you might want to spend a little less on the speaker and upgrade the rest of your gear.
when you get into a speaker of that caliber- they have a tendency to be ruthlessly revealing and i dont think your bryston amp/pre will be satisfactory on the top end.
would suggest the dalia's or the audio physic libra/avanti.
the dalai's have one of the nicest top end's i have ever heard, and they sound as good as they look.
the ap libra/avanti are "very, very demanding" when it comes to setup ( you might have to upgrade your amp/pre).however they disappear, have deep bass, and are very coherent. these can be had at bargain prices imo.
btw, i bought a pair of libra's and had to change out my amps and cables..
good luck,
mike |
I must agree with CAVY, I have the Sonatas MK 111 now a few months, after auditioning many speakers in all price ranges I found these speakers sounding more like music than speakers with detail I never heard from any other speaker.My listening area is 12 by 25 and fills the room nicely, On the other hand if you have a smaller room you might have to look at somthing different. I feel these speakers are a sleeper speaker being hard to locate a dealer to audition them, But if you do and like them you can get a good deal on them. happy Listening |
I would seriously consider speakers much lower than $5,000 unless you also plan to upgrade your electronics (Excluding the Meridian). I owned the 4BST and IMO, it is not capable of maximizing the performance of these excellent speakers (Magnepan, Sonus Faber, Revel, Piega, etc.) Im not trying to sound harsh towards your system,
but save you a lot of money unless again you upgrade the amp/pre next. Good luck!
Jim |
I would second the reccomendation for the Maggie 3.6. I have a friend who used to have a Levinson 333 with the Nautilus 802s and all high dollar transparent cabling. He needed to recoup some money from his sytem so he downgraded to the Bryston 4B amp and Magie 1.6s. His system is way better now with the Maggies. The Nautilus speakers were harsh and lifeless compared to the Maggies, his downgrade was more like an upgrade. You could even go as far as to get the top of the line Maggies with your budget. As long as you have the ability to pull the speakers out as far as needed (up to 5ft from the back wall) the Maggies are an absolutely awesome speaker. |
Hi, I am also useing a Bryston 4bst and a Bp20. I have been useing Audiostatic ES 240s electrostatics for a few years now and listen to most jazz and a lot of vocals and these do it for me. i have owned Quads and a ton of other stuff but now I have the best sound I have ever had. The Bryston stuff gives me the power I needed and blew those puny Quicksilvers away. |
Sonus Faber would be a great choice...especially for older jazz...a bit more forgiving that B&W...but certaintly very musical...good luck...I wish I had your "problem"!...Either way...you are going to have a very nice system...cheers |
The Piega P10s are going for the low side of your range, or less. I highly recommend that you add these to your list for auditioning. They are tremendous speakers, and an amazing value at $5K or less.
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Used Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1 or 6 or 7 can be bought for under $10K. They are neutral, efficient, dynamic and "accurate", quite a bit better than the B&W Nautilus 803, 802, or 801. |
SEAS Thor. This is an incredibly clean MTM design that is an excellent deal. Check out www.madisound.com under the kit section. One evening with a screwdriver and you will have a speaker that is easily outperforms many speakers in the $5-10,000 per pair range. Don't be afraid to spend less than you had planned! |
Silverline Sonata MK.lll. I just got them as an upgrade to the Sonata MK.ll and they are stunning. they now incorporate the Dnya Esotech tweeter, midrange and wolfer drivers. They are more transparent and smoother in the upper range and deeper and richer in the bottom while retaining their glorious midrange. I don't know of a speaker that is better from top to bottom in their price range including the one's mentioned above. |
Good recommendations above. For vocals and acoustic jazz I would look for a pair of Spendor SP-100s (if you have the space for them). New, with stands, they will still run toward the low end of your budget.
I've heard SP-100s paired with a Bryston amp and the combo was great. |
Don't let the threads prevent you from listening to the Nautilus, it's a fantastic speaker. Listen to a variety of speakers with your ears, not others opinions, and then decide what sings to you. |
I would second the Sonus Faber Cremona and Verity Audio Fidelio recommndations. Both are excellent designs with the Cremona having an edge in terms of dynamics and the Fidelios being unsurpassed with vocals due to their elecrostatic-like midrange and sweet but extended treble. |
With adequate power the Magnepan 3.6's are very very hard to beat for under 5k.............. |
Electrostatic loudspeakers can be stunning with vocals. They are also very good with jazz. Soundlab and Quad make the best electrostats in my opinion. |
with bryston...pmc or castle. |
Revel F-50, Sonus Faber Cremona, Wilson Sofia.... |
Although I once had a 4BST I sold it in favor of another amp & currently use an Ayre V-5x. I have a 508.20 but it is modded, so you may get results that are in the same ballpark that I have and that is with the VR4 GenIII SE's. I have the Gen III's but having heard the SE's I think they would do an excellent job with your gear. BTW my dealer sells Bryston and VR. click here |
You didn't mention anything about your room, but if it happens to be fairly small or medium sized then I would highly recommend Verity Audio Fidelio. They have absolutely stunning midrange with suberb transparency and refinement. Vocals sound very natural, with perfect tonality and amazing palpability. Great for jazz and classical but can also kick hard if asked for. |
