a waste if you are gonna listen to mp3's as they would sound same in AVR too? as i have read that generally people (audiophiles) going for the dedicated stereo setup for music listen to CD's only using a high-end CD player only and hardly or don't listen to lossy audio... and though i do call myself an audiophile as i believe i do have the understanding of music and sound that much. i am pretty analytical sometimes about the mix also (am also from music field) but also at the same time for me equipment is just a source for playing music. music is more important than anything.

HELP!!!

 

[darshanjoshi]

actually now i am even more confused after reading this post:
http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/2575-speakers-ampli-2-lacs.html

coz i am also in a similar position like "lostworld" in that thread... i have 70-80% use for music and 20-30% movies! so whether i should go for a stereo amp and 2 front speakers only or the AVR route with 5.1?! as i am a movie buff too who regularly hire DVD's.
i thought of going for a stereo amp with 2 speakers but even though I play and have a good CD collection... I also listen to a lot of lossy (downloaded mp3) music lately as many international music CD's are not available anywhere even in mumbai! .... so will a stereo setup be a waste if you are gonna listen to mp3's as they would sound same in AVR too? as i have read that generally people (audiophiles) going for the dedicated stereo setup for music listen to CD's only using a high-end CD player only and hardly or don't listen to lossy audio... and though i do call myself an audiophile as i believe i do have the understanding of music and sound that much. i am pretty analytical sometimes about the mix also (am also from music field) but also at the same time for me equipment is just a source for playing music. music is more important than anything.

HELP!!!

Hey bro go for Amp+AVR if your usage is more of music

 

[muzikman]

Hey bro go for Amp+AVR if your usage is more of music

Amp+AVR?? how can you go for both?? isn't it either stereo Amp OR AVR??

please let me know how exactly does this combination of Amp+AVR work and what should be the budget for the combo?

also can you please let me know what does your whole system consist of. like what Amp or AVR + DVD/CDP + DAC + speaker cables and interconnects etc. do you use along with the RC-50.