Floorstanders or Bookshelves!Advice required

ash147

Active Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2009
Messages
161
Points
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Location
mumbai india
Hi All
Joining & going thru the contents of this forum has been an exhilarating experience for me.With so many musically inclinded brains around getting advice has been a cake walk.I thank all of you who have chipped in to my earlier query.I would like u to suggest me whether I shud go in for floor standers or with book shelves as I would like my speakers to be future proof for at least 5-6 years.Last few days I have been quietly reading thru various threads in this forum and getting slightly confused abt floorstanders or book shelves.I have got enriched with lot of speaker names as Wharfedale,PSB,Mission etc.I got smitten by Mission M34i / Mission M35i floorstanders while reading the threads.Any idea about their cost in Mumbai?Should I go in for floorstanders ?

I have an HTiB with below configuration :

Onkyo HT-SR600

AV Receiver (HT-R340)
100 W/channel into 6 ohms (FTC)
100 W/channel into 6 ohms (DIN)
120 W/channel into 6 ohms (JEITA)
192 kHz/24-bit D/A converters
Adjustable crossover (40/50/60/80/100/120/150/
200 Hz)

SKF-350F L/R 2-Way Front Speakers
3-1/4" (8 cm) cone woofer
3/4" (2 cm) ceramic tweeter
6-ohm impedance
SKC-350C 2-Way Center Speaker
3-1/4" (8 cm) cone woofer
3/4" (2 cm) ceramic tweeter
6-ohm impedance
SKM-350S L/R Surround Speakers
3-1/4" (8 cm) cone full-range speaker
6-ohm impedance

SKW-350 Bass Reflex Subwoofer
8" (20 cm) cone woofer
 
mission speakers are good. go for m35i. Misssion speakers costs lowest in Mumbai and that too in vijay sales.

between m34 and m35 in a budget anyday.

other choices can be wharfdale.

Overall i though suggest if you like music - keep you AVR and 5.1 system separate from 2 channel stereo system.:eek:hyeah: M34/35 + Nad 315/325 = great combo
 
If you have space & budget......floor standers!

2nd that.

You dint mention your budget. But in case you have just enough space to accommodate a FS, then try the MA BR5 or Kef IQ5. Both are excellent floorstanders with modest dimensions. Others that come to my mind are Diamond 9.5 and F4 Custom.

As for BS vs. FS speakers, heres my take on that.
http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/4143-feedback.html#post43880

Arrange an audition, preferably at home and decide for yourself.

Cheers.
 
I shud go in for floor standers or with book shelves as I would like my speakers to be future proof for at least 5-6 years.

??? Did anyone tell you that either of them don't last 5-6 years?

FS if you have a good budget and also room for them to breathe. Otherwise on a limited budget BS is better. But again what's your budget? Then appropriate suggestions can be made. Either way the problem is not going to be BS or FS, but the AVR you have. Music is not going to rock on it. Also, what's your source? If it's a CDP or a DVDP or a PC then you can consider Audioengine A5 too. At around 18-19K they are powered speakers so no need for an amp and yet sound very good. Otherwise you will need a stereo amp and good speakers upwards of 40-45K to even get the same or better output than the A5. My recommendation is leave the HTIB alone, it's decent for movies. For music go with A5 or an amp+speakers combo and keep it separate from the HTIB.
 
Hi!

First of all pls pardon me for the late reply.As am in office I have to attend various meetings along with accessing the internet during my free time.

Thanks to all of you who have replied.All the replies were valuable to me.You guys are awsome and simply rock.

Suprateep & Moserw : Your suggestion for a seperate 2 channel amp is excellent but as of now I cannot afford it.
size of room Height : 12 feet Width : 15 feet
I think placing of FS will not be an issue at all.
My budget is between Rs 12K to 17K.But absolutly not beyond Rs 20K.
Pls suggest which FS would be supported well with my AVR.The specs have already been mentioned.Just a few mins ago I read the thread Got the Wharfies by Srikarkav wherein he mentions that he is not able to get the right kind of output from his brand new Wharfedale 9.2 bookshelves which he connected with his Onkyo AVR.Reading the thread has made me think beyond BS towards FS.Can u pls address my concern and suggest me is it ok to go in for FS.Your suggestion will be Bible to me.
Thanks once again to all you who have chipped in to help me out.
 
The budget of 20K is for now or for a long time? Meaning will you be spending more later on and adding more components or is it going to be limited to this? If you can add/spend more later on then my recommendation is to go for good speakers in the budget (actually stretching the budget as much as you can) and yet keep the future in mind too and then later on down the line you can add a stereo amp. In such a scenario consider all options including the future and then plan and go ahead. But if you can upgrade later on then you can look at something like PSB Image B25 Monitor (over to Magma here since I've not heard them yet but 20K+ for sure), Wharfedale 9.5 (again 20K+), Tannoy F1 (around 17-18K), Monitor Audio BR2 to begin with. I'm sure others will chip in with their suggestions too. I've not heard the Missions either but they are popular on this forum too.

If 20K is the max and going to be for a while then do look at Audioengine A5. They are powered speakers and can be connected directly to the source like CDP or DVDP or even a PC and not via the Onkyo AVR. At that price performance wise they are just unbeatable and sound great for music.

Hi!

First of all pls pardon me for the late reply.As am in office I have to attend various meetings along with accessing the internet during my free time.

Thanks to all of you who have replied.All the replies were valuable to me.You guys are awsome and simply rock.

Suprateep & Moserw : Your suggestion for a seperate 2 channel amp is excellent but as of now I cannot afford it.
size of room Height : 12 feet Width : 15 feet
I think placing of FS will not be an issue at all.
My budget is between Rs 12K to 17K.But absolutly not beyond Rs 20K.
Pls suggest which FS would be supported well with my AVR.The specs have already been mentioned.Just a few mins ago I read the thread Got the Wharfies by Srikarkav wherein he mentions that he is not able to get the right kind of output from his brand new Wharfedale 9.2 bookshelves which he connected with his Onkyo AVR.Reading the thread has made me think beyond BS towards FS.Can u pls address my concern and suggest me is it ok to go in for FS.Your suggestion will be Bible to me.
Thanks once again to all you who have chipped in to help me out.
 
Hi!

First of all pls pardon me for the late reply.As am in office I have to attend various meetings along with accessing the internet during my free time.

Thanks to all of you who have replied.All the replies were valuable to me.You guys are awsome and simply rock.

Suprateep & Moserw : Your suggestion for a seperate 2 channel amp is excellent but as of now I cannot afford it.
size of room Height : 12 feet Width : 15 feet
I think placing of FS will not be an issue at all.
My budget is between Rs 12K to 17K.But absolutly not beyond Rs 20K.
Pls suggest which FS would be supported well with my AVR.The specs have already been mentioned.Just a few mins ago I read the thread Got the Wharfies by Srikarkav wherein he mentions that he is not able to get the right kind of output from his brand new Wharfedale 9.2 bookshelves which he connected with his Onkyo AVR.Reading the thread has made me think beyond BS towards FS.Can u pls address my concern and suggest me is it ok to go in for FS.Your suggestion will be Bible to me.
Thanks once again to all you who have chipped in to help me out.

a separate 2 channel amp like norge 2060 costs 7k and you can get a mission m34 for 17k and a m33 for 13k.

If you are not too keen on brands I warrant a listen with Norge amp + bookshelves - good value for money.

Now please understand a low cost (i consider onkyo 606 as low cost as well) AVR does not hold its ground against a budget stereo amp.

1. Please give us your priorities - % music and movies (you have to stand by it - i vought my AVR but these days i hear more music than movies - so in search of am stereo amp and lack of vitamin M is hurting). An AVR is good for movies (exception higher series of Marantz) and 2 channel amps better for music. VFM systems are NAD 315BEE and Norge 1000 & 2060.

2. Thumb rule - a bookshelf and a tower speaker in a similar price range would imply the better quality output of an bookshelf. A contradiction is mission - somehow its prices through vijay sales in mumbai is almost close to international prices. Tannoys are expensive here so are wharfdale (in us wharfs cost more). I like wharfs too because of their british lineage (nature of sound kinda laid back with good midrange)

3. If there are no plans to upgrade anytime in the future and you listen to music intermittently and no a-u-d-i-o-p-h-i-l-e - go with the mission m34 with your avr. Atleast you will have a decent setup with budget speakers. The m34s go well with NADs too.

4. Stick to your budget

5. Sound quality is dependent on equipment including source matching (60%), interconnects (15%), placement and room characteristics, damping etc (20%) and remaining 5% is luck. So while the Wharfs are laid back speakers they need a more aggressive amp to drive them - marantz is good for them for e.g. Try a Yamaha and m33/34 combo - you will know what harsh means. So combination is important - sometimes its not as easy to set up a component system - going and buying an integrated system is easier:yahoo:.
 
to the thread starter
if your budget is not to go above 20k and you wish to drive the speakrs off an AVR i would strongly recommend small bookshelves

your AVR will drive them well and the detail you will get out of these will be much better than floorstanders driven by your AVR
Actaully a floorstander would need at least a 45rms stereo int amp which in todays date will cost you above 20k

if you have no plans for a seperate stereo amp i would really advice you
PSB alpha B1
Tannoy F1 custom
Monitor Audio BR2

all these speakers are easy to drive and will sound lively even with an AVR
 
ash147 said,

'Just a few mins ago I read the thread Got the Wharfies by Srikarkav wherein he mentions that he is not able to get the right kind of output from his brand new Wharfedale 9.2 bookshelves which he connected with his Onkyo AVR '

Hi ash,
My Onkyo 3100 has the same AVR as yours. IF u are looking to upgrade ur music experience with FS and the Onkyo AVR just forget it. This AVR is not going to give quality stereo sound with ANY speakers in 100 years. You dont have to take my word for it. Ask moser who is the top poster here.

On the other hand to improve the sound stage of HT you can certainly go for a BS like the 9.2s or a Jamo FS at ur budget.If u have read my thread carefully my issues were with stereo sound quality from the AVR. I am really happy with the fatigue free HT sound from the wharfs. So i wont blame the 9.2s.
For stereo my Wharfs sound great with my old Marantz stereo amp.

Thats my two cents.

cheers,
sri
 
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Hi,

My Onkyo 3100 has the same AVR as yours. IF u are looking to upgrade ur music experience with FS and the Onkyo AVR just forget it. This AVR is not going to give quality stereo sound with ANY speakers in 100 years. You dont have to take my word for it. Ask moser who is the top poster here.

On the other hand to improve the sound stage of HT you can certainly go for a BS like the 9.2s or a Jamo FS at ur budget.If u have read my thread carefully my issues were with stereo sound quality from the AVR. I am really happy with the fatigue free HT sound from the wharfs. So i wont blame the 9.2s.
For stereo my Wharfs sound great with my old Marantz stereo amp.

Thats my two cents.

cheers,
sri

This also highlights need for proper auditioning. Do NOT hesitate to take your AVR to different showrooms and connect the speakers that you may have shortlisted and take a detailed demo.
 
to the thread starter
if your budget is not to go above 20k and you wish to drive the speakrs off an AVR i would strongly recommend small bookshelves

your AVR will drive them well and the detail you will get out of these will be much better than floorstanders driven by your AVR
Actaully a floorstander would need at least a 45rms stereo int amp which in todays date will cost you above 20k

if you have no plans for a seperate stereo amp i would really advice you
PSB alpha B1
Tannoy F1 custom
Monitor Audio BR2

all these speakers are easy to drive and will sound lively even with an AVR

I feel this is a good advice. Later if you plan to upgrade your AVR or want still better front speakers you can use these as your surrounds.

But take your AVR for demo.
 
ash147 said,

'Just a few mins ago I read the thread Got the Wharfies by Srikarkav wherein he mentions that he is not able to get the right kind of output from his brand new Wharfedale 9.2 bookshelves which he connected with his Onkyo AVR '

Hi ash,
My Onkyo 3100 has the same AVR as yours. IF u are looking to upgrade ur music experience with FS and the Onkyo AVR just forget it. This AVR is not going to give quality stereo sound with ANY speakers in 100 years. You dont have to take my word for it. Ask moser who is the top poster here.

On the other hand to improve the sound stage of HT you can certainly go for a BS like the 9.2s or a Jamo FS at ur budget.If u have read my thread carefully my issues were with stereo sound quality from the AVR. I am really happy with the fatigue free HT sound from the wharfs. So i wont blame the 9.2s.
For stereo my Wharfs sound great with my old Marantz stereo amp.

Thats my two cents.

cheers,
sri

Thanks for a very vaulable piece of advice.I take ur word sir.Till abt 10 mins back (until I read this) I was planning for a FS only.Now abruptly things have changed.Even Magma & Reju chipped in with some wonderful advice.Moser,I consider him a gem among all.Good that ur are njoying with ur new wharfedales.m sorry 4got 2 congratulate u on ur new purchase.CONGRATS and thanks once again for the lovely advice.
 
Hi ash,

You are absolutely welcome.After all we are all here in the forum to help each other.This place is a wonderful learning ground for our AV journey, full of some lovely guys always ready to help us novices.

I thank you mate for ur wishes on my 9.2s:)

All the best for u in your search for the speakers.:thumbsup:

cheers,
sri
 
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My thinking in this has come down to a simple equation. Below Rs. 50000 you are better off looking for a bookshelf rather than a floorstander. And sometimes even upto Rs. 1 Lakh the really good bookshelves hold their own - unless overpowering bass is what you are looking for.

Ultimately though it comes down to personal preference as in the music you enjoy. Sometimes this equation may work. But for some other music genres it might not. Please do audition extensively.
 
hello. Just a suggestion. If you are not in a hurry and have about 8-10k to spare, why dont you go diy way? I am trying open baffles at present and they are sounding very good , at least as good as jamo basic floor standers(cant remember the model . Sorry for that. at it had 2 mids and a tweet costing around 18k). Using yamaha rxv 361 to drive open baffles. It needs big drivers though. My final unit will have 1 15" woofer, 2 8" mids & 1 silk dome tweet. So it will be 4ft tall, 20" wide & 1 foot in depth. Big one. So you need good amount of space.
 
Want to get suggestions for Onkyo AVR-H 590 with 80 watts output
Ready referral ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414807641.150329.jpg

Please advice for bookshelf speakers
Budget-20k
Have a option to get from US thru my BIL
More of music
 
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