Which home speakers?
Discussion
Kef iQ1
Mordaunt Short 902i
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Those are the 3 I'm looking at, is there anything else I've missed at under £150 and able to stand mount? I've got Eltax Monitor 3s at the moment but I can't stand mount them and I don't like the look of them much (too black!). I was looking at Kef CF1 too but I've read some pretty poor reviews so have kind of ruled them out.
What do you guys think?
Mordaunt Short 902i
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Those are the 3 I'm looking at, is there anything else I've missed at under £150 and able to stand mount? I've got Eltax Monitor 3s at the moment but I can't stand mount them and I don't like the look of them much (too black!). I was looking at Kef CF1 too but I've read some pretty poor reviews so have kind of ruled them out.
What do you guys think?
jamiebae said:
Kef iQ1
Mordaunt Short 902i
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Those are the 3 I'm looking at, is there anything else I've missed at under £150 and able to stand mount? I've got Eltax Monitor 3s at the moment but I can't stand mount them and I don't like the look of them much (too black!). I was looking at Kef CF1 too but I've read some pretty poor reviews so have kind of ruled them out.
What do you guys think?
I think you should listen to them and buy the one you like the best.Mordaunt Short 902i
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Those are the 3 I'm looking at, is there anything else I've missed at under £150 and able to stand mount? I've got Eltax Monitor 3s at the moment but I can't stand mount them and I don't like the look of them much (too black!). I was looking at Kef CF1 too but I've read some pretty poor reviews so have kind of ruled them out.
What do you guys think?
Having said that, I didn't particularly like the KEF iQ5s that I heard whilst a previous version of the Wharfedale Diamonds (8.1 I think) sounded pretty good for the money. Not familiar with the MS. Your opinion/ears may differ.
They could be floorstanding but for my budget bookshelfs plus stands look a better bet. I'd rather not go 2nd hand and in an ideal world I'd like to go and buy them from Richer Sounds this evening because I'm impatient!
The rest of my kit is Cambridge Azur 640 CD deck and Azur 340 amp, a Tangent DAB 50 tuner and a Sony DVD recorder (model unknown) if that makes a difference. My living room is pretty small and as I'm in a flat which used to be a ashool and is over 150 years olf the soundproofing is poor so the system doesn't get played loud as I don't want to wake up and find out my neighbours have covered my Lotus in Nitromors.
The rest of my kit is Cambridge Azur 640 CD deck and Azur 340 amp, a Tangent DAB 50 tuner and a Sony DVD recorder (model unknown) if that makes a difference. My living room is pretty small and as I'm in a flat which used to be a ashool and is over 150 years olf the soundproofing is poor so the system doesn't get played loud as I don't want to wake up and find out my neighbours have covered my Lotus in Nitromors.
I would be tempted to stick with the Eltax monitor 3's - They will be very hard to improve on given your budget.
You could wall mount them?
they are a fantastic design (I have a pair in Beech) its just a shame the bass port is on the bottom as I would love to stand mount mine.
If you are committed to changing perhaps selling them to increase the budget would be the way to go - You see them selling for £50 on ebay etc, thus giving you £200 to play with.
You could wall mount them?
they are a fantastic design (I have a pair in Beech) its just a shame the bass port is on the bottom as I would love to stand mount mine.
If you are committed to changing perhaps selling them to increase the budget would be the way to go - You see them selling for £50 on ebay etc, thus giving you £200 to play with.
ok then i'd suggest keeping the eltax's and saving another £150 and buy some quad IIL's
buying second hand isn't that bad if you collect in person. i did so with the wharfedale's and the guy's house was immaculate, had some high end hifi and treat everything with kid gloves as he demo'd them for me. the fact there wasn't a mark anywhere on them and that he was so careful unpacking/repacking gave me confidence i'd gotten a true bargain, which after a year's listening i still agree with.
some second hand B&W DM60- series would be ideal. i would recommend upgrading your speakers above the level of your current set-up, so when you upgrade the amp etc. you won't find them lacking.
buying second hand isn't that bad if you collect in person. i did so with the wharfedale's and the guy's house was immaculate, had some high end hifi and treat everything with kid gloves as he demo'd them for me. the fact there wasn't a mark anywhere on them and that he was so careful unpacking/repacking gave me confidence i'd gotten a true bargain, which after a year's listening i still agree with.
some second hand B&W DM60- series would be ideal. i would recommend upgrading your speakers above the level of your current set-up, so when you upgrade the amp etc. you won't find them lacking.
shirt said:
ok then i'd suggest keeping the eltax's and saving another £150 and buy some quad IIL's
buying second hand isn't that bad if you collect in person. i did so with the wharfedale's and the guy's house was immaculate, had some high end hifi and treat everything with kid gloves as he demo'd them for me. the fact there wasn't a mark anywhere on them and that he was so careful unpacking/repacking gave me confidence i'd gotten a true bargain, which after a year's listening i still agree with.
some second hand B&W DM60- series would be ideal. i would recommend upgrading your speakers above the level of your current set-up, so when you upgrade the amp etc. you won't find them lacking.
I can't keep the Eltaxs - one is currently on the floor, the other is on a bookshelf and they sound rubbish like that. I've looked for 2nd hand stuff but haven't found anything that takes my fancy while remaining in budget and is near enough to collect.buying second hand isn't that bad if you collect in person. i did so with the wharfedale's and the guy's house was immaculate, had some high end hifi and treat everything with kid gloves as he demo'd them for me. the fact there wasn't a mark anywhere on them and that he was so careful unpacking/repacking gave me confidence i'd gotten a true bargain, which after a year's listening i still agree with.
some second hand B&W DM60- series would be ideal. i would recommend upgrading your speakers above the level of your current set-up, so when you upgrade the amp etc. you won't find them lacking.
10 Pence Short said:
wadgebeast said:
Prepare for the mods to move this one!
I've got the wharfedales and they're pretty decent if you bi-wire them. Got them for £100.
I don't mean to be argumentative, but bi-wiring that kind of kit will make all of sod all difference.I've got the wharfedales and they're pretty decent if you bi-wire them. Got them for £100.
Waste of four strands of cable.
Better off spending it on decent two strand cable. Failing that, take it down the bookies.
If you MUST buy new in that price range its probably got to be the Wharfedales.
Its a shame there are no stands out there suitable for the Eltax as they are a little gem, so only really suitable for people like myself who have them mounted on a nice solid surface - I have mine in the dining room and managed to find a sideboard just wide enough / high enough to place the speakers in a perfect position in relation to the room
Its a shame there are no stands out there suitable for the Eltax as they are a little gem, so only really suitable for people like myself who have them mounted on a nice solid surface - I have mine in the dining room and managed to find a sideboard just wide enough / high enough to place the speakers in a perfect position in relation to the room
Looked, listened and went for the Kefs
I didn't get a chance to look at the Wharfedales unfortunately but here are some brief opinions on the other stuff.
Looked at some Tannoy ones (What Hifi 5* review) but the finish on them was so utterly dire I didn't even bother listening because there was no way I'd have them in the house.
On listening the MS ones were noticably brighter than the Kefs, but had less bass. In the end I slightly prefered the sound of the Kefs but really it was the aesthetics that won me over, which I guess makes me a tart really!
Very happy with my choice now, even before they've been run in properly they sound a lot better than the Eltax I was using before did.
Thanks for all the help
I didn't get a chance to look at the Wharfedales unfortunately but here are some brief opinions on the other stuff.
Looked at some Tannoy ones (What Hifi 5* review) but the finish on them was so utterly dire I didn't even bother listening because there was no way I'd have them in the house.
On listening the MS ones were noticably brighter than the Kefs, but had less bass. In the end I slightly prefered the sound of the Kefs but really it was the aesthetics that won me over, which I guess makes me a tart really!
Very happy with my choice now, even before they've been run in properly they sound a lot better than the Eltax I was using before did.
Thanks for all the help
Why do modern speakers sound sound `thin` for want of a better word?
I bought some new speakers for my hi-fi seperates system just so they would match the decor a bit better and be slightly smaller than the old ones I had.
I Spoke to a few hi-fi mad mates,read a few what? guides in mags and online all recommending different stuff.
I went and listened to some of the suggested speakers.
The wharfdale sounded good for the money,I had got fed up by now also.(Verylow shopping/boredom threshold)
I bought some online but after a few weeks I returned to the Celestion counties I have had for twenty years they make a much more natural sound,
They are just old fashioned to look at in dark brown wood,atleast it`s real wood.
I bought some new speakers for my hi-fi seperates system just so they would match the decor a bit better and be slightly smaller than the old ones I had.
I Spoke to a few hi-fi mad mates,read a few what? guides in mags and online all recommending different stuff.
I went and listened to some of the suggested speakers.
The wharfdale sounded good for the money,I had got fed up by now also.(Verylow shopping/boredom threshold)
I bought some online but after a few weeks I returned to the Celestion counties I have had for twenty years they make a much more natural sound,
They are just old fashioned to look at in dark brown wood,atleast it`s real wood.
Edited by dickkark on Friday 23 January 18:55
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