hi folks!!! i am currently on the market for an excellent pair of speakers for my beloved bryston 7b st...i just love the sound of these amp and having fun right now BUT have decided to change/upgrade my speakers...here is my set-up: preamp is bryston bp25, amp is bryston 7b st, sources are both linn ikeme and sony scd 777es, conditioner is chang lightspeed 9900 for the amp and ps audio p300 for the preamp and source...ic's are nordost quattro fil for all (just purchased and actually on the way)and speaker cable will be nordost spm reference...I HAVE USED AND SOLD THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS for these set-up (except that i havent used the nordost line in these configuration, but have used cardas golden reference ic and golden cross speaker cable in biwire set-up) AERIAL ACOUSTICS 7B, MIRAGE OM8 AND OM6, MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 5i AND 7i, DEFINITIVE TECH. BP3000TL...AND RIGHT NOW I AM ON THE BERGE OF UPGRADING TO A BETTER (???)SOUNDING SPEAKERS...MY CHOICES ARE THE FOLLOWING IN ORDER OF PRIORITIES: 1. B&W 802 2. AERIAL ACOUSTICS 10T 3. PROAC 3.8 4. THIEL 7.2 PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD TO ANY OF MY CHOICES IF YOU'VE USED THEM WITH THE BRYSTON 7ST OR AT LEAST HEARD THEM ON A DEMO..MY HOMETOWN IS SO FAR AWAY FROM MOST HI-END DEALERS WHICH LIMITS ME FROM MAKING AN AUDITION...YOUR COMMENTS WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED... by the way i mostly listened to classic rock music (like pink floyd, van halen, bad co., etc) and my music room is roughly, i would say moderate size..I'VE HAD FUN WITH THE SPEAKERS THAT I'VE USED AND MENTIONED ABOVE BUT I JUST FEEL THE ITCH (AGAIN..AND AGAIN) TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR THE LAST TIME (???, THAT'S WHAT I TOLD MY WIFE)...THANKS IN ADVANCE FOLKS!!!
I would argue that the thiels are the best for the money out of any speakers at their used price point whether those others are used or not. Good to see the 7bst combo with thiels somewhere. Been looking for amps for my 3.6. The 7bst is one of em.
I own 7b st's as well. I've heard all your 4 items, I'd rank them in this order: Aerial 10t's, then THiels, then B&W, and last PRoAc. I went with the Aerial 7b's myself. I might switch the B&W w/ the Thiels depending on the day and weather.
I have a Bryston 4B-ST that I occasionally use in my main system with Vienna Acoustics Mahlers with great success.
The Mahlers may be appealing to you, a rock 'n roller, because they go loud as hell with kick-ass bass, are very musical, and love clean power. You need a big room, however, or will have too much bass.
Incidentally, Robert Deutch of Stereophile positively reviewed the Mahlers with SPM speaker cable.
Try the PMC FB-1 speakers. They are imported in North America by Bryston. These two companies make their gear to go hand in hand. They both supply major recording studios worldwide and they truly know what the "original event" should sound like. I'm currently using the FB-1 with a pair of Bryston 7B-ST monos and a BP25 preamp. The sound is dynamic, alive and highly detailed. Read reviews on the PMC speakers at www.bryston.ca
Some excellent commentary... I'll split the difference on a couple points...
I purchased the N802s after extensive auditioning of the N801s and the AA-10Ts. Regarding the N801s, there were several decision points: first, my wife could not handle the look of the N801s, they were much more expensive and required very serious amplificiation: In all too expensive, and relative to the N802, somewhat ugly.
Regarding the AA, both are very fine speakers. I found the AA to be less of what I wanted: the 802s seemed faster and smoother.
Regarding the Salons and Studios: I did not know of the Studios, at the time. The Salons were near perfect, but out of my price range.
With my N802s, I too am looking for a amps: now narrowed to the Bryston 14B-ST (a double 7B-ST, actually), the Meridian 558, and Aragon. I'm emotionally over the temptation for the Mark Levinsons, Krells and Jeff Rowlands: I simply don't want to spend this kind of money, and I probably can't hear the difference, anyway.
Check out the Dynaudio Confidence 5 - a very underrated speaker in the price range you're considering. Also, check out the reviews in Audioreview.com. This speaker is likely my next upgrade, even though N802 used to be top of my list. Good luck.
The Thiel 7.2s look out of place on your list, but that's what I have, and I drove them with Bryston 7B STs for almost 2 years. The Brystons work well with the big Thiels and are able to control and push the 7.2s to their limits. The Thiels sound great with all types of music. But when at their limit they just stop getting louder from the mids up while the bass gets louder (quite loud at the limit by anyone's standard, but the 802N and 10T can play louder). Of the speakers you have listed the Thiels have the deepest bass, and it will be punchy, tight, and fast with the Brystons. Before the Thiels, I had B&W 802 S3s, nice, but the 7Bs could easily overload them. I tried the 803N, much better power handling and bass, and overall the drivers were better integrated then the Matrix 802, just a bit laid back for my tastes. I also auditioned the 10Ts at home, they can rock and are unphased at high volumes. The 10Ts have many other fine qualities as well. Ultimately I preferred the sound of the Thiels. Both the 802N or 10T are likely to please, and either one would be a fine choice. I would personally choose the 10T. Without the ability to pre-audition the Thiels I would hesitate to recommend them to you.
well, thanks for the 4 responses so far...i really appreciate it...it looks like the b&wn802 which is my first choice would be the best bet for now...i was also considering the magnepan 3.6 but have not tried them out in anyway as i mentioned that my area is way out from really bountiful dealerships...as far as my preamp which i'm pretty sure will have to go in the near future (???don't know how soon)which i got brand new is only about probably 2-3 months old so, i think i'm gonna keep 'm for now until i find a perfect (or near perfect for my taste)speakers...the hales rev 3, have read one or two review of these but then again accessibility is so a big question mark in my area...i'll keep everybody posted "which of the speakers mentioned would win my taste" though it would be very difficult for me to decide, unless i get a considerable amount of suggestion..or probably i have to travel and look for a good place to audition the mentioned speakers which would probably the best thing to do but i'm leaving it open for now...i am not having fun with the speakers that i am using right now (the mirage om 6)since it doesn't give me the sweet sounding midrange as what my aerial acoustics 7b that i just sold 2 weeks ago...well thanks so much folks...i hope i'll get some more comments and suggestions since we audioaddicts have one thing in common for goals and thats the ultimate audio nirvana (which is never ending), great sound but would not ruin your wallet...
I have almost the opposite consideration on my hands. I bought the N802's and really love them. I am now searching for the right amp for the speakers and have the 7Bst's on my short list. I also considered the ProAc's but they didn't quite have the same low end force that the N802's do. The 801's vs 802 is a closer call. With some music, they are very close in the bass. With other music the 801's seemed a little boomy to me and I prefered the 802's, but yet at other times, I feel like I'm missing some bass and perhaps should have gone with the 801. I like the look of the 802's a whole lot better, plus my dealer allows trade-ups, so I figured I'd start with the 802's and decide later. I had a Parasound HPA-2200II (250W) and tried my older Bryston 4B, which I felt was better in the bass, and am now auditioning a Proceed HPA2 which has more detail and tighter control over the bass than the Parasound. I would really like to try the 7Bst or 14Bst with the 802's. So if you end up with the 802's, you'll have to let me know how it turns out.
hales rev 3's -- reasonable price allows you to go to a tube preamp
my system -- 7b-st's, rogue 99, tara interconnect/speaker cables, meridian 508-24, blue circle power pillow, various cords, etc
i listed to everything -- lots of bass heavy electronica and rock, but jazz/opera/world/classical too. the hales do everything well if they have enough power -- like the 7b's have.
Magnepan 3.6 speakers are wonderful with that set up. I use them in a similar kit with same amps, interconnects, speaker cable; the Marantz SA-1 SACD and the TacT AA pre-amp room correctionn system. Let me know how you like the 802s with it. the 801 was the only contender in my system at the time i bought. i never compared the 802 Best of luck, Jim
it's by FAR the worst thing in your system, you will thank me a thousand times if you do...next thing to go is the amp too by the way...what speakers you got now? B&W Nautilus 802s are AWESOME...get those.
P.S. depending on where you live i might be able to get you a pair
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