Hello all,
New member here, though I've been reading through posts here recently to gather the wisdom of this group, as I'm considering revamping my gear. Its been really educational to find some objective measurements of speakers and amps and discussions of how to (or how not to) reconcile the "quality" of what we hear with these measurements.
I have a set of the original KEF 105's, purchased in 1978. These have travelled with me for many years as we moved cities and houses, and I've really enjoyed them. However, they are now 43 years old and I would think that there must be better speakers on the market by now. I don't think there is anything actually wrong with them, but I'm looking for some advice on a possible upgrade.
I've currently got a Sony STR-DN1040 AVR which is working fine as an amp but needs to be replaced as the on-screen display electronics are completely shot, so i have no way to use the calibration system. So I'm also in the market for an AVR. But please lets treat that as a separate subject and focus on the speakers. Lets assume I get something like the Denon X6700H or 4700H, and some reasonable surround and center speakers. But my main interest right now is stereo music reproduction on the main speakers, from CD and Vinyl sources. I have a Thorens TD126MKII turntable and a decent Audio Technica cartridge, and a Sony subwoofer for movies.
My musical tastes are diverse, so jazz, rock, classical piano, symphonic music, etc.
My listening room unfortunately has lots of windows and speaker placement is a bit difficult. I know I'll need to put in some curtains, as there is almost no wall space to mount damping materials on. I'll attach some photos.
I've listened to the following speakers to date, in a couple of (very different) showrooms:
- B&W 702's
- KEF R11's
- Martin Logan 60xTi
- Sonus Faber (Floorstanding, about the size of the B&Ws, sorry not sure what model)
I plan to listen to the KEF R7's and the R5's with a subwoofer.
I've not found a dealer nearby that stocks Monitor Audio, Vandersteen, or Revel but in reading through reviews here, these brands seem of interest.
TBH I've not heard a monumental difference between these speakers and my 105's, but I've not been able to A/B them and I'm really, really, really bad at time-displaced comparisons, plus the various room acoustics, amp differences, etc make this kind of pointless. I'm negotiating with the local Magnolia store to let me bring my speakers in so I can do just that. Same room, same amp...
That all being said, does anyone have any suggestions on what i should listen to that would likely perform significantly better than my vintage 105's, and not bankrupt me?
thanks for any suggestions.
Don
New member here, though I've been reading through posts here recently to gather the wisdom of this group, as I'm considering revamping my gear. Its been really educational to find some objective measurements of speakers and amps and discussions of how to (or how not to) reconcile the "quality" of what we hear with these measurements.
I have a set of the original KEF 105's, purchased in 1978. These have travelled with me for many years as we moved cities and houses, and I've really enjoyed them. However, they are now 43 years old and I would think that there must be better speakers on the market by now. I don't think there is anything actually wrong with them, but I'm looking for some advice on a possible upgrade.
I've currently got a Sony STR-DN1040 AVR which is working fine as an amp but needs to be replaced as the on-screen display electronics are completely shot, so i have no way to use the calibration system. So I'm also in the market for an AVR. But please lets treat that as a separate subject and focus on the speakers. Lets assume I get something like the Denon X6700H or 4700H, and some reasonable surround and center speakers. But my main interest right now is stereo music reproduction on the main speakers, from CD and Vinyl sources. I have a Thorens TD126MKII turntable and a decent Audio Technica cartridge, and a Sony subwoofer for movies.
My musical tastes are diverse, so jazz, rock, classical piano, symphonic music, etc.
My listening room unfortunately has lots of windows and speaker placement is a bit difficult. I know I'll need to put in some curtains, as there is almost no wall space to mount damping materials on. I'll attach some photos.
I've listened to the following speakers to date, in a couple of (very different) showrooms:
- B&W 702's
- KEF R11's
- Martin Logan 60xTi
- Sonus Faber (Floorstanding, about the size of the B&Ws, sorry not sure what model)
I plan to listen to the KEF R7's and the R5's with a subwoofer.
I've not found a dealer nearby that stocks Monitor Audio, Vandersteen, or Revel but in reading through reviews here, these brands seem of interest.
TBH I've not heard a monumental difference between these speakers and my 105's, but I've not been able to A/B them and I'm really, really, really bad at time-displaced comparisons, plus the various room acoustics, amp differences, etc make this kind of pointless. I'm negotiating with the local Magnolia store to let me bring my speakers in so I can do just that. Same room, same amp...
That all being said, does anyone have any suggestions on what i should listen to that would likely perform significantly better than my vintage 105's, and not bankrupt me?
thanks for any suggestions.
Don