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Speaker Purchase

When I was in college, a neighbor who'd done well on Wall Street gave me a pair of Bose 901's when he upgraded to something else. Around that time, I purchased an Adcom GFA 545II (100 WPC into 8 ohms), and an Adcom Preamp. I also have a (now performing erratically) Carver CD Player. These components were acquired around 20 years ago and I'm now feeling they, well, are harsh sounding. In part, I've come to my own conclusion about this, but the feeling has been reinforced by hearing some friends' systems (Classe, McIntosh), and hearing the profound difference. I'm obviously not an Audiophile (though I love nice gadgets), and I admit to being fairly lost when reading reviews. I totally get the 'soundstage' concept, and I get the 'fatiguing' concept (because that's what my system does to me after a short while).

So, I've decided to upgrade, and I'm humbly asking for some advice. I've decided to spend under $10K, over a couple of years, and to start with new speakers. I would like to keep the cost of speakers under $5K (including reasonably decent cables and tax). The other $5K has to get me an integrated amp, CD player and turntable. I've so far noticed and think I would like to audition the following speakers: (1) PSB Synchrony One; (2) Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand or (3) Concert Grand; (4) Sonus Faber Grand Piano Domus, and (5) B+W 804S.

The room these will go in is quite large and irregular. The room itself is 22'X25' with 20' ceilings. Ceiling and floors are concrete. One (left) wall has four 14' windows, one (ahead) wall is sheetrock, the wall against which the system will be placed is brick, and the right side opens to more space. The floor has a 12'X15' sheepskin, and the wall of windows has floor to ceiling drapes. But, my point is, the space is large, open and reflective.

I tend to listen to lots of music types: opera/classical, classic rock, alternative. The system is not intended for home theater (I have another room for that). I won't have a specific 'listening chair', so the quality of the sound can't be heavily dependent on my specific location vis-a-vis the speakers.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice--keeping it real--about what to listen for, what to avoid. I'm in NYC, BTW, so I have retail options. Thanks very much.
anker
mcfarland
356 posts
 
OK. If you want pretty speakers that sound good too. . .Martin Logan (used, the SL3's, still supported by ML with parts if needed at reasonable prices).
musicnoise
377 posts
 
Of the speakers that you mentioned, I recently demoed the PSB Synchrony One and Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand. I also listned to the B&W 805S, 804S, 803S, 803D, and 802D along with about 40 other speakers. I own the B+W 803S. As to your price range, if it is any help, I was fine with going up to 15k for passive speakers, did not hear anything that sounded that much if any, better to me, including the 803D and 802D. The 804S is not a far step down from the 803S but your room may be a bit large for that speaker. Additionally, the difference in the weight spec between the 804S and 803S belies a significantly different cabinet construction - a pair of 1/2 larger woofers do not account for 30 pounds. The PSB Synchrony One sounded very nice - heard it driven with a Mcintosh 402 and with an Audio Research (although I don't know the model) on separate occasions. The Beethoven Baby Grand was also a fine sounding speaker. My tastes are 99% classical and opera with an occasional classic rock CD thrown in, not too dissimilar from yours. It sounds like you have a nice lineup of speakers that you are considering, I doubt that you can go wrong with any of them. You may want to take a listen to the Dali MkII 400's - I was highly impressed - just could not get past the ribbon technology - but that is not because I think the technology is necessarily inferior - more of a personal bias. Same thing with Martin Logans and the Magnepan (3.6 I beleive was the model - couldn't find their high end model anywhere nearby) If your room is highly reflective I suggest, if possible, finding a dealer that will allow for you to demo the speakers in that room. For what it's worth, a lot of posts in various threads remark that B&W's in general are somewhat accentuated in the high midrange and above frequencies. Room acoustics are certainly a huge factor in speaker selection. Of course room acoustics can be adjusted and such adjustment need not involve the purchase of specialized or expensive treatments. Have fun and take your time.
anker OP
4 posts
 
Thanks for the continued help and thoughtful suggestions. Perhaps I'm in need of something more elemental here. I haven't really ever auditioned equipment, and I was hoping for 'buying' advice. Does one bring one's own music? What should I listen for (in non-audio speak) other than what sounds good? What should I look for in a warranty? Should I listen with both tube and SS amplification? Etc. In other words, I was hoping to have advice about how to buy speakers, more than which speakers to buy. Sorry, if the inquiry is unsophisticated.
jeffjarvis
257 posts
 
Buying second hand will get you more.

Sonus Faber Cremonas-$5k,
Mcintosh MA6900- $3k,
Rega P-25-$1000 TT,
and $1k left over for a CD Player and cables.
jond's avatar
jond
3,400 posts
 
Why not get a new cd player first if your current player is "performing erratically"? With $5K to spend on an amp, player and tt, you would seem to be on a tight budget. Check out used Cary 303's, Rega Apollos, Wadia 830 and 301's to name a few used players in the $1-2K range. As far as speakers consider used JMlabs and Merlins both of which are tube friendly. There are a ton of great tubed integrateds out there and building a tube based system is a great idea for long term happiness. Take your time, listen when you can, and most of all have fun!
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