Which speaker for Musical Fidelity a3.2 ?


Hi!

I'm a total Rookie...and you can save me from dropping wads of cash that I do not have in my crusade to build a sound sytem that can amaze me. I have just picked up the following,

Musical Fidelity A3.2 Integrated Amp
Musical Fidelity A3 CD Player
Transparent Music Link Super Interconnects

Now I need a speaker. And I'm completely confused! I can spend as much as $2k and would prefer to buy used cos' I want to get more for my money.

I heard a pair of Aerial 5s and I thought they lacked a warm lower end (not that I know much about the darn lower end, I just knew that it was lacking substance)

I heard B&W 603 S3s and they were a little bright and a little punchy with their low ends. I kind of liked them but I'm trying to look ahead to a time when I'll want more transparency.....perhaps as my tastes evolve.

I heard 602 S3s but they were outclassed...though they did offer a great bang for the buck. Infact I'm still tempted by them.

Any advice you can provide will be very appreciated. People have asked me to go hear the following,

Triangle Celius
Audio Physic Spark
Magnepan Planar (1.6QR??)
and Thiel 1.6s

Please Advise.

Thanks,
Udai
umathoda
Hi Udai,
I had an A 3.2 and thought it was a great integrated, I was sorry I didn't keep it a little longer. At 115 watts you shouldn't have a problem with most speakers out there including Dynaudio since the A3.2 is rated at 140 watts into 4 ohms.
Again it depends on what you want. A full range speaker is always more satisfying IMO, I have tried many different speakers within your price and always come back to a full range.

Some suggestions:

Meadowlark Osprey's, they are beautiful, sound fantastic and can be had for a very reasonable price. Build quality is top notch. Bass is very tuneful and accurate, not extreme.

Vandersteen 3A sigs. Lots of room filling bass, an excellent all rounder, maybe not the best at imaging and detail ( some may differ in their opinion) but an excellent speaker if you can find it at your price.

The Revel Performa F 30, Very good sounding speaker, big and not real pretty but it sounds fantastic top to bottom.

PSB Stratus Gold i , a very good speaker that will not leave you dissapointed, especially for the used price!

Go listen to some Dynaudio's if you get a chance. They may not impress you much in the first three minutes but give them a good listen.

good luck!

Hi. Purely going by spec alone. If the A3.2 only have 140-watts at 4-ohm, you can forget about the Magneplanar 1.6QR unless you are in a pretty small room. Not enough power.
Dynaudio's.
Try the Contour 1.3SE.
I listened to B&W, Monitor Audio (silver & gold series), and many other speakers with my MF A3CR amp/pre combo, and now with my A308CR Amp/pre combo. I just kept coming back to the Dynaudio's. I have to agree with "shoe"... give them a few mintues.. since nothing is glaringly upfront, it may not seem as lively or dynamic as the other speakers... but when switching back to the above mentioned speakers.. something was always missing. The Dynaudios were just tonally "right on", with dynamics, and a full sound. Everything from top to bottom was there in equal parts. You can hear everything going on.. and natural, natural, natural sounding.
I have the Contour 3.3's, because, I, like "shoe" again, wanted full range speakers.
However, I was totally blown away by the 1.3se's and wish I had gone with them. I was originally planning on moving into a bigger place and thought I would need the full range of the 3.3's. That never took place, and I have the 3.3's in a room that probably doesn't use their full potential. The 1.3SE's would have been a better match.
DYNAUDIO for sure.