Formula409 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 (edited) Hi All, After moving into a smaller townhouse some time ago I downsized from a pair for floorstanding Monitor Audio RX6's to the bookshelf sized Silver 1's. All going well we'll be selling and moving into a house in the coming months, which hopefully means better opportunity to setup my gear. With that in mind I've decided to start looking around at possible speaker upgrade options. To give some more context: - I'm looking for something that is a step above the RX6's I previously had. - Interested in advice on both standmount bookshelf speakers or floorstanding options (given I don't know exactly the new room configuration yet) - I'd prefer to buy good second hand (better value for money) and my budget is about $2000, give or take. - Source is an Oppo 205 and the amp is a Marantz PM KI Pearl Lite (rated at 70w per channel / 8 ohms - although I have seen measurements in a review suggesting it outputs closer to 90w per channel) - I won't have the budget to upgrade other components, so the speakers will need to be driven by the current amp I have heard Sonus Faber bookshelf speakers (can't remember the exact model) back to back against Monitor Audio Silver 1's in store (from an Oppo 205 source) and I think they sounded significantly better. To my ears they had a more detailed, open and warm tone which I find very appealing. In that case however the amplifier being used was a ~$10K McIntosh so it's not exactly an apples for apples comparison with my amplifier. Would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers Chris Edited July 16, 2018 by Bikkitz Errors 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre28 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 A friend recently upgraded from Montior Audio bronze bookshelves. We went in to a store to demo various bookshelves in the $2k range. Brands we listened to were Kef, Elac, Jamo and Def tech. Surprisingly, the clear winner for both of us was the Jamo C103. These are quite a large bookshelf, with a 7" cone, and just sounded bigger, yet more detailed. I say "surprisingly", because if you were buying without listening, just from what is available on google, you would likely not consider them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantan Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 If you want something really special ( and I use the word advisedly ) in a stand mount speaker you simply won't find better than these under $5K https://www.monitoraudio.com/en/product-ranges/studio/ I will be buying a pair myself very soon. My only (minor) gripe is that there are no wood veneer finishes offered, but I will go black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wen Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 (edited) I still run MA RS6's, brilliant speaker for the money, you would be pushing up hill unless you scored the bargain of the decade to get 2 levels above for that money. The only other speaker i have heard that would induce me to change are the Goldenear technology trition seven, listened with a $800 emotiva amp, had my own cd's, lousy small demo room, these things rocked, had soul, delicate, slam etc, yes i liked them, treat yourself to a listen, may be worth stretching the budget if you can get them for a good price Edited June 19, 2018 by wen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formula409 Posted June 19, 2018 Author Share Posted June 19, 2018 11 hours ago, wen said: I still run MA RS6's, brilliant speaker for the money, you would be pushing up hill unless you scored the bargain of the decade to get 2 levels above for that money. The only other speaker i have heard that would induce me to change are the Goldenear technology trition seven, listened with a $800 emotiva amp, had my own cd's, lousy small demo room, these things rocked, had soul, delicate, slam etc, yes i liked them, treat yourself to a listen, may be worth stretching the budget if you can get them for a good price I just did a quick search and read on the Goldenear Triton 7 - very favourable reviews and they look appealing. I'll definitely audition if I can find someone in Brisbane who carries them. I did love the MA Silver RX6's and I'd be very happy to find something a step up from these (realising that getting something 2 steps up will need a bargain purchase). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44maloo Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 I would recommend Sonus Faber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone Malone Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 There may be the chance to upgrade to MA GX50 or even GX100 (which I use with a Marantz amp). Other suggestions in the $1-2k bracket ... - Dynaudio x14 Excite - Quad s2 - Triangle ... make some great speakers These speakers are quite open and punchy, might complement the smoothness of the Marantz? I'd recommend trying them with your amp (unless store has the ki Pearl) to be sure ... even if it means lugging the beast to the store! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalheadz Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I’m pretty much in the same boat is the OP, but I think it’s an uphill battle with a budget of 2k. Following this thread with interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattd2308 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Legend Kama Australian made 2K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungbean66 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) The Legend Kurre is around this price also ($1990). Sealed design that reaches down to 45Hz. Not very sensitive so they require a amp with good current capability but everyone that listens to them seems to adore them. Edited June 25, 2018 by Mungbean66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formula409 Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 16 hours ago, Mungbean66 said: The Legend Kurre is around this price also ($1990). Sealed design that reaches down to 45Hz. Not very sensitive so they require a amp with good current capability but everyone that listens to them seems to adore them. I'd be keen to audition - are you aware of any retailers that carry Legend in Brisbane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungbean66 Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 1 hour ago, Bikkitz said: I'd be keen to audition - are you aware of any retailers that carry Legend in Brisbane? I only really know of places in Sydney and Melbourne. Your best bet is to see if a SNA member is accomdating enough to let you come round for a listen. I sure there would be a few people nice enough to make you a beverage and crank some tunes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattd2308 Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 6 minutes ago, Mungbean66 said: I only really know of places in Sydney and Melbourne. Your best bet is to see if a SNA member is accomdating enough to let you come round for a listen. I sure there would be a few people nice enough to make you a beverage and crank some tunes. Or, even call Rod Crawford (Designer) of Legend Speakers. Very obliging and wealth of knowledge. I spoke to him several times prior to purchasing my Kantu 9's. Id be pretty sure they would sound impressive with your KI Pearl amp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalheadz Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 There a pair of atc scm11 for sale in the classifieds at the moment, I’d jump on these if the funds were available 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formula409 Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 There a pair of atc scm11 for sale in the classifieds at the moment, I’d jump on these if the funds were available Thanks. I won't be ready to purchase until we've moved. Very much in the doing my homework stage still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formula409 Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 (edited) I've been doing more reading and have decided to expand my budget to $3000. With that in mind I've come across Kef R500 and Vienna Acoustic Mozart Grand SEs. Both of which I have found new for around $3000. I auditioned the Mozarts today using my amp and the same source I use at home (Oppo 205). A great sounding speaker, particularly when playing SACD source material. The performance on this material suggests the Marantz Pearl Lite is up to the job. I took a bunch of FLAC files with me that I'm very familiar with and they didn't seem to provide the improvement I thought they would over my current speakers, although the highs were definitely smoother which has big appeal for me - this could be attributed to the speakers having only a few hours play time on them and likely the source not being mixed / mastered particularly well. That being said I listen to a wide range of music and will be playing the music I like - not just reference quality recordings end to end. Does anyone have any experience with VA speakers, or comments regarding their comparative performance against the Kef R500? Ideally I'd love to audition both, but Kef options seem limited in Brisbane. As an indicative price comparison soundstagehifi.com have reviewed both speakers and listed a US retail price of $3500 (VA) and $2600 (KEF). Price "suggests" the VA are a more premium speaker, however many reviews suggest the R500 punches well above its price point. Edited July 16, 2018 by Bikkitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalheadz Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Try the VA baby Beethoven’s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formula409 Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 (edited) Hi All, I went over and auditioned a pair of PMC twenty.22 that a fellow SNAer has listed in the classifieds for sale. Needless to say I was very impressed and thought they sounded a league ahead of the VA Mozart Grand I tried in store (noting the the VAs had barely been run in at all). I decided to buy them and should hopefully have them in the next day or so. In the end the price came in much closer to my original $2000 budget so very happy. Will report back once I've had them for a little while. Chris Edited July 18, 2018 by Bikkitz 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wen Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 @Bikkitz hello Chris, how are your PMC's going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formula409 Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 @wen I've not had a great opportunity to have a good listen until the last couple of days. Work has been busy and I also discovered I had a damaged RCA interconnect. It's since been replaced and I've had a play the last few nights. Impressions so far have me feeling very happy with the purchase. Looking forward to be able to set them up properly in a room with acoustics more suited for music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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