Speaker for Cambridge Audio Azur 550A, budget 40K

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shibashis

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Looking for bookshelves to pair with CA Azur 550A. Front ported preferably due to positioning restrictions, will be placed in bedroom.

Budget: 40K, can be stretched by another 2k, not more than that.
Room size: 11 X 10
Source: Laptop with Fiio DAC, FLAC and 320 kbps mp3 mostly.

Note: Can not incorporate a sub, or have place for floorstanders. Speakers will be placed on a shelf, distance between the speakers will be 3.5-4 feet.

So far I find the CA to be open, airy with good soundstage. Low frequencies extend but would like it to be a bit tighter and precise. Vocals are a little lean compared to say Marantz, pleasing to listen to nevertheless.

I listen to classic Rock, Blues, Indian classicals and Bengali songs.

Wish I can get fluid, rich, smooth vocals with good low-mid presence and required amount of punch, not overwhelming though (I am not a bass-head).


I have auditioned Q Acoustics Concept 20, 2020i, Wharfedale 122, B&W 685 S2, Usher S520, Usher V601, KEF Q300, Polk Rti A3 and PSB Image B6.

In consideration are Usher V601, KEF Q300. PSB I have a feeling could be better than what I heard, something was wrong with the listening environment. I am in love with the Usher V601 as I have mentioned in another thread, KEF come second. Q Acoustic Concept 20 is good, but the deep cabinet and rear-port mean difficult for me to place them in the bedroom.
B&W 685 was good, but beyond my budget.

Anything else the forum can suggest? I do not wish to blind-buy, should be able to listen to them here in Kolkata. Monitor Audio Bronze and Silver series? Are they available in Kolkata? Any obvious candidate I am missing / overlooking? I am looking to close the deal in the coming week. Suggestions and advises appreciated.
 
Do try the Norge bookshelf range. For your kind of music they might be just right
 
As I said I should be able to listen to them first, there is no way to listen to Norge in Kolkata.
 
Because it is an AZUR series, try importing or even buy used pair of the Mezzo 2. At that price range they are the best to gel with AZUR 550A in my opinion. I recently posted on hifivision and bought a used pair of Aviano 2 BS for movies.
 
Thanks Saikat da, I have been looking for Mezzo 2 but SKS no longer carries the MS line, for that matter no one in Kolkata does anymore. Olx and Quikr so far have not yielded any better results.
Frankly I am scared of importing, really scared.
 
sir

truly

at a distance of 3.5 to 4 feet

you dont need to be looking at soundstage - you will get very little

you can safely remove the q 300 from your list becuase you wont hear its potential at all at 3.5 - 4 feet

i would suggest a smalller speaker like the GURU or the PSB alpha or a close monitor if your span between the speakers is only 4 feet

though you have not shortlisted the S520 - it would actually be on the top of my list if was keeping the speakers this close

remember - what you hear in demos will not be the same as what you will hear at home
Demo the speakers with a 4 foot gap - to get at least a faint idea of what i mean
 
magma said:
sir

truly

at a distance of 3.5 to 4 feet

you dont need to be looking at soundstage - you will get very little

you can safely remove the q 300 from your list becuase you wont hear its potential at all at 3.5 - 4 feet

i would suggest a smalller speaker like the GURU or the PSB alpha or a close monitor if your span between the speakers is only 4 feet

though you have not shortlisted the S520 - it would actually be on the top of my list if was keeping the speakers this close

remember - what you hear in demos will not be the same as what you will hear at home
Demo the speakers with a 4 foot gap - to get at least a faint idea of what i mean
Click to expand...

I am no 'Sir' but a humble human being! :)

Thank you for your advice, I understand what you mean. I must though point out that I wanted speakers that will last me a while, and hopefully in the next couple of years I will have a dedicated room where they can express themselves true to their potential. For the time being the placement and surroundings will not be ideal I am well aware.
And I completely understand also that what I hear at demos will not be the same in my room, plenty of factors are at play here, they will not be the same....well, they are not the same.

I took the plunge yesterday and got myself the Usher V601, they are home and singing now. The sound? Quite different from the demo but still quite on another level from what I had before. I can instantly tell that Cambridge Audio is not the best partner for Ushers, Marantz did better, but a fair few factors are at play here, I look to address them before I think of the amplifier.
Cable, placement, DAC chief among them.
Even with all the things going wrong and plenty of negatives thrown their way Ushers easily tell me how good they are. I can not stop listening to vocals, the very resolving nature of the sound and such great resolution keeps me playing more and more.

In another thread FM Nikhil asked me to enjoy the journey, I have enjoyed it for almost 10 years now, quite a bit to go I am certain. Lets hope in a few years time I can do justice to my musical desires with the right equipment (Ushers being one) and a dedicated room.
 
Congratulations Shibashis. I have heard only good thing about the 601s. Have been using the 520 for over an year now, I can only imagine the how the 601s would sing! What were the damages if you don't mind my asking? Is it absolutely impossible to add stands? They do make a difference..
 
shibashis said:
I am no 'Sir' but a humble human being! :)

Thank you for your advice, I understand what you mean. I must though point out that I wanted speakers that will last me a while, and hopefully in the next couple of years I will have a dedicated room where they can express themselves true to their potential. For the time being the placement and surroundings will not be ideal I am well aware.
And I completely understand also that what I hear at demos will not be the same in my room, plenty of factors are at play here, they will not be the same....well, they are not the same.

I took the plunge yesterday and got myself the Usher V601, they are home and singing now. The sound? Quite different from the demo but still quite on another level from what I had before. I can instantly tell that Cambridge Audio is not the best partner for Ushers, Marantz did better, but a fair few factors are at play here, I look to address them before I think of the amplifier.
Cable, placement, DAC chief among them.
Even with all the things going wrong and plenty of negatives thrown their way Ushers easily tell me how good they are. I can not stop listening to vocals, the very resolving nature of the sound and such great resolution keeps me playing more and more.

In another thread FM Nikhil asked me to enjoy the journey, I have enjoyed it for almost 10 years now, quite a bit to go I am certain. Lets hope in a few years time I can do justice to my musical desires with the right equipment (Ushers being one) and a dedicated room.
Click to expand...
____________________________________________
Is there any dealer of Usher, in Kolkata?
How much have you spent for V601?
 
shuv said:
Congratulations Shibashis. I have heard only good thing about the 601s. Have been using the 520 for over an year now, I can only imagine the how the 601s would sing! What were the damages if you don't mind my asking? Is it absolutely impossible to add stands? They do make a difference..
Click to expand...

Thanks Shuv. I wish I could get the stands, but as things stand they are an impossibility now. :)
I am certain they will make a difference, especially because I know what these Ushers are capable of producing.

I loved the 520 too, it was quite astounding to hear such transparent sound from such small boxes.
Which amplifier are you using with the 520, and source?
 
@ Amit: Yes, Harmonie Audio in New Alipore are Usher dealers here. Try Mr. Jagwani - 9830085043. very good setup they have, truly knowledgeable and actually passionate about music. It is a father-son run business and beautiful to see both of them equally passionate and always forthcoming to help you.

I highly recommend them, you can actually build a relation with such people.

V601 was quoted 47K, I paid 40K. My initial budget was 30, but then I decided to make an investment keeping in mind that it should last me awhile and should not fall behind and is able to keep up as I upgrade the electronics.
 
Kef q 300 is the best bookshelf in the range... Keeping in mind ur budget....space specified....... excellent vocals.....very tight bass...n good brand too....v good value for money if ur looking at high end fidelity in that budget....!
 
audioguy14 said:
Kef q 300 is the best bookshelf in the range... Keeping in mind ur budget....space specified....... excellent vocals.....very tight bass...n good brand too....v good value for money if ur looking at high end fidelity in that budget....!
Click to expand...

Well, I heard the KEFs and quite liked them myself but in my opinion the Ushers were that bit better to coax me to go for them. In my list I would put the KEFs in second position.
 
shibashis said:
Thanks Shuv. I wish I could get the stands, but as things stand they are an impossibility now. :)
I am certain they will make a difference, especially because I know what these Ushers are capable of producing.

I loved the 520 too, it was quite astounding to hear such transparent sound from such small boxes.
Which amplifier are you using with the 520, and source?
Click to expand...

Shibashis, right now the 520s are on HT duty. But I used to run those with a pre-power. Source: Xtreamer and Philips 242 with an AT Cart. I am on the lookout for a pair of speakers. The 601s are very tempting indeed. Are the bigger siblings still available? The 602 and the 604?
 
I saw the 602 on demo duty, not sure if they are actually in stock. Mar. Jagwani however said that Ushers can be gotten within a week, 3-4 days.
 
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