5.0 speaker advice

[Soundwave]

Howdo guys,

Well following on from my previous thread about a new AV amp I've made my decision & will be getting a nice new Yamaha RXV667 but now the big hunt for speakers begins.

I've decided I wont be buying a package deal & will be going mix & match instead for a 5.0 setup & then save up to add a sub later on because I'm sure 4 good bookshelf speakers will produce enough low end grunt to be at least as rumbly as my current Yamaha NSP sub.

now I'm narrowed the short list down to these 2 & just wondered if anyone has any opinions??
It's not easy for me to listen to them as my local hi-fi dealers don't stock them so your advice will be a great help guys.

Anyway current list is...

Monitor audio...

BR2 - Fronts
BR1 - Rears
BRC - Centre

Mission...

MV4 - Fronts
MV2 - Rears
MVC - Centre

Or if you have other options I'd appreciate them...I have a max budget of ?450 for the setups.

Thanks in advance guys.

Neil

[huxley]

Let your ears decide. Look at some of your local hifi retailers to see if they have demo rooms. Richer Sounds are worth a visit. Most helpfull retailer ever.

Romford? http://www.richersounds.com/stores/romford

[Profit]

Q Acoustics ?300 from the following site for a complete 5.1 package

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3676

They are flawless for most medium sized rooms.

During explosion/battle scenes, my hair was getting blown from the rear speakers, and there was zero distortion!

[Soundwave]

Let your ears decide. Look at some of your local hifi retailers to see if they have demo rooms. Richer Sounds are worth a visit. Most helpfull retailer ever.

Romford? http://www.richersounds.com/stores/romford

This is the issue Richer Sounds are great if you don't want to listen to anything.
They have naff all ability to audition properly in there, they are great if you know what you want & just want to buy it but if you want in depth listening then forget it...they are far too busy to accommidate (sp?) properly.

I did find Audio T in Brentwood though & I have heard good things about them (part of the Sevenoaks Audio Group) so will be booking in soon me thinks.

Q Acoustics ?300 from the following site for a complete 5.1 package

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3676

They are flawless for most medium sized rooms.

During explosion/battle scenes, my hair was getting blown from the rear speakers, and there was zero distortion!

Thanks for the link Profit, I have looked at them & they were top of my list for complete packages but I've decided this time I'd like upgradeability & buying a 5.1 package wont allow me that.
This way I can upgrade over years instead of having to replace everything at once when the DIY package becomes boring or I need bigger boom lol

Plus this way I can spread the cost over a couple of months instead of an outlay straight away.

Thanks again for the help guys.

Neil

[Brats]

I can vouch that both the MAs and Missions have superb sound. I have the MAs and my brother has a pair of the Missions - superb speakers. Personally I think the Missions look ugly as sin, but it depends on your taste.

You may find demoing the MAs difficult as you've listed the older Bronze speakers, the BR range, which most places like Sevenoaks may not stock any more. Monitor Audio are notoriously fussy about their suppliers and you might find the only way to buy this older range is online.

It might be worth considering the new Bronze range (BX) which wouldn't take you too much over your price range for the same size speakers. They are meant to be more refined and they look gorgeous (no holes for connecting the grills).

Alternatively, you can pick up the BR5 floorstanders for bargain price online nowadays. Floorstanders tend to drop in price more than book shelf speakers, so if you have the room they offer the best bang for buck. Personally I would invest in these and leave the rear speakers for now as they may not be around for long. It may also mean that you might not need a sub in the future.

http://www.discounttv.co.uk/product/Monitor_Audio_BR5_Floorstanding_Speakers.html

[Soundwave]

Thanks for the help Brats appreciate the input.
To be honest I quite like the Missions but that's just me lol

The reason for the old BR range for the M-A's is that they are being run out silly cheap at the moment (BR2's @ £120-£130 & BR1's @ £90 a pair) so was looking at them cause they were cheap lol

I hadn't really thought about the Floorstanders because I wasnt sure on space but will definitely have a look now because I'm sure once I factor in stands for the Front's they wont be far off the same price or the 5's might even be cheaper...wonder if I can fit them in at the rear as well

Thanks again for that.

Neil

[Brats]

You're welcome

That's a really good price for the BR2s. Out of interest, who is doing them for that price? I might have to pick up another pair for the back room .

[Soundwave]

You're welcome

That's a really good price for the BR2s. Out of interest, who is doing them for that price? I might have to pick up another pair for the back room .

Lol they are bloody good price aren't they??

Here you go buddy...

http://www.hifix.co.uk/sku2.lasso?MONITOR%20AUDIO-BR2&item=3361a26d3f4e6e389df0a8ff806fd6c6

?130 in either Walnut or Cherry
I need them in Black though to match the rest of the room so still looking...cheapest for mine is about ?150

BR1's are in black for ?90 so these will most likely be my rears:

http://www.hifix.co.uk/sku2.lasso?MONITOR%20AUDIO-BR1&item=52f76d33fcc79fe3de190c7a2c19760c

Been thinking about stands though...do you think normal height Speaker stands will be to low for good rear effects??

Thanks again

Neil

[Brats]

Been thinking about stands though...do you think normal height Speaker stands will be to low for good rear effects??

It depends on your room set up. If you have adequate space behind and to the sides of where you will be sitting (I'd say at least two metres away from the sofa) then speaker stands will be fine. If space is smaller you'll want to have the speakers higher up attached to the wall because it gives a better feeling of surround sound.

[Soundwave]

It depends on your room set up. If you have adequate space behind and to the sides of where you will be sitting (I'd say at least two metres away from the sofa) then speaker stands will be fine. If space is smaller you'll want to have the speakers higher up attached to the wall because it gives a better feeling of surround sound.

Thanks for the help again buddy.

I may have some issues then as my setup is a little tight for space at the back.
Settee is almost right on top of the left rear so I might have to look at wall mounting for better staging.

I'll take some pics tonight to show you what I mean.

I've changed my mind on the fronts...decided to jump up & grab some BR5 Floor standers instead
By the time I shell out for the BR2's & Stands I'm only a few ? short of the cost of the BR5's

Also they drop lower than the BR2's so will be able to get away without a Sub for a bit longer I think.

This means I might even switch up to BR2's for the rears instead of the 1's

Still struggling to find the BR spec centre in Black though
This may cause me some issues.

Neil