Choosing speakers to complete a system
default -- Fri, 09/25/2009 - 00:35
I am trying to complete my two channel system. I currently have a Simaudio I-7 integrated (150 WPC) and a Bryston BCD-1 cd player. Because of where I live, a lot of travel is required to audition many brands. Possible considerations at present (and locally available, meaning within 10 hours drive) are B&W 804S, 803D, Focal Electra 1027, or PSB Synchrony One. I have heard the first three, albeit at different times, but have not yet been able to audition the PSB. Musical tastes are mainly classical chamber music, light jazz, vocals, contemporary, and lesser amounts of other genres. Listening levels are mainly moderate. Any experience or suggestions regarding these models?
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How large is your room and what's your budget?
Room size is 20 by 13, with 8 foot ceiling. All of the above mentioned models are within my budget. New, (Canadian dollars) the 804S are 5K, 803D are 9K, Focal is somewhere very close to the 803D, and Synchrony Ones for a little under 5K. These are all within my budget, which is being helped by the sale of older components. Of course, a musically pleasing system is the ultimate goal, but should it be accomplished at a lesser cost, all the better. I should add that I have done some listening to the 804S in my own home with the Simaudio amp and Bryston CD player. The I-7 had no problem driving them to levels well above what I would normally use, so I'm not concerned that power would be an issue in these choices. I was quite impressed with the experience, with the exception that I found the balance to be a little on the high side on many, but not all recordings. This made me think that perhaps they would benefit from a sub. This might get fussy, though, and would certainly bring the cost closer to the level of the first three. The 803D should have a little more bass extension, and I wonder if the diamond tweeter would make the top end a little smoother. I am told that the Synchrony Ones, which I have never heard, have a good overall balance, although this may require using the some of the port plugs, depending on the room. Thanks for responding, and I hope this further info helps.
An additional question for anyone who may be able to advise. Given the room size (20 by 13 ft), might any of the models I mentioned above not work well in that space? Given my location (northern BC, Canada), it is not easy to audition speakers in my own home. In my experience, the B&W 804S are good with that size space. The Synchrony Ones apparently have quite a good low frequency extension for their size, but these speakers are supplied with port plugs to use if necessary. Any thoughts would be welcome.
dooley,
as there are a number of excellent Canuck loudspeakers out there, I'd suggest something that few (if any) of the mainstream press have heard of, let alone heard. (I'm Canuck too, so I can say this with some authority regarding the difficulty listening to speakers, even in some of the more populated locations in this land:) )
As power does not seem to be an issue, I might consider any number of Totems, Coincident, Planet10-hifi, I.S.D.(even though I have a long standing "out" with David Rigg of I.S.D., but that is a personal matter and is not reflective of his loudspeakers performance or build quality)
The Coincident Super Victories are in your price range and have been well reviewd as well (see TAS, et al, or visit the website : www.coincidentspeaker.com/speakers.htm for further information). It seems that 13' X20' X 8' is pretty typical for a front room here, so many folks should have experience with some of these speakers in a similar acoustical space.