You could possibly add the PMC active upgrade kit, £1750, to the ex demo pair if this works out better financially.
1 Like
What a difference a day makes., doh!!
I’m not sure which source intended as major in use ?
Atom HE maybe ?
In your situation now when purchase cancelled, I’d not skip your LS50 loudspeakers - they are really good and seem to match the placement chosen.
I’d just look at a top notch source and a s/h Naim or Rega amp.
Later on you can have home demos of other loudspeakers - no hurry on such task.
Cheers @glasnaim, you may well have saved me enough to cover a Rega Planar 3 with change left over.
Wouldn’t have happened without my indecision. Or would it …
1 Like
The ATC SCM 40A is available secondhand within that budget (2 just at your max currently advertised on eBay). It has their sublime 3" dome midrange unit, and although it looks like the bass rolls off rather high, near wall might compensate. It is a floorstander, but I doubt it occupies a lot more room space than your present speakers on stands. I have no vested interest, though I have heardand love the midrange unit, and if I were looking for a relatively small active I’d want to hear it
Thanks @PerF, helpful thoughts.
My main source is my local library of ripped CD’s and downloads via the HE. For a long time my listening habit was probably 90% headphones but lately more like 60/40 in favour of headphones. I haven’t bought any records for years but I have about 200 albums in the loft which I’ve recently rediscovered and have enjoyed playing.
I demoed the Dali Menuet SE with the Neat Petite Classic and the Dali won. I’m a predominantly acoustic, country and folk listener and for my ears the Petites were lacking in detail compared to the Dali’s. Thoroughly besotted with the sound and they’re not run in properly yet.
Hi, I’ll chip in my two penneth. I actually own an Atom + LS50s in my living room system. I also own a pair of Proac D2rs driven by a 250 dr in my snug (music room) so I can actually compare them day to day.
Firstly it’s all about the room. The D2rs really fit my 4m x 4.5m. My room tends to overload the bass so I dismissed PMC and Neats. They are perfect as it gets and are exciting without being fatiguing. I also have the D2rs tweeters 30cm from the back wall.
The Atom + LS50 in my are much more laid back but with pin-point imaging. I love them but they don’t even come close to the D2rs nor should they given the price difference.
1 Like
Hi @Innocent_Bystander, if ATC SCM 40A’s can’t be done do you have any experience with the 19A’s as I could afford them new and my dealer can get them for me.
It’s really between one of the ATC and PMC Twenty5 22i (which I can get as ex-demo passives with the active upgrade fitted saving a significant amount and which may tip the scales in their favour). I’ll be listening before I buy but as ever would appreciate any thoughts you or others may have.
I didn’t think my partner would want floorstanders so I wasn’t really considering them but to my surprise she doesn’t mind them😁
No I haven’t experienced any hifi ATCs myself other than the mid driver in the 40 upwards. There are people on the forum who use 40As, and there may be some with 19As. To catch attention it may be worth srarting a new thread requesting views and experience of these models, especially with Atom HE. Ask about room size.
I’ve never understood preference for standmounts over floorstanders, when much the same room space is occupied, and the greater cabinet volume facilitates the floorstander having more extended bass. That said, doing bass well is more difficult and challenging than higher frequencies, and for otherwise the same sound quality a speaker limited in bass is likely to be significantly less costly than a full range speaker.
2 Likes
I think the ATC SCM 19A are certainly worth a demo.
1 Like
Don’t get it either, my speakers go down to 27 Hz and even that’s not particularly low, there are those that go even lower.
it’s way easier to buy and sell standmounts
19s seem to be a safer option with regards to the room size, I would consider 40s to be too large
1 Like
Why buy expensive equipment and then not have speakers that can handle the whole job? Strange imo
equally priced bookshelves will be of a higher class actually
How so, at least re buying? Buying is the same fir both, lots of auditioning. Selling maybe, given modern lifestyle preference
I totally disagree, having had IMF RSPMs (much bigger and capable of bass down to low 20s) in a similar size room.
1 Like
Assuming you mean small speakers (it is possible to have large speakers on bookshelves!) I agree - but it is a matter of finding speakers that are right for the individual, and decent full range speakers are inherently expensive. Personally I wouldn’t want to suffer the limitation of curtained bass from small speakers - but of course the OP’s preference may be different.
1 Like
@Phystech Why select speakers with the immediate focus is on their bring easy to sell ? Also I question your contention that stand mount speakers of equivalent price will be better than floor standing speakers. I have had my share of stand mount speakers that were more problematic in my room with the price being equal.
1 Like
Unless you go for a very efficient speaker, the 250DR doesn’t have enough oomph to match the energy coming out from a decent active speaker. Twenty5 actives, Dynaudio Focus (Core are way better but their looks is not for everyone), ATC 19/40A are all good choices.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my 250DR and will continue to recommend it. But for the case in point, we’re trying to maximize the results here. My 300DR sounds ok with the 25.23 but I know how energetic these can sound with 300W @ 8ohm amps (not better sq wise, but way more lively).
As an example, I’m using my UQ2 downstairs with a pair of Focal Shape 65 actives, which are at the low end of the price spectrum, as actives go. Out of curiosity, I used Cyrus X300 Sig mono blocks with a pair of Dynaudio Evoke 50 on this Qute and although it sounded bigger, it was completely disappointing and underwhelming.