Focal -JM Lab Nova Utopia Be VS. B&W 801D

I never stated the Nova's had "loose" bass!I said I felt they were "not accurate".Many speakers sound just fine,but in reality are not accurate in bass response.People like overemphasis in this area.I do too,but have really toned down my set-up over the years for a more accurate presentation.I have heard the BIG(GIGANTIC) NOLA set-up,with ASR driving it.The bass towers DEFINITELY are NOT accurate,and stood out,clearly!Yet they went DEEP,and I guess some would love it.NOT for me,though.Just my taste.
I have heard the Nvas/orig Utopias on many,many occassions.With a vast array of stuff.Tubes and solid state.
I LOVE the potential these speakers have,but I believe it is the room that will dictate ultimate sucess,so long as componentry is up to task!
The speakers seem to like a long wall set-up,though Singer uses a deep wide room to generate "that" sound.Yes,to me the Zanden amp drove them to almost perfection,on the day I heard them.Using familiar discs.I was quite surprised,as I have also heard the "tweets" tweeting too much!Not this time.The bass was certainly not a problem here.If it was,then I just did not care,at the time.
The EBA french solid state amps,on a long wall set-up,was a stunning experience to me(probably the best I have heard on these speakers),with the original Utopia(very warm,with slam,and good harmonics).Bass was the best,and tightest I have heard here.The two occassions I heard the speakers sound good(to me)were good enough to not worry about actual bass accuracy.It was JUST SO good,that sometimes one "lets go a bit" with fanaticism.These two times were the REAL DEAL,for me.
I believe the speaker is NOT TOO overpriced.I get the impression JM Labs is trying to hold price a bit,though it did go up.Just an opinion.
This speaker throws a HUGE stage,and one I cannot believe my Ascent can touch,in a large room.I still don't believe Scull,when he claimed the Ascents he owned,before the Utopias,could fill his huge listening space,but what do I know?
I bulit my dedicated room specifically for my Ascents,with the input of Avalon(at the time,yes CH designed them).One reason why they sound SO good,but under 35-40 hz they need help,for the last amount of depth,and impact.Then,PERFECTION, in this amount of square footage.
If I were to move to a bigger room,I would not consider anything less than the NOVA's though.I don't think my Ascent/Rel combo could handle that amount of square footage.My friends think I am nuts,but it's my call.
I am probably moving in a couple of years(kids are older,and going on their own)so will consider the new room very carefully.Hence,my non stop "analysis" of stuff,for future.How much fun is this hobby,sometimes??
Best!

Not to thoroughly hijack this thread, but simply for the sake of discussion, I note that I heard the original Grand Utopias in the same room at Singer back in 2000 driven by big Krell and supported with Krell's big subwoofer ("Master Reference"). Of course it went loud as hell and shook the foundation, but it sounded, overall, totally unconvincing -- it was as far away from the actual sound of unamplified instruments in its own way as a clock radio. We then went into the much smaller adjoining room ("we" -- Cincy Bob was in town and along for the ride that day as well) where a pair of Meadowlark Herons driven by a VAC 30/30 did everything right that the JM Labs / Krell set-up did wrong -- we shook our heads in amazement at how much better the Meadowlark / VAC combo was at emulating the sound of unamplified musical instruments.

PS - I would bet the ranch that Audiooracle, whose talents I know well, almost certainly put together the Meadowlark / VAC set-up, and that he had nothing to do with that dreadful Grand Utopia / Krell set-up !!

Racquel,since I try to hear almost ANY Utopia type set-up I can squeeze in,at a reasonable distance from my home turf,I heard that set-up too.I definitely agree.My original point of this "type" of speaker needing a specific set-up for "UTOPIA" in listening remains intact.They are quite finicky to get just right.Sorry,but Mr. Scull(a very nice guy,btw)did not have the "magic" when I was at his listening room.In the "ribbon chair"!
Like some other products I have come into contact with over the years,these baby's have that "something" which continues to intrigue me!
Also,Singer demoes, at shows, have remained a huge disappointment.
Best.

As I write this, I am enjoying my Grande Utopia Be's, which sound absolutely stunning (and as close to live as I can find) in my room. I've heard the Grande Be's at Sound by Singer several times, and they sound terrible there (IMO). No way I would buy them based on that audition alone.

The Nova Be's are a terrific speaker and are a "bargain" compared to the Grandes given the huge price differential - even more of a bargain if you buy them off of Audiogon.

Reply to Kmccarty. I know exactly what you mean. How many times do we hear great audio gear sound terrible at dealers, audio shows, ect... I have a pair of JM Lab Electra 920.1 speakers in my two channel setup and JM Lab Chorus in my home theatre which both sound great. I've also heard them at dealers where they sounded horrible. If that was my impression of JM Lab speakers I would of thought they sucked! I think some audiophiles tend to make judgement too quickly based on experiences of poor sound at dealers. IMO most dealers would be rich if they could make money on demonstrating poor sound. Some audiophiles go on about what is wrong with the design of a particular product and therefore claim its no good. Most of us are really not qualified or have done proper experiments to come to these conclusions. A great example is how some claim that the woofer has to be a certain size in relation to the midrange in a 3 way design. Both the Nova Utopia and the 801d have large woofers compared to their midrange (13" and 15" 3 way systems). Both can sound utterly superb in the right setup. That being said its my own policy to hear potential upgrades in my own room because you simply can't trust what we hear at a dealer or what people say. By the way I've never had the pleasure of hearing the Grande Utopia Be but can only imagine how amazing they can sound!