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I'd love some help/opinions

I am brand new to the site and I am in audio geek heaven, even though I really don't know much of anything. I used to be a entry-fi nut and ended up with a set of AMC 2445 amps/ AV81HT pre and some Snell Type J IIIs. Well I'm at a point now where I can spend some more dough and I'd like to up the ante so to speak. I'm looking at either monoblocking a pair of Rotel 1080's or getting a Bryston 4B ST. I've heard the Bryston and its amazing, I love it and I'd love to build my system around one. Would the 1080's even be close to the 4B ST if they were monoblocked? I've got about $3500-$4000 to spend on a new amp/pre and speakers. I'd like to spend $1500 on the amp, $800 on the pre, and a $1200 on the speakers, with a little left over for cabling. I really love the Bryston, but would love a complimentary pre, or some good suggestions. I'd also like some speakers that sound stage very well. I've been scouring the site, but I seem to get more and more confused. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mike.
mike_856
kthomas
911 posts
 
Mike -

Any insight you could give us on your preferences would get you better advice. What environment are you set up in? What kinds of music do you listen to? etc.

Kirk
usblues
1,216 posts
 
Forget the Rotel,get the Bryston and be sure to get a tube preamp,CJ,ARC whatever for 6-800 used and your set there for years.The speakers you;ll have to experiment with,good luck,Bob
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shadorne
7,333 posts
 
Have you considered active speakers? This is the most recent trend in high quality low distortion designs (since the early 90's active speakers have gained popularity over passive speakers for discerning applications such as mix and mastering).

Dedicated amplifiers for each speaker driver with electronic crossovers that have precise phase control etc. over the crossover region. IMD distortion is reduced dramatically since IMD distortion from each amp/driver is restricted and does not pollute the whole audio spectrum. Effective SPL ouput is also increased by about 3 db compared to equivalent passive systems. Audiophiles stress the merits of proper synergy between components and an active speaker is just that; precisely engineered synergy by a designer often rigorously tested in their labs.

Only drawback is that you may miss out on the fun of "creating" your own sound. So it depends on your main audiophile objective; is it mainly music or the fun of trying out different combinations of gear.
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