casinonightzone Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 So, I upgraded my turntable and amp this year. I have a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon and a Marantz PM5004 and absolutely LOVE the combination. I was running them through some old Sony floorstanders that I got for free until this past weekend when I was DJing a work holiday party using a borrowed amp, soundchecked using a song with REALLY loud bass with the volume turned up a bit too loud, and the speakers actually exploded. The foam around the cones actually just disintegrated and they are totally blown. The good thing is, I got those ones for free, and they paid me way too much money for the DJ gig, so now I have money for new speakers. My budget is about $350. I could go more, but I don't necessarily want to. It seems as though through everyone's recommendations, I should go for either the Wharfdale Diamond 10.1, or the Epos Epic 2. My first question is this: I am used to floorstanding speakers and the extra bass that comes along with them. I occasionally listen to some rap music on vinyl, though not too much, and I don't usually turn it up too loud anyway. Do these bookshelves have good bass? I think I read a review of the Diamonds that say they have the bass of small floorstanders. Is this correct? I know I am not going to be shaking the walls or anything with these speakers, but I'd like a good amount of bass without having to upgrade my budget and get an actual set of floorstanding speakers. I'm moving in April and don't really want to have to move a set of floorstanding speakers. I'd try to find somewhere to demo the things, but I'm not sure if there is anywhere in CT or southern MA that has them. My other question is this: are the Epos Epic 2's available anywhere for the $400 price I've seen in a few threads? I can't seem to find these things available anywhere online except for Amazon, who sells them for $800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Hey, yeah I need to update that thread, the Epic 2 were discounted a while back, but the site that had them for $400 sol all their stock. One of the most important factors is the size of your room. Generally you'll get lower and heftier bass from floorstanders, but it also depends on the quality of the speakers. Good bookshelf speakers have no problem outperforming cheap floorstanders, both in how low they go and how much spl they produce. The 10.1 are very good in this regard, but if you want more bass, the 10.2 might be a better choice. I don't find them as good overall, but they go really low. There's a demo pair at Music Direct for $350. BUT, your amp might be the problem here. Those wharfedales (both the 10.1 and 10.2) are really power hungry. I'd guess that they wouldn't perform to their potential, since the PM5004 really cannot provide the juice needed to drive them properly. So it might be better to look at the Focal Chorus line. The 705V is on sale for $350, and the 706V for $450. If you can stretch for the 706V, they'd be ideal. You'd get tons of bass, very good and balanced sound, and your amp wouldn't suffer when driving them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skibum00 Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 While Focals are beautiful sounding speakers they are known to lack in the bass department. I would get the Diamond 10.1's and throw a 12 inch sub in the mix, you can get a Dayton Sub-1200 from parts express for like $110 , it it would provide better bass then the $100 upgrade to the diamond 10.2's 6.5 driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casinonightzone Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 Hey, yeah I need to update that thread, the Epic 2 were discounted a while back, but the site that had them for $400 sol all their stock. One of the most important factors is the size of your room. Generally you'll get lower and heftier bass from floorstanders, but it also depends on the quality of the speakers. Good bookshelf speakers have no problem outperforming cheap floorstanders, both in how low they go and how much spl they produce. The 10.1 are very good in this regard, but if you want more bass, the 10.2 might be a better choice. I don't find them as good overall, but they go really low. There's a demo pair at Music Direct for $350. BUT, your amp might be the problem here. Those wharfedales (both the 10.1 and 10.2) are really power hungry. I'd guess that they wouldn't perform to their potential, since the PM5004 really cannot provide the juice needed to drive them properly. So it might be better to look at the Focal Chorus line. The 705V is on sale for $350, and the 706V for $450. If you can stretch for the 706V, they'd be ideal. You'd get tons of bass, very good and balanced sound, and your amp wouldn't suffer when driving them. Thanks for the recommendation! I do have a local dealer who sells Focal speakers as well as Marantz products, so I'll go ahead and check them out today and see if I can demo the combo! I've seen a few people on here who have the PM5004 with the Diamond 10.1's. maybe they'll chime in on this thread or i'll PM them for their thoughts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casinonightzone Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 While Focals are beautiful sounding speakers they are known to lack in the bass department. I would get the Diamond 10.1's and throw a 12 inch sub in the mix, you can get a Dayton Sub-1200 from parts express for like $110 , it it would provide better bass then the $100 upgrade to the diamond 10.2's 6.5 driver. Unfortunately the amp I have has no output for a sub, so I'm out in that department... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 FWIW I was eyeing similar speakers with a similar setup (Pro-Ject Debut Carbon + Marantz PM6004) and wound up buying a pair of Monitor Audio RX1s for $500 here. A bit over your price range, but they are worth checking out. I am happy with the results overall. Another front-runner for me were Kef Q300s (also ~$500). These are nice because they are front-ported, which allows you a bit more flexibility in where you place them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flood Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 i feel you on the woofers exploding... i had a pair of Optimus Lx5s which i bought in high school when i worked at radio shack.. things sounded damn good for years.... and im guessings the rubber just dried out over the years.. put on massive attack mezzanine a little too loud.. and all of a sudden everything sounded like shit ... riped both woofers right out of the damn things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toph Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 FWIW I was eyeing similar speakers with a similar setup (Pro-Ject Debut Carbon + Marantz PM6004) and wound up buying a pair of Monitor Audio RX1s for $500 here. A bit over your price range, but they are worth checking out. I am happy with the results overall. Another front-runner for me were Kef Q300s (also ~$500). These are nice because they are front-ported, which allows you a bit more flexibility in where you place them. Question, what made you go with the Monitor Audio's over the KEF Q300's. Just putting my setup together and have the Debut Carbon and PM6004 on the way. Just need to pick up the speakers now. Been debating over those two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceghost Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I'm also looking into a new setup and was considering the Marantz PM6004 and Wharfedale 10.1, would that be a good combo? Or am I better off getting the Focal 705v? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Question, what made you go with the Monitor Audio's over the KEF Q300's. Just putting my setup together and have the Debut Carbon and PM6004 on the way. Just need to pick up the speakers now. Been debating over those two. Honestly, I think I would have been happy either way. I decided to try the MAs mostly because they were supposed to handle bass a little better and were discounted a bit on Audio Advisor. Aesthetically, I think the MAs are much nicer. However, you are paying a bit for the wood veneer finish vs the vinyl covering on the Kefs. It wasn't a major consideration, but the walnut finish versions that I went with are beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casinonightzone Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 ended up heading to a local store here in CT called The Audio Store. The owner of the store was incredibly nice, knowledgable and hilarious to boot. He demoed the new version of the Focals, the Chorus 705 (without the v). They were definitely lacking in the bass department, and at higher volumes seemed to lose a lot of definition with the type of music I'll be playing on mine. He demoed a set of Paradigm Atoms for me, which were a little over my price range, but had the perfect amount of bass for where I'm at, and I ended up buying them. It's too late tonight to hook them up, but I'm really looking forward to setting them up tomorrow and listening to them and breaking them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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