CDP, Amp & Speakers for £1K?

Yep, keep your eye out at a few bootsales!

The downside of active is that they are often a bit ugly (functional?) and you can not upgrade amps or speakers separately, but since they are made just for each other I don't see why one would want to do that.

 

Hi Mate

Don't know whereabouts you are (up north). There are some pro-sound shops where you can get to hear a few active speakers (sound control in newcastle, are also a national chain).

Really just wanted to echo - in a 6x9 room, you need a small pair of near field monitors, anything designed to be listened to further away will just give you loads of bass boom (IMO/IME)

If you're new to all this, think of NFM's as something a sound engineer would have on his desk when he's monitoring an audio mix - he'd only be perhaps 4-5 feet away from them - just like you..

Whether they are active or not is not as important a factor as getting something that will work well in such a small space.

Active negates the need to purchase a power amp, but if you have multiple sources (tuner/cd/lp) you will still need a pre-amp.

There are some cheap ADAM monitor sellers on ebay. The ADAM ribbon tweeter/mid is very well reviewed.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ADAM-Artist-n...ryZ23786QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ADAM-A7-A-7-A...ryZ23794QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

the ''artist'' has the advantage of a very pretty box, for a NFM.

 

Hi June.
Gotta say, I'm a little biased but you should(if you can) try a pair of monitor audio gr10s.
Beatiful midrange clarity, tight bass and fantastic treble for the price.
Discontinued now but available for around 400 quid at the mo.

A demo would'nt hurt now, would it?
Try Sevenoaks if you have one local.

 

Thanks bottleneck & Andy. Your advise on near field monitors seems logical. I'm making it my mission to audition a couple of standmounts, like the Epos and the Monitor Audios - if they prove to be too boomy then I'll try to arrange a listen with near fields.
Thankyou all.

 

Hi,

Just saying so you know, standmounts generally are considered near-fields. Its really just the different lingo of hi-fi or pro-audio people. Hi-fi peeps call them standmounts and pro-audio people call them near-field monitors. I guess the really small ones like that ADAM Artist would be called mini-monitors.

 

Tenson - can't you get small standmounts that are designed for mid or far field application?

 

Thanks for clearing that up Tenson. I'm definitely looking for near field speakers now - I've just got to decide whether to dispense with my Linn Intek amp and buy a decent preamp along with some Active speakers, or whether to stay with the amp and go for non-active speakers (I like the reviews for the Monitor Audio GR10s).

 

I haven't seen any small monitors designed for true mid-field. Most are still just large near-field.

I guess something like the PMC IB2, MB2 and BB5 are stand mounted mid-field monitors.

BTW, this is what Genelec consider mid-field

 

...and if i were to choose active speakers, I'm still not sure whether to go for just the one or a pair of them; the actives that have been recommended to me so far start at around £300 (so a pair would be around £550); whereas the Epos M12.2s are £450 a pair brand new (£300 for 2nds) and the GR10s around £300 2nd hand.

I need to do some homework on the relationship between amplifier power and speaker sensitivity. That way I'd be in a better position to decide exactly what kind of speakers would be suitable in the kind of listening space that I have.

ps - what does 'Zero Gain' actually mean?

 

If you want to listen in stereo you would definitely want to buy two speakers! Actives do seem more expensive because they have amplifiers as well so consider the cash you would get for selling your current amp. You also get two per speaker which is a nice bonus for sound quality.

There are second hand actives about, a good place to keep an eye out is sound on sound - http://www.soundonsound.com/readersads?Cat=18

I see a pair of Mackie HR824 for £450 there, so snap them up

Oh and a pair of HHB Circle 5A's which are also superb and the cone is a funky purple colour! These sound a little more relaxed than many studio monitors.

 

seems lot of dosh for something on spec......thenagain you can always e bay after you've tried....if you don't like! From what simon says you won't loose!

would say the actve route sounds a little onorthodox...but as I've never heared a set up I can't really say.....

doesn't it limit you a bit, Simon?


regs



D.

 

I have heard the Mackies and they do sound very very good so from my point of view it is not all on spec. They are bright and clear with solid controlled bass. Not harsh though. Everything is just right in fact. If you like the GR10s (I used to own some) you would love these. The HHB are a little more rounded and sound similar to Spendor in tonality but are again very clear and controlled. I'd stay away from Genelec as they can be harsh IME.

I wouldn't say active limits you, in fact the opposite. It allows you to tune the speakers better for their position with the treble and bass tilt controls. You can also choose a different preamp to tune the sound if you want to. A valve pre for example. Then you also, if you like, have the choice to go minimalist and simply use a CD player with a volume controlled output giving you one box and a pair of speakers. I think once you have heard what you can get for your money in the <£1k range with actives it is very hard to go back to passive. The only thing that messes it up for a lot of people I think is that they demo them in a pro audio or music shop where they have absolutely no decent listening space, so of course they sound pants. Get them in a good listening room with a source that is not harsh (or they reveal it) and you are in heaven

 

"I have heard the Mackies and they do sound very very good so from my point of view it is not all on spec."

but ti would be for June if she couldn't here them ist??






D.

 

It is also on recommendation, not just spec But this is the same for anything you can't go and hear first. If you buy second hand you can't loose too badly because as you said it can be sold on again if its not liked. Given the advantages of active and a good value make like Mackie it is unlikely to happen though

 

I've said it before, pro audio speakers can be hard work to listen to, they're designed to tell you what's wrong with something, rather than whats right. A totally different perspective might be something like a pair of Linn Kans and a Naim Nait 2. A classic combo designed for a small room, and designed for listening to, not dissecting.

Once you've got actives if you decide you don't like the sound you're in the market for an amp and speakers. The other way you can tweak and twiddle your way to something you like.

For £350, plus the sale of the Intek (you'll get about £150) gives you £500 to spend on the amp and speakers. Your sources aren't bad at all, so that's where I'd start.

Kytes are an absolute bargain at the price they fetch, pair them with a really nice amp and you'll be storming. So long as you don't want to listen really loud you'll be fine. Even better is if you can find a pair of Linn Kan stands to sit them on. I replaced an Intek with a Naim 62/140 combo. That sounded stunningly different. Put a pair of Kytes on the end of that and it would blow you away. It's a different approach, not necessarily better, but I think it would lead to longer term satisfaction. I've listened to many a monitor (admittedly not for a fair old while,) and I wouldn't want any of them in my listening room. Yes they may be 'hi-fi' but do you want 'hi-fi' or something to listen to?

 

As you said we have been over this before - I like studio monitors you don't. But..

Thats not ture, they are just honest. They don't accent problems in a recording or anything they just don't hide it. By the same token a good recording will sound far better than on a system that covers things up. If you want them to be a bit more forgiving then add a valve preamp.

My personal preference really wouldn't be kans, they seem a bit of a acquired taste. They have nice vocals and thats about all. Edit: Ahh wait my bad, you just mentiond kan stands...

 

"It is also on recommendation, not just spec "

yes, agreed.

...I have no doubt a good recommendation too



keep us posted , June.




D.

 

It's just question of taste, a bit like whether you prefer Kirsty Allsop or Sarah Beeney. I do think Kans or Kytes in a 6x9 room would be a great solution.
That's my recomendation. There are many ways to skin a cat!

 

...who?

 

It's an age thing Simon, when you're my age presenters of house programmes are sadly exciting!