please help...

[mustaine]

Hi everyone, i am new here, i have been looking for many months now to buy a pair of good loudspeakers mainly for music but also for a bit of HT. I am thinking of bying either the energy RC-50 or KEF iQ9 or DALI Ikon6. I listen to some classical music but mostly i listen to hard rock/metal music and especially more technical/complex genres such as progressive metal (e.g. Dream Theater and Symphony X) and symphonic epic metal (e.g. Nightwish and Rhapsody) therefore it is very important for me that the speakers are clear and detailed with good highs but not too bright. I especially enjoy the sound of loud crisp clear electric guitars I will connect the speakers with a cambridge audio 540R receiver. which of the three loudspeakers would you recommend for me? I have heard the ikons and although they are good detailed speakers they were a bit bright, the RC-50s i can unfortunately only buy without listening to them first (however i have read good reviews online) and the IQ9 were not as detailed and clear as Ikon6 but they were not bright. Also i am thinking of purchasing a cambridge audio 540C or 640C cd player, are these good choices for my tastes in music?

Please help...RC-50, Ikon6 or iQ9...
Your help will be much appreciated

[basite]

Hi, welcome to AR...

for your taste in music, I'd recommend the DALI's, they're fairly bright sounding, but not exessive, good bass, well balanced & really detailed...

Also look at Dynaudio, they're slightly less bright (between neutral & bright, definitely not warm-ish)...

you said you liked 'loud crisp clear electric guitars', depending on how loud 'loud' is to you, you could also be thinking of a beefier amp for the future (keep the 540 as a pre, connect a power amp to it...), something in the 125-200 watt range...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[IMHOAudio]

Hey Mustaine …. Fun stuff!!
I agree with Basite…. we seem to have some of the same taste in speakers …..The Dali’s are GREAT speax….. we will have a review of these coming up in the next few months…. but I’ve heard ‘em & they’re awesome especially for the $ ….. and Dynaudio stuff is used a LOT in the recording world…. I used a pair of their recording monitors for YEARS and they were great and precise… better yet, sample them side-by-side if not in YOUR house, then in a good shop with YOUR music….
Keep us posted & happy listening!
-Jason

[mustaine]

Since my cambridge audio 540R isnt powerful enough to drive the RC50s and the Ikon6 do you think i should consider of buying the energy C-500 or Ikon5? Are they detailed enough? Do you have any other recommendations? I do not listen to my music to a really high volume because my neighbours dont appreciate my taste in music (what do they know, right?) therefore i am looking for detail and clarity rather than really loud speakers.

[TheHills44060]

I second the notion for the Ikon 6's. Regardless of what receiver/amp you are using I think you'll be satisfied with the Dali's because you can always electronics later down the road if necessary. Get the best speaker you can then build your gear around them.

I gotta say that symphony x does absolutely nothing for me...seen them live a couple times and was disappointed however rhapsody and dream theater kick butt.

[bobsticks]

With a name like "mustaine" it should be no surprise that you're likin' some techno-metal Welcome to the forums.

Not to be contrary to my esteemed colleagues but I'd recommend the Kefs. I've gotta pair of 7s that I use in a secondary system...fantastic mids, decent bass, easy to drive and they love 'em some rock music, meaning they are good for all types of fare but not too revealing or bright. If metal is your game you owe yourself at least a test drive.

cheers

[mustaine]

I second the notion for the Ikon 6's. Regardless of what receiver/amp you are using I think you'll be satisfied with the Dali's because you can always electronics later down the road if necessary. Get the best speaker you can then build your gear around them.

I gotta say that symphony x does absolutely nothing for me...seen them live a couple times and was disappointed however rhapsody and dream theater kick butt.

Symphony X's early albums are not very good actually, but you should hear their latest album, paradise lost, i'm talkin about brilliant symphonic metal stuff even better than Dream Theater's latest album.



Rock & Roll...

[mustaine]

As i said i am aiming in purchasing speakers to use at a moderate sound volume but still provide me with the clarity and detail in music. I will use a 5.1 set up, i am thinking of getting the Dali Ikon6 or Energy RC-50 for fronts, Energy RC-minis for surrounds and the Energy RC-LCR or C-100 for the center and as i said the 540R amp. The size of my room is 6 x 7 meters (20 x 23 feet). Do you guys think that my set up will be efficient? thanks