Afternoon everyone.
System is
RP6 with Ania
CDX2
282
250DR
Hicap ( soon to be upgraded to HCDR)
Located on a Quadraspire frame
With Wilson Benesch Arcs.
I really like the Arcs , they suit my ears well but its time for an upgrade.
Excellent local(ish ) dealer has let me have Kudos S20s on home demo for 3 weeks. They were brand new and needed running in. They have now had about 50 hours through them.
I like the bigger soundstage and depth . They are very musical and engaging but to my ears they are bright and the sound isn’t accurate / realistic. Their designer Derek Gilligan accepted that he had given the speakers a deliberate treble lift to increase musicality.
Thats a big problem for me. I listen to a wide variety of music but particularly jazz. With the Kudos a tenor sax sounds like an alto and a female voice can ( not always ) sound strident .
I miss the richness and accuracy of the Arcs but long for a bit more depth and a bigger sound.
My budget was £5k but I could ( reluctantly) increase this.
I am looking for a pair of speakers that in short are going to be a quantum leap forward from the Arcs and going to blow me away.
The review on the Spendor D7.2 are promising but my excellent local dealer doesnt stock them.
Any other suggestions what I should be shortlisting? Im always happy to consider ex demo to get a better bang for my buck.
Thanks in advance.
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I’d be adding an XPS and swapping the RP6 for a Planar 10 before even thinking about new speakers. All the Kudos are doing is allowing the sources to be shown up more than that are already. A better stand than the Quadraspire would be a good idea too.
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The Kudos S20’s are excellent but if you can stretch to the Titan 505’s you will be well rewarded.
Kind regards
PB
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Do the 505 have similar characteristics to the S20s? If so then they are not for me way too bright.
I actually prefer the Wilson Benesch Arcs to the S20 even though they are older and cheaper.
Thanks for your suggestion.
I take on board all those comments but cant understand why with my current sources the Arcs sound better than the Kudos when switching between the two and listening to the same track.
I’ve listened to Kudos C20 and S20 and didn’t find either particularly natural. Maybe the Arcs are simply more to your taste, maybe they are simply a better speaker. Kudos are the current Forum darlings but that doesn’t mean they work for everyone. I really would look to your sources first. A PS works wonders with the CDX2, and the RP6 really isn’t up to your excellent 282/250. Your Arcs can give a lot more and I suspect you’d be really surprised what source upgrades can bring to the party in terms of getting you closer to the music.
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Recently went through the process of testing different speakers for my setup, which isn’t that different to yours, and I ended up with the Spendor D7.2. Worth searching the forum for chat on these. ATC SCM 40 is also a speaker that many recommend, but I found the Spendors to be better (and of course dearer)
Nick:
I listen to jazz a lot, particularly small combo recordings. I had the situation of changing from long-term Quad ESL 63 use with their amazing mid-range to the world of cone speakers. Some I liked were the Spender A4/A7 (not the D series for me), ProAc with cone tweeters, but would consider ribbons, and my final choice Harbeth. I went with the HL5-XD over the 30.2, which are similarly priced here in Canada. I run them with a Naim Nova/Core using tidal and my ripped CD collection. I also play my treasured Blue Note, Pablo and European pressings of be-bop masterpieces on a Transrotor table and Jelco arm. It all sounds pretty good to me
I should say that I am a jazz drummer who frequently plays in a piano/bass/drums trio or larger combos with horns so appreciate the timbre of musical instruments.
Have fun with your search for your special speakers.
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Yes and no, they have the same house signature but they are much more refined. As always you would need to hear for yourself.
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This is a bit left field but how about some SBLS. You could get a nice pair for £600 to 700 which would leave you at least 4k to do as HH suggests and upgrade the CDX 2 with a XPS and the TT.
I recently went through the same ‘phase’ about wanting to change the speakers but a number of folks on the forum convinced me to pay some attention to the detail of set up which I did. They didn’t need much and just loving them now. The CDX/XPS sound great.
Just a Thought!
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Hi Nick,
I run a 282 / 250DR combo and after much searching ended up with Sonus Faber Olympica IIs. Personally I think they are good all rounders and can be picked up second hand (pre loved as they like to say!) for around your budget of 5K.
My source is different to yours, an NDX2, and I must say that adding an XPS to the source and upgrading from a HiCap to a SuperCap for the 282 made a BIG difference. Dont under estimate the improvement that these power supplies bring 
. Based my my experience I would sort out the power supplies before the speakers - not saying I am right in this approach, but IMHO its a good way to go.
cheers
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Whatever you decide to try get a home demo, speakers can get great reviews and recommendations but in your room they might not be the answer. I tried the Spendor D7.2 on home demo for two weeks but didn’t get on with the tweeter, eventually settled on a pair of active ATC SCM40.
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An excellent thought , thank you.
Thanks i will try to demo them but double the price of the S20. Might be able to pick up a demo pair though.
Appreciate the reply. I will try to demo them.
I think HH makes some interesting points about the source first but with your budget I would highly recommend that you audition Harbeth SHL5+ XD. Bang on your budget and i think they are incredible. Huge soundstage but incredibly engaging and musical.
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But a £5,000+ speaker with an RP8 and a bare CDX2?……
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