Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I have definitely been remiss in my posting responsibilities. I have made my purchase. this is how it went down.
I demoed the KEF R300s at his house but there was no one within a few hundred miles that had any CA to listen to. I liked the R300s but decided I needed to just get the 851N for now and keep my Monitor 9s and B&K ST2140. My plan was to audition several bookshelves at home later. Once I told him that he offered me a deal on the R300s and stands that I just could not pass down. So I'm a proud new owner of a CA 851N and KEF R300s. So far I am really liking it. It is light years ahead of my old pre. My monitor 9s never sounded so good once I hooked them up to the 851N.
I'm still investigating an amp replacement down the road (sooner rather than later). The B&K can then go downstairs with the Monitor 9s on the basement stereo.
One thing I noticed when I compared the Monitor 9s to the R300s was that the Monitor 9s had better bass and more detail. The detail surprised me. But the soundstage was much wider on the R300s and at high volume the midrange was smother and clearer. The monitor 9s actually sounded a little distorted on the vocals at high volume.
Anyway, I'm not sure what my next amp will be, maybe a 851A or 851W but there are so many others to choose from in that price range. I guess I don't really need the analog pre anymore. Can't wait for the next upgrade. Oh, I also got a pair of Tributary Series 8 balanced cables. Not sure where they stand in the overall scheme of things but I know they are better than the old RCA cables I had.
Thanks to everyone for your help. There is a lot of information to navigate in the world of high-end audio!
Ken
I demoed the KEF R300s at his house but there was no one within a few hundred miles that had any CA to listen to. I liked the R300s but decided I needed to just get the 851N for now and keep my Monitor 9s and B&K ST2140. My plan was to audition several bookshelves at home later. Once I told him that he offered me a deal on the R300s and stands that I just could not pass down. So I'm a proud new owner of a CA 851N and KEF R300s. So far I am really liking it. It is light years ahead of my old pre. My monitor 9s never sounded so good once I hooked them up to the 851N.
I'm still investigating an amp replacement down the road (sooner rather than later). The B&K can then go downstairs with the Monitor 9s on the basement stereo.
One thing I noticed when I compared the Monitor 9s to the R300s was that the Monitor 9s had better bass and more detail. The detail surprised me. But the soundstage was much wider on the R300s and at high volume the midrange was smother and clearer. The monitor 9s actually sounded a little distorted on the vocals at high volume.
Anyway, I'm not sure what my next amp will be, maybe a 851A or 851W but there are so many others to choose from in that price range. I guess I don't really need the analog pre anymore. Can't wait for the next upgrade. Oh, I also got a pair of Tributary Series 8 balanced cables. Not sure where they stand in the overall scheme of things but I know they are better than the old RCA cables I had.
Thanks to everyone for your help. There is a lot of information to navigate in the world of high-end audio!
Ken