Tweet
TL;DR: which one is better Samba or Amiga? Cost are approx. the same, Samba kit is now in stock.
Apologies for the delay. Work got in the way, could not respond earlier. Lots of great points! Thank you!
Let me try to answer some of your questions one by one.
Yes, looking for a kit with a flat-pack cabinet only. Don’t have the tools to do the box myself. Perhaps, in the future this will change, but for now only flat-packs.
No, not married to a floor-standing speakers idea. Bookshelf could also work.
Don’t know if Marantz SR5006 can handle 4ohms. Specs say 6-8 ohms. I could imagine that at a normal human volume level this should not be a problem. In any event, I have another amp that I could use (terrible looking rack-based stereo amp, but works). Any horror stories about using 4ohm speakers with regular amps at a human-level volume?
Room size: approx 13x20 ft, but listening area is about 13x13, then there’s a computer desk behind the listening/sofa. Hardwood floors with area rugs, etc.
Bi-amping at SR5006: in amp settings can switch from 7.2 to 5.2 amp-configuration and assign the ‘optional’ 2 channels as a second set of outputs for the front speakers. Don’t know if this bi-amping makes any difference (did not measure), but I had an extra wires — why not. As you can tell by my posts, I’m quite new at this. Feel free to tell me if I’m making a mistake.
Re speaker phasing/defective/etc. There speakers are not defective. This is my second set of Missions. I had a bookshelf set earlier — that’s how they sound. The resolution is not crystal-clear. Example: when playing Gypsy Kings on Infinity speakers I could tell that there are multiple guitars playing at the same time; I could feel it. Switching to Missions and I know that there are two guitars, but the sounds are “mashed†together. Don’t get me wrong, Missions are not bad speakers at all. They are head and shoulders above Fluance (as an example). My friend and in-laws have 5-speaker sets from Fluance: those are truly bad. No clarity, all sounds blended together. My bookshelf Missions were better that Fluance towers. So, I don’t hate Missions; simply looking for a step-up (the way Missions are step-up from Fluance).
Re other DIY providers. Happy to look at all alternatives. A bit of a limitation: not everyone delivers to Toronto, Canada. Example: Erich from DIY Sound Group can’t ship to Canada (and I’m too lazy to deal with a relay-mail services now). Meniscus(?) does not offer cabinets. Please, let me know which companies you had in mind, I’m happy to explore all options and find out whether they can ship here.
So, previously, at the time of my original post, Samba was not in stock — but now it is. Both Samba and Amiga are at approximately the same price, both are 7in drivers. Which one is better sounding? (Not looking to start a religious war, trying to understand if there will be an improvement in sound quality, as it appears that Samba is using a bit more expensive drivers).
Thanks for all your help!
--Roman
Apologies for the delay. Work got in the way, could not respond earlier. Lots of great points! Thank you!
Let me try to answer some of your questions one by one.
Yes, looking for a kit with a flat-pack cabinet only. Don’t have the tools to do the box myself. Perhaps, in the future this will change, but for now only flat-packs.
No, not married to a floor-standing speakers idea. Bookshelf could also work.
Don’t know if Marantz SR5006 can handle 4ohms. Specs say 6-8 ohms. I could imagine that at a normal human volume level this should not be a problem. In any event, I have another amp that I could use (terrible looking rack-based stereo amp, but works). Any horror stories about using 4ohm speakers with regular amps at a human-level volume?
Room size: approx 13x20 ft, but listening area is about 13x13, then there’s a computer desk behind the listening/sofa. Hardwood floors with area rugs, etc.
Bi-amping at SR5006: in amp settings can switch from 7.2 to 5.2 amp-configuration and assign the ‘optional’ 2 channels as a second set of outputs for the front speakers. Don’t know if this bi-amping makes any difference (did not measure), but I had an extra wires — why not. As you can tell by my posts, I’m quite new at this. Feel free to tell me if I’m making a mistake.
Re speaker phasing/defective/etc. There speakers are not defective. This is my second set of Missions. I had a bookshelf set earlier — that’s how they sound. The resolution is not crystal-clear. Example: when playing Gypsy Kings on Infinity speakers I could tell that there are multiple guitars playing at the same time; I could feel it. Switching to Missions and I know that there are two guitars, but the sounds are “mashed†together. Don’t get me wrong, Missions are not bad speakers at all. They are head and shoulders above Fluance (as an example). My friend and in-laws have 5-speaker sets from Fluance: those are truly bad. No clarity, all sounds blended together. My bookshelf Missions were better that Fluance towers. So, I don’t hate Missions; simply looking for a step-up (the way Missions are step-up from Fluance).
Re other DIY providers. Happy to look at all alternatives. A bit of a limitation: not everyone delivers to Toronto, Canada. Example: Erich from DIY Sound Group can’t ship to Canada (and I’m too lazy to deal with a relay-mail services now). Meniscus(?) does not offer cabinets. Please, let me know which companies you had in mind, I’m happy to explore all options and find out whether they can ship here.
So, previously, at the time of my original post, Samba was not in stock — but now it is. Both Samba and Amiga are at approximately the same price, both are 7in drivers. Which one is better sounding? (Not looking to start a religious war, trying to understand if there will be an improvement in sound quality, as it appears that Samba is using a bit more expensive drivers).
Thanks for all your help!
--Roman
Comment