speaker shopping 4 rotel

[rick c]

I have a rotel rsx1056 currently my spkrs are def.tech. procinema 100 w/c2 center and 200tl sub.I have looked at audiogon and have found some speakers that may fit my budget which is small.Can you rate these speakers for me.The only new speakers are the Def.tech. also i'm undecided ref. floor or bookshelf.If i have to i will get a center to match whatever speaker i get.
speakers-B&w 603.s2,PMC db-1,Rega Ela,Def.Tech. BP8(new).
I guess the only spkr i would not have to get a center for would be the Def.Tech.Would appreciate a response.Planning on doing this soon.
PS-also if i would just be spending my money and none of these would be an upgrade let me know.

[Taito]

Hi Rick,

to be honest, although the advice on this forum is helpful, you should not take what anyone says as gospel. Sound is a very subjective thing. That is why one professional reviewer will give a product 5 stars and 'product of the year', while another will give it only 3 stars (ie. Rotel rcd-1072 cd player -Absolute Sound Vs. Hifi Choice). If you buy a set of speakers based on what people here tell you, there is NO way that you can be sure that you have bought the best speakers for you (withing your price range).

It sounds as though you mean to buy these speakers over the internet. Although good savings can be had shopping for audio gear over the net, in the end, most people will be more satisfied (and spend WAY less $$ on upgrades) if they go to a decent dealer and audition the equipment for themselves. You would be paying more at the time, but IMHO, for the product satisfaction, it is well worth it.

Also, when you have bough several (or one) things from a dealer, you will be recognised and remembered there, which really helps with extended auditions and prices.

BTW, if you go to a dealer, after selecting a product, ask what the best price that they will give you is... you may be pleasantly surprised.

[aud19]

That's pretty good advice from Taito :T

From the choice of DefTech or B&W, I'd personally go with B&W as they tend to do music better IMO and are still good at movies while DefTech's tend to only do movies well IMO. I'm sure others will disagree Which is why Taito's advice to listen is so good because all though I don't think DefTech's make good music speakers, I know for a fact there are at least a couple members here who own them and have flat out stated they love them for tunes so....

Jason

[number17]

I agree with what Taito said, but while most internet dealers have a very limited, or simply no 'satisfaction guaranteed' policy, some do have an extended policy to make sure you are 100% satisfied with their product.

Axiom speakers, for example, are a direct on-line store and by taking away the 3rd party dealership they are able to offer more attractive price. They also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee policy that if you're not happy with the speakers you can refund 100% within 30 days, which is long enough to evaluate your speakers. The only thing you lose is the return shipping cost, which I think is fair.

Personally I'd still prefer to audit the speakers in the store, and trust me, the high-end audio store owners are EAGER to build a relationship with you. It's not Futureshop / Best buy we're talking about here. But I do think if you intend to go the route of on-line shopping, some internet direct stores are also worth a try these days.

Going back to your question - I came very close to buying a set of B&W 300 series speakers and am pretty high on them. Rotel amps work well with various types of speakers though, and you should really listen yourself.

[theMaximus]

B&W 603 would be a fine choice. Also, I hear a lot of good things about KEF Q7 speakers. I'm using B&W 704 with RSX-1056 and RB-1070 and very happy with how they sound together.