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confused and don't know what to do

We would like to buy a nice audio system and also have this double as a surround sound but listening to music is the priority. We have listened to many speakers but have settled on the B&W 804's. Now the challenge is to select a receiver and all the other accompaniments we require. We have a little challenge in that our home is a condo and the outside wall is all glass. The space is combined kitchen, living room, and dining room all open with hardwood floors and hard tile on the walls of the kitchen and a lot of granite counter tops. It seems that every where we go, the recommendations are different depending on what the store is selling and of course, the sales people would like us to buy the most expensive. What would give great sound without going crazy. We are thinking about 2 tribe sub woofers and space is limited and an in wall center B&W speaker but we don't know what we are doing and don't want to throw our money away. Help! Too many choices and we don't have enough knowledge. Thank you so much.
raw33

Showing 4 responses by terry9

terry9
2,212 posts
 
I agree that you have a challenging room. Bookcases full of books, CD's, records, and 'things' will soften that a lot. Persian carpets are cheap these days, and some are very beautiful. That too can soften the sound, and they can look elegant on a wall. WAF is good.

Speaking of WAF, my system has been improved by her as much as by me. My lady has better ears, as women tend to. Listen to yours.

I agree that you should try as much of the system at home before you buy - at least the speakers. You may find that speakers which sound wonderful - clear, brilliant, exciting -  in the dealer's specially treated room, sound unlistenably shrill in your highly reflective environment. That would be a lot of disappointment.

Better to err on the side of mellow sounding components that you can listen to for hours, without fatigue. It's going to be hard to nail this first time out, so it would be better to have something which is pleasant, if not perfect.

Just my $.02. Good luck!
terry9
2,212 posts
 
And don’t spend big bucks on cables first time out. Get the cheapest you can find, then swap them out for better ones, one at a time, until you find something that is worth the cost. I use quality microphone cable (Canare StarQuad) with quality connectors (ETI, KLEI, Switchcraft), nothing too exotic, for interconnect, and continue to find better uses of money than cables - better electronics, better crossover components, better records. Maybe when I hit seven figures ...
terry9
2,212 posts
 
Blades - haven’t heard them, but I entered high end by spending 80% of my budget on Magneplanar Tympani 1a speakers in 1973. The first speaker to be awarded Stereophile’s Class A.

System didn’t quite sound like all mega-buck, but it was 90% of the way there. So if the Blades blow you away like the Tympani 1a’s blew me away, I say put them on the list and skimp everything else. Other stuff can be brought up to standard one significant birthday at a time. And that very much includes cables.

If you like the sound of Blades, also consider electrostatics and Magnepans. I’m a multiple-Quad ESL man, myself, and I built the electronics to conform to them.
terry9
2,212 posts
 
COOL IT, why don't we?

Right now the OP must be regretting asking his question. Let's show him a little respect, shall we?
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