Speaker Ugrade Time

[Gazjam]

Speaker Ugrade Time!

Currently using Acoustic Energy AE109's which sound great in my system, but i have to turn the wick up a bit to get them boogying the way I like.

They are a bit dark and rich at lower levels which sonically is the only problem I have with them.

Ideally my new speakers would be plonked closer to the back wall (if not against it?) than the 109's (at about 3 feet out!).

Budget around £5/600 max.

I've been looking at the Rega R3/R5s, love rega stuff.

I will of course be taking amop/cdp cables etc to a dem room to let my ears be the judge....

Alternatives or 2nd hand bargains more than welcome.

Cheers!

 

[Davewhityetagain]

Castle Speakers B&W or Tannoy all worth a demo if you need to turn the wick up look for 90db plus speakers that will help

Castle value for money and a nice sound

If getting loud is your wish then

http://www.hifisuppliers.co.uk/website/loudspeakers/tannoy%20sensys%20dc2.htm

£600

supert tweeter extra 7 inch bass driver and a The Tannoy Dual Concentric

 

[Guest]

the ae109's will be very hard to beat, i had a set and i could not find any speaker under a 1000 quid to better them, wish i had kept them. i think you will have to go quite away over 1000 quid to beat them.

i would make sure you bring some new speakers home on demo before changing the 109's. i tried many on home demo and nothing came near them, so be very careful before parting with any money. i speak from experience. if i was in the uk i would have the 109's off you immediatley.

i must have tried 10 different speakers (the black boxes didn't match my room) but nothing came even close to them. they are a very underated speaker,

 

[icehockeyboy]

Id recommend the ones i have, Focal jm lab, 91db sensitivty,dont mind being up against a wall, and sound damn good too! Single wire only, dont know if thats a no no to you though?

 

[Gazjam]

icehockey boy, see my earlier posts regarding biwiring! :dude:

Naa, no problem single-wiring, a preference actually (well..NOW it is)

Thanks mate, another one for the list!

Cheerz

Gaz.

 

[earl of sodbury]

I would defintiely look at Castle floorstanders with your gear Gazjam - I've only used standmounts in that combo, but the Castle "house sound" is pretty distinct. I forget which models (perhaps all..?), but at least some use a floor-vented bass port which is pretty insensitive to wall proximity. They are also a ludicrously cheap bargain secondhand...

good luck, churz, eofs

 

[Effem]

I have just bought a pair of Castle Conway 3's from Technobear and I can vouch for their superb build quality.

The jury is still out with methough on the final verdict with the sound, as I'm still having room issues to contend with. Compared to my Canton 900's the Castles have a slightly recessed midrange and not quite the treble clarity as I'm used to, but having said that they do bass awfully well and as a package they are very non-fatiguing and withoutsignificant vices to listen to for long periods.

For the money, you do get an awful lot of speaker, plus it has the benefits of tweakability with that adjustable bottom reflex port

What really did inject some life, energyand outright verve into these speakers was fitting a set of solid silver jumper links instead of the cheap nasty link plates thatCastle fit as standard.

 

[rockmeister]

effem... sorry to hi jack this thread, but I use castle Howard s2's and have just re wired them from Chord silver anni bi wire to the same cable, all stuffed into the 'bass' posts with same cable jumper to treble posts. Was unconvinced by this and about to go back to bi-wire, but am interested in your opinion. How would you wire them up? (If this gets into 'how much', the answer is, not much!)

 

[Effem]

After trying every combination/permutation imaginable with biwiring, my ownpersonal preference is for single wired with the best you can afford and replacing the link jumpers with the best you can afford - be that silver wire or heavy gauge copper wire.

 

[12Bore]

Hi, would have to agree with Icehockeyboy, but give the 714s some breathing space, next stop would be a pair of ART Stillettoes, but there stars another debate.......

 

[Biscuit]

I paid £680 for my stiletto's s/h, and maybe could've haggled them down to about £600 in hindsight.

They are good, if difficult to find second hand, and will sound great tucked up against a rear wall.