Dali Helicon 300 + Rel Stadium 3 or Euphonia MS 4?

Hi Stanwal,

Thank you for your quick reply.

I forgot to mentioned, although it was a bit implied in my post, that I use my system mostly for music (99%). Probably, it is also important to list the street prices here in the Netherlands for the speakers helicon 300 mk3 with stands 4300 euros (per pair) while Euphonia is 8600 euros (per pair). Please note that I have the helicons mk1 and therefore I get a very good deal.

I like the helicon 300 a lot. They are very musical, produce a huge sound stage, have very nice highs and are also extremely beautiful (the least important). I have a single complain about them, a small one any way, they tend to over-resolve guitar distortion effects and as a result guitar riffs sound a bit polite. But as I said this is not very important since I really loved their musicality and the sound stage they produce, plus I do not listen to the likes of metallica that often these days.

Now regarding the euphonia MS4, I did not listen to them and it will be a bit difficult to get an audition. I know that they are supposed to be better then the helicons but still similar in character. It is therefore likely that I will like them. Thus, the question is how do they compare with the helicon 300/rel combo? Are they that much better than the helicons that it is worth to buy them instead of the rel? I am not a bass freak but I can't say that I do not care at all about bass either. (It is likely that the MS4 will have enough bass for my taste.)

Regarding the rel subwoofers. I had the stadium 3 and the strata 5 in my system for 2 weeks. Both at the same time. While there was not a big difference between the two subwoofers when listening to pop and rock music (because of the way I've set them up; clearly the stadium can go lower and louder), the difference was huge when listening to a jazz bass solo. The stadium was much better. Thus, I already know that I like the stadium 3 in my system. So, in this case the question is how much better is the stentor 3 compare to the stadium 3. Is stentor 3 going to work well with the helicons 300? I am asking this because I have read several times that the reference Rel subwoofers (studio and stentor) are meant to be used with large full range speakers.

Sorry for the long post. Also for typos, english is not my first language.

The REL will give you much more deeper bass and low details. I auditioned the 400's (mk l) and did prefer the bass response... more weight. In contrast, I used my REL B3 (from my Home Theater) with crossover set at 38Hz and 23Hz and with incredible results.

I would continue to play with the crossover. What is the setting for the crossover?

You are in Europe so have a look on Audiodata Soutien 2+. If set up properly can do wonders for 2CH listening provided the mains can go between 60-80 Hz with decent output.

The stadium 3 is a very good sub if you are not looking to shake your walls. But, the stentor's pich definition of the lowest notes are so captivating that I suggest you to look into second hand market and hopefully you get luky.

I have my REL's hooked up unconventionally-lineout from processor instead of the suggested speaker level connection so often recomended (i believe that's how it is called).

I haven't used the Studio or Stentor but I would not hesitate to use them with smaller speakers. I almost bought an older Stentor instead of my Stadium 2 but bought the Stadium because it is lighter and I am in my late 60s. But my Stadium 3 is as heavy as the older Stentor and I can handle it so if I had it to do over again I would have got the Stentor. I bought both of mine without seeing them and am happy with them. I bought a new cord from Signal Cable for the first one which didn't have one and it is much heavier than the regular REL Speakon cable. I have just had the second one a few weeks so haven't had a chance to see if it makes a sonic difference.