Advice and recommendations needed on a pair of speakers up to £800

[MATMAH]

Ok, bit of a strange one this, but I have just got rid of my studio monitors (KRK 8's), and looking for something a bit more Hi-Fi for home. I mainly play slow chuggy deep house, minimal techno, nu-disco, and experimental hip hop, as well as that I do listen to a fair bit of dub reggae, northern soul, and other sixties style of music, with a 50/50 mix of this being vinyl and digital.

I am currently looking for a replacement pair of speakers, of which sound quality is more important than volume, but a certain amount of volume is still needed. The reason for this is that I DJ in a very small champagne bar once in a while, and by small I mean 30-40 capacity if that (I have a Funktion One system for larger venues and the KRK 8's were fine for this small bar). Ideally I want to produce a very high quality sound in this bar, but volume is not too much of importance (think playing semi loud in large living room).
I know that I would need a sub for this and currently looking at the BK Monolith to purchase afterwards, but this can change if it is not a good match for my mains, or is not needed.

Just to give you an idea of my tastes, the Sonus Faber Venere 2.0's in walnut are probably my favourite speakers at the moment, but unfortunately are a little out of my price range, and I cannot find a pair second hand.

The main reason for the bookshelf's is portability and that space is of a premium, but this is not important, as if I get floorstanders, then the need for a sub may be redundant. I was originally looking at some vintage speakers, but feel that most would be too large for my small flat even and that they would not be able to handle the bass of my more modern music. Other speakers I have looked at recently are listed below which mainly are secondhand ones or end of line products.

Zingali Overture 1
Focal 726v
Art Skibo
KLIPSCH R-28F or RF-82 II
CURA CA30
Ruark Equinox
Rega Research RS7
Roksan K2
and a recent recommendation Yamaha NS1000M's

Any help would be appreciated, and for your information my living room is approx 12x15 foot, and being a converted loft apartment has many angles in the ceiling, with a laminate floor.

[walpurgis]

I see Tannoys are conspicuous by their absence from your list.

[MATMAH]

I see Tannoys are conspicuous by their absence from your list.

The main reason is most of the Tannoys I like are beyond my budget and can be a bit of a minefield with the amount of models, but I am most definitely open to some suggestions on that brand. This is why I also don't have and of the Klipsch Heritage listed either, even though I did miss out on a set of Klipschorns yesterday on eBay for £800 :(

At the moment I would say my current short list is as follows if they can be found within budget.

Usher Be-718
Sonus Faber Venere
Zingali Overture 1

[struth]

Was going to say Tannoys 637s like mine. Floor standing but not huge. Dual concentric but with a separate bass woofer in bottom. Not easy to find but would be ideal

[Rush2112]

Well there are a few notable speakers worth looking out for second hand: B&W 805S perhaps a bit over your budget but worth tracking down. I've heard the Ruark's and liked them. I own Fabers Elekta Amators but love all I have heard ! Then PMC Twenty 22 must be worth a listen along with ATC SCM 11 too

[Rush2112]

When you mention vintage well how about Celestion SL6 with the copper tweeter not the silver one?

[Haselsh1]

Was going to say Tannoys 637s like mine. Floor standing but not huge. Dual concentric but with a separate bass woofer in bottom. Not easy to find but would be ideal

On the basis of the dual concentric I have to recommend my KEF Q500's with their Uni-Q driver. Staggering stereo imaging and very tight, controlled bass providing they are away from walls. Seven hundred quid all in and take about three months to reach their best.

[The Alchemist]

Hi Matt, since you are obviously open to suggestions I will throw you a curved ball and suggest that you consider a pair of IPL S2 TLK's. If you have the necessary DIY skills they would be under budget. If not, a pair could be made for around £1150. Since these go down to 25Hz a sub would probably not be required so they might be cost effective for you. I will say at the outset that I am am totally biased and believe that these speakers offer outstanding VFM and performance which compares very favourably with anything that you can buy in the shops. I am so impressed with them that I build them as a hobby! There have been some recent threads in the "Drawing Board" that you might like to look at to get independent opinions. If you look on the 3rd page you will find "IPL speaker build" started by "Covanent" and if you go back a little further you will find IPL M1TLm Ribbon Transmission line. It might be of interest to note that "Naitphile" is one of my customers. He lives in Buckingham and if you are interested enought to want to hear them I'm sure that he would be willing for you to audition them at his house. My (very modest) website is alchemyloudspeakers.uk where you will find further information and a link to Ivan Leslie's website.

Regards, Richard.

[struth]

On the basis of the dual concentric I have to recommend my KEF Q500's with their Uni-Q driver. Staggering stereo imaging and very tight, controlled bass providing they are away from walls. Seven hundred quid all in and take about three months to reach their best.

yes they are nice speakers Shaun but at top of budget. Havent seen any 637s for sale lately although mine might be soon if a!yone is interested.

[hifinutt]

I am sure you must have seen these beauties then

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?122043-A-pair-of-Zingali-Overture-1s-in-superb-condition

[Box13]

Musicians tend to go for these, does that tell us anything?

[Clive197]

Ok, bit of a strange one this, but I have just got rid of my studio monitors (KRK 8's), and looking for something a bit more Hi-Fi for home. I mainly play slow chuggy deep house, minimal techno, nu-disco, and experimental hip hop, as well as that I do listen to a fair bit of dub reggae, northern soul, and other sixties style of music, with a 50/50 mix of this being vinyl and digital.

I am currently looking for a replacement pair of speakers, of which sound quality is more important than volume, but a certain amount of volume is still needed. The reason for this is that I DJ in a very small champagne bar once in a while, and by small I mean 30-40 capacity if that (I have a Funktion One system for larger venues and the KRK 8's were fine for this small bar). Ideally I want to produce a very high quality sound in this bar, but volume is not too much of importance (think playing semi loud in large living room).
I know that I would need a sub for this and currently looking at the BK Monolith to purchase afterwards, but this can change if it is not a good match for my mains, or is not needed.

Just to give you an idea of my tastes, the Sonus Faber Venere 2.0's in walnut are probably my favourite speakers at the moment, but unfortunately are a little out of my price range, and I cannot find a pair second hand.

The main reason for the bookshelf's is portability and that space is of a premium, but this is not important, as if I get floorstanders, then the need for a sub may be redundant. I was originally looking at some vintage speakers, but feel that most would be too large for my small flat even and that they would not be able to handle the bass of my more modern music. Other speakers I have looked at recently are listed below which mainly are secondhand ones or end of line products.

Zingali Overture 1
Focal 726v
Art Skibo
KLIPSCH R-28F or RF-82 II
CURA CA30
Ruark Equinox
Rega Research RS7
Roksan K2
and a recent recommendation Yamaha NS1000M's

Any help would be appreciated, and for your information my living room is approx 12x15 foot, and being a converted loft apartment has many angles in the ceiling, with a laminate floor.

I have a pr. Of Spendor S8e's in Cherry for sale (see Private Exhibitions) that you can have for £800 collected. They are significantly better than any of the speakers you list and you certainly won't need a sub. PM me if interested.

[mikmas]

Musicians tend to go for these, does that tell us anything?

It could ...but speaking as an ex-drummer and having known a fair few musicians I wouldn't put my money on it. There is a tendency to favour your own instrument when choosing hifi - often so you can better hear what others are doing (e.g a guitarist wanting to hear other guitarists clearly). Even though I haven't drummed for decades I still listen out for good reproduction that brings out snares and cymbals in the way I know they sound.

Other than that, musicians are as susceptible to likes and dislikes as the rest of us. Worth noting that their sonic experience of a performance is vastly different to that of the audience - whether they play in the middle of a band or orchestra - so experienced comparisons between reproduced and 'live' events is not always a given :lol:

[Barry]

Excellent reply Mike! :)