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Advice on whether speaker upgrade is in order

Hi,

Looking for speaker advice.  I’m not super knowledgeable about gear nor do I have time/access to demo a lot of stuff.  I am still with my first pair of good speakers (B&W803Matrix2).  The signal first goes through a Velodyne DD10 subwoofer (using the sub's crossover to keep the lower registers).  I have a heavily Bryston system, and am probably not going to change that anytime soon:  All front end sources go in digital format to Bryston DAC 2, which runs to Bryston BP25 preamp, then to 7B squared monos.  System sounds pretty good, though I wonder if speakers are limiting factor, and I would like the simplicity of not having a sub.  I also can see what people mean about Bryston gear sounding a little tinny or bright at times.

If I were to evolve the system, would speakers be high on the list, and recommendations given this hardware? (I have read ATC, PMC, and Dynaudio are well matched to Bryston, but I don't know if materially better, and I can't keep up with the new entrants, Tekton, etc.)  Other thoughts on system evolution (or should I shut up and focus on music!).

Thanks

Matt

mathiasmingus

Showing 3 responses by mathiasmingus

mathiasmingus OP
52 posts
 
Yes, yes - forgot to mention room acoustics.  I know that was high on the list, but I don't control the room (wife) so I will need to be creative on making any improvements.

On the feed, yes, I was unclear.  It is line level: preamp -> sub -> amps -> 803s.  No EQ added.

Thank you!
mathiasmingus OP
52 posts
 
Thanks everyone, I just did a little reading and learned about bass cancellation!  I have a little work to do on speaker placement and wall treatments before making any gear changes.  Thanks!
mathiasmingus OP
52 posts
 
Thanks,will play around with getting the sub out of the way.  My recollection from years ago was that the bass was uninspiring, but this is an old memory, and without much attention to room treatments

In terms of my general inconsistency and speculation, my reading led me to hypothesize that speakers could be a weak link, and I had never heard B&Ws criticized for being too bright.  So I added my only sonic criticism of the system (a little bright), which is sometimes thrown at Bryston - just trying to provide info for the more knowledgeable to opine.  Who knew what you folks might say (e.g., yes, it will always be slightly bright, but you will get a huge lift out of xyz speaker....) :-)
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