Have your say & ask the experts

Firstly thanks for all your advice on my previous threads, I have taken it on board and went and looked at 3 different pairs of speakers.

 I went to Sevenoaks and they were great, and I shortlisted B&W CM1 and Monitor Audio RX1 and B&W 684's. However I had already booked a demo at another Sevenoakes (nearer to my home) for tomorrow. So I called and cancelled it with them, and they asked me why. I said I had found an ex-demo pair of CM1's for £450, which if I liked I could take home tomorrow.

Now this is where he threw a spanner in the works, " CM1's and Arcam will not work very well together" he said the Arcam is a bright sound and so are the CM1's a pair of Monitor Audio's 6ohm and 88db v CM1's at 8ohm and 84db.

I understand that the 88db is more efficient, but just how much more? does it mean less distortion because they are driven easier, or is it just a number that you won't hear?

 I guess when I listen to them I will make my own mind up, however do you think I need to take my own Arcam Solo Mini to get a true sound or will another system still give me a good enough idea?

Thnaks

Ian

I dont think anyone would consider Arcam as bright!

Some unscrupulous dealer's will tell you anything to secure a sale or prevent losing one.I'd take that as a cue to buy elsewhere,personally.

Arcam is in no way bright. Some may or may not like the sound of it, but you should find that they actually match quite well, as Arcam's slightly smoother presentation will take some of the treble edge off the B&W's. Because Arcam doesn't try and produce bucketloads of bass, this will also tame the B&W's low end, which it has a fair amount of given it's diminutive size. For some people the combination might not be their cup of tea, but I think that pairing would be a far better one than Musical Fidelity.......

The MA's will definitely be more efficient (noticably), but the Mini Solo has a fair amount of power behind it, and in normal circumstances won't have any problems. A 3dB step up is generally classed as twice as loud.

daveh75:

I dont think anyone would consider Arcam as bright!

Some unscrupulous dealer's will tell you anything to secure a sale or prevent losing one.I'd take that as a cue to buy elsewhere,personally.

Thaiman:

SSAV in Norwich has some real nice people working in the shop but knowledgeable?  debatable!

Musical Fidelity X-Ray v8 → AVI S2000MP → Quad 405 Netaudio MK3 Dual Mono (Burr-Brown OPA627) → Spendor SA1 →

Arcam Solo-Mini is not bright. How do I know? I owned one for a year. (No I am not a dealer.)

There ARE dealers you can trust the word of. Obviously you found someone who does not listen to their own stock before selling it. (Or an idiot or a shark. Take your pick.)

The efficiency/sensitivity of the speakers you partner with the Solo-Mini will matter up to a point. It is rated - on paper - at 25watts per channel but they are very young, supple watts that work out a bit, so don't get too worried unless you want high energy club levels of volume.

From personal experience - I would suggest Rega RS1 bookshelf/standmounts (£390 and 90db into 8 ohms) with some good stands, or Rega RS3 'compact' floorstanders (£684 and 89db into 6 ohms).

I have not heard them, but the new Monitor Audio RX2 standmounts (£500 and 90db into 6 ohms) have a specified power handling of 25 - 100 watts and 8" bass/mid drivers. They look promising and should have more bass than most compact standmounts. They should also be easy to audition alongside the smaller RX1's (£400 I think) at the same dealers.

Cheers everyone, I wont be leaving the shop without speakers tomorrow!!!

 You can only get some much advice, forums are good but you can send yourself crazy!

 I will let you know what I get

Ian

Good luck Ian.  I'd suggest you home demo if you're not sure and can't trust the dealer's advice.

 Lets face it - there are some pretty lousy dealers out there who'll say whatever to get a sale.  In my experience they flip-flop all over the place and its not hard to spot the inconsistency.  Good advice and quality of service is priceless. 

chebby:

 It is rated - on paper - at 25watts per channel but they are very young, supple watts that work out a bit, so don't get too worried unless you want high energy club levels of volume.

I like that 

Gerrardasnails:

daveh75:

I dont think anyone would consider Arcam as bright!

Some unscrupulous dealer's will tell you anything to secure a sale or prevent losing one.I'd take that as a cue to buy elsewhere,personally.

I agree. It sounds like the dealer just said the first thing he could think of to try and keep the sale. To be honest, I have had completely different experiences with the the two branches of Sevenoaks I've used. My local Epsom shop are great, brilliant service and they know their stuff. In the City, I used the shop by Chancery Lane and had a not so great time. I was looked down on and felt uncomfortable.

Epsom is my local as well - I've had mixed advice over the years. Like TM said I do get concerned about their knowledge (or lack of), and it seems the more retailers you approach the more confusing it gets. Indeed, they have their own agendas and reasons pointing you in a certain direction, to me it's counter-productive.

The best advice is to make a short-list and audition. If one brand has a 'wow' factor, then you're home 'n' dry

plastic penguin:

Epsom is my local as well - I've had mixed advice over the years. Like TM said I do get concerned about their knowledge (or lack of), and it seems the more retailers you approach the more confusing it gets. Indeed, they have their own agendas and reasons pointing you in a certain direction, to me it's counter-productive.

Sevenoaks does tend to be quite mixed in their advice, and I'm only saying that because I used to work for one. Because they're mostly franchises, they're all doing their own thing, as much as HQ are trying to make them uniform.