Pairing speakers with a vintage amp

[macp]

I just got a (literally) mint in box Arcam Alpha 8R. And I have a Rega Planar P1 turntable. But now finally I need to choose the speakers. And I want to get something that will sit well with the other components. I could buy used or I could buy new. My budget is around £200.

Any thoughts/recommendations.

And as always thankyou in advance.

[OutInTheShed]

I have a slightly older Arcam 7.
I don't really call that 'vintage'. I suppose it is though!
I've tried it with several pairs of speakers, in two different rooms.
Combinations sound different, but not really sure what's 'best'.
I'd say the Wharfedales I have are good all purpose things where you're listening to the CD and not the Hifi, but I'm curious to know what others suggest.
I'm forbidden to buy any until we've moved though.

[macp]

OutInTheShed said:

I have a slightly older Arcam 7.
I don't really call that 'vintage'. I suppose it is though!
I've tried it with several pairs of speakers, in two different rooms.
Combinations sound different, but not really sure what's 'best'.
I'd say the Wharfedales I have are good all purpose things where you're listening to the CD and not the Hifi, but I'm curious to know what others suggest.
I'm forbidden to buy any until we've moved though.

Yes its arguably vintage I guess. Im now thinking of going KEF or B&W. But although both are highly regarded im tending to err towards a used pair of the latter.

[markirl]

I had an Arcam 8r from new paired with B&W 602s and it sounded great.

[outnumbered]

macp said:

Yes its arguably vintage I guess. Im now thinking of going KEF or B&W. But although both are highly regarded im tending to err towards a used pair of the latter.

KEF tend to be more neutral and B&W voiced to be more "exciting" if that helps your decision.

[macp]

Morning all
So update I got a mint pair of B&W DM601 S3 and they are stunning. I hooked it all up and to be honest the sound is a bit meh. It is partly speaker placement. But there seems to be little bass.

But anyway added to that the mint in box Arcam amp is humming badly and crackling as I turn the volume knob up or down. It was £100 and I took a gamble. But unfortunately it didnt pay off. So its gone back to the seller unfortunately.

So the hunt is on for a new amp. And im thinking of going brand new or a more recent amp that has been professionally refurbished etc. Im reading that these speakers need at least 40 or 50w RMS to properly shine. I have been offered a cracking deal on a Rega Brio from a local audio shop. And im seriously considering it.

May I ask once again for your thoughts on any others I should be looking at ?

Edited by macp on Saturday 26th October 10:29

[Om]

I picked up a refurbished/upgraded Quad 405-2 from one of the more reputable sellers on ebay (I forget which) and paired it with a pair of Castle Severn 2 speakers I found at a charity shop.

I use it with an SMSL DAC/Preamp that I connect to via BT/optical/whatever and the whole sounds great. Plenty of power to drive the speakers comfortably and has just worked for over a year.

Something like the above may be a good option?

[Lucid_AV]

macp said:

Morning all
So update I got a mint pair of B&W DM601 S3 and they are stunning. I hooked it all up and to be honest the sound is a bit meh. It is partly speaker placement. But there seems to be little bass.

But anyway added to that the mint in box Arcam amp is humming badly and crackling as I turn the volume knob up or down. It was £100 and I took a gamble. But unfortunately it didnt pay off. So its gone back to the seller unfortunately.

Edited by macp on Saturday 26th October 10:29

I have an Alpha 7 amp here that's going to be paired with some Mission 77 ('90s sealed box update on the classic Mission 70mkII), but I've run the amp with my own JM Lab Electra 905 transmission line speakers, and bass from the ARCAM certainly wasn't an issue. I think the lack of bass you experienced was largely down to dying capacitors in the Alpha 8R unless you somehow wired the speakers out of phase.

Bass reflex speakers need space to breathe. Side wall distance is important to avoid boom. Room acoustics are a big factor too though. Speakers can sound too bassy for one seating position, and have sucked-out bass in another.

[macp]

Lucid_AV said:

macp said:

Morning all
So update I got a mint pair of B&W DM601 S3 and they are stunning. I hooked it all up and to be honest the sound is a bit meh. It is partly speaker placement. But there seems to be little bass.

But anyway added to that the mint in box Arcam amp is humming badly and crackling as I turn the volume knob up or down. It was £100 and I took a gamble. But unfortunately it didnt pay off. So its gone back to the seller unfortunately.

Edited by macp on Saturday 26th October 10:29

I have an Alpha 7 amp here that's going to be paired with some Mission 77 ('90s sealed box update on the classic Mission 70mkII), but I've run the amp with my own JM Lab Electra 905 transmission line speakers, and bass from the ARCAM certainly wasn't an issue. I think the lack of bass you experienced was largely down to dying capacitors in the Alpha 8R unless you somehow wired the speakers out of phase.

Bass reflex speakers need space to breathe. Side wall distance is important to avoid boom. Room acoustics are a big factor too though. Speakers can sound too bassy for one seating position, and have sucked-out bass in another.

Appreciate the reply thanks.

[macp]

Hopefully picking up a Rega Brio from a local audio shop. Its an ex demo item at a good price. The seller a good guy and knows his stuff. Will keep you informed if interested.

[dan1979]

macp said:

Hopefully picking up a Rega Brio from a local audio shop. Its an ex demo item at a good price. The seller a good guy and knows his stuff. Will keep you informed if interested.

Monitor Audio Bronze 2s, Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s or 10.1s would get my vote and well within budget

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wharfedale-Diamond-Speake...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176651621977?_skw=monit...CYAAOSwHfhnH6QJ&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmS0plPyulCgZvBlTvk4A%2FSfmBpls1j8beN9q2mcUGOwQajaLPyZBGQ3gfMdfYNhyJGPNeGSrXe3dK8iLHNjnwSLB6jbvWBrfh5CX%2FFZ72PuDJnV%2FYnps8790NdInOGbGSRuPsEohhGIfRN8Q378tveTu46KsWkGQCf8172TiMvoPYZfOEs8QO7mqa824zXwovDuRiowUpl%2BbRRzlaDbbL%2BArCNL77qDxv0%2Fvqkm4zOqGFk%2FAM6kIk5JaRtR5EJm86WvNEtD0CukTpvgvndnz3LWyxX%2FtMaPQGpL%2FWJ5groFQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7CentvbZA

Or for a touch over your budget; the Dali Spektor 2s

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dali-Spektor-Bookshelf-Sp...

[OutInTheShed]

dan1979 said:

Monitor Audio Bronze 2s, Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s or 10.1s would get my vote and well within budget

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wharfedale-Diamond-Speake...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176651621977?_skw=monit...CYAAOSwHfhnH6QJ&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmS0plPyulCgZvBlTvk4A%2FSfmBpls1j8beN9q2mcUGOwQajaLPyZBGQ3gfMdfYNhyJGPNeGSrXe3dK8iLHNjnwSLB6jbvWBrfh5CX%2FFZ72PuDJnV%2FYnps8790NdInOGbGSRuPsEohhGIfRN8Q378tveTu46KsWkGQCf8172TiMvoPYZfOEs8QO7mqa824zXwovDuRiowUpl%2BbRRzlaDbbL%2BArCNL77qDxv0%2Fvqkm4zOqGFk%2FAM6kIk5JaRtR5EJm86WvNEtD0CukTpvgvndnz3LWyxX%2FtMaPQGpL%2FWJ5groFQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7CentvbZA

Or for a touch over your budget; the Dali Spektor 2s

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dali-Spektor-Bookshelf-Sp...

I think I'd be tempted to blow the extra £20 to buy them from Richer Sounds after a tryout.
They might even price match?

[macp]

Just to update I got the Rega amp. And what a deal it was as they realised the amp was brand new. Its a long story. But they still honoured the price offered. Went to a record fayre today. And the wife who has excellent taste bought a copy of Grace by Jeff Buckley. Stunning album. And boy does that Rega know how to drive the B&W speakers. They just came to life with lovely bass and perfect detail.

[danb79]

macp said:

Just to update I got the Rega amp. And what a deal it was as they realised the amp was brand new. Its a long story. But they still honoured the price offered. Went to a record fayre today. And the wife who has excellent taste bought a copy of Grace by Jeff Buckley. Stunning album. And boy does that Rega know how to drive the B&W speakers. They just came to life with lovely bass and perfect detail.

The Rega amp is superb; I loved my Brio R that I paired with my Rega Apollo (original clamshell lid one) a few years back; had that paired with B&W CM5s and then Neat Motive 2s and it was a belting system

[macp]

Cheers Dan
Could not resist and found a near mint Arcam CD73 player. Flippin lovely thing