2. speakers
  3. 1218895729

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
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
Magnepan 1.6qr's and spend the rest on really good amplification and upstream equipment. I would suggest a VPI Scout with a Sumiko blackbird cartridge to start.

good luck.
anker OP
4 posts
 
Thanks for the rec's. I will listen to the Magnepans at Lyric. The Vandersteen's don't pass the aesthetics test, but that's my taste. It seems the LS9's are manufacturer direct, and so it isn't clear how I'd get a chance to hear them. Appreciate your thoughts and expertise.
jylee
306 posts
 
I've owned B&W Nautilus 804, and auditioned Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand and Sonus Faber Cremona at my friends system. To my ears Beethoven sounds the best among three. There are other variables as they were in three different rooms with different electronics. But the difference was profound, and Beethoven was the most neutral sounding with excellent bass extension. I've heard good reviews on Synchrony One, but never heard them personally.
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.
More to discover