I would also check oou Rick Reimer speakers. He had a head to head comparison with the Tyler reference monitors and was the preferred monitor of choice. Check ou rickreimerspeakers.com. He is also a great guy to deal with. I will be purchasing his Wind River GS series as soon as I can sell my ML Requests.. |
I've heard them all, the aerials are like someone said too electronic sounding, Mike Kelly tries to make it exciting sounding which just means that its not natural and theres a midbass hump to increase the preception of bass. The N805 is a good speaker but theres better stuff out for the same money. The Sonus Faber Concerto's are a winner. They have much better bass then the 805 and sound a hell of lot more natural. The thing I never liked about the 805 was the tweeter, it was to tingy and just not natural. Thats why I've always liked soft silk dome tweeters. Concerto is just the way to go, another option thats even better is getting a pair of Sonus Faber Sigmum, which is actually made from walnut and belongs to their classic series. This has the best imaging of any dynamic speaker out there. This can be found with the matching metal and wood stand for around $2300 used. |
I also had a hard time deciding which monitors to get in the $2000 range. I demoed the Proac 1SC, B&W N805, SF Concerto, Paradigm Studio 20, Aerial 5, and Totem 1. I have always been curious about Tyler Acoustics but never got the chance to hear them yet. Anyway, among these speakers I heard, I believe it's a toss up between SF Concerto and B&W N805. I find the Proacs lacking in detail. |
I've heard the Aerials, N805 and both SF speakers (I own the SF Concerto). I don't like Aerials in general though many others love them. I like the 805s. Paired with a Krell amp I thought the sound was terrific, very full from top to bottom. I bought the Concerto over the Grand Piano with the intent of adding a Rel sub, which I believe is needed since the Concerto only goes down to 45hz (last years model) or 40hz (this years model). To me the, the Concerto sounded a bit more musical and open compared to the Grand Piano. Adding a good sub will cost between 1K and 2K so the overall cost will be slightly more than the GPs. I should add that I have not heard the new model of the GPs.
If you buy the speakers used, you should be able to get the Concertos for approx. $1,100-1,300 and a good sub for 1K.
Good Luck. |
I own the Tyler Ref Monitors and they are an excellent speaker. I just recently purchased the Wilson Cub II, so the Tyler will be used for the rears in my home theater. Because the Tylers are unknown, you can buy them used for about $1400, and for that price they are a steal. I saw on the Auction page that a pair was up for auction. Unfortunately, I have not heard the other speakers you have listed. |
all the above are worth auditioning, imho. re: dynaudio, yse they make their own drivers - they also make drivers for many of the top speaker mfrs, including some of the ones mentioned above. for other choices, i'd also recommend diapason adamantes - one of the most beautiful monitors i've ever seen; they are also the most holographic dynamic-driver speakers i've ever heard. not well-known in the usa, they can sometimes be found used in your price-range. they also go amazingly low for small monitors - real output below 40hz. i'd also czech out the newform research r645's or the nhb645's. these can be had brand-gnu, delivered to your door for $2265, & yure only out return-shipping if they don't do it for ya after a 30-day in-home trial. they've gotten amazing feedback on audioreview - especially telling, imho, is the related equipment being used w/'em, & other speakers their owners considered. they are what's gonna be the next speaker chez-sedon. if they're not up to my expectations, i will keep my eyes peeled for a pair of the adamantes... good luck, doug s. |
I would add the J.M. Reynaud Trentes to your list...be sure to include their magic stands if you go this way. |
You should also try the Merlin TSM-M's. I love mine, but as a previous poster stated, prepare to get some high quality stands. There were some 24" Osiris listed on this site recently, I own them as well and they are excellent.
Good luck. |
I have not heard the Aerial or Tyler, but of the rest of those, I would probably go with the ProAc 1.5. When I heard those at a local dealer, I fell in love with the imaging and the detail especially on jazz stuff. For rock music though I might lean toward the Dynaudio. |
I've not heard the tylers, but they always get good responses, as do the Proacs. I've never liked Aerial speakers, just sound too much like stereo equipment. I can also imagine why the guy above didnt like the Nautilus speakers with Bryston gear, however, I love the N805, and would recommend it highly. I also liked the (Meadowlark Audio) Shearwaters, but these may be a bit out of range. Also, the Meadowlarks are a time aligned design, and you need to be AT LEAST 7 feet away to get what they have to offer. Note that they also sound very different when thre listener is standing, or walking around. For me, the B&W N 805 was the real deal. IF you have an all solid state system, they might sound a little hyped up, but with tubes somewhere in the chain...magical. |
I have tried most of the speakers you mention, so I will comment on my experiences, for what it is worth. I have to agree with Gjrad. The Shearwaters or Grand Pianos are the way to go. I have owned Aeriels, and they are very nice speakers, but they definately require lots of current to come alive. Their whole line could be a bit lifeless at times. The Dynaudio monitors are great, they list for about $2500, and you need stands. They are very neutral, and perhaps unforgiving. I have heard the N805s with Bryston, and it was not to my liking at all, but none of the Nautilus series sounds natural to me. The Proacs are great speakers, but very detailed in my experience, and I suspect that could be a problem with the Bryston. I think you need a warm, smooth sounding speaker and the Shearwates and Grand Pianos would fall into that category. I currently own the Meadowlark Heron i's. |
If you must go with monitors you will need good stands. IMHO I really like and own both the ProAc response 1SC and the Totem 1s, but comparing the two the ProAc wins hands down. But monitors have their limitations and if possible go with a full range speaker. I use mine in our den which would not accomodate a large floor speaker. The ProAC 1.5s or 2.5s, Grand Pianos or Shearwaters all would be a good choice its just a matter of your sound preference. They will give you a much fuller sound especially in the bottom end. Monitors can sound good but compared to a full range there is a major trade off.
Best of Luck
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I would also try Red Rose Baby monitors. Unsurpassed bass for such a small speakers. |
I forget who they used to sourcce thier drivers from (tip of my tounge). They started manufacturing thier because they felt they could better tailor the drivers for thier needs. They are still a lot like the ones they used to but from that unknown company. I haven't heard thier home audio stuff, but thier car audio drivers are pretty much the best you can buy. |
Hi,I have the tyler accoustics reference monitor driven by a audiomat prelude 35 wpc intergrated.I find them to be musical and detailed and very rich sounding(according to my wife)I can listen for hours withouy fatigue.
Mine are the cardas upgrade and are still getting better after about two hundred hours.
They are a great value for the money and Ty is a pleasure to deal with.If you are in the Boston area drop me line.
Good luck,Art |
