I'm looking for a new (or second hand)set of floorstanding speakers to go with my Arcam CD73 and A80 amp. They'll have to be sited quite close to back wall in average size room.

I'm of the school of thought that believes in spending more on speakers than other compenents.

I listen to whole range of music types but mainly classical.

Any suggestions?

Looks like you didn't get too many responses, Steve.

I have the Arcam CD82 partnering the A80 and use a pair of KEF Q3s. These are the weakest link in the system in terms of price, but perform well and make up the front chanels of a 5.1 AV system.

I'm looking to replace the Q3s with the new iQ5s which have received rave reviews, as I'm expecting these to have a bit more presence low down.

Standmount-wise, I would suggest auditioning the Epos M5s or Dynaudio range with Arcam's laidback sounding electronics.

Hope this helps. Let me know what you choose!

I have Arcam CD92, A85/P85 and ProAc Studio 125 speakers (around £1k new). I use the foam bungs which ProAc will provide with new speakers on request and have mine situated around 6-8 inches from a wall. Plenty of bass for my liking but I know rock fans like something beefier. ProAcs well respected for midrange. If you like classical you MUST audition these. Leicester Hi-fi used these for years as their reference speakers; I went in asking for some better known brand, auditioned as requested, and then they said "but for the same price..." and I was hooked.

Funnily enough, im selling my Focal JM Lab Chorus 714s speakers that i used in my av set up. (ive now seperated it from the stereo totally)
These are What hifi 5 star and group test winners.
i also have the matching centre for sale too.
They cost £500 for the main pair, seliing for £300...aprox 5 months old, mint, in "style " finish (basically maple!)
And the centre, was £250, sell for £160.
According to the blurb on Focals website, the 714s have won every major award!
Let me know if youre interested
07973 910055

PS, they are front ported, so placement isnt as critical as with rear ports.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and I'm sorry to have been out of the loop for a while - my daughter dropped my laptop about four weeks ago and I've not had access to my e-mails until now.

£269 repair cost - and I'm now regretting a £300 voluntary excess on my insurance! And guess who Santa might forget about this year!

Anyway, I've gone ahead with a pair of Castle Harlech's - they were HiFi Choice Best Buy at £1000 but I picked up a brand new pair for £600.

They're a strange design with an upward firing driver on the top and ported at the bottom. I'm sitting here now listening to Cecilia Bartoli's latest offering and they really are fantastic. Not big bass but great soundstage and loads of detail.

I'm interested that you bought a pair of castle harlechs I bought a new pair about 4 years ago and frankly, I have been disappointed. They are definitely lacking in bass and can sometimes sound very harsh depending on what you are listening to.I'd be intersted in any suggestions as to how I could get a richer smoother sound such as I got from my previous castle pembrokes that I bought in 1984.I agree with you about the detail and separation and am glad to hear you have had more success with them than I have.

Sorry to hear you're disappointed with your Harlechs, Dougie.

I certainly haven't experienced any harshness with mine. "Aux contraire". But I've got Arcam CD and amp which are normally reckoned to be on the smooth side- too smooth for some.

If anything, my criticism is that the Harlechs are not quite "in your face" enough, particularly with Rock music. Given that one of the two bass/mid range drivers is pointing at the ceiling I guess this isn't surprising. The other side of the coin is that classical music, particularly larger scale pieces, sounds sumptious and fills the whole room.

I read one review where a listener had commented that it's hard to listen to the speaker rather than the music and I think this is dead right - they really don't draw atention to themselves.

As for getting the best out of them? Mine are sited closer to the rear wall than recommended (as of necessity) and I'm not using the spikes but have them sitting on some rubber backed matting on a laminate floor. I wouldn't like to say what sonic differences all this would make but it might be worth experimenting.

I might add a sub woofer at some point - I've got a Rel Quake working with a pair of Quad 12Ls in another room that I'm very pleased with. I think some subtle bass re-inforcement may improve the sound - I would imagine this could help alleviate the harshness you're experiencing, Dougie, and might be worth a try.

Mark, did you get the Kef IQ5s? What do you reckon?

I bought B&W's new CM1s as it happens, after auditioning them alongside KEF IQ5s and Monitor Audio RS6s at Sound & Vision in Reading.

My first ever speakers were a pair of DM601s so perhaps I have a soft spot for B&W, but I was looking for a speaker up to £600 with plenty of punch, detail and sweetness up top.

I've heard that Arcam electronics are said to be smooth sounding although I wouldn't say they're dull. However, my old KEF Q3s lacked any real authority - with little punch and bass weight, and this was something I wanted to correct in my speaker upgrade.

The new KEF iQ5s are certainly an improvement over the Q3s on first impressions despite retailing at the same price. The additional bass driver is evident, and there's the Q range trademark scale and dynamics. I'm not sure what the right word is, but the iQ5s lacked a certain X factor in comparison to the CM1s and RS6s. They were not as refined or as assured as the B&Ws, nor as exciting or weighty as the Monitor Audios, so came in 3rd on the day.

The RS6s were a class act and if I had a larger room to do them justice may have opted for those, but the combination of the (oh so) sweet B&W tweeter and the size factor made up my mind.

What HiFi are correct in stating that the CM1s don't really show what they're capable of until you crank up the volume, but even at low volumes there's amazing levels of detail without ever sounding thin or voices lacking body. I do appreciate the effortless scale and dynamics of the KEFs, but am rewarded by the punchy, insightful and refined presentation of the B&Ws.

how can I get one of my castle harlech speakers repaired now that the firm has gone out of business. Can anyone suggest anything, thanks