B & W 804S.
Sophia 1 with McIntosh/Lamm tubes? Please advise
My system is now B&W 804S, McIntosh MC275 amp and Lamm LL2 preamp, and Rel Storm III sub. The Lamm was the latest addition about 1.5 years ago and I REALLY like it.
I'm thinking of a next upgrade, either the speakers or amp. If I were to upgrade amp today I would probably go with Lamm ML1 or M1.1 hybrid. However, I'm leaning towards upgrading speakers first. Right track? BTW, the following upgrade would be a couple years away.
My budget for speakers is $5-6k, maybe $7k if I can let the sub go. Thinking of buying used. I've been reading about Wilson Sophia 1, Merlin VSM, and DeVore Nines (Silverbacks likely beyond my budget). Do you think these would match well with tubes? The Sophias are 89 dB (vs my B&W at 91 dB), but said to play very well at moderate levels. I'm certainly open to other suggestions.
I really enjoy the sense of 3D spaciousness during playback, the "musicians in the room" holographic presentation. Absolute true tonal balance is less important to me, to the extent is not grossly off, of course. Musicality and high definition are important, and also bass extension and definition.
The room is 33x15x8 ft, speakers on a short side, spaced about 7.5 ft between them, and 5 ft from front wall. Listening position on an equilateral triangle.
Music tastes: all over the place, but mostly rock, blues and jazz. The dynamic range/impact the Sophias are said to have are appealing too.
I'm thinking of a next upgrade, either the speakers or amp. If I were to upgrade amp today I would probably go with Lamm ML1 or M1.1 hybrid. However, I'm leaning towards upgrading speakers first. Right track? BTW, the following upgrade would be a couple years away.
My budget for speakers is $5-6k, maybe $7k if I can let the sub go. Thinking of buying used. I've been reading about Wilson Sophia 1, Merlin VSM, and DeVore Nines (Silverbacks likely beyond my budget). Do you think these would match well with tubes? The Sophias are 89 dB (vs my B&W at 91 dB), but said to play very well at moderate levels. I'm certainly open to other suggestions.
I really enjoy the sense of 3D spaciousness during playback, the "musicians in the room" holographic presentation. Absolute true tonal balance is less important to me, to the extent is not grossly off, of course. Musicality and high definition are important, and also bass extension and definition.
The room is 33x15x8 ft, speakers on a short side, spaced about 7.5 ft between them, and 5 ft from front wall. Listening position on an equilateral triangle.
Music tastes: all over the place, but mostly rock, blues and jazz. The dynamic range/impact the Sophias are said to have are appealing too.