Time for new speakers.

A woofer on my Acoustic Energy AE1s has failed after about 25 years and I've decided it's time to look at the options out there.
I'm after something a little warmer (not as bright) and maybe a little less analytical.

I've made a shortlist of speakers to try :
Kef LS50
Elac Uni-Fi UB5
Fyne F500
Revel Concerta2 M16
Acoustic Energy AE1 Active

I have a small/medium room and the power amp will remain the Focusrite Red 5 (based on a Chord) which is more than capable of running any of the above (other than the active!).

So, I'd be grateful for any positive/negative experiences of the above speakers or any others that might be suitable and available in the UK.

Cheers.

 

Harbeth P3ESR - natural, musical, not bright, great for a smaller medium-sized room, UK based

 

Thanks but above my budget of £1000 max which I should have mentioned.

 

Always leave another extra 50% of your budget "on the table", in case something comes along while you are exhausting your list of options within your range. So long as you negotiate this with your significant other. With any luck, that's the hypothetical funds you get back once you are satisfied with whatever you choose. Chances are though, you won't get another 25 years to enjoy this next purchase, but you do want it to be a step up from the last ones, to justify your "rediscovery" of your music library through fresh drivers. Still, you owe it to yourself to take that opportunity, and see what else lays as-yet "unrevealed" within those recordings you love.

 

It seems like you already have an amplifier that you like. So I would probably not buy active speakers. I own ls50s and have been very happy with them they but have to Pros in their cons.
And they do best in a small room at soft rock, acoustic stuff and vocals and they need a little bit of volume to get the Sound Stage to start. I consider them warm side of neutral

 

Try to find a used pair of kef r300

 

You could consider the Wharfedale Linton. Definitely warm and laid back and in your price range.

 

B & W 607!

Those Wharfdales sound very Harbethy, to me. Good call, Ontheone!

Dynaudio Evoke 10

 

The LS50 should be easy to obtain 2nd hand. And should be as easy to sell.
Try them out and if they are not for you you have gained a experience and lost no money on it. And got first hand experience how those speakers synergy with your electronics.

But isn't LS50 bright?..
If you experience a bright setup now. Then it can be your old speakers but it also can be the electronics you have. Who knows.

Good luck!

 

IF you have room to get the speakers out into the room. Then the new magnepan LRS could be a alternative. Your amp can drive them.
Magnepan

 

I have owned the LS50s as well as Revel M22 (keepin them) and compared them side by side. I liked the LS50, but not as natural and full bodied as the Revels. Never heard the M16, but if it approaches the older M22, it should sound great.

I do agree with the suggestion to get a used pair of LS50s. If you don't like them, consider it a long term loan.

 

look for used then. they will trump anything else on your list.

 

they are not harbethy sounding in the least.

 

A little whiles ago I took a gamble and bought a pair of Mistral Audio LS3/5a clones, although they are not really clones, different drivers, MDF veneer enclosure, different specs etc. but in themselves remarkable speakers that capture the spirit of the famed monitor, pretty damn good.

Happy and a little astounded I took a further gamble when I bought a pair of the Mistral Bow 111 standmount speakers, a 2 way with rear passive radiator with a front slanting prism baffle, in a natural Birch veneer , and to my ears they are just absolutely knock out.

No, I can't recommend them or I am reticent to recommend them, because I gambled and won, but if you can get to hear a pair you will be impressed I think.

There is a review in Hi-Fi Choice (Poland) which you can find on the internet and using Google translator you get a gist for what they sound like and how they measure etc.

I've tried finding out about the history of Mistral and these speakers. From the scant stuff that is available, it started off with an audio company in Stockport UK. I think they were mainly concerned with pro-audio, event and hall acoustics, public address systems, diversified into home audio and went to China in a partnership with a Chinese company. The speakers were designed in England and Japan and manufactured in China. I have been trying to verify those antecedents by contacting a couple of UK dealers, but they seem to have only had experience with the Mistral Tube amplifiers.

After different changes in the corporate structure they are now ADS worldwide.
Mistral Bow III loudspeaker

My feeling is that it is new old stock. They had brief representation in USA with Nappa Audio in California and were mentioned in Stereophile briefly but not unfavourably. There floorstanders have been reviewed on youtube by Zerofidelity as was the LS3/5a copy.

The speakers have been sold on Amazon and Ebay, yeah I know what you are thinking, me too, but these are still not cheap I paid a little over US$500 shipped to Australia and considering our crappy exchage rate of late they end up being just short of AUD$1000. And there is no shortage of choice in speaker under a $1K these days with pretty good performance.

I recently owned a pair of the Axis Voice Box that go for a lot more than what I paid for the Mistral's and the Bow-iii's are their equal and in my opinion better.

A couple of caveats I would add, I listen to just about everything in music but mainly Classical Music, Jazz, ECM, World Music and I don't listen LOUD but loud enough.

I'm a new guy here, longtime lurker but I can assure you I am not spruiking the speakers but if you can find a pair to listen to I'd like to know your impressions because for one, I'd like someone else to confirm what I am hearing!

 

Ah. But are they Klipschy? MartinLoganesque? Tannoyish? Totemic? Wilsonian? Snellish?

 

I love the idea of these but they're kinda big for the room especially in width but how about the Denton 85s?

 

I think I'll try a pair of B&Ws as they have them at one of the places I'm visiting to try speakers.

 

The speakers will need to go as close to the far wall as possible, room is only 10/11 foot.
It's one of the reasons I'm interested in the Fyne 500s as they are downward firing.

 

Sorry to be off-topic for a moment, but... you still using a Bias 2 cartridge?

Asking 'cuz it seems possibly sub-optimal to be contemplating 1000 quid speakers while rocking an 80 quid cart.

IOW, you might do better overall to earmark a small portion of funds for a cart upgrade simultaneously. Cheers.
.

 

The options are mind boggling. I'd search places like Audiogon or dealer trade ins to get several steps up improvement at good price in the used market. Most speakers are like luxury cars and depreciate drastically after a few years.

 

I acknowledge your point but...
It all depends what you look for from different sources, for me vinyl, CD and streaming.
From vinyl I want 'grunt' more than anything, from CD I'll get detail tempered by the TDA1541A chip and streaming gives me a preview of what I may buy on CD or vinyl.
The Bias 2 gives me 'grunt' in spades.

(I reserve the right to get a P3 with Exact tho!)

 

Love my LS50s with the Kef Performance stands.

 

Keep in mind used is possible. One set went for 1000 pounds on eBay. There's one set listed you should keep an eye on.

Harbeth P3esr Speakers *Mint* (Special Edition Eucalyptus) | eBay

 

Satori Ara 2-Way Speaker Kit- Pair

 

You might add Monitor Audio Silver’s to your list. Should be on budget.