Shiny brand new second hand things in my system today

Found one of these to go with the Marantz MA-5’s.

Just the speakers to go and front room system is go.

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If you can find a pair, a pair of Ensemble PA-1 Reference speakers are wonderful things, by far the best small stand mount speakers I have found. The ‘new’ version of them is about £14K, but the old Ensemble versions are nearly as good and a lot, lot less. Work at low and high volumes, something not a lot of small speakers do.

If you want to know what they sound like, I have a pair (not for sale, I will never sell them).

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Interesting design.

Cheers I may take you up on a demo. The one thing that immediately strikes me is the potential need to have them further away from the rear wall than I’d like due to the large passive radiator - what are your findings?

Champagne + multiple knobbage = win.

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I use them between 0.3m and 1m away from the wall, depending on room. You can get closer, but the stands I use with them stop you doing much closer. I have a pair of Sonus Faber Electa’s too, would make an interesting comparison. So long as you are 10cm away from the back wall, should be OK, they are very well damped.

I also have Spendor LS3/5a, Linaeum LFX Corian, ATC SCM20SL, ARC 050, Diesis Solitaire, Heybrook HB2 and other stuff like Linn Kan Mk1 if any are of interest, I quite like small speakers in some systems. I have bigger standmounts like JBL L112 & 4312, ARC 101 etc… but they would be too big.

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[quote=“ICHM, post:2854, topic:98”]
If you can find a pair, a pair of Ensemble PA-1 Reference speakers are wonderful things, by far the best small stand mount speakers I have found.[/quote]

+1. I remember spending time with these in the 90s. Very nice they were.

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Not heard those, but I really rate Ensemble - Very spendy, but their attention to detail makes them worthier than any other of the inevitable “Swiss watch” similes beloved of journalists - almost everything they make uses bespoke components made to standards absent from kit at 10X the price. Sound is very natural and very musical, neither sterile nor coloured. Do like.

Looks like a Hiquophon tweeter and Gorloch woofer. Hiquophons are the bestest.

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Not quite yet in my system but packed up in the back of my car are a pair of Boenicke W8’s to demo at home over the weekend. Hoping Hel likes the very compact size and the fact that they match the furniture in the lounge :grimacing:

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They like lots of POWER :+1:

Well initially they’ll be getting 30 class A watts from my MA-5s.

Smaller speakers? Schoolboy error…

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I thought you were after standmounts! Well played…:slightly_smiling_face:

Smaller than what? Nothing? :laughing:

These aren’t replacements for my Impulses, they’re for the lounge.

@htm_1968 - you have to see these in the flesh, they take up much less space than mini monitors on thin stands.

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Heard a pair last year. Very impressive, and you won’t believe the sound coming out of such a small box.

You need some Einklangs. Similar sized box turned sideways!

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They do and a bit of breathing room. Lovely speakers.

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