Favourite speakers under INR 20k

[unleash_me]

he he, but Ali at ARN Systems tells me that they've extensively compared the two and much prefer the Ushers, which is one of the reasons why the Usher is on demo and the BR2 is not (whereas other speakers from the BR range are).

If only we could blindly trust the sales guys....

 

[psychotropic]

he he, Ali's a good guy, have interacted with him a couple of times and found him to very pleasant and surprisingly devoid of bullshit. But ya, I am not going to take anyone's word for it, I am going to listen to both and decide.

Here's an interesting thread on another forum. Usher S520 or Monitor Audio Bronze 2 or AE Evo 1?

They start off comparing the Usher, the BR2 and the AE Evo 1, and the BR2 and the AE sort of drop out of the discussion ....again....i am not letting this "sway" me.

There is also the comparison test in Hi Fi World where the Ushers beat speakers including the Quad 11L2, B&W 685s and so on.....

If only we could blindly trust the sales guys....

 

[magma]

thanks for that magma. I am sorry to bother you all again, but one more contender has raised is head here. The ELAC BS-53 ...Sumaria's selling them for 19,200, some of the reviews I can find seem to rate them pretty well. Has ANYONE heard them?

phycho
ive heard them
umm lets say its safe to say if the ushers 520 and MA BR2 and Epos are in your list youve covered most music styles ( laid back, lively,bright warm etc etc)
you dont need to consider the Elacs
i think the Ushers and MA's would more or less be better than the Elac depending on your listening tastes

 

[unleash_me]

he he, Ali's a good guy, have interacted with him a couple of times and found him to very pleasant and surprisingly devoid of bullshit. But ya, I am not going to take anyone's word for it, I am going to listen to both and decide.

I'm sure you know I was not taking a personal dig on Ali That was a rather general impression people tend to have generated against sales folks!

Cheers.

 

[psychotropic]

hey magma, that's very useful. How would you describe the sound of the Elac though? in what way did you find them lagging behind the BR2 for instance? And also it has the largest woofer and largest cabinet volume among all the speakers I am looking at, does that result in better bass? or is it just bigger bass?

phycho
ive heard them
umm lets say its safe to say if the ushers 520 and MA BR2 and Epos are in your list youve covered most music styles ( laid back, lively,bright warm etc etc)
you dont need to consider the Elacs
i think the Ushers and MA's would more or less be better than the Elac depending on your listening tastes

 

[Rem]

he he, but Ali at ARN Systems tells me that they've extensively compared the two and much prefer the Ushers, which is one of the reasons why the Usher is on demo and the BR2 is not (whereas other speakers from the BR range are).

On the contrary psycho they have BR2 for demo as well as the Dali make sure you audition the BR2 with your Amp.

I liked the Usher S520 a lot(but I heard it with a very costly amp & source) and I have not heard the BR2 but by looking at it itself the MA seemed to have superb build quality the Ushers though looks completely different it seems to have more plastics and looks more like a toy (not the wood finish one but the other colors) but once you start playing it its a completely different story.

Psycho when you audition do have an open mind and audition both the speakers with the same source,amp,cables and music as much as possible.

Peoples opinions should not cloud your mind at all. Look only for what you really want from the speakers.

Ali is a very nice guy and he would give his opinion if you ask for it but it is for us to decide what we want and which speakers qualities we liked the most.


Waiting for an audition of the BR2 and Dali myself will let you know if I liked it or not if and when that happens.

 

[psychotropic]

thanks for that Rem. Like I said, I am not going to let anyone else's views influence my decision, but i am using other people's views and reviews to make the shortlist and now it's down to three speakers. Let's see how it goes from here.

On the contrary psycho they have BR2 for demo as well as the Dali make sure you audition the BR2 with your Amp.

I liked the Usher S520 a lot(but I heard it with a very costly amp & source) and I have not heard the BR2 but by looking at it itself the MA seemed to have superb build quality the Ushers though looks completely different it seems to have more plastics and looks more like a toy (not the wood finish one but the other colors) but once you start playing it its a completely different story.

Psycho when you audition do have an open mind and audition both the speakers with the same source,amp,cables and music as much as possible.

Peoples opinions should not cloud your mind at all. Look only for what you really want from the speakers.

Ali is a very nice guy and he would give his opinion if you ask for it but it is for us to decide what we want and which speakers qualities we liked the most.


Waiting for an audition of the BR2 and Dali myself will let you know if I liked it or not if and when that happens.

 

[alladinkachirag]

....but i am using other people's views and reviews to make the shortlist and now it's down to three speakers....

And I am closely watching this thread and waiting for you to audition your shortlisted ones...so that I can shortlist based upon your experience!!

 

[Rem]

And I am closely watching this thread and waiting for you to audition your shortlisted ones...so that I can shortlist based upon your experience!!

Alladin infact its easier for you to audition these since ur in Bangalore

ARN is right here in Frazer Town (Monitor Audio, Usher, Dali & Audio Engine)

Epos is sold by someone in Indra Nagar

Tannoy is there in Vasanth Nagar & Jaya Nagar

Wharfedale is there near Brigade Rd

Absolute Phase is there in Cubbon Park

Accept for PSB all the other brands in this budget is covered in the above list.

 

[magma]

the Elac is warmer than the MA.however its vocals are totally different from a PSB or a EPOS.
lets say PSB and EPOS gives a more live feel then the ELAC
the Elac on the outher hand does seem to play louder and lower than the PSB,EPOS

the Elac didnt rock my boat
but its not fair to say that completely sincei auditioned with a receiver and not an int amp

ive not heard the ushers so i cant compare there

 

[alladinkachirag]

...Wharfedale is there near Brigade Rd..

Yup..I auditioned 9.1, 9.2 and 9.5 there. The store is Vector something...

ARN is right here in Frazer Town (Monitor Audio, Usher, Dali & Audio Engine)

Will visit them when my wife gives me a go-ahead.

Tannoy is there in Vasanth Nagar & Jaya Nagar

Tannoy is also sold by AV Integration..at CMH road. The store is near the CMH signal, just after GoldMine and top of Blush (clothing store)...They told me they will call me, but I never received any.

 

[Rem]

Checked the website of the one in CMH rd I dont see any other audio equipments with them so dont know what amp they are gonna play the Tannoys on.

The Jayanagar(3rd Block above bata showroom) one has Mission as well and they got Marantz cdp & amp with them

Vasanth Ngr one has Musical Fidelity Amp & CDP to play with the Tannoys dont know whether they have anythg else.

 

[psychotropic]

I have never received a promised "call back" from any hi fi dealer apart from Raghu (Decibel, Chennai), and here have been MANY who have made such a promise

YThey told me they will call me, but I never received any.

 

[thevortex]

hey vortex, thank you for those tips, but i've heard equally convincing arguments to the contrary (actually i've heard all combination of which is most important between source, amp and speakers) from equally respected people so being a newbie, and being unable to place one view over another..... i just decided to go with the flow, so the NAD C320BEE is fixed because a used one came up for 10k.

My shortlist of speakers is now down to a few (in order of my preference based on reviews alone and not auditions)

1) Usher S520
2) Monitor Audio Bronze BR2
3) Epos ELS8 (heard and liked but 3rd now because i am hoping i'll like the other two better )

I am also going to listen to the Paradigm Atom, Dali Lektor 1 and Wharfedale 9.2, but am not expecting to prefer any of them over my top 3, but i'll go with an open mind. I will also try and see if i can listen to the Elac. The Energy CB20 is unfortunately not available for audition for love or money.

My gut tells me I'll end up buying the Ushers, let's see

Sounds familiar, psycho (different people, different thoughts on the same matter)! No problem. If you have the belief and the conviction to trust yourself and do one more difficult thing - throw out all presuppositions while auditioning, then I am sure you are going to end up with much satisfaction with the money spent.

Also do try to play whatever you like instead of what is available. And what happened to the PSB's? They are not in the shortlist right now?

 

[thevortex]

the Elac is warmer than the MA.however its vocals are totally different from a PSB or a EPOS.
lets say PSB and EPOS gives a more live feel then the ELAC
the Elac on the outher hand does seem to play louder and lower than the PSB,EPOS

the Elac didnt rock my boat
but its not fair to say that completely sincei auditioned with a receiver and not an int amp

ive not heard the ushers so i cant compare there

Actually there is a huge difference between even the PSB and the EPOS when it comes to handling vocals. The EPOS is hands down better - in terms of being more natural. The PSBs are slightly forward speakers and work pretty well themselves. Its just that when I hear the vocals seeping out of the EPOS I tend to prefer the effortlessness and smoothness which is present. But these two are among the top when it comes to the human voice - insofar as I have heard

I really have to go listen to the Ushers!

 

[Rem]

Thevo wats ur opinion abt the MA's have you heard them how do they fare against the Epos & PSB

did you listen to the ELS or the Epos 12.2

 

[Garrard]

I recently evaluated a pair of JBL TLX-320's manufactured in Denmark. They were matched with a Carver HR-752 stereo amp. and I was blown away with their performance.

I usually listen to a lot of jazz and progressive rock and these speakers handled them well. The soundstage was pretty impressive for my untrained ear . I than listened to some Beethoven and I fell in love with the speakers - it was pretty amazing how well it handled the lows.

Now, am planning on matching them with a Denon 1907 as am looking at setting up a HT system eventually.

Will the Denon do justice to these speakers? Should I go for a more powerful stereo amp (The Carver's available too)

JBL Tlx-320
Column 3-way bass reflex

Bandwidth: 50 Hz - 20 kHz Bandwidth: 50 Hz - 20 kHz
Power Handling: 100 W Power Handling: 100 W
Impedance: 4 Ohms Impedance: 4 Ohms
Yield: Yield 91 dB: 91 dB

Dimensions (WxHxD): 22.6 x 86.3 x 26 cm Dimensions (WxHxD): 22.6 x 86.3 x 26 cm
Weight: 14 kg Weight: 14 kg

Thanks in advance!

 

[psychotropic]

have a look at the bass module for the S520 to be introduced by Usher.

Gallery

Here's one more point in favour of the Ushers, an upgrade path, i wonder if there are any other bookshelves in the world that can claim this!

 

[heliumflight]

have a look at the bass module for the S520 to be introduced by Usher.

Gallery

Here's one more point in favour of the Ushers, an upgrade path, i wonder if there are any other bookshelves in the world that can claim this!

They are big... Awesome !

Would there be 2 subs or just 1

 

[psychotropic]

they would be a pair of bass modules, one for each speaker, essentially it'll transform the bookshel S520s into floorstanders. Of course this hasn't been officially released and there are no reviews available, but considering it's coming from Usher, the general expectation is that it will rock.

They are big... Awesome !

Would there be 2 subs or just 1