Dan,
Thank you for the feedback on the Tannoys. I believe I did listen to the Tannoy 10A at AXPONA last year. I believe they were fairly new pair of loudspeakers. Sounded slightly upfront than what I am used to. But will seek out more audition.
Paraneer,
Very good question on why I am concerned about 4 ohm loudspeaker. As I have mentioned, I have a TVC. A TVC generally sounds best when you are not near the maximum value position. My TVC has 24 positions for maximum volume. Currently I am listening to anywhere between 14-16, depending on the loudness of the CD/SACDs and more recently, Bluetooth streaming.If I get a more sensitive speaker, this position would go much lower and I can derive maximum benefit as far as sound quality is concerned. Mind you, in my system anything above position 17 drives me off the room, since it is too loud.
If you could compare and contrast between the Spendor D7 and the PSB T3, that would be helpful, since I am aware of how the PSB sounds. About the Sonus Faber - did they sound better than the D7 and T3?
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Paraneer,
When I hear the Imagine T3, they had partnered it with the NAD. I feel digital amp tech has not yet caught with Class AB amplification. The Totem Forest Signatures were driven by some nice McIntosh. I felt that was the reason why the NAD sound felt a bit "blunt" compared to the Totems. The salesman was pushing me to the Totem and that is what put me off.
How would you describe the sound of the Spendors compared to the PSB?
About the Olympicas, I have read a number of threads that stated they do not go a deep. For the price that one pays for these loudspeakers, I would hope they would go much deeper. They are rated as 40Hz and that is what my current speakers rated. I am sure the quality of Sonus 40Hz is much better than my loudspeaker 40Hz. I will try to audition them.
bwaslo,
I am sure, it is sensitivity I am thinking.
marktomaras,
Thank You for the suggestion. But Wilsons are not on my list.
gsm18439,
Absolutely agree. Trust me, when I built the system in 2005, I was in the Bay Area (CA) and every single component was purchased from brick-n-mortar shop, except for the cables. My amplifier dealer at that point, loaned me NAD, Cambridge and Arcam integrated to listen at my home.
But with many brick-n-mortar shops closing down, this is unfortunately not possible, unless you live in/near a big city.
audioman58,
I am really not into open baffle loudspeakers, at least for now. Who knows how things change in future.
Please keep the feedback coming. Would really like to hear about various characteristics of the loudspeakers listed. If you have compared any of the speakers listed above, would like to hear about their strengths and weakness.
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Paraneer,
Your feedback on PSB vs Spendor is much appreciated. I am surprised that the Spendor sounded more full bodied than the PSB, since the PSBs have more drivers. You are correct on the Olympica III. They are rated at 35Hz. But the Spendors and PSBs go down even further at 29Hz and 24Hz(+-3db). The Olympica III even used are a stretch, and my wife would kill me. But I will give them a try.
gsm18449,
I have listened to various Zu at AXPONA last year. But I was somehow not impressed. And they most likely do well with tubes, where I am all for solid state. I am near Cleveland, and do not have dealers near me for any of these loudspeakers except the Revel. I will have to travel south 3 hours to listen to PSB, Focal and Sonus, which is perfectly fine. I plan to do that soon. The dealer closest to me has Revel and GoldenEar. I had listened to GoldenEar at AudioConcepts in Dallas Texas and did not like them. Also to me, loudspeakers are also "instruments of music". From that aspect, I do not like the looks of GEs. They also have DSP in them, and I tend to stay away from such loudspeakers. Bash me for how I feel, but that is what I feel.
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Paraneer,
When I purchased the Parasound A21 locally, I found that one's room makes a HUGE difference. I was comparing the amp section of my then NAD C352 to the A21 at the dealers, and the "upgrade" in sound was alright. But when I got the amp home, it was a HUGE difference. There was no comparison.
cmach,
Can you please elaborate the extremes frequencies of the ProAc D30R? How low does that speaker go? They are listed at 20Hz, but I have doubts with just a single driver doing the mid/woofer duties. What other loudspeakers (brands) did you compare the D30R with, while auditioning? I am near Cleveland OH. So shipping from CA would be a kind of expensive. But nevertheless I will reach out to Jay and discuss with him, since he has ProAc, Tannoy and KEF. BTW, I moved from Laguna Beach, years back to my current location.
carmenc,
Thank You for the suggestion. What loudspeakers do you have?
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carmenc,
Thank You for letting me know about your speaker journey. If you were to go into a room like mine, which of the 2 speakers you would have preferred? The D20R or the DC8? I consider my room as medium, but some might call it small, and I would agree.
As for cables, I suggest that you try to reach Paul at Clear Day cables. Let him know about the speakers your own and he will send you the correct configuration of cables. I found that he does not try to sell you more than what is needed. At the same time, you will be surprised by how excellent his cables are. |
Thanks for letting me know soix :-)
dave_b,
Last year I auditioned PSB Imagin3 T3 and the Totem Forest Sigs in DC area at the same dealer. I felt it was a unfair contest, since the PSBs were hooked up to the new NAD separates (M series) while the Totems were hooked to some high end McIntosh. The rep was pushing me towards the Totems, when I actually went in to hear the PSBs. That sort of put me off on the Totems. Nevertheless the Totems sounded pretty nice. One thing I did find - you need to really "up" that volume on the amp to get the Totems to sound up to their full potentials. At lower volumes they loose their charm.
carmenc,
You are welcome. Hope you have the same positive experience that I have with Clear Day. As far as I can recall the demo of the Tannoys I had last year at AXPONA, I can very well understand what you mean by the "dynamic" sound of the Tannoys. If I were to guess what you mean, I think they are more upfront than the ProAc - is that right? Looks like I have to do a bit of traveling this summer to listen to a few speakers. One more loudspeakers that impressed me was the LeHave floorstanding model at AXPONA. But it is beyond my budget. |
2pysyop,
Thank You for the recommendation of the Magnepans. I am sure they would sound good in the right system. For my requirements, they are simply too large a speakers and they are slightly less efficient than what I am looking for.
dave_b,
Don't get me wrong; the Totems sounded pretty good. I will consider them again when I visit DC next month.
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dave_b,
No issues at all. I found that a local dealer carries Totem and Revel. I will have a chance to compare the Totem Sigs to the Revel F208. I have heard Revels a long time back and do not recollect their signature sound. But I know many on this forum like Revel sound. |
Any feedbacks from Revel/Audio Physic/PMC owners?
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To an extent, yes stringreen. One thing is, because of the TVC, I really need to take care of the loudspeaker sensitivity. A loudspeaker with low efficiency might sound great in a system that has a powerful amp and an active linestage. But it might not sound in my system, as I would be close to the max volume level on my TVC. So, specs would matter to a certain extent.
I am trying to find genuine experiences of folks on this forum who
own some speakers mentioned, that would be worthwhile driving a few
hours to audition.
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pennsy
,
Also wanted to point out that most folks don't "get" the loudspeaker positions correct in their room. Precise measurements make a HUGE difference. Amplifiers are a distant third/fourth when compared to things like positioning your loudspeakers in the room, acoustic treatments, etc. You can easily make out if one loudspeaker is 1/2 inches incorrectly placed w.r.t. the listening position, when compared to the other, that is placed correctly. My room is purpose built. My current loudspeakers are 10+ years old and I have taken great care to correctly place them. At this point, I know I have extracted the MAX out of them. I want something that I can live with at least for the next 10+ years. I will not be able to afford getting new gear every 5 years, since kids would be heading to college. I would rather spend months researching new loudspeakers, rather than rushing out to buy a new speaker, only to be disappointed.
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Thanks knownothing.
hm1, I am hoping to audition the Spendor at some point. Really interested. Way back in 2005, I spoke to a dealer in the Bay Area and for some reason he kind of said that Spendors have peculiar sound that you either like or don't. Never followed-up after that. So will do it this time.
wwaterman2,
The Klipschs and Magnepans are a bit too large for me. But thanks for the recommendations.
pennsy,
I do understand what you are saying. I really take time carefully matching my system and the components I purchase, since I am not a equipment swapping guy. The A21 is a awesome amp that I like and it matches my TVC. The TVC matches active line stage at least up to $4.5K. I experienced that in my system. I am very much happy with my system and can confidently say that I just am looking at loudspeakers at this point.
danvignau,
I will check out if a local dealer has B&W 804s with them. That is the only one I can aim for at this point. But last time I heard these at a shop, with McIntosh gear, they sounded a bit analytic.
bache,
The 002 seems nice loudspeakers, but way out of my range. I would prefer a non-active loudspeaker.
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tdimler,
That was supposed to happen today. Unfortunately could not go visit the local dealer who has them, I believe. But will certainly check them out. And yes, it is the same dealer from where I got my A21. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Thanks for the recommendation bassdude. I agree that not all "big names" offer real value. That is why you see the TVC in my system. But some "big names" do deliver the value in spades. Hence you see the other components. I try to listen to the components before making a purchase. I am looking for a floor stander that is not too big in my room.
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So, I visited the local dealer to audition Revel and Totem. Unfortunately the F208 and Forest Signatures were not available. But I auditioned the F206 instead, with the CDs I bought along. I really liked the F206. It did not sound forward, had ample bass, even though it was being driven by a Sony flagship receiver and not really a pre/pro combo. I never thought front-ported loudspeakers could generate so much bass. The dealer then suggested me to listen to Totem Elements Fire bookshelves, that cost twice the F206. I found the speaker to be too forward for my taste and the bass was not enough. This speaker was driven by Parasound P5/A21 combo with a Blu-Ray player. The speaker did some good imaging; but like my previous experience of the Element series, I was under-impressed. Maybe some folks like speakers with "hot tweeters", but it was not my cup of tea. I am wondering how the F208 would compare with the F206. Then I went about checking other rooms and found the GE Triton 5. I auditioned this one too, but it simply did not rock my boat. At the end of the auditioned the dealer mentioned a special deal on Revel flagship Salon 2 floor demo. These were really special and sounded great even in a squarish room. This was some speakers that you could keep listening for hours. But even with that special pricing it was way beyond my reach.
I was really impressed with the F206 and I still have a few more loudspeaker to audition, before I make a decision. I am hoping folks here would be able to provide me with more feedback, now that I have at least provided some information on my preference, when it comes to loudspeaker "voicing".
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Drove about 3 hours to a dealer who carries Sonus, Focal and B&W besides a few others. He did not have the Olympica II, so I ended up listening Olympica III with Devialet 200 and BlueSound Vault. Cabling was probably Nordost Valhalla or one level below. The sound was musical and surprisingly warm. Bass was pretty nice and the room was treated. But this is as-of-now out of my budget. Since they had the B&W 804D3s, I listened to these as well. This was partnered to Plinius integrated and Vault. Again, cabling was by Nordost. Unfortunately it was a a disappointment. The sound was no where as musical to the Sonus. In fact my existing loudspeakers are more musical. I WANTED to like the 804D3, since it was somewhat close to my budget. But somethings are not meant to be. The speaker may be fine, I think; but personal tastes differ.
Also over the past week, I did reach out to Jay from Audio Revelation, as some of you had suggested. What a fine person - very courteous and patient. Even when knowing that I might not be a potential customer (I had mentioned I was not from his area), he took time to explain the different lines that he carried, what I should look for and even responded to all the emails I had sent. I had considered the ProAcD30R and am stil considering the D48R, since I am looking at long term and not changing loudspeakers immediately. But for my room he recommended the D30R.
I am now wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the Sonus Faber Olympica II/III with the PSB T3, the Spendor D7 and the ProAc D30R.
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mr_bill,
Thanks for the info. I am planning to do a road trip to visit some dealers in the Chicago area where I can actually listen to the D7. In the same trip I plan to cover some ProAc and PMCs as well.
cholera,
Thank You for the detailed feedback between T3 and O3. I did like the O3s, though they were a bit o the warm side - nothing wrong with that. But it is their nominal impedance that bothers me. Having a TVC, I have to be very careful of matching loudspeakers in my system. It is funny that on another forum there is a post where a poster liked the T3s better than the O3s. So I feel it is a matter of preference. Hence I have decided to make the road trip to listen to as much loudspeakers as I can. Ultimately I have found that unless a dealer room is not properly treated or speakers are not correctly placed, you will not find what a loudspeaker is truly capable of. Even after listening to quite a few loudspeakers, I come home and find that my current loudspeakers do a fine job. I am sure, if I get any pair of the speakers I mention above, then they would sound fabulous in my room when I carefully take time and place them. It is the "flavor" of sound that I want to nail and settle down.
I have the Parasound A21 amplifier and have been much happy with them. I recently changed ALL my cables (except power cables) to Clear Day. |
@carmenc, I have not been to Chicago recently. But if I do, then I will update this thread to update my experience.
@mtrot , I did listen to some Legacy loudspeakers during the AXPONA 2015. I believe they sounded pretty nice. I will stop by again if I visit Chicago area and listen to them at a dealer. Thanks for the recommendation. |
@kalali,
Why do you think the price of a component would ALWAYS determine it's performance? It sometimes does but not always. My $1.6k preamp spanks a $4.5k preamp. And this was a personal experience in my own system. I also heard the B&W 804D3s, which is more expensive than the T3s. I would take the T3s any day over the B&Ws. |
So, I went on a road trip to listen to couple of loudspeakers. At the first dealer, it was PSB Imagine T3 Vs B&W 804D3 Vs Pioneer S-1EX. The front end was a Pioneer DVD player whose optical out was to a McIntosh integrated with a built-in DAC. Cabling was Nordost. Started with the BWs and found that they are not exciting, but portray recordings as-is. Seems pretty neutral. The first CD was Dire Straits BIA (xrcd). Somehow the bass was not strong. But the high frequencies were extended. Then switched to PSBs, whose bass was much better, but not as good as I remembered as on my own SACD at home. So we switched to Eva Cassidy - What A Wonderful World. I know this song so well, and it made comparisons much better. Also bass was good on this recording. I wanted to like the PSBs, but the bass seems to overwhelm the room and (probably because of this) the high frequencies were not as extended as the B&Ws. But the B&Ws seemed to do everything better than when I heard them last time at another dealer. The "presence" on the B&Ws was pretty good - could bring goose bumps, if they would be carefully placed in my room. Lastly switched to the Pioneers. These also loaded the room. I found the PSB and Pioneers sound like thick syrup, unlike the B&Ws which were agile, albeit slightly lesser bass.
Next day headed to another dealer who stocks Focals. Unfortunately the 1038s were not around, but the Sopras 2 were and I was impressed by the demo. I did not find the Be tweeters bright. The front end was a Simaudio CD player and Hegel pre/power amp. I found out that this dealer also stocked Harbeth. So I decided to take a listen to the 3 of them that ranged from $5k-$7k. This demo changed my impression of Harbeth. My experience was bad from AXPONA 2015. But these were really musical speakers and compared so much more favorably to my Quads. The CDP was Line Magnetics and the integrated was the limited edition VPI. I liked the way they imaged, their sound stage and the bass they produced, for their size. I liked the $5k ones better than the $7k ones.
The road trip was worth it, and I am looking forward to go to AXPONA again this year.
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Folks, I visited about 5 dealers yesterday to audition different loudspeakers. One thing I realized that, loudspeakers are simply user preferences. No loudspeaker is great and no loudspeaker is bad. How can a brand X, which so may people love, be so bad as some people make it seems.
With that said, I listened to Dynaudio Contiour 60, Spendor D7, ProAc D30RS, D48R, Sony, Sonus Fabre, PSB T3. My 2 narrowed down choices were theSpendor D7 and the ProAcs. I was amazed by the Spendor D7. These are diminutive speakers that throw a large soundstage. They all go deeper and sounded full. I have read various forums that put them as "bright" or "harsh" sounding. No way. But here's the deal. In front of them, they had an all MBL system with amps, preamp and the cdp that cost at least between $25-$30k. The cables were Stealth that cost probably more than my entire current system.
Now the D30RS were in a humbler system which comprised of a Naim all-in-one player/amp. The cables were also some normal ones (which I did not check, since it did not call for attention). The D30RS sounded pretty good, but slightly darker than the Spndors. So I am confused at this point in time as to which loudspeaker would be better.
With this information, please provide me your feedback on your experience with the 2 loudspeaker. I should also mention that the ProAcs produced the best vocals amongst all the loudspeakers. |
Folks,
Wanted to close this post by letting you know that the decision has been made. My ProAc D48R in Ebony are on order. Should get them by end of November or start of December.
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Thank You @james_w514 and @mesch . |
@almarg,
Thank You so much for your inputs and suggestions along along the way. You did help me arrive at the current choice. As many of the members on this forum know, your knowledge and guidance is very valuable to all the members!
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@kosst_amojan,
I found out that the Parasound A21 can easily drive the Focal loudspeakers like 1038, 1028 etc. But I am glad that I reached a decision after a long time. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
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The ProAc D48R are in the house. I am pretty thrilled. They are pretty heavy. My wife helped me carry them to the listening room in the basement. She also helped me unpack and set them up. She supports my hobby and I simply cannot imagine following this hobby without her. Listened to the speakers for 15 minutes and I love what they are doing. Currently they are being "run-in" using Nordost's System setup CD, track 47 (System Burn-in).
The quest now begins to find the best spot for the speakers and the listening chair.
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