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Best Small Speaker NOT B&W's 805N?

We auditioned B&W's Nautilus 805's in our living room and they sounded great. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't like the aesthetic styling of the B&W's and would prefer a more tradional looking box. We'd like to listen to some alternatives before making our final choice and would appreciate some help. Our living room is sonically awkward, because it is large and very bright. The windows and the furniture are situated to take advantage of some lovely views; but this makes speaker placement difficult. Still, we can create a quite nice near-field listening environment so long as the speakers we use are roughly the size of the B&W 805N's. We listen mostly to jazz, particularly piano and vocal. We would appreciate suggestions for 'best' speakers that are similar in size to the B&W's but with a more traditional look to them. Thanks in advance for your help! Kurt ield . look of the tweeter sitting on top of the box We have a living room in which the furniture layout prohibits anythin auditioned the B&W 805 Nautilus y wife and I
kvolk11f2e
suensiu
5 posts
 
The N805 costs $2000/pr. In this price range, you may try the ProAc Response 1SC and the Focus FS-68 Signature. I listened to these two before and I like them very much. Other possible choices that I haven't auditioned before include the Aerial 5, the Hales Transcendent 1, and the Platinum Solo. It would be better if you state what amplifier you are using with your future monitors.
kvolk0a93
2 posts
 
Thanks to everyone for their kind advice. My wife and I are relative newcomers to 'high end audio'and appreciate the help! Our dealer let us borrow a pair of Revel Gems to audition over the weekend. They are much more expensive than the B&W 805's but they have us pretty well "hooked". For the first time I really hear new sounds on records I've owned for twenty-five years. It's pretty exciting! We're not sure we can afford the Revel Gems, but they sure sound wonderful! Our other equipment includes a "VSP Labs" amplifier, which I think sounds very nice - (I posted a seperate question looking for info on this amp). Our pre-amp is from PS Audio and will soon be upgrade to a Mark Levinson 380S or Krell KRC-HR or the Sonic Frontiers SF usnit. We also have a Nakimichi Tape Deck which is superlative. Our turntable is from Denon. It is not 'audiophile' caliber, but it seems to work convenieand well. Thanks for al he help. KVolk
kvolk0a93
2 posts
 
Thanks to everyone for their kind advice. My wife and I are relative newcomers to 'high end audio'and appreciate the help! Our dealer let us borrow a pair of Revel Gems to audition over the weekend. They are much more expensive than the B&W 805's but they have us pretty well "hooked". For the first time I really hear new sounds on records I've owned for twenty-five years. It's pretty exciting! We're not sure we can afford the Revel Gems, but they sure sound wonderful! Our other equipment includes a "VSP Labs" amplifier, which I think sounds very nice - (I posted a seperate question looking for info on this amp). Our pre-amp is from PS Audio and will soon be upgrade to a Mark Levinson 380S or Krell KRC-HR or the Sonic Frontiers SF usnit. We also have a Nakimichi Tape Deck which is superlative. Our turntable is from Denon. It is not 'audiophile' caliber, but it seems to work convenieand well. Thanks for al he help. KVolk
donedeal7eb05
4 posts
 
805s are great rears the 802s with correct power are the best this producer has ever heard.
dkarmeli
334 posts
 
Hi. You should audition the Proac Response 1 before purchasing the revels. It will surprise you and save you a lot of money as well. I am quite familiar with both the Revels & the Proacs. You will not miss out on anything if you listen to the Proacs before purchasing. Also If you intend to spend that much money, you're better off spending some of it for a better front end. Re preamps; stay away from the Krell or Sonic Frontier units. The Krells are harsh and totally unmusical. The SF on the other hand are overly colored and lush with no real bass control to speak of. The Mark Levinson is the best compromise out of the lot. But again before purchasing you should listen to a Lamm Audio's Model 1 or Model 2 preamp. These 2 are the best and most ignored preamplifiers on the market. You have other alternatives from VAC & Conrad Johnson that will be much more musical than your 3 choices. I do not know which speakers you currently own, but if you are seriously considering spending that much money $6000-$10000 on upgrading your system, you should budget a good part of that for a better front end first. Once you have a good source you will be in a better position to get maximum benefit from the rest of your system. Do not forget the old addage "JUNK IN - JUNK OUT!!! From what I can see your dealer is steering you totally in the wrong direction. Expensive speakers + expensive preamp when you are using a budget lofi turntable with a 10 year old amp. A system is like a chain and is a good as it's weakest link. Your current equipment does not warrant the money you want to spend on speakers & preamps suggested to you. Change your dealer before purchasing anything. He should know better! If you don't believe me ask the opinion of a few other fellow audiophiles on these pages.
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