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Dealer recommendations: floorstanding loudspeakers

By Michael Jones

April 2008

B&W 802
Image 414
Kef iQ5
Magneplanar MG1.6
Quad 2905

Despite the best efforts of AudioEnz reviewers, we simply cannot cover the breadth of products available to you, the buyer. So for this issue I polled twenty hi-fi dealers about which floorstanding speakers they would recommend, and why. Eight specialist dealers responded.

Thanks to Romesh Anandaraja from The Listening Post, Ricky Dasler from Living Sound, Neil Young from Eastern Hi-Fi, Andy from Jim’s Music Room, Manu Scott from Sound Expression, John Ransley from Totally Wired, John Tom from Paul Money Hi-Fi and Allan McFarlane from The Real Music Company.

Here are their choices:

B&W 802D $29,995

“The latest D version with diamond tweeter improves on the already excellent clarity of the original 802's, while being smoother and sweeter,” says Romesh Anandaraja from The Listening Post. “Where the originals could be a little clinical, the new D version is a well rounded and very impressive speaker,” he says of this expensive speaker.

Jamo C607 ($1799) and C805 ($2999)

These two speakers form part of Danish company Jamo’s Concert Series.

Romesh Anandaraja from Hamilton’s The Listening Post chose the C607. “Well balanced and musical, these are one of the most natural sounding speakers you can buy for the price,” says Romesh. He adds that it’s “a great speaker for the audiophile on a budget.”

The more expensive C805 initially attracts with its Danish styling, as it’s “a speaker that is a pleasure to look at before it even plays a note,” says Living Sound’s Ricky Dasler. Ricky lets “their sound quality shine through using top quality ancillary components in the 2-4 grand a piece price range.”

Image 412 ($1800) and 414 ($2600)

While the 414 is probably the most successful Image model, the smaller 412 also deserves attention. More suitable for a smaller room, the 412s are “big sounding small floorstanders”, says Ricky Dasler from Nelson’s Living Sound. The larger 414 has “beautifully finished cabinets with high quality drivers and crossovers can only add up to a well thought out and executed product,” says Neil Young from Newmarket’s Eastern Hi-Fi. Andy from Tauranga’s Jim’s Music Room agrees, describing the 414 as “the best value speaker on the market. With unparalleled performance in the vocal register the softer Morel tweeter is the best in the class.”

The 414 is also a firm favourite with AudioEnz forum members.

AudioEnz 412 review • AudioEnz 414 review

Kef iQ5 $1299

It’s the diminutive size and attractive shape that attracts many to the Kef iQ5. But it’s the sound that makes them buy. It’s a “very capable speaker in a compact and attractive package,” says Eastern Hi-Fi’s Neil Young. Working well in smaller rooms, the iQ5 has “typical KEF traits of detail and warmth,” he adds. AudioEnz reviewer Brent Burmester liked the speaker: “Voices are articulate and convincing, and the general tenor of the speaker is open and communicative. While my attention was immediately taken by the detail evident in the upper frequencies, on longer acquaintance it was the midrange that won my loyalty. The iQ5 has an almost studio-monitor degree of concern for the business-end of the music, where voices and melodies reside.”

AudioEnz review

Klipsch Reference RF 82 $2999

The only speaker in this article to utilise horn loading, the RF 82 features a horn loaded tweeter, along with a larger cabinet for higher speaker sensitivity. Sound Expression’s Manu Scott says that “these speakers can present music with a startling ease. They are revealing, yet not harsh, and get more “juice” out of your amplifier, due to their exceptional efficiency.”

Magneplanar MG1.6/QR $4199

A long-standing favourite among AudioEnz writers (two own these Maggies, another loves them), it’s also a favourite of Living Sound’s Ricky Dasler. “Unchanged since the late 90s this is probably Magnepan’s most popular model,” says Ricky. “It has certainly been our best selling in their range. It has the ability to deliver a fair chunk of what its bigger siblings, the 3.6R and 20.1R are capable off at a fraction of the cost.” Ricky particularly likes “the lifesized soundstage, speed and coherency” and thinks that “for the price they truly are a high end audio bargain.”

AudioEnz review

Martin Logan Vantage $8995

“These are one of the all time bargains in the High End,” says Romesh Anandaraja from The Listening Post. “With wonderful clarity from their electrostatic panel, and terrific speed and slam from their powered bass driver they offer a phenomenal level of performance for their modest price,” he adds.

Meridian DSP 5200 Active Digital loudspeakers $21,530

“Think of them as speakers designed by control freaks,” says John Ransley from Dunedin’s Totally Wired. “By being active with amplifiers built in the speakers, and digital by taking a direct feed in, the options for playing with amplifiers and cables are instantly ruled out. Not to mention signal loss, colouration and a host of other distortions, pleasing or otherwise induced by the audio magazines mix and match obsession.”

And the sound? “There is almost nothing to match their integration, dynamics and precision,” says John Ransley. This is simply because they are designed as a whole - effectively digital to analogue conversion, preamplification, connections, power amplification and actual speakers - all together and working with certainty and efficiency. On the face of it, they are costly - but the moment you add up all the other components they effectively replace, you suddenly have a much more. Just connect source, stand on floor and go!”

Mission M66i $1999

A personal favourite of John Tom from Paul Money Hi-Fi. “It has a very open, detailed and seamless sound which is non-fatiguing on your ears even at volume and over a lengthy listening periods. John adds that “they are versatile with almost any quality amplifier and suit a full range of music.”

ProAc Studio 130 $3499

“The 130's have a wonderfully natural and engaging midrange,” says The Listening Post’s Romesh Anandaraja. “They really get the textures of instruments and voices right, making them a great choice for any one who loves vocals or acoustic music. Although there are speakers that might have a little more slam in the bass, or go a little louder, very few speakers at this price point will be as emotionally communicative.”

PSB T45 $1099

Manu Scott from Wellington’s Sound Expression calls the T45 “our favourite affordable, compact floorstanding speaker.” A tall and narrow speaker, what most impresses Manu is the sound. “This speaker behaves impeccably as an affordable hi-fi speaker, with bass control and extension, an engaging top end, a midrange response that most speakers tend to forget at this level, and a spectacular ability in the soundstaging department,” he says.

Q-Acoustic 1030 ($999) and 1050 ($1399)

Q who? Q-Acoustics were formed by many people left behind when UK speaker brand Mission was bought out by a Chinese company.

The smallest of the two floorstanders, the 1030, was recommended by Living Sounds’ Ricky Dasler. “Their sound is on the warm side but with the ability to still maintain good rhythmic pace. Bass is enjoyable and abundant when matched with a good amp around the 40watts and above,” says Ricky.

The bigger 1050 adds a woofer and a bigger cabinet. John Tom of Paul Money Hi-Fi likes them for their “Good efficiency and suitable for jazz and vocal. The better the amp you use, the better they go,” he adds.

AudioEnz Q-Acoustic 1030 review

Quad 2805 ($13,000) and 2905 ($15,000)

“One of the most elegant ideas in the history of music reproduction - the full range Electrostatic speaker,” proclaims John Ransley of Dunedin’s Totally Wired. “Let’s get rid of the box and all it’s associated resonance, colouration, diffraction issues and wasted energy. Most speakers have an array of different drivers with a ever more complex crossovers - which add distortions and waste more power. Ditch that dumb thinking.” Over 50 years since Quad’s Peter Walker produced his famous electrostatic, the modern versions “are thoroughly modern in their engineering, materials and approach,” he adds.

“The detail from CD or LP is stunning, and it is palpable the effect these speakers have on the first time audition,” says Andy from Tauranga’s Jim’s Music Room of the 2905. “I am determined to own a pair myself one day, and I think most who hear them will suffer the same lust.”

Rega R3 ($1575) and R5 ($2200)

Two similar speakers, designed and manufactured in England by Rega. Ricky Dasler from Nelson’s Living Sound says that the R3 is “a real favourite of ours for its sheer boogie and involvement factor. Its modest height, width and footprint means it’s easily accommodated in most living environments. A genuine British designed and built product.”

The bigger R5 is “by far our most popular speaker option,” says Allan McFarlane from Wellington’s Real Music Company. “They sound great with nearly anything, nicely removing “matching” complexities and they are so easily placed within a room due to the front port and side firing driver.”

AudioEnz Rega R5 review

Totem Sttaf ($3600) and Arro ($2650)

Sporadically available in New Zealand previously, Totem currently has an established distributor and is likely to be more accessible to local audiophiles. Allan McFarlane from The Real Music Company is smitten with the Sttaf’s “delicious mid to upper range, completely break free” and finds that they work well with every genre of music. The ultra-thin Arro is “a great solution for those tight fits that responds to quality electronics” while sounding “unassuming, controlled and musical.”

Other dealer recommendations:

DynAudio 72SE $5299 (Eastern Hi-Fi, Auckland)
Energy RC30 $2199 (Paul Money Hi-Fi)
Monitor Audio Bronze Reference 5 $1300 (Jim’s Music Room)
Naim Allae $5900 (Real Music Company)
PSB GT1 (Sound Expression)
PSB Synchrony 1 (Sound Expression)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 $1399 (Paul Money Hi-Fi) AudioEnz review
Wilson Audio Watt 8 $45,000 (Listening Post, Hamilton)