Speakers and Amp Replacement

Housey

Housey

Housey

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Joined
21 Feb 2006
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So went to do some initial listening today, got a private session planned for Saturday with various options and seeking speakers and amp. I have to say sampled the new B&W 800 series speakers today and was blown away. I've never been a fan of B&W speakers, but the new range has my attention, especially the stand mount versions (805) and of course the 802 (too big, too expensive) but JAY SUS they sounded good, MUCH more impressive than the previous generations IMHO. Also listened to a few other options and going back with my DAC and music to spend a few hours locked away in the listening room on Saturday.

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This is going to hurt. :cool:
 
One of my favourite things to do is spend an afternoon in a Hi-Fi shop. :D

I paired a NAD C 375BEE with my B&W CM1 speakers a couple of weeks ago and was blown away by the overall quality of the setup. Not sure what your budget is but I was very impressed!
 
Budget is probably around 8K, not that I need to spend that or half that, but no more and I will need to throw in a replacement rack and some wires.
 
Unfortunately more of a Home Theatre than Hi-Fi fan myself so can't make any recommendations Amp wise (Unless Anthem do amps? Look there :D) but I love my Kef R series speakers and did have a brief listen to the Kef Reference series when demoing mine about 18 months ago. I did listen to B&W and Monitor Audio as well, the B&W were well above the MA but the Kef tipped the mid and higher range for me, I was using a sub so the low bass wasn't as much of an issue. So summary is, if you have the option try the Kef Reference or whatever fits in your price range :)
 
I have 5 or 6 lined up to try so will let me ears chose. I did some tests yesterday with Subs and it does improve the hifi to my ears when well matched, even with the very finest speakers. Interesting stuff.
 
Housey said:
I have 5 or 6 lined up to try so will let me ears chose. I did some tests yesterday with Subs and it does improve the hifi to my ears when well matched, even with the very finest speakers. Interesting stuff.
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I used to have some Nautilus 802's, matched with a couple of Chord mono blocks, but due to having to down size my listening room/area, I ended up with 805's and a REL Studio III. The 805's with the sub were absolutely sublime, and to this day I've not managed to better the sound (to my old ears :p).

I'd seriously suggest looking at a sub if you end up with a stand mount, I'm not sure what the equivalent of the REL Studio III would be now, but I wish I'd kept it. :(

Happy listening. :)
 
Journey said:
I used to have some Nautilus 802's, matched with a couple of Chord mono blocks, but due to having to down size my listening room/area, I ended up with 805's and a REL Studio III. The 805's with the sub were absolutely sublime, and to this day I've not managed to better the sound (to my old ears :p).

I'd seriously suggest looking at a sub if you end up with a stand mount, I'm not sure what the equivalent of the REL Studio III would be now, but I wish I'd kept it. :(

Happy listening. :)
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The whole sub thing really seems to be carrying weight at the moment. I sampled a range of different speakers, floor standing and stand mount with and without a REL sub and without question when the sub was added it improved the sound. It wasn't about deep base, it was subtle and attuned but created a level of fullness that to my ears sounded better.

Do you have the brand new 805's? They are a ground up rebuild and are only just arriving in the stores. I had listened to the last ones and though good they never really caught me but the new ones frankly blew me away. I was comparing them to a similar priced pair of Dali's which were also superb but the sound of the 805's was just better on a mixture of music.
 
rare said:
Jesus 8k will buy one heck of a nice system.
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As I say I don't want or need to spend that, but I can go to that if needs be. I fully appreciate it's a law of diminishing returns when it comes to these things and it's why I take my wife with me as she is Scottish and hates spending money and keeps my excitement and debit card controlled.....well unless I really want it then I simply convince her we NEED it. ;)
 
Housey said:
The whole sub thing really seems to be carrying weight at the moment. I sampled a range of different speakers, floor standing and stand mount with and without a REL sub and without question when the sub was added it improved the sound. It wasn't about deep base, it was subtle and attuned but created a level of fullness that to my ears sounded better.

Do you have the brand new 805's? They are a ground up rebuild and are only just arriving in the stores. I had listened to the last ones and though good they never really caught me but the new ones frankly blew me away. I was comparing them to a similar priced pair of Dali's which were also superb but the sound of the 805's was just better on a mixture of music.
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Sadly I no longer have them, it was originally some 805S and then moved to Diamond series. However I completely agree with your comments about the sub, it was completely transparent (once setup correctly) and made music have an extra dimension that could not really be described. I did love the subtlety, and realism it brought to live performances, and certainly the extra dynamic range it brought to classical compositions.

If I had the chance to rebuild my system again today, I'd still go down that route rather than the 802's, even though I think the 802's looked like a work of art in the cherry finish. :):
 
Housey said:
Budget is probably around 8K, not that I need to spend that or half that, but no more and I will need to throw in a replacement rack and some wires.
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there is the law of diminishing returns.

first of all you haven't even mentioned the size of room all this stuff will be going in or what type of room it is in terms of flooring, height, structure, etc.


in headphones for example you can buy a £20 pair or a £10,000 pair.

the sweet spot is actually around £200. i cannot believe the people that spend £500+ on a pair as the difference between them and HD650's is laughable.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
first of all you haven't even mentioned the size of room all this stuff will be going in or what type of room it is in terms of flooring, height, structure, etc.
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Because I am not really seeking advice, it's of little value when people or hear things differently. I will go listen, then home audition the short list, then buy.
 
If I had £8K to blow I'd honestly spend about £2K on a second hand dolby atmos setup where I would get the ceiling speakers new as it's not something you will find a lot of second hand.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
If I had £8K to blow I'd honestly spend about £2K on a second hand dolby atmos setup where I would get the ceiling speakers new as it's not something you will find a lot of second hand.
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Isnt he looking at stereo sound? This isnt a home cinema spec thread dude.
 
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