Finally....new speakers!

Decided to take some time off work and visit the parents so thought while I was here I would take a look in Lintone Audio and see what was available.

Booked a demo and went in there with the full intention of buying some floorstanders (and preferably Monitor Audio - heard some last year and was very impressed).

Started at the top of the scale with the MA Silver S6 - nice clean and clear sound with plenty of detail, although the bass was a little too heavy on some of the tracks. I was impressed though and was expecting these to be the speakers I walked out with.

Next up was the Epos M12.2 - started good and got better. Detail and imaging was top notch and there was plenty of deep bass for such a small box. I was looking for a more lively presentation and these speakers certainly gave that.

Finally we went to the Quad 12L's - I wasn't expecting much as I'd already listened to the 11L's and didn't think they were worth the money. The sound was good, but too similar to my current Kef's - much more laid back than the others and not what I was looking for.

So, after a little haggling over the price, I ended up with the Epos M12.2's. I liked the MA's, but thought the bass would be over-powering in my room. Right from the word go I loved the sound of these little boxes. They've got a nice puchy, lively sound and should last at least one amp upgrade.

I was also impressed by Mark, the dealer - he knew his stuff and didn't try to sell me the most expensive boxes (the MA's). He knew exactly what would give me the sound I was looking for so I ended up with the cheapest boxes on the day - money saved towards some more CD's and new speaker stands

Moral of the story - as many of you already know, just because a speaker wins awards, doesn't mean it really is great. The Epos' are rarely mentioned in the hi-fi press, but at the price, I think there's little that come's close to matching them.

 

Batfink, how the hell did you get them to knock a bit money off??????
Bought a fair bit stuff from Lintone over the years (NAD 2020e from their Whitley Bay shop got me into this hifi thang) and never yet have I managed to get a penny knocked off

How do you do it :MILD:

 

I bought a second hand pair of Rega Ela's from them and managed to get them down from £240 to £215

 

I bought some Epos M22s from Lintone Audio and they did me a deal on it and 30m of Tri wired QED.

 

I bought my first ever speakers from Lintone... and guess what...

They were Epos too! (Epos ES11).

As it turned out, they didnt work out in my awkward room at home, and I exchanged them for some Tannoy 611's, which I kept for years.

Cracking speakers, those dual concentric Tannoys.

 

I bought both my CDP and now my speakers from there and never yet have I paid full price :MILD:

I usually go for around 10% discount, although it was 11% today to get to a nice round number! - asking is usually all it takes, or maybe I'm just very persuasive

I see you're just down the road from me at the minute - my parents live in Pegswood now.

 

...Gonna need some new speaker stands though (wasn't expecting to as I was intending buying floorstanders ) as I don't think my Nexus 6's will do them justice.

What would anyone recommend as best bang-for-buck up to £100 ? Demoed them on some Sound Organisation stands (I think!) which were very sturdy and solid for £100. Any other recommendations?

 

Get the Epos stands - they're the best at the job. Sand filled ones will slow them down HEINOUSLY.

Hmm - I'm at a crossroads. BIG PROBLEMS with new room. My Epos ES14s (mint(ish), boxed, with stands, £150 FROM DEALER in 2001 - beat that!!) are refusing to play ball in the bass; most of it's dumped through the floor and I'm getting a bit of a "BBC home service" chestiness in the lower mids. I blame the room and the NAIT's 30 watts...

So - off for a dem on Saturday, trying out everything from Dynaudios to a fekking big second hand Naim pre-power. Should be interesting to see what I end up with at the end of the day (especially if I get lucky with the bank re a loan (debt) and my bonus).

Epos' rule - but getting the right ones for your room is of paramount importance. I wander if Henryt's ES11s (to try out for laughs) would work better? Anyone got a car and live in Exeter???

 

Sorry if this is a silly question but do Lintone do part exchange on old components?

Thanks

 

I have some Partington Dreadnaught stands i may let go for around £70.
Very solid with bottom spikes, PM if yer interested.

 

Andrew -

if you mean do they PX your kit for second hand stocks, the answer would be ..I doubt it. You need a second hand dealer for that, like ''the hifi guy'' or ''the emporium'' or ''central audio'' etc.

Try selling the kit you dont want on e-bay - you'll get a better price to then go shopping with.
Chris

 

Thanks for the tip, not really looking at upgrading now (no money)

For the future though, how much should I realistically be looking at spending as an upgrade for the CD6000OSE?

Thanks

Andrew

 

IMHO at least twice its original price, in retial terms, but if you buy s/h then you could get a lot better.

original 500, new one retail at 1000, bought s/h for 500, less 250 for original one, or if you had a £1000 to spend to better an alder 500 product then you could get s/h 2000 for a grand less 250 for your original, these are simple ideals but you get the idea, then you can quickly get pretty decent esoteric kit that someone else has taken the hit for.

 

Thanks for the reply, looks like I may be waiting a while then! Should I be looking about the £500 retail mark (I bought mine in a Richers bundle thing so have no idea of its original value)

Andrew

 

Andrew, do you think the Epos would be an upgrade on the Ela's? I aint heard the Epos's, but I wouldnt think they would be TBH.

 

Not sure myself andrew, this is not the law it's just a guide, the price is not always indicative of quality of sound, but maybe you should be looking at 2nd hand cdps that retail from 750-1250 to get real gains, ie cyrus 7/8, etc, you may get these for around 300-400 gbp. In the meantime enjoy what you've got. and when you've got the cash have alisten if not much difference then keep what you've got.

 

I feel another upgrade coming on?

 

You do?

No, the Ela's are great, I love listening to them - I just cant see the Epos's being an upgrade - sidestep perhaps, but hey I could be wrong - but I'll continue to live in ignorance about that

 

i've got to ask - how did you manage to go from epos m15.2 down to m12.2 especially since, as you say you were looking for floorstanders? seems to me the 15.2 was right on the money after all!

did you get the naim cd/amp?

 

I haven't heard many sets of speakers but I suppose it depends what you want from speakers.

I can't see myself changing these for a long time because I like the sound they produce.

Andrew