Need a reco please - bookshelf speakers with a bright / very bright balance

[fletchdirect]

Hi
I have a max of £250 to spend New or second hand, to counteract a warm sounding system. The room only has blinds, wooden floor and a small sofa.
Big thanks!!

[Theadmans]

For the last 10 or so years I have run the excellent AVI Neutron IV speakers in a room similar to yours :-

http://www.thedigitalmusicexperts.com/TDME/AVI_NIV_files/avi-neutrons_4_with_wine.jpg


...these are the last of the England manufactured Neutron line. I remember thinking they were slightly bright when I first got them but then your ears get accustomed to the sound - fantastic mid-range. BTW I believe the tweeter is a very expensive high end jobby. I bought them mint secondhand at the time for £200. Art of Sound verdict here :-

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?8444-AVI-Neutron-s

[agk]

No surprise for anyone when I mention the Linn Kan mk1. Lean, punchy and unerringly detailed.

[Scooby]

No surprise for anyone when I mention the Linn Kan mk1. Lean, punchy and unerringly detailed.

Agree totally as long as source and amps are up to the job. Shoutout for Royd Edens too.

[Rothchild]

Well under budget (and maybe not flash enough) but I've got a pair of Celestion DL4 which are very toppy (certainly when placed in free space, they really need some proximity to a wall to get the bass right) but the imaging and top end on them really is very good.

[southall-1998]

JPW Mini Monitor.

S.

[RothwellAudio]

I'm surprised that a room which only has blinds, wooden floor and a small sofa needs very bright speakers. What's the rest of the system?

[Yomanze]

There's a pair of Royd Sintra II going on PFM. I've been tempted myself, but already have 2x pairs of Royds & sold 2x already... :P

[Lawrence001]

JPW Mini Monitor.

S.
I've got a pair of gale reference monitors which appear to be almost identical to the JPW gold monitor. They are too bright for me but for the price level I am always amazed how clear and not at all harsh that brightness is with great detail.

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[Lawrence001]

I'm also going to have a pair of Kef X1s from tomorrow will report back on them, I suspect they will be too bright for me but couldn't resist their looks.

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[fletchdirect]

I'm surprised that a room which only has blinds, wooden floor and a small sofa needs very bright speakers. What's the rest of the system?

Sony CDP 915e connected to a Kenwood L1000m via its variable outputs.
Cables are chord odyssey and ecosse reference.

[fletchdirect]

I'm also going to have a pair of Kef X1s from tomorrow will report back on them, I suspect they will be too bright for me but couldn't resist their looks.

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Cool, let me know how it goes.

[Michael loves music]

How are the Kef X1s ???

[Marco]

Hi
I have a max of £250 to spend New or second hand, to counteract a warm sounding system. The room only has blinds, wooden floor and a small sofa.
Big thanks!!

Why not sort the room and/or system out (and their obvious problems), thus addressing the issue *at source*, and then buy a neutral pair of speakers, instead of applying a 'bandage' to the problem, by buying bright sounding speakers?

Not as easy to do, perhaps, but trust me, your efforts will be rewarded in the end! :)

Marco.

[fletchdirect]

Why not sort the room and/or system out (and their obvious problems), thus addressing the issue *at source*, and then buy a neutral pair of speakers, instead of applying a 'bandage' to the problem, by buying bright sounding speakers?

Not as easy to do, perhaps, but trust me, your efforts will be rewarded in the end! :)

Marco.

I appreciate that this may be the better solution, but is not a practical one for several reasons.
- it's not my listening room, it's the lounge so decor and furnishings have to work for everyone. If I emptied the room any further, it will literally be empty and we will be sitting on the floor
- secondly, I cannot afford to do a complete system overall at the moment, only to change the speakers
- thirdly, wife acceptance factor, on top of decor issues whose wives like them spending money on hifi anyway, especially when it's not even the main system.

[walpurgis]

I guess you could look at a pair of Rega Kytes. They have a lighter, less heavy sound than some bookshelf speakers. Quite pleasant though. Not too many about.

No longer made. Second hand prices probably £80 to £120.

[Macca]

Or some vintage speakers with level controls for the mid and top. Then you could set 'brightness' to taste. JBL are the obvious choice, but won't be cheap or easy to find unless you are prepared to travel. 1970s Pioneers, Akais or Sonys would also have this facility

[Beobloke]

A friend of mine has a pair of the little Technics SB-F2s. Nice speakers but their treble can strip your tooth enamel with the right music, so these might be worth checking out!

[Gazjam]

JBL Control 5's

All you need, seriously.

[Marco]

I appreciate that this may be the better solution, but is not a practical one for several reasons.
- it's not my listening room, it's the lounge so decor and furnishings have to work for everyone. If I emptied the room any further, it will literally be empty and we will be sitting on the floor
- secondly, I cannot afford to do a complete system overall at the moment, only to change the speakers
- thirdly, wife acceptance factor, on top of decor issues whose wives like them spending money on hifi anyway, especially when it's not even the main system.

No worries. I hear ya. Didn't realise it wasn't your main system - you never said ;)

Good luck with it anyway :cool:

Marco.

[bbbiker800]

Ditto Macca..... Another suggestion would be Rogers JR149 with treble adjustment. Might even increase in value so that aspect may appeal.

[Lawrence001]

How are the Kef X1s ???
Sorry forgot about this thread I actually liked the tonal balance but had 2 issues. The bass was more than acceptable for the size but heard a few resonances. The main issue though was the "hypertweeter" did not meld perfectly with the tweeter. The advantages of the uniq tweeter were ruined by some smearing of the image, possibly some phase issues too if that's possible with HF.

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[hayche]

Tannoy DC6 are nice and bright and detailed.

[fletchdirect]

Well, I had previously needed some new speakers acceptable to the wife and to counterbalance a warm sounding system. Big thanks for all of the suggestions, but in the end decided to go for a semi diy route and got the soldering iron out....

I had brought back some old Ruark Swordsman speakers from a mate and performed some surgery as they sounded as flat as a pancake with the stock drivers.

- drivers replaced with vifa woofers p17wj and scanspeak d2608/9130 tweeters.

- internal rewire with chord odyssey 2, back wiring is jantzen 18 awg silver plated copper.

- for the moment no crossover as such just a single cap to the tweeter mounted on the rear, woofer connected directly to the amp. Appreciate this has its pros and cons, but working well for me.

So far sounding fab, masses of detail vs what I heard previously from the equipment and much wider soundstage. Really clean sound with the sort of brighter edge I was looking for.

The sony cdp 915e and Kenwood l-1000m are performing lounge duties very admirably!! (Albeit minus stands/racks).

thanks to all, pics below

Cheers, julian

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[rigger67]

ProAc Tablettes if you can find a pair for the money

[fletchdirect]

ProAc Tablettes if you can find a pair for the money

Hi, as said, decided to go for a diy route. Thanks anyway.