Speakers

[Markman]

some of you will be proper music aficionados I know - my little man cave is fine and using MACKIE CR4-X Speakers - sounds ok but maybe needs a touch more base

without spending silly money and keeping the speakers themselves on the smaller side - should I stick to Mackie or are others a better option?

[Slippin cider]

My man cave is fitted with a JBL Boombox 2 and that seems to do just fine, deep bass fills the place and hardly any distortion when the volume goes up…can be linked with other JBL stuff as well which is handy .

[PHILINFRANCE]

I wasn’t going to respond, but thought I would just seek your comments out of curiosity.

I recently moved house (downsized) and decided to sell a cherished pair of speakers I bought back in the mid 1970s - some KEF Concertos.

Has anyone on here ever heard of them and, if so, what is your opinion?

[Slippin cider]

KEF speakers have always been held in high regard and hold their value very well .

[PHILINFRANCE]

1 hour ago, Slippin cider said:

KEF speakers have always been held in high regard and hold their value very well .

I bought them second hand in 1975/6? for £100 from a charming old chap in Clifton, used them in the UK for a few years, took them with me to the Middle East for a few years, back and forth from/to the UK/France until two years ago, when I sold them to a relatively young man, who bought them for €400 and told me that, as far as he was concerned, he had bought some quality speakers at a bargain price.

Whatever, we shook hands on a mutually satisfactory deal.

[Norn Iron]

2 hours ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

I bought them second hand in 1975/6? for £100 from a charming old chap in Clifton, used them in the UK for a few years, took them with me to the Middle East for a few years, back and forth from/to the UK/France until two years ago, when I sold them to a relatively young man, who bought them for €400 and told me that, as far as he was concerned, he had bought some quality speakers at a bargain price.

Whatever, we shook hands on a mutually satisfactory deal.

The rubber ring which connects the speaker cone to the metal ring (which is screwed into the speaker cabinet) can be the first to suffer wear and tear. However, the ring is fairly easy to replace and fix yourself.

My beloved custom built speakers from the late 80s, were suffering badly. New rings which included the glue, cost me £30 on ebay. Who'd have thought that clothes pegs could also be used as mini vices to glue together the ring to the metal? 

Don't throw out any speakers just because the ring is starting to disintegrate.  A cheap fix is available.

[Maltshoveller]

Love Bose speakers

Had a lovely set back in late 80s early 90s

Spent every spare penny i had at the time

Bose speakers Marantz hifi separates Best sound ever

only imo

[BanburyRed]

KEF, Monitor Audio, Wharfedale or B&W

[1960maaan]

On 19/04/2024 at 18:43, Markman said:

some of you will be proper music aficionados I know - my little man cave is fine and using MACKIE CR4-X Speakers - sounds ok but maybe needs a touch more base

without spending silly money and keeping the speakers themselves on the smaller side - should I stick to Mackie or are others a better option?

When I was starting out buying my first Amp & speakers, they told me not to worry about cost or name, if you like the sound the equipment is right for you. So I always tell anyone thinking about new stuff go and listen to it. Richer Sounds are usually good for selection and they have some good quality , cheaper end stuff .Some stores have a listening room which is a big help. When I was looking for my first upgrade many years ago, the guy suggested better quality cables , that made a difference I didn't believe. Taking my own equipment and hearing how cables and different speakers sounded was a great way to spend a day. Also saved me a load of money from what another audio shop wanted to sell me.

Edited April 21 by 1960maaan

[Norn Iron]

5 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

When I was starting out buying my first Amp & speakers, they told me not to worry about cost or name, if you like the sound the equipment is right for you. So I always tell anyone thinking about new stuff go and listen to it. Richer Sounds are usually good for selection and they have some good quality , cheaper end stuff .Some stores have a listening room which is a big help. When I was looking for my first upgrade many years ago, the guy suggested better quality cables , that made a difference I didn't believe. Taking my own equipment and hearing how cables and different speakers sounded was a great way to spend a day. Also saved me a load of money from what another audio shop wanted to sell me.

Absolutely correct.

Analogue is reliant on getting a decent audio feed and cables are so important. 

Before upgrading your speakers, check your cables. If you have Bell wire then you have a major issue! :laugh: 

I made my own cables using Cat5 and it was very interesting and cost saving when comparing the market. I've now upgraded to Audioquest for interconnects. 

Regarding speaker cables though, I have had a few in my time. Monster Cable was the big thing early 80s, then QED 79 strand late 80s. I can't remember what I replaced those with but 5 years ago I went to my local hifi store for a demo. 

What I ended up purchasing was not what I thought I was going to initially buy. Chord Cables have always been deemed as really good but expensive. However, when listening to their range, the Sarsen cable from Chord really amazed me. It's deliberately thinner than most cables and is designed to go round corners and for hiding out of sight. Yet, the quality was unbelievable. 

I bought more than 20 ft per speaker. More than enough to run my front speakers from where the amp is.

I have given you the length to emphasise just how good they can handle the load required to drive my floor Standers.

Take your favourite CDs etc with you as you'll know the tracks and how they sound. 

Upgrading speaker cable is far cheaper than upgrading the speakers themselves.

FWIW, my speakers are over 30 years old. I've replaced the rubber rings once 6 years ago. They still sound great.  The cables have added a new life to the speakers and saved me money!

 

[1960maaan]

9 hours ago, Norn Iron said:

Absolutely correct.

Analogue is reliant on getting a decent audio feed and cables are so important. 

Before upgrading your speakers, check your cables. If you have Bell wire then you have a major issue!

I made my own cables using Cat5 and it was very interesting and cost saving when comparing the market. I've now upgraded to Audioquest for interconnects. 

Regarding speaker cables though, I have had a few in my time. Monster Cable was the big thing early 80s, then QED 79 strand late 80s. I can't remember what I replaced those with but 5 years ago I went to my local hifi store for a demo. 

What I ended up purchasing was not what I thought I was going to initially buy. Chord Cables have always been deemed as really good but expensive. However, when listening to their range, the Sarsen cable from Chord really amazed me. It's deliberately thinner than most cables and is designed to go round corners and for hiding out of sight. Yet, the quality was unbelievable. 

I bought more than 20 ft per speaker. More than enough to run my front speakers from where the amp is.

I have given you the length to emphasise just how good they can handle the load required to drive my floor Standers.

Take your favourite CDs etc with you as you'll know the tracks and how they sound. 

Upgrading speaker cable is far cheaper than upgrading the speakers themselves.

FWIW, my speakers are over 30 years old. I've replaced the rubber rings once 6 years ago. They still sound great.  The cables have added a new life to the speakers and saved me money!

 

When I was looking for a new Amp & speakers, I went to (I think) Paul Roberts. They never mentioned speakers and put together what they thought I should have. This is some years ago and would have cost me £700-£800 for something that sounded no more than ok.
I went into Richer Sounds with my CD player & Deck and the first thing he did was put it together with some proper interconnecting cables. I would have happily walked out without buying anything else, the improvement in sound was unreal. 

Also I had done some reading and had an idea what I wanted, but when I went in the guy put together an Amp I liked with some basic speakers. Sounded better than Paul Roberts already. He then added some Elate floor standing speakers. Before we played anything I questioned him as I had read these were highly thought of for Classical music. This is where I say again , go and listen. I would never have got these speakers, but after running through a few albums I was blown away. It all still sounds great to my ears. That's with my original 1980 Technics SL-D3 from 1980. 
I always tell anyone, quality cables first . Then whatever you want to add make sure you listen first.

[spudski]

Can't go wrong with B&W. Love mine. Had em for 20 odd years. Sound awesome. 

Using separates. Dual, Marantz and Denon.

[Ronnie Sinclair]

Had my stereo separates for 30 years now - an 'AKAI' - brand not as big as some of the others but its done what I've needed and has never malfunctioned (it cost me £600 in 1993 which was a big outlay back then).  The speaker cones perished in 2020 but had them replaced and its still going strong

[1960maaan]

On 22/04/2024 at 10:38, spudski said:

Can't go wrong with B&W. Love mine. Had em for 20 odd years. Sound awesome. 

Using separates. Dual, Marantz and Denon.

 

On 22/04/2024 at 11:24, Ronnie Sinclair said:

Had my stereo separates for 30 years now - an 'AKAI' - brand not as big as some of the others but its done what I've needed and has never malfunctioned (it cost me £600 in 1993 which was a big outlay back then).  The speaker cones perished in 2020 but had them replaced and its still going strong

I can keep this going. 
Got my first deck , Technics SL-D3 in 1980. Minor oiling and cleaning and it's still going strong and sounds great . 
I should think so too , cost me over £100 on the "never never" back then 

[Bob Turnip]

1 hour ago, 1960maaan said:

 

I can keep this going. 
Got my first deck , Technics SL-D3 in 1980. Minor oiling and cleaning and it's still going strong and sounds great . 
I should think so too , cost me over £100 on the "never never" back then 

 

I remember saving up for my first separates back in the late '90's in my early '20's. All from richer sounds, i bought:

Arcam alpha 7 amp,

Cambridge Audio CD4

Wharfdale Modus 3 speakers

 

 

It now looks like:

Arcam alpha 7 amp,

Cambridge Audio DAB500

Rotel RCD-945AX CD player

Rotel RP-5300 DD Turntable (bought drunk from ebay for £13.50 - didn't notice it said for parts only. Turned out it just needed a plug and a new cartridge!)

Mordaunt Short MS35Ti speakers

 

 

 

 

 

[1960maaan]

10 minutes ago, Bob Turnip said:

 

I remember saving up for my first separates back in the late '90's in my early '20's. All from richer sounds, i bought:

Arcam alpha 7 amp,

Cambridge Audio CD4

Wharfdale Modus 3 speakers

 

 

It now looks like:

Arcam alpha 7 amp,

Cambridge Audio DAB500

Rotel RCD-945AX CD player

Rotel RP-5300 DD Turntable (bought drunk from ebay for £13.50 - didn't notice it said for parts only. Turned out it just needed a plug and a new cartridge!)

Mordaunt Short MS35Ti speakers

I have the Alpha 7 too. 
Mine goes with a Marantz CD player CD6007 , Yamaha KX-200 Tape deck and Elatax Symphony 6 speakers. 
I got the Turntable from Laskys, long since gone , the Tape deck was donated to me and the rest came from Richer Sounds. 

[Antman]

i have some Dali ones (from Richer Sounds) they are ace.

good frequency range for 'compact' speakers

 

https://www.dali-speakers.com/en-gb/

 

but i also have a portable Bose bluetooth speaker that is alarmingly good!

Per NornIron, the cables are the bit many overlook, get good cables, it helps

 

[Red-Robbo]

I've had the same pair of Monitor Audio speakers since the 80s. They've moved house with me 14 times, survived being dropped down a stone flight of stairs, lived through a party that blew up the amp powering them and worked after Mrs Robbo #1 threw a jug of water in one of the bass cones. 

I can't recommend them enough. 

https://www.monitoraudio.com/

Edited April 24 by Red-Robbo

[Frenchay Red]

5 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

I've had the same pair of Monitor Audio speakers since the 80s. They've moved house with me 14 times, survived being dropped down a stone flight of stairs, lived through a party that blew up the amp powering them and worked after Mrs Robbo #1 threw a jug of water in one of the bass cones. 

I can't recommend them enough. 

https://www.monitoraudio.com/

I've had my Silver 6s for ages.

I added some MA small book shelf and centre speakers for my AV system. All in rosewood finish

Love 'em!

[Norn Iron]

My first and only turntable which is still going strong, was bought in 1983. I bought the Scottish made Ariston RD80 from a small shop on the slipway leading to the Colston Hall/Beacon (opposite the BRI). The ADC ALT tonearm was cheaper than a Linn (can't remember their cheapest model). I was on a budget. Amazingly, 40 years on, the ADC is worth more than a Linn. Can't remember the name of this shop.

In those days, HIFI Markets was the place to be in Union St unless you had mega dosh, in which case Radfords in Gloucester Rd  was your venue.

I bought the then recently released NAD 3020 from Hifi Markets but just after the price had gone up to £83.00 (original price I think was £68).Their vinyl reference was usually Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds!

I eventually made it to Radfords and spent some redundancy money on upgrading my amp. I had already upgraded from the NAD to A and R Cambridge A60 (later to shorten their name to Arcam) and purchased the Arcam Delta 290 which I still have but used for its phono board*.  Radfords were kind enough to let me spend even more money on upgrading my CD player! I purchased the Arcam CD 170.3 Transport only player plus the Arcam Black Box 3 (DAC). 

My Arcam P77 cartridge for the record deck is still used. The stylus (again Arcam) has been replaced over the years  normally with Arcam! They are no longer made but courtesy of a stylus dealer on the Web, he sold me a Japanese equivalent which I received 2 months ago. It is fantastic and fits snuggly into the P77. 

Then there's my passion with Surround Sound Processors that first entered into my life in the early 90s! Let's not go there!

If I had saved all my money instead of buying HIFI and all things AV (including projectors) and watching City, I'd be wealthier but a lot more miserable!

 

 

*The 290 was upgraded in the 00s to believe it or not to an Arcam Pre Amp and an Arcam Power Amp.

[Norn Iron]

Top Tip For Record Decks

If you have an older turntable, don't forget to oil the bearings and motor which can be accessed from the centre spindle (normally pulls out). There used to be such a thing as Turntable oil but Sewing Machine oil (readily available from wool shops etc) is fine to use.

I could bore you even more on how to clean your vinyl to get rid of the pops and scratch noises....

 

 

 

[PHILINFRANCE]

3 hours ago, Norn Iron said:

Top Tip For Record Decks

If you have an older turntable, don't forget to oil the bearings and motor which can be accessed from the centre spindle (normally pulls out). There used to be such a thing as Turntable oil but Sewing Machine oil (readily available from wool shops etc) is fine to use.

I could bore you even more on how to clean your vinyl to get rid of the pops and scratch noises....

 

 

 

Ha, I used to use sewing machine oil on my Technics SL 150 deck, with its Sharp cartridge - I shall have to check on the specs.