Speakers for 272/300DR

I heard the Sopra 2s with the 272/300 combo at the Bristol show this year. Stunning sound. 

Finkfan posted:

I heard the Sopra 2s with the 272/300 combo at the Bristol show this year. Stunning sound. 

Likewise, looks might not be suit everybody but they did sound very good remember speaker choice is a very personal choice you must listen for yourself.

The ATC SCM40 being a sealed/infinite baffle box may excite the room less than a ported design. Lighter in the bass than some maybe , but more controlled. If you can't demo any speakers they may be the safest bet because of this. The mid range unit has an enviable reputation. 

I confess to not having heard them, but should anything happen to my Allaes I am considering them since I have quite a small room. In my case I feel sealed boxes would be better suited.

You mentioned the ATC SCM40 are on the list...good value for money.

I went to listen to N272/555 + 300DR with ATC SCM40  (upgrade from my 250DR)
liked what I heard a lot.
Then tried the front end with SCM40a ..... liked the coherence, mid range was best I've heard , and to be honest it just sounded right.
The bass is tight, fast with punch and to my ears deep enough

However you also mention I want a all rounder with a little bass present.  so it might be too much for you.

My result ...

I ordered the actives in satin black 10 days ago, should be with me next couple of weeks.
Since then i've sold my 250DR, TQ UB cables and speakers...and some other redundant cables.
With the resulting sales my upgrade was very nearly cost neutral
fewer boxes & cables (good WAF factor), less chance to tweak stuff with cables...and when I get to buy the rack that will need less shelves, so I can get something very good.

My ATC SCM11's are exceptional -- see the review of them in HifiCritic. I would certainly look further up their range

Emre posted:

 

No i can not do home demo, maybe i can hear Focal Sopra 2 with a Naim setup but not 272/300DR. 

 

Are you serious? Spending that amount of money without a proper home demo?

Emre -  does your dealer offer Monitor Audio? The latest Platinum II 300s are stunning. And they are also good value for money (in relative terms).

Believe  me i would if i can  it is not i am lazy, even a demo at the dealer will be good but if they dont have it on stock they will order it, if you buy! They have sopras but they are at the expensive side of my list, if i can get away with something cheaper and better/different character my sonus cremonas i will be happy

I can understand where Emre is coming from. In some countries, where even an XPSDR is considered exotic, getting home demo's of expensive speakers is simply not an option.
Dealers prefer to flog several pairs of cheaper speakers than to invest in one expensive pair. Pure economics.

So Emre - by the looks of it you may have to go a bit on our recommendations. Hence this post I guess...

Thanks Adam!  For us in not so hifi countries this kind of forums are our ears in a way so far so good with all my kit

ryder. posted:

Harbeth M30.1 and M40.1 do not do rock. Yes they can play rock but the music won't sound engaging. The Compact 7ES3 and Super HL5 Plus are more versatile speakers and more of an all-rounder. My own ears, opinion and preference. Since your dealer has all the speakers I presume you can listen to all of them at the dealers if not in your own room?

I disagree with the statement here having had Harbeth 30.1s for several years and listened to a lot of rock music, which I found engaging. However, 'rock' is a diverse category and different people also have different expectations of what they think is 'correct'. As always, you need to listen for yourself, but I found the Harbeths very engaging on a wide variety of music with an admirable ability to represent the expressiveness of musical performances. (And yes they do need stands.)

Clive 

jon honeyball posted:

My ATC SCM11's are exceptional -- see the review of them in HifiCritic. I would certainly look further up their range

 

Thats a great review on the 11s and there's also a good one by Jason Kennedy for Hifi Wigwam , he describes them as being  alarmingly close to his PMC Fact 8s which are the best speakers I've tried at home . I've heard both the ATC 19s and 40s recently and both were fantastic , I'll be trying some 19s at home very very soon , if I had no neighbours and a bigger room it would be the 40s .

I have top floor music room/my room with sound isolation from my living room downstairs  so I can crank Up! 

It is difficult living somewhere either without a dealer or where the  dealer choices and demo options are limited.

To audition the Sopra 2s, would your dealer let you take your 272/300 in to hear on that, and better still take your existing speakers in to hear as a baseline for comparison of differences - not the same as a home demo, but better than otherwise, and at the price of the Supras your dealer might be persuaded to be accommodating.

Meanwhile the bigger ATCs like the SCM40 have that sublime midrange unit, the best I've ever heard on anything,  however I haven't the SCM40 myself so can't comment on the balance of sound. 

Sopra 2.  My system 272/xps dr/300 dr/sopra 2.  I can not ask for better.

Parlee-king posted:

You mentioned the ATC SCM40 are on the list...good value for money.

I went to listen to N272/555 + 300DR with ATC SCM40  (upgrade from my 250DR)
liked what I heard a lot.
Then tried the front end with SCM40a ..... liked the coherence, mid range was best I've heard , and to be honest it just sounded right.
The bass is tight, fast with punch and to my ears deep enough

However you also mention I want a all rounder with a little bass present.  so it might be too much for you.

My result ...

I ordered the actives in satin black 10 days ago, should be with me next couple of weeks.
Since then i've sold my 250DR, TQ UB cables and speakers...and some other redundant cables.
With the resulting sales my upgrade was very nearly cost neutral
fewer boxes & cables (good WAF factor), less chance to tweak stuff with cables...and when I get to buy the rack that will need less shelves, so I can get something very good.

I also thought the scm40 actives were just too good to miss. Love them. Enjoy!

Another vote for SCM40. Buy with confidence.

Emre-spendor launchend a new D9.

Easy, Spendor D7's. They are about the same price as ATC SCM 40's.

One of the best all around speakers I have heard, they do it all, and sound great no matter what kind of music you listen to. Of course the newer D9's are supposed to be a better speaker, and will still cost less than the Sopra 2, but I haven't heard them yet.

The Spendor D7's were some of the best sounding speakers at the 2016 Axpona show.

Although the Sopra'2s are at the top of your budget, why not speak to your 'special dealer' and negotiate an extra special price, you will not be disappointed.... 

Anyone can explain what is the difference between spendor a vs d series? 

Spendor d9 6,495

spendor a9 4,795

focal sopra 9,995

Smc40 3,275

a better performance than sonus cremona m, rocks a little with a better bass than bookshelf cremonas

Best vfm for 272/300dr/ps555 wit SL speaker cables?  

Looking at those prices it's a no brainer. Just goes to show what superb vfm ATC are.

What about naim s400? they have one in stock and nobody will buy it except me so I can get a bargain for it