Which speaker should I choose?I need help.

[white1dance]

In my list of alternatives are the following speakers:

1. ELAC BS243.4
2. Wharfedale Linton 85th
3. Focal Aria 906

Which one should I choose?Please help me.I hope to use it to listen to classical music.My listening distance is about 1.5-2 meters.My power amplifier is fosi v3.If there is a better option at the same price, please also ask.
Thanks for your valuable advice!

 

[MarkS]

#2 has by far the best looking measurements.

A collection of loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org

 

[AnalogSteph]

The Wharfedale being a decent-sized 3-way is obviously the more "grown-up" speaker, but I have to say the dispersion on the little ELAC (Carina translates to "cute", and that certainly applies) strikes me as rather more even. Its review also indicates good attention to detail such as adequate levels of stuffing (as evidenced by a lack of obvious port resonances), and while bass level handling is rather limited on account of the size, for classical at a medium distance it stands a good chance of getting the job done (assuming the primary focus isn't organ works). A bit of EQ would be recommended for best flatness.

The Focal is likely to be a bit finicky in terms of listening distance. Its dispersion is quite variable, and you need the exact right ratio of direct and indirect sound to get the treble just right. Definitely the largest dispersion issues of the bunch.

 

[white1dance]

#2 has by far the best looking measurements.

A collection of loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org

In fact, I prefer the second option, as it can be bought in China for only $450

 

[white1dance]

The Wharfedale being a decent-sized 3-way is obviously the more "grown-up" speaker, but I have to say the dispersion on the little ELAC (Carina translates to "cute", and that certainly applies) strikes me as rather more even. Its review also indicates good attention to detail such as adequate levels of stuffing (as evidenced by a lack of obvious port resonances), and while bass level handling is rather limited on account of the size, for classical at a medium distance it stands a good chance of getting the job done (assuming the primary focus isn't organ works). A bit of EQ would be recommended for best flatness.

The Focal is likely to be a bit finicky in terms of listening distance. Its dispersion is quite variable, and you need the exact right ratio of direct and indirect sound to get the treble just right. Definitely the largest dispersion issues of the bunch.

Thank you for the suggestion.Considering the price factor in China, I ended up choosing Linton 85th.Because it can be bought for less than $450.The other two options, even second-hand, cost me $650.I want to save money to get a newer CD player.

 

[MarkS]

The Linton is a very good choice.

As for a newer CD player, that is unlikely to give you better sound if your current player is not skipping or making any similar clearly audible mistakes. Even very inexpensive CD players come quite close to perfect output. In the early days of CD players, a friend and I did a blind comparison of his new pricey Rotel player with my cheap Sony portable. Neither of us could detect a difference.

 

[white1dance]

The Linton is a very good choice.

As for a newer CD player, that is unlikely to give you better sound if your current player is not skipping or making any similar clearly audible mistakes. Even very inexpensive CD players come quite close to perfect output. In the early days of CD players, a friend and I did a blind comparison of his new pricey Rotel player with my cheap Sony portable. Neither of us could detect a difference.

YES.I agree with you.That's why I'm still using a fifteen-year-old CD player.But I want to be able to switch to a PC while listening to CDs.So I'm going to buy a CD player with USB DAC function.

 

[Karmacoma]

I have experience with the Whaferdales and the Focals, Whaferdales are clear winners.
I have also experience running the Lintons 85th with the Fosi V3, works well but runs hot. Don't forget to buy banana plugs for the Fosi.

 

[alex-z]

YES.I agree with you.That's why I'm still using a fifteen-year-old CD player.But I want to be able to switch to a PC while listening to CDs.So I'm going to buy a CD player with USB DAC function.

You mean a USB disc reader? Those are only $20-30, it would make no sense to have a DAC integrated in the disc player itself, CD is a digital format so you just use the digital output from your PC rather than doing a needless format conversion before the signal reaches the PC.

I also vote for the Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary. Not the best directivity but the multi-tone distortion is quite low and there is good bass extension.

 

[white1dance]

我有使用 Whaferdales 和 Focals 的经验，Whaferdales 显然是赢家。
我也用过 Lintons 85th 和 Fosi V3，运行良好，但发热严重。别忘了给 Fosi 买个香蕉插头。

哦.THANKS.I will buy it.

 

[white1dance]

你是说USB光驱吗？那种只要20-30美元，光驱里集成DAC没什么意义，CD本身就是数字格式，所以直接用电脑的数字输出就行，省得做不必要的格式转换。

我也投Wharfedale Linton 85周年纪念款一票。指向性虽然不是最佳，但多音失真相当低，低音延伸也不错。

No.I mean a CD player,and it has a USB port can be connected to a computer as a DAC.Just like Audiolab 8300 CDQ.