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Am I going insane?

I am not what most of you would call an audiophile, although I do appreciate a nice soundstage. I figured this was a good place to ask my questions. First I want to give you my situation though...

Last year I bought the Sony 40"XBR. I love it. Now it's time to purchase a very modest sound system for HT and 2channel. I don't have ANY equipment yet. I do know that the speakers are the first, most important piece to aquire.

So, I was at a dealer last week. I was listening to the B&W CDM NT1 series in both 5.1 and 2 channel. The sound was clear and I was pretty impressed. This is the B&W series (at least retail) that is in my price range.
Then, the fella helping me switched to the Boston Acoustics VR-M60s, with the matching center and surrounds. I thought that the BAs sounded better...much better...more free, less boxy. Both sets were being played from a Yamaha reciever (not hifi to be sure, but I can't afford good components yet). AM I NUTS? Would seperates make this setup sound better? The room was setup nicely, at least as far as my limited experience can tell.

Since then I have listened to a PSB setup, but wasn't as impressed. I also teased myself with a BEAUFIFUL Sonus Faber setup that I might be albe to afford in about 1000 years. I am looking for other options, but am limited by around a $2000 budget for speakers. If I can get something used that is higher quality (but able to be pushed from a reciever for a while), I certainly will go that way. I read similar posts as this regarding Thiel 1.5s. I am searching for a place to hear these.

I have decided to go with the Velodyne SPL800 or SPL1000 sub, as I really liked how it dissapeared in the B&W and BA setups.

Please help a really green newbie who is trying to get some bang for bucks.

Thanks,
Z
zstokes

Showing 2 responses by danheather

danheather
108 posts
 
Here we go...

The B&W faithful (is it a cult?) are gonna' come out of the woodwork and tell you that what you really heard was the speakers revealing how poor the rest of the upstream components were. If you were listening to the Nautilus series, I *might* entertain such explanations, but the CDM series, especially the new NT version, is designed to be used in such an application. Just because *some* B&Ws are truly high-end, doesn't mean that the whole line is that way. Come on.

Zstokes...you're not crazy. One *brand* is not necessarily better than another (generalization). In your case, you got to hear two different speakers in the same room, using the same front end, etc. Plus, you got to hear them back to back. This is really the ideal way (next to in-home) to audition equipment. Just because BA doesn't have the snob appeal of some other brands doesnt' mean that they don't (or can't) make good products. PSB, Energy, NHT, Paradigm...even Boston Acoustics and Infinity (GASP) all make some pretty decent products at a very attractive price point. Phil Jones (of Acoustic Energy, Platinum Audio, Soliloquy and now AAD) was formerly the lead designer at Boston Acoustics. I say this only to illustrate that there are very capable engineers working for the big companies too. Contrary to popular belief, high dollar, boutique-style manufacturers do NOT have the corner on designing/engineering quality equipment.

Trust your ears. Don't trust ridiculous rhetoric. It's *you* who will be listening to (and hopefully enjoying) your new system. Have fun and take everything found in these forums with the proverbial grain of salt.
danheather
108 posts
 
I have to agree with Inscrutable here. I would not rule out a very nice receiver in your search. Pre/pro is a nice way to go too, but I would hazard to guess that you could to MUCH better by purchasing a high quality receiver (NAD, Marantz, Onkyo Integra, Rotel) on the used market and use the money that you saved on better speakers (also used).

Many posters here will instantly discredit mass market gear w/o having ever even heard it. Contrary to popular belief, some of the mass marketers (including Denon and even Sony - ES) do make some very nice gear. It's not all crap. Don't get caught up in the name game.

Anecdotal story: My father has gotten off of the Audiophile Merry-Go-Round and has been using the same gear for a good number of years. Prior to quitting the hobby, he had gotten into home theater (ProLogic!!). He has since parted with all of the surround speakers but kept his Onkyo Integra Pro series receiver. He uses it in two channel mode and, honestly, it sounds terrific. He's driving a pair of old Thiel 3.5s (not an easy load) and it really does a nice job. The point here is that many of the elitists on this site would laugh (literally) at the thought of using a ProLogic receiver to anchor an "audiophile" music system. He would have to spend A LOT of money to do appreciably better.

It's easy to get caught up in the hysteria and lose sight of your goal and objectivity. Take your time, leave your preconceptions (misconceptions?) aside and keep your focus. Who knows...? When it's all said and done, you may not even have a single "audiophile" component in your system....and that's not necessarily a bad thing :-)
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