Indecision... Should I go with the bookshelves or the towers?

[Atomik_Roach]

Howdy all,

I'm looking to buy some budget speakers, but indecision has grown on me. I can buy for the same price, or so,

B&W DM601 S2 (375$ cdn)
or
Sinclair Brighton SB 260T (350 $ cdn)

... both pair are MINT!

They'll be paired on a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A Amplifier .

As a newbie, my thinking is B&W are less powerful, they'll match better the raw capacity of the amp. If I go with the latter they'll deliver less bass since they are small factor, but they'll probably perform better overall.

If I choose, the Sinclair, they could harm the amplifier on the long run because of the lack of power, but at low range, they'll probably offer more bass.

I love when the speakers are dynamic, just a bit over the neutral sound.

I'm probably all wrong in my thinking, but I'll really appreciate some teaching on that subject.

Thanks in advanced!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

So what kind of money are we talking about?

 

[Atomik_Roach]

So what kind of money are we talking about?

B&W 375$ cdn
Sinclair 350$ cdn
First post updated.

 

[lovinthehd]

Never heard of Sinclair myself and don't see a lot of info....got a link to specs?

What do you mean by the speaker being powerful? Amp matching would best be done by looking at the sensitivity of each speaker. Larger speakers tend to have higher sensitivity and need less amp (Hoffman's Iron Law of speaker building).

B&Ws looks to have a sensitivity of 90dB which isn't bad for a bookshelf, and even tho rated for 8 ohms, seems many B&Ws should have a lower impedance rating....but I didn't see any measurements in a brief search.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

What size room? Bookshelf size = easier to move around, less chance of hernia! LOL, Tower = could be better sound, higher risk of hernia and hospital visit if you move it yourself.

 

[Atomik_Roach]

I may be wrong but for me more powerful speaker equals more watts. They can handle more power (energy). Sorry for the newbie that I am combined to the fact that English is not my native language, the structure of my sentences are necessarily not perfect.

Sinclair -> https://www.questforsound.com/speakers/spkrs_sinclair_260T.htm
B&W -> see attached image

 

[Atomik_Roach]

What size room? Bookshelf size = easier to move around, less chance of hernia! LOL, Tower = could be better sound, higher risk of hernia and hospital visit if you move it yourself.

I'm fine, my back is healthy!


Living room roughly 19x14

 

[lovinthehd]

I may be wrong but for me more powerful speaker equals more watts. They can handle more power (energy). Sorry for the newbie that I am combined to the fact that English is not my native language, the structure of my sentences are necessarily not perfect.

Sinclair -> https://www.questforsound.com/speakers/spkrs_sinclair_260T.htm
B&W -> see attached image

Not necessarily. The max wattage rating is more a warning of a damage point than anything particularly useful. You'd need to see measurements for more details than what come with the advertising....

The Sinclair is slightly more sensitive, but not significantly....the specs for frequency range don't have an accompanying spec to make it meaningful....

In the end, tho, it's more about whether one or the other is more pleasing to your ear....

Your english is fine!

 

[Atomik_Roach]

Not necessarily. The max wattage rating is more a warning of a damage point than anything particularly useful. You'd need to see measurements for more details than what come with the advertising....

The Sinclair is slightly more sensitive, but not significantly....the specs for frequency range don't have an accompanying spec to make it meaningful....

In the end, tho, it's more about whether one or the other is more pleasing to your ear....

Your english is fine!

Thanks for your advices. So the amplifier won't be an issue, well only if I drive it near its maximum capacity, probably true for any of the two mentioned in the OP.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks for your advices. So the amplifier won't be an issue, well only if I drive it near its maximum capacity, probably true for any of the two mentioned in the OP.

Your amp is on the lightweight side of the power spectrum.....but takes a doubling of power to gain 3dB spl so if that amp has served you well so far.....or have you used the amp before?

 

[Atomik_Roach]

Your amp is on the lightweight side of the power spectrum.....but takes a doubling of power to gain 3dB spl so if that amp has served you well so far.....or have you used the amp before?

Yes with a old pair of Sony's (SS C-720AV) speakers. They've done their time, they need to be reckoned, the foam is dry around the woofers. That's why I want to upgrade.

 

[TLS Guy]

Howdy all,

I'm looking to buy some budget speakers, but indecision has grown on me. I can buy for the same price, or so,

B&W DM601 S2 (375$ cdn)
or
Sinclair Brighton SB 260T (350 $ cdn)

... both pair are MINT!

They'll be paired on a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A Amplifier .

As a newbie, my thinking is B&W are less powerful, they'll match better the raw capacity of the amp. If I go with the latter they'll deliver less bass since they are small factor, but they'll probably perform better overall.

If I choose, the Sinclair, they could harm the amplifier on the long run because of the lack of power, but at low range, they'll probably offer more bass.

I love when the speakers are dynamic, just a bit over the neutral sound.

I'm probably all wrong in my thinking, but I'll really appreciate some teaching on that subject.

Thanks in advanced!

Well Definitely not the Sinclair Brighton speakers. They are close to White Van if not White Van. There are no specs on those speakers. They were sold by Walmart for $349.50. I understand there was some type of dealer scam selling them for close to 3K! So you absolutely need to avoid that junk.

The B & W is a known quantity with specs and measurements. The 600 series is the bottom of the range. I was never keen on those Kevlar cones, but those bookshelves have far from rock bottom measurements. They are small speakers and will not have deep bass as shown in the measurements. So if you buy those you will need at least one sub for sure.

As you can see there is a problem between 600 Hz and 1.5KHz. There is bass to 65 Hz, so they are missing the last one and half octaves, but for a speaker that size it is pretty good.

So, if you have to choose between those two, then the B & Ws get the nod by a mile.

 

[Atomik_Roach]

Well Definitely not the Sinclair Brighton speakers. They are close to White Van if not White Van. There are no specs on those speakers. They were sold by Walmart for $349.50. I understand there was some type of dealer scam selling them for close to 3K! So you absolutely need to avoid that junk.
...

As you can see there is a problem between 600 Hz and 1.5KHz. There is bass to 65 Hz, so they are missing the last one and half octaves, but for a speaker that size it is pretty good.

So, if you have to choose between those two, then the B & Ws get the nod by a mile.

This is very enlightening, I very appreciate your answer. It's clear, I'll choose the B&W ones.
Thank you!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, B&W speakers don't measure great, but at least we know of B&W and they have good resale value. What the heck are Sinclair speakers?

 

[TLS Guy]

Yeah, B&W speakers don't measure great, but at least we know of B&W and they have good resale value. What the heck are Sinclair speakers?

Answer: - Unmitigated Junk!

 

[3db]

Answer: - Unmitigated Junk!

You are far too quick to judge based on your haphazard google search. They are definately not a white van speaker nor are they unmitigated junk. They were a Quebec based audio company and they sold their products through independent audio retailers. I know this for a fact as I saw them being sold at a few of audio shops in the Ottawa area. They sounded all right, nothing special but they were not junk. Like many audio companies, they folded.

To the OP, between the two, I would go for B&W as Sinclair no longer exists as a company and parts would be unavailable. However, I would look for other deals as you can do much better than those B&W

 

[Atomik_Roach]

To the OP, between the two, I would go for B&W as Sinclair no longer exists as a company and parts would be unavailable. However, I would look for other deals as you can do much better than those B&W

Thank you for your input, it's appreciated. Some Mission M34i just appear on the market in my area, they look mint and the online reviews are very good. I'm planning a visit to see them, they could be a good buy for 350$ considering it's the original owner that owning them to this day. Original box and owner's manual included.

 

[3db]

Those Missions look nice. You could get by without a sub for most music with these. Please audition before buying these and make sure all drivers are working. When they are not playing, gently push on the woofers using two hands with fingers splayed (but NOT on the dust cap) to make sure you don't feel any grittiness in the movement. That's a sign of a damaged driver.

https://www.hifix.co.uk/mission-m34i-speakers-pair

Where are you located if you don't mind me asking?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Check out Athena speakers or if you get really lucky PSB at your price point.

 

[TLS Guy]

You are far too quick to judge based on your haphazard google search. They are definately not a white van speaker nor are they unmitigated junk. They were a Quebec based audio company and they sold their products through independent audio retailers. I know this for a fact as I saw them being sold at a few of audio shops in the Ottawa area. They sounded all right, nothing special but they were not junk. Like many audio companies, they folded.

To the OP, between the two, I would go for B&W as Sinclair no longer exists as a company and parts would be unavailable. However, I would look for other deals as you can do much better than those B&W

Well, there is a huge amount of controversy about those speakers, that I dug up. One of the things that I noted, that was a red flag, is that pricing was all over the map.
There are no proper specs, let alone measurements, so I certainly would not advise the OP to buy those. Those Mission speakers would be a good buy but the link, links them to a UK site.