Budget Speakers Auditioned-A noobs Take

Hi Magma nice review. Funny part is the Tannoys are cheaper than the 9.1's by almost 30% everywhere else.

Mini system speakers at Superfi Online - http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/category.cfm/Category/328

yep i know about superfi.
fo you know of any reliable sites to buy from in the UK?
is superfi reliable?

but the problem is INDIA , particualrly mumbai
18k is robbery!
can someone get these cheper in other cities. ( however please do find out current price the 2008 price list)
 
Hi Magma nice review. Funny part is the Tannoys are cheaper than the 9.1's by almost 30% everywhere else.

Mini system speakers at Superfi Online - http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/category.cfm/Category/328

Yep - I had originally shortlisted Tannys based on price and reviews, but when I heard the dealer quote, I mentally told him to go take a walk in the park :D I did not like the F1s in my NAD<>F1 paired audition anyways.

PS: Somebody posted a price of 13.5K in the forum last week. Pls double check.

Cheers
 
Hey! magama good reviews again. Completly agree about matching components. Cables is also one of them i hope you are taking note of the cables being used.

I checked with my dealer friend who deals in tannoy & the F1's Mrp is 18k with b&w.

All the best
Cheers
 
yep 18k is what im hearing now.

i think i should add a statement to my review then.

"At 18k i think the MA BR2 and the PSB image B15 seems to have better internal builds .. better cone materials etc and hence are more serious contenders for this budget"

hey gobble what did you end up buying?>
 
Last edited:
yep 18k is what im hearing now.

i think i should add a statement to my review then.

"At 18k i think the MA BR2 and the PSB image B15 seems to have better internal builds .. better cone materials etc and hence are more serious contenders for this budget"

hey gobble what did you end up buying?>

Wharfedale diamond 9.2s . :)

Cheers
 
Hi Ali,
Glad to see u exploring all available options.
What in your opinion is the best budget speaker and amp u have heard? U are no longer a noob( probably was not one in the first place as u are exposed to tons of ICE) and hence can suggest the best speaker, best amp and best combo to your ears.
Have been listening to tons of tube amps all of last week and the sound will definately appeal to u. Unfortunately there are no tube amps in that budget and they would require more attention than ur average SS.
Please dont go buy any cables as the prices i have been hearing are shocking. Spend all of ur budget on the electronics.
Will have some basic cables for u to start up with or we can look at some used stuff thats floating around.
Rgds
 
Dinyaar,
How about Jolida 1701 - Have you listened to it anytime.
I think this can be got for 30k. Not too far from the SS prices.
 
here are some more reviews i promised to post

NEXT

CDP : NAD 525
AMP : NAD 325 BEE
SPEAKER : warfedale 9.5 ( mrp gone up to 28k )


my first floorstander review!

Build : the build was good . nice and heavy. tereminals were better than the
9.1's buy a large margin.However the drivers look a littele dull

My take. : this speaker is far more involving than the 9.1;s Yes ofcourse
its go more bass owing to that extra driver ( and being a floorstander
ofcourse) , however i would still advice my top three bookshelves (only due to the VFM reason)over this one unless youve got a large room and need the
floorstander or your music demands more bass.
its not too far behind a tannoy in the mids dept





NEXT

CDP : CA was it 500 series
AMP : denon PMA 500
SPEAKER : MS avant 904i (20k)

Now this was a dark horse. i didnt expect much since i had heard of denon
being laid back and also Ms 902 being a let down i didnt expect much from
its older brother ( same drivers diff crossover-salesman said)

However surprise surprise!!

here was a winner in budget floorstander in my view and that too with a 5
inch driver and a single tweeter!

Build quality : once again an MS product and it didnt fail to impress with
the build. Nice wood and lovely spike feet.terminlas bi wirable and large
and strong

My take: the first thing that struck me was the bass. it was powerful,
better than the jamo s 606! but how could this be, a jamo has a 8 inch woofer
this has a piddly 5-6 inch midbass driver!
maybe it was the denon. i dunno ? i just liked it.
yes it was a tad (a very small tad)boomy but so what it was involving and could fill a mid sized room easily

the denon amp was driving it at 9 o clock that too a small 40 rms amp!
the highs were on my boderline of getting bright ( im im too laid back i
cant stand any ting) but good compared to even a MA BR2
for the price i found this floorstander most VFM.
and i will consider it myself

however listening conditions were not ideal. i was too close to the speaker
(4.5 feet) andthe speakers were also close together( only 3 feet) and this
may be why i felt what i felt.
this needs to be auditioned again correctly!
all in all -I LIKE.
 
NEXT

CDP : marantz Blue ray player
AMP : Denon PMa 500
SPEAKER : Jamo C series 405 (price 29k)
(this is not the 406 S series speaker towers that you get with the HT package! this a
higher series and sold 2.0)

Build quality : well this was far supereior to the S606.
i think the c series is higher than the S and more expensive too ( jamo 606
only at 23k)
the shape was good and wood was excellent . reminded me of klipch.terminlas were lovely and a large rear port.
the speaker has a midrange 5-6inch and a basswoofer 5-6 inch with the
mandatory tweeter fcourse.

My take
sounded a lot better than the famed 606 i must say. the vocals were more
defined and the bass was tighter than the MS 904.
this speaker had the widest sounstage ive ever heard! it was a live performance for me in that respect.
the highs were rolled of just the way i like it

i think i liked it better
than the warfedale 9.5 and i would easily advice this over the 9.5 diamond.
i would consider this if my budget would allow it.
 
DENON amps

Since i had a brief experience woth denon here and a little at Pro Fx when i auditioned Kef and polk i thought i should give me take on denon amps

i must say that these amps were the dark horses and a underrated.
i found these to be good performers .


i have heard about denon a lot on this forum. many people write it off when
compared to a CA 540 even a 640.others call it no match against a marantz or a Yamaha.However you should know Denon amps sound very diferent from their
AVR' cousins
its like night and day. the same cannot be said for yamaha or onkyo strictly in that price range

in my book its right up there with a NAd!(well if not right up there ,maybe
close)
If people find NAD as being cloudy well i can say denon clears up a little of those clouds, however thats at the cost of some nice NAD flavour too.
Denon has it own flavour and it not bad either.

so i recommend -if you dont like the NAD please do hear a denon.

yes it looks dry and build quality seems(only seems!) a bit flimsy but the
sound is full and provides sufficient bass.
For the price of the Denon 500 i think it easily wins versus any Cambridge
or, yamaha or onkyo


it is aslo a very underrated amp INMO. it played almost all speaker at 9 or
10 o clock including floorstanders!

now i have two amps on my list a denon and a NAD. ( the former does seems
enticing due to its price!)
 
Hi Ali,
Glad to see u exploring all available options.
What in your opinion is the best budget speaker and amp u have heard? U are no longer a noob( probably was not one in the first place as u are exposed to tons of ICE) and hence can suggest the best speaker, best amp and best combo to your ears.
Have been listening to tons of tube amps all of last week and the sound will definately appeal to u. Unfortunately there are no tube amps in that budget and they would require more attention than ur average SS.
Please dont go buy any cables as the prices i have been hearing are shocking. Spend all of ur budget on the electronics.
Will have some basic cables for u to start up with or we can look at some used stuff thats floating around.
Rgds


hello dinyaar.
i think i need to call on you soon

check my dilemma :(

http://www.hifivision.com/what-shou...ed-requirement-audio-stereo-music-only-8.html

Post no 76

Anyway
Best budget amps ive heard are the NAD 325 and the denon PMA 500
The denon might give more bang for the buck and may seem more VFM since its price is considerably lower than the NAD

Best Budget speaker ive heard ( under 20k)
were the four ive liked

the PSB Image B15
Ma BR2
MS 904i
and the Tannoy F1 custom.

Best budget speaker ( under 15k)
Tannoy F1 ( well only if youre really good at bargaining or live in delhi,MRP is 18k)

best speaker for 10k - none other than the wafedale 9.1

about the tube amps
i was offered this for 25k and theres scope for bargaingin!
its a demo piece
Cayin MT-35 Integrated Tube Amplifier
 
Hi magma,

Nice reviews. Just wanted to clarify one thing - while auditioning the CA+MS combo, which CDp did you use - NAD or a matching CA?
 
Hi magma,

Nice reviews. Just wanted to clarify one thing - while auditioning the CA+MS combo, which CDp did you use - NAD or a matching CA?

the MS902 were done with cdp NAd, amp CA then swithed to NAD amp
the MS904 were cdp CA,amp denon
 
NEXT

CDP : marantz Blue ray player
AMP : Denon PMa 500
SPEAKER : Jamo C series 405 (price 29k)
(this is not the 406 S series speaker towers that you get with the HT package! this a
higher series and sold 2.0)

Build quality : well this was far supereior to the S606.
i think the c series is higher than the S and more expensive too ( jamo 606
only at 23k)
the shape was good and wood was excellent . reminded me of klipch.terminlas were lovely and a large rear port.
the speaker has a midrange 5-6inch and a basswoofer 5-6 inch with the
mandatory tweeter fcourse.

My take
sounded a lot better than the famed 606 i must say. the vocals were more
defined and the bass was tighter than the MS 904.
this speaker had the widest sounstage ive ever heard! it was a live performance for me in that respect.
the highs were rolled of just the way i like it

i think i liked it better
than the warfedale 9.5 and i would easily advice this over the 9.5 diamond.
i would consider this if my budget would allow it.

If you like the Jamo sound, see if you can find a preowned/demo E750/E825/E855/D570/D590. These are far far better than their current offerings and since they are phased out, you might get them for cheap. The newer made in china CXXX series speakers are no way comparable to these made in denmark beauties.
 
the MS902 were done with cdp NAd, amp CA then swithed to NAD amp
the MS904 were cdp CA,amp denon

That's what i thought. This time just try, if you can, a complete CA combo with MS, i.e., CA CDp + CA amp + MS.

As you might notice that you didn't like a CA + NAD, so you switched to a complete NAD combo. But you didn't try the CA combo. It might be that the synergy between CA & NAD is not that good. The popular opinion is that CA + MS is a good combo (you might like the NAD + CA combo better) & therefore trying a complete CA combo with MS might give a better idea.

Also, i totally agree with you that the synergy between the Speaker & the Amp is extremely important. But personally i feel that the Amp + CDp combo is also equally critical (completely my opinion but the experts here would be able to advice you better).

The MS 904i are very nice speakers. But being a budget floorstander speaker they do suffer from some cabinet resonance. So you would need to put carpet underneath it. As most demo rooms are fully carpeted, this problem does come into picture that easily. But not all of us get complete carpeting done in our room. Although if you are getting it done then problem solved :) These are good value for money speakers.

In the end, keep up the good work. i guess everyone is enjoying your honest reviews (including me :)). Thank you.
 
Hi Ali,
Sure call whenever.

I dont know if i told u or was it Madjack about denon PMA 700 that my brother in law made me bring down. He has paired it with a KEF IQ 3 and he loves the sound. Its well built for sure, cost me 18K(direct conversion from UK price), and is made in japan!!!!!!!!!! I tried to convince him to look at a Marantz as that too was similar in pricing but he insisted on the Denon.

I prefer something a little more detailed to a Nad but if the Nad sound appeals to u, then go for it. I truly thought the PSB I 15 sounded very good with the Nad combo but to my ears so did the MA. Minor fine tuning can be done with cabling but we wont go down that road yet.

I will be getting a friends Cayin A 88T & Prima Luna 2 to use for a while. Maybe u could come over and hear the set up and judge for yourself. Both these amps should be much costlier though and i dont know if they are available locally.

Gopi i have not heard the Jolida so have no opinion but anyway Ali does not want to dish out 30K for an amp. Is it a hybrid? Tube experts here will be able to rate the jolida.

Ali from all the brands of speakers u auditioned i personally would go with a MA or a PSB and budget amps anything but a CA. This is just an opinion.

Rgds
 
Hi Magma,

Is it possible for you to take a review request?

Can you review the Usher S520 bookshelves if they are available in your vicinity? They seems to be around the 20K range. They were highly rated by HiFi World over 7 other bookshelves. (Reference: Bookshelves comparison)

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Prasad.
 
Last edited:
Magma - I must say that I am surprised with your recent reviews. While conceding the fact that individual experiences will be different owing to differing preferences, I feel that speaker characteristics such as bass response may not change much.

The MS904i is not even a patch on the Wharfedale Diamond 9.5's bass response. When the Wharfedale SW150 subwoofer is paired with the 9.5s you almost get the feeling that the subwoofer is not upto the floorstanders' bass response! About the MS tweeter, yes if you are a fan of very forward biased tweeters, these could be it. However I suggest you listen to the voices of, say, Lata Mangeshkar or Chitra on the MS and let us know if you think they are still speakers that you can listen to in the long term. Or you could even try some violins.

Lastly the Jamo Concert series are in fact in a different class of speakers from what we have been discussing in this thread for the most part. The C405 is a midsize floorstander of amazing clarity with a lovely midrange. However I distinctly remember being quoted 40K for this speaker. If it is indeed 29K as you say, this should be a slam dunk! This is a far better speaker than the others you would get for around 30K. It may not have as much bass response as the 9.5 but it does most other things very very well. Especially the midrange.

As for the Denon integrated amp, my complaints lie in the area of clarity and details. A comparatively priced Marantz or CA amp sounds better any day. The Denon's strength though is bass. It brings out bass better than the other two amps.

As for your final choice I would still choose the BR2 if I were you. The B15, while it can be used as a front speaker, is mostly used as a surround speaker. I also am surprised that you have not auditioned the Alpha B1 till now. They are well within your price range and have a lot of good things to offer. What you sacrifice with the bass in BR2 (which is not much, really) you get back in the midrange. The PSB may be a tad more sensitive which explains the movie sound effects you talk about, but the BR2s are no slouch. For vocals I would still prefer the PSB - they have a slight forward bias for voice that I have come to love, but instead of the Image B15, I would look at the Alpha B1 to see if it satisfies you. If not, the B15 can come into the picture. The BR2 is an untiring speaker. I have listened to a Marantz - BR2 combo and it is very satisfying. It may not be the most immediately impressive combination but it is certainly good for long term listening.

It is also important to finalize on the amp at this stage. Your preference about the amp may help narrow down the speaker choice as well. Hope this helps.
 
Ali from all the brands of speakers u auditioned i personally would go with a MA or a PSB and budget amps anything but a CA. This is just an opinion.

Rgds


dinyaar:

I have noticed that in a lot of your posts, you haven't given too much regards to the CA amps. Just wanted to know if you have any particular reason for which you don't like CA? I am yet to buy my system, so your valuable opinion will definitely help.

Thank you.
 
Get the Wharfedale EVO 4.2 3-Way Standmount Speakers at a Special Offer Price.
Back
Top