Good Floorstanders

[MANOJ TOPPO]

Dear friends,

I joined the forum a year back and have been reading the posts regularly and have come to understand that the music is best delivered by amplifiers
and the speaker set ups.

We are a small family and everyone has different taste for music. I am into popular western music (Rock, R&B etc) and Indian Bollywood classics, my
wife is into Bollywood and Regional (southern) Classics, my daughter is into current Bollywood songs and also western music. My father is mostly
into bhajans. As of now the living room is 20 x 10 but we are in a transferable job so hop places every few years and living room sizes vary. But please consider the hall size as regular one in any urban Indian city. I have a budget of up to 70K and I am looking for a pure music system (quality of the sound is more important) though if possible I will also would want to connect TV outputs to enjoy better sound from TV as well (though it is not a priority). I am looking to build the system in steps.

This is what I have in mind.

Source = I have a Sony DVD player which I want to use for the time being.

And want to add DNM A-777 (because it has FM tuner and USB port and see it as VFM to begin with at the moment) the price I understand is around 15K.

Later, may be a year down the line, I would want to go in for a quality source player + an integrated amplifier either Cambridge Audio Azur 651 A or
Marantz PM6005 (as it has inbuilt DAC) ..the price I understand is around 40K.

+

However, I want to go in for some quality floor standers to go with the DNM A777 now and later would want to use the same pair with CA 651 A or Marantz PM6005. I am willing to spend 40-50K on the speakers. I seek views from the brethren on the forum on the strategy above and also request to help me select the speakers. The ones I have in mind as of now are Mordaunt Short Aviano 6 ....or..... BA A360 or...... Wharfedale 10.4.......I have only auditioned BA with Marantz 6005 at MZ, Bandra. I did visit 'The Shop' at Andheri, however they did not have any of these and the ones they had are way beyond my budget.

Further, would I need to add subwoofers to the above set up? If so, please suggest if it can be added laterand also suggest some decent SW within
15-25K to go with the components above.

Warm regards

 

[grunthos]

Under 50k floorstanders are a small set
The best among the ones available in Mumbai should be Dali Zensor 5 and Tannoy Mercury V4i
Dali is carried by Avenue Sound (Boomerang) in Borivali and The Den in Worli
Tannoy used to be by Alliance Sound in Goregaon but please check once again (I never quite managed a demo myself)
(I posted my experiences of buying speakers on the forum at http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/50470-search-entry-level-floorstanders-dali-zensor-7-a.html)

Boston Acoustics A360 is a nice 'big' speaker with no major drawbacks, but it lacks that certain finesse I think

There is also Monitor Audio MR4 in sub 40k, but it falls far short of these three.
Same with Polk TSX440, in budget, but not as good the above 3
For more choices you have to go above 60k

I have one suggestion regarding DNM A777
Hifimart has the Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 FM/AM Stereo Receiver
It is a 85W x 2 amplifier, has FM tuner and 4 rear input ports and 1 MP3 aux input in the front
It has a subwoofer out in case you want to add one later
And most importantly, the brand Cambridge Audio is very well known for sound quality

At 23k I think it is worth the extra over DNM

 

[Falcon21]

mezzo 6 also 50k

 

[grunthos]

mezzo 6 also 50k

Online price for Mezzo 6 seems to be 80k

 

[afj]

theres a forum member (nikhil) who is selling a pair of excellent condition psb image floorstanders for within your budget. he is based in hyd though

 

[MANOJ TOPPO]

Under 50k floorstanders are a small set
The best among the ones available in Mumbai should be Dali Zensor 5 and Tannoy Mercury V4i
Dali is carried by Avenue Sound (Boomerang) in Borivali and The Den in Worli
Tannoy used to be by Alliance Sound in Goregaon but please check once again (I never quite managed a demo myself)
(I posted my experiences of buying speakers on the forum at http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/50470-search-entry-level-floorstanders-dali-zensor-7-a.html)

Boston Acoustics A360 is a nice 'big' speaker with no major drawbacks, but it lacks that certain finesse I think

There is also Monitor Audio MR4 in sub 40k, but it falls far short of these three.
Same with Polk TSX440, in budget, but not as good the above 3
For more choices you have to go above 60k

I have one suggestion regarding DNM A777
Hifimart has the Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 FM/AM Stereo Receiver
It is a 85W x 2 amplifier, has FM tuner and 4 rear input ports and 1 MP3 aux input in the front
It has a subwoofer out in case you want to add one later
And most importantly, the brand Cambridge Audio is very well known for sound quality

At 23k I think it is worth the extra over DNM

Dear grunthos,

Thank you so much for your response and I am grateful for your suggestion
too. However, I seek few more clarifications on your suggestion. In case I
choose to raise my budget and go in for the CA SR10 along with say also the
floorstanders of your choice i.e. Dali 5. Whats your take on it? Will it
pair well?

I also gather from your post on your speaker buying experience that you are
pretty happy with the bass produced by your Dali speakers, so I would want
to know if I can forgo the intended SW altogether and invest the money
saved in the Dalis now instead? Your call on it, please.



Further, I am not much of a technical guy and while checking out the
specifications for the Dalis, I noticed that it categorically mentions
Magnetic Shielding as No. Will it matter in any way? I intend to place
the speakers next to my LED which is on the wall and maximum distance I can
place them from the TV is 18 inches, both sides for space and also
aesthetic reasons. Please advise. Shall be extremely obliged.

 

[jkarthik]

Please contact our FM (Nikhil) selling PSB Image T5. Great sounding speakers for music and movies.

 

[hydra]

theres a forum member (nikhil) who is selling a pair of excellent condition psb image floorstanders for within your budget. he is based in hyd though

Please contact our FM (Nikhil) selling PSB Image T5. Great sounding speakers for music and movies.

Those are very good speakers, for a very good price. You're not likely to need a subwoofer anytime soon with these speakers. You will need a better amp, though.

 

[grunthos]

In case I choose to raise my budget and go in for the CA SR10 along with say also the floorstanders of your choice i.e. Dali 5. Whats your take on it? Will it pair well?

Honestly I do not know how the exact pairing of Cambridge Audio and Dali are going to sound
Think of it this way - to get great audio, both amplification and speakers have to be good. You are spending decent amount of money on getting good speakers. You should pay equal attention to the amplification. The DNM and Dali/Tannoy wouldnt have been an equal combination

Ideally you should pick up the amplifier first, then carry it to speaker showrooms and decide on whatever sounds the best.
On the whole Cambridge Audio are supposed to have warm sound - and so does Dali

I also gather from your post on your speaker buying experience that you are
pretty happy with the bass produced by your Dali speakers, so I would want
to know if I can forgo the intended SW altogether and invest the money
saved in the Dalis now instead? Your call on it, please.

The Dali Zensor 5s had tight bass, but not room shaking. The Zensor 7 with bigger drivers on the other hand can rattle things
I personally was very happy with Zensor 5 bass too
But our tastes (and apetite for bass) might be completely different.

Further, I am not much of a technical guy and while checking out the
specifications for the Dalis, I noticed that it categorically mentions
Magnetic Shielding as No. Will it matter in any way? I intend to place
the speakers next to my LED which is on the wall and maximum distance I can
place them from the TV is 18 inches, both sides for space and also
aesthetic reasons.

Magnetic shielding is more relevant to older CRT Tvs
LED tvs are not impacted by speakers magnetic field

~ I have my Zensor 7 right next to the TV

 

[Falcon21]

right the speakers don't impact LCD/LEDs at all

check mezzo6/8 prices with dealers, online prices are bloated and wrong
should be 50k for mezzo6 & 70k for mezzo8

 

[karthick raja]

Try MA BX5. It is bassier than Dali Zensor 5 and it does have a warm sound and clear midrange and for under 35k its real VFM if you can find in clearance stock .

 

[grunthos]

Try MA BX5. It is bassier than Dali Zensor 5 and it does have a warm sound and clear midrange and for under 35k its real VFM if you can find in clearance stock .

Where are you finding BX5 at 35k?

 

[karthick raja]

Where are you finding BX5 at 35k?

Audio people, Chennai. They were trying to clear the last one in the clearance stock. I am not able to audition properly as the technicians lack knowledge and atleast not even allowing me to help myself. This was my next pick to zensor 5 but interms of soundstage and detail Z5 stays ahead.

 

[grunthos]

Audio people, Chennai. They were trying to clear the last one in the clearance stock. I am not able to audition properly as the technicians lack knowledge and atleast not even allowing me to help myself.

Might be an issue with the solitary piece
Bronze BX5 is a comparatively new model and not scheduled for replacement
And MRP is actually double at about 70k

 

[karthick raja]

Might be an issue with the solitary piece
Bronze BX5 is a comparatively new model and not scheduled for replacement
And MRP is actually double at about 70k

Then may be its BR5 they were referring for the price. Since BR5 is replaced by BX5.

 

[grunthos]

Then may be its BR5 they were referring for the price. Since BR5 is replaced by BX5.

Yes that makes more sense
Yes it must have been a BR5

 

[Arjun4]

Dear grunthos,
In case I choose to raise my budget and go in for the CA SR10 along with say also the
floorstanders of your choice i.e. Dali 5. Whats your take on it? Will it
pair well?

The below review says Dali pair well with CA.

"But when connected to the Cambridge Audio 751R, the energy and vitality in the amp brought a whole new dimension to the tonal balance of the speaker set. So this is something that you will have to keep in mind. There is absolutely no problem in terms of specification matching as we know that DALI speakers are one of the most easily driven speakers"

DALI Zensor 5.1 Home-Theatre Speakers Review

 

[trittya]

My take-
The DNM floorstanders with the curved top(forgot model No) are a great VFM proposition.
Having said so, in that budget range floorstanders make sense only if transmission line loaded. Get a pair custom-built by the likes of FMs Hari Iyer and Kanwar. Get in touch with them.

 

[MANOJ TOPPO]

Dear all,

Its been over three months since I last visited the forumhad been off
the grid and could not acquire the Amp and the Speakers too.

Meanwhile however I have been able to raise my budget a little for the
equipment I wish to procure..and wish to seek advices from the group
members

I have more or less firmed up on DALI Zensor 7 for speakers..now I wish
to seek your help on the Ampsin my previous post I had mentioned DNM
A-777 as my choice of Amp as that has an FM tuner .on which I was advised
by Grunthos to instead go for CA SR10 even if that being a little
expensive as that would be superior..which I thought of following..

However, in the meantime I had to urgently acquire some speakers for my
desktop and so took a 2.1 speaker system with built in FM and realize that
I will not be listening too much of FM at home and considering that I
conclude Amplifier with the tuner may not be best thing to go for.

So now I wish to go for an Integrated Amplifier to go with the Dali Zensor
7 and these are the three that I have shortlisted

Yamaha AS500 85 RMS (32K approx) I auditioned the same at The Shop
and liked it though it seemed a little wanting on the bass.

CA A651 -70 RMS (41K on Hifi Mart) I have been wanting to audition it
but none of the dealers seem to be stocking it, however they are willing to
arrange it on order. Spoken to.The Shop, Boomerang, Alliance 4, Imperial
Sound and Sharper Image too.but no avail.. I like the direct USB
connectivity in it and the specs look impressive on paper. However, the
attendant at the The Shop didnt speak highly of the CA 651A. Therefore,
not sure if I should take a gamble and order without auditioning the same.

Marantz PM8005 70 RMS (84K on Hifi Mart. MZ is asking 98K) I will be
auditioning it at MZ shortly. Just one question. Is it worth that premium?

Views from the forum members are solicited.

 

[denom]

If you are open to buying used then have a suggestion, pls look at FM Nikhil's Speakers Sale Thread link below:

http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/45990-psb-image-t5-floorstanders.html

With regard to amplification:
The Yamaha AS500 will work well with these speakers.

Avoid Marantz PM8005 at all costs, its seriously not worth the money!
PM6005 is the best Marantz Amp in the entry level after that the premium PM-11S3 & 14S1, rest is pretty much average IMHO.