DazzS Posted March 2 Posted March 2 Hi folks, I'm looking for some advice and opinions on a future speaker upgrade. About a year ago I started the process of setting up my first proper hifi system, which now comprises a set of Q Acoustics 3030i, NAD c316bee v2 amp (I may look to swap to the new wiim vibelink amp when it comes out and if it reviews well) and cd player, 12" tonewinner sub and WiiM ultra. I've been really happy with the 3030i but am now starting to think about upgrading. This is for a large-ish open plan living room, but I've not had any problem filling it to my satisfaction (for music mainly, but also movies) with tge 3030i's+ sub. I'm still a novice at this stuff so not the best at finding the right terms, but essentially the main area I'd like to improve sound wise is instrument separation, particularly on rockier music with a fair bit of distortion and layering in tge mix (eg 90s/2000's grunge/indi rock etc) which I've felt can sound a bit messy/muddy to my ears. Because I've been happy with QA, I'm looking mainly at their line (both stand mounts and floorstanders), but would be open to other suggestions at similar price points. I'm not looking to spend any more than $1500 AU and within that budget the options I'm considering are: 5040 (open box) $1200 5050 (open box) $1500 3050i (new) $980 Concept 30 (open box) $950 (though I'm not so keen on the high gloss/two tone finish on these). So I guess overall I'm keen for advise/opinions on what would be the best upgrade/value option of these and why. I guess the other option would be to keep enjoying what i have and avoid the temptation of upgraditis!
Kasman Posted March 2 Posted March 2 If your keen on staying with QA I’d steer clear of the 3050 as it’s in the same range as yours and you probably won’t be getting any quality improvements (except for a bigger sound). I was in a similar boat to you a few years ago and went to a few retailers. I had a budget in mind (was about $1500 too) and eventually asked a retailer “for sh*ts and giggles what do I get if I double my budget?” They brought out some PMC’s and said “try these”. They were sooo much better in every way to other (much cheaper) speakers I compared them to. Anyway the retailer sold them to me for about 50% off and i only just exceeded my budget. My advice is go to retailers and be open to other brands. Take note of what you like and keep an eye in the classifieds here. Plenty of people turn over speakers regularly. 1
DazzS Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 Thanks for the reply and advice about the 3050. I live regionally so visiting dealers is a bit harder than if I were in the city. I've been keeping an eye on the classifieds here too (i bought both my amp and cd player here), but for obvious reasons most speakers, particularly floorstanders, tend to be 'pick up only', which again is a bit limiting for me because of where I live.
Irek Posted March 3 Posted March 3 If you like Q Acoustics , than go for 5050 Floorstanding. WiiM is a great budget brand, but it's not some giant killer. If you want to try class D for better clarity and separation I would consider the new 1
DazzS Posted March 3 Author Posted March 3 Thanks for your thoughts on the 5050s. I can't see me going for the Marantz M1 though because I'm very happy with the wiim ultra as a preamp and streamer, so many of the M1 features would be redundant (especially considering the price) and I want to stick with separates. If I do go for another amp down the track it will be a more basic but powerful integrated amp or a power amp.
robt62 Posted yesterday at 12:46 AM Posted yesterday at 12:46 AM On 03/03/2025 at 7:09 PM, DazzS said: Thanks for your thoughts on the 5050s. I can't see me going for the Marantz M1 though because I'm very happy with the wiim ultra as a preamp and streamer, so many of the M1 features would be redundant (especially considering the price) and I want to stick with separates. If I do go for another amp down the track it will be a more basic but powerful integrated amp or a power amp.
robt62 Posted yesterday at 01:04 AM Posted yesterday at 01:04 AM (edited) I'm also very happy with my wiim ultra as a preamp and streamer - with one proviso - it needs a higher line out level than the maximum output of 2vrms and probably needs a higher quality line output too. I was using a vintage Yamaha mx-1000 amp with a sensitivity of 1.62vrms. I sometimes like to listen to loud music and found the wiim ultra maximum output was insufficient, causing digital clipping. The giveaway was using the VU Meter screen which I found peaking above +10db. I then hauled my Yamaha cx-1000 preamp out of storage, to which it had been banished since I acquired the wiim ultra, set its source direct on, to disable all tone controls, set volume to 100% and connected it as a line amplifier between wiim ultra and amp. The improvement in sound quality was pronounced, even at normal listening volumes. Being a minimalist in my approach, I was astounded at the difference which I was not expecting. Edited yesterday at 01:16 AM by robt62 1
crisis Posted yesterday at 01:58 AM Posted yesterday at 01:58 AM 41 minutes ago, robt62 said: I'm also very happy with my wiim ultra as a preamp and streamer - with one proviso - it needs a higher line out level than the maximum output of 2vrms and probably needs a higher quality line output too. I was using a vintage Yamaha mx-1000 amp with a sensitivity of 1.62vrms. I sometimes like to listen to loud music and found the wiim ultra maximum output was insufficient, causing digital clipping. The giveaway was using the VU Meter screen which I found peaking above +10db. I then hauled my Yamaha cx-1000 preamp out of storage, to which it had been banished since I acquired the wiim ultra, set its source direct on, to disable all tone controls, set volume to 100% and connected it as a line amplifier between wiim ultra and amp. The improvement in sound quality was pronounced, even at normal listening volumes. Being a minimalist in my approach, I was astounded at the difference which I was not expecting. What you did there was what I was going to suggest. I would upgrade an amp and source before speakers. In my experience decent speakers, as yours are, are capable of improving with better amplification. As Irek mentioned, WIIM make good value components but they are budget components and the amp you mentioned will probably not provide the results you are after. I have a WIIM pro and compared to my admittedly more expensive Primare CD35 PRISMA it falls short. There is a lot of hype on YouTube etc about WIMM this and that and, yes, great value but not the giant killers some people might think. If you only have $1500 sit on it until you have saved a bit more and go for a better amp. Keep your eyes peeled on the classifieds here. I have bought some bargains from members for good prices. Good luck and enjoy the ride!! 2
robt62 Posted yesterday at 02:23 AM Posted yesterday at 02:23 AM I've blown a Yamaha ns-1000m tweeter using a Yamaha A960 amp , which at 100w per channel RMS @ 8ohm was insufficient for the ns-1000m. I've been very happy with my Yamaha mx-1000 in terms of sound quality, admittedly because I probably don't know any better. But I've always been a bit nervous about playing music at loud (realistic) levels, even though this amp pushes 260w per channel RMS @ 8 ohm with dynamic headroom of 2.4db. Especially as I run my speakers with midrange attenuator at -4db and tweeter attenuator at -3db. This week I was fortunate to acquire a pair of NAD 218 THX amps, which I run as monoblocks, in absolutely pristine condition from @VinylChef. They provide a similar quality sound to the Yamaha amp, but have an abundance more headroom which was what I was aiming for. This arrangement is probably my setup for the long-haul. It more than meets my requirements at the moment and I can't see that changing - I'm happily enjoying the music. 2
DazzS Posted yesterday at 03:01 AM Author Posted yesterday at 03:01 AM 56 minutes ago, crisis said: What you did there was what I was going to suggest. I would upgrade an amp and source before speakers. In my experience decent speakers, as yours are, are capable of improving with better amplification. As Irek mentioned, WIIM make good value components but they are budget components and the amp you mentioned will probably not provide the results you are after. I have a WIIM pro and compared to my admittedly more expensive Primare CD35 PRISMA it falls short. There is a lot of hype on YouTube etc about WIMM this and that and, yes, great value but not the giant killers some people might think. If you only have $1500 sit on it until you have saved a bit more and go for a better amp. Keep your eyes peeled on the classifieds here. I have bought some bargains from members for good prices. Good luck and enjoy the ride!! Last week I found a good deal on a refurbished yamaha as501 so decided to grab it. Just waiting for it to arrive now. Consequently I'll have to delay upgrading my speakers, but it's all good because I do love these 3030i's. Had a nice listening session last night and they sounded awesome. Being my first decent speakers I was thinking to myself "how much better than this can more expensive speakers really be"? But having said that, I am still very tempted to upgrade to the concept 30s 2
crisis Posted yesterday at 03:49 AM Posted yesterday at 03:49 AM 40 minutes ago, DazzS said: Being my first decent speakers I was thinking to myself "how much better than this can more expensive speakers really be"? But having said that, I am still very tempted to upgrade to the concept 30s More "expensive" speakers can and mostly will sound "better". I did a minor, possibly sideways, upgrade from Monitor Audio Silver 8s to Monitor Audio Silver 300 7s. Basically the later model x2 of the similar spec. But they have better imaging and detail. Deeper bass without losing speed as well. But I had previously upgraded my amp and source gear. My point is more about getting the process and hierarchy correct. Ive seen people running $8000 speakers with fairly modest AV amps. To me that's the wrong way around unless they intend to update the amp later. I'm sure you will get the Concept 30s. We all do eventually... 1
robt62 Posted 21 hours ago Posted 21 hours ago (edited) On 26/04/2025 at 11:04 AM, robt62 said: I'm also very happy with my wiim ultra as a preamp and streamer - with one proviso - it needs a higher line out level than the maximum output of 2vrms and probably needs a higher quality line output too I should clarify: I use the analog cd line-in RCAs' of the cx-1000 to connect to the wiim ultra line-out RCAs'. I've found using the free version of ChatGPT to be a useful research tool and sounding board. Be warned it does make mistakes though, so having a pretty solid grounding in the subject matter is necessary. I was curious as to why the cx-1000, with a signal to noise ratio of 106db, sounded so much better than using the wiim ultra alone even at normal listening levels with its much higher SNR of 121db. This was the answer I got from ChatGPT, which I found interesting: Your CX-1000 (106 dB SNR) is a little noisier by modern standards, but its sonic quality is still exceptionally good — especially considering its era — because it has proper analog circuitry, good headroom, proper voltage rails, and the "musicality" (subjective but real) that modern budget equipment often lacks. This ties in with @crisis post in response to my earlier post. Edited 21 hours ago by robt62 1
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