I had some 804Ns, light cherry, and loved them ... simply magnificent build and able to produce an ever-larger soundscape without breaking apart. I drove them with a class A Musical Fidelity A2 integrated ... 20 watts. I got rid of them only because volume would let the speakers show what they could do very well, but low-volume listening was very disappointing ... to me. Never tried the S or D series. That was a lifetime ago, maybe in '99 or '00. I've been through several other speakers since then, though fairly certain I'll be keeping my Cains for many years.
B & W speaker upgrade suggestions
I am currently using B&W CM4 speakers for my front speakers, and a B&W CMC center speaker. I use them bi-wired with a Rotel 1055 receiver, Rotel RMB 1075 power amp, a Rotel 1072 CD-player and my beloved Teres 160 turntable. My rear speakers are Infinity Alpha 20s. My sub-woofer is an Onix Rocket. My system, due to space constraints is used for pseudo home theatre (I don't have a dedicated room) and music, with the emphasis on musicality.
My musical preferences are somewhat varied, but tend to be mostly in the jazz, classical, classic rock, world music, and blues genres.
At some point in the future (probably far future!) I would like to upgrade my main speakers. My fantasy budget is $5000. I know this amount is somewhat limiting, but I doubt that I will be able to afford more. Besides which, my sources (other than the Teres turntable, IMO) are no doubt considered mid-fi here on Audiogon, so stellar speakers would just point out their short comings. I also have a preference for maple/birds-eye maple finishes, just because I like the look of the wood, but finish is secondary to sound.
Anyway, any suggestions as to what speakers I should consider?
Holly
My musical preferences are somewhat varied, but tend to be mostly in the jazz, classical, classic rock, world music, and blues genres.
At some point in the future (probably far future!) I would like to upgrade my main speakers. My fantasy budget is $5000. I know this amount is somewhat limiting, but I doubt that I will be able to afford more. Besides which, my sources (other than the Teres turntable, IMO) are no doubt considered mid-fi here on Audiogon, so stellar speakers would just point out their short comings. I also have a preference for maple/birds-eye maple finishes, just because I like the look of the wood, but finish is secondary to sound.
Anyway, any suggestions as to what speakers I should consider?
Holly