We had shoot out with the following speakers last week: B&W N805, Dunlavy SM-1, & Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkII. It was the first time I had heard any of them, including the just released Dunlavy SM-1. The SM-1 was so far superior, that we thought there might be something wrong with the others. You should have a listen to all 3 (all of which are about the same price). Also, when reading the hifi magazines, keep in mind who is advertising the most, and who's getting the press that follows. 1 page ads in some of the hifi mag's run in the $10,000.00 per page range. Keep this in mind. SM-1's are the best monitor we have EVER heard. I purchased a pair for myself in Kavazinga wood. www.dunlavyaudio.com If you know what live music sounds like, then this is the speaker for you!
Best Small Speaker NOT B&W's 805N?
We auditioned B&W's Nautilus 805's in our living room and they sounded great. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't like the aesthetic styling of the B&W's and would prefer a more tradional looking box. We'd like to listen to some alternatives before making our final choice and would appreciate some help. Our living room is sonically awkward, because it is large and very bright. The windows and the furniture are situated to take advantage of some lovely views; but this makes speaker placement difficult. Still, we can create a quite nice near-field listening environment so long as the speakers we use are roughly the size of the B&W 805N's. We listen mostly to jazz, particularly piano and vocal. We would appreciate suggestions for 'best' speakers that are similar in size to the B&W's but with a more traditional look to them. Thanks in advance for your help! Kurt ield . look of the tweeter sitting on top of the box We have a living room in which the furniture layout prohibits anythin auditioned the B&W 805 Nautilus y wife and I