Surprising to me that you liked both the B&W and the Olympica III's. We listened to both and for us, it was not contest--went with the Olympica III. We found the B&W very bright and the tweeter harsh (my wife has sensitive ears to high frequencies). We also own an older set of Vienna Acoustics Beeethovens. Silk dome tweeters are much friendlier to the wife's ears than metal dome. We also love our Magnepan 20.1's. We use the Olympicas in our TV room with the Olympica center, McIntosh amp and pre/pro (MX-160, which is great if pricey) a pair of 12" velodyne DD subs, some in ceiling rears, and it sounds great. Really like the SF Olympica III speakers. For serious stereo listening (classical and jazz) we still prefer the sound of the Maggie setup (20.1s, Rel Britannia B1, Audio Research reference 3 preamp, Cary 308 pro SACD, and Cary 500MB monoblocks), but the Olympicas do very well. Their sound is fairly neutral, detailed, and not fatiguing at all. It does not throw the soundstage of the Maggie's (what does at a reasonable price?) but the differences are not that dramatic.
What speakers do you recommend? I'm considering B&W 804 D3 or Sonus Faber Olympica II
My current system consists of mostly older Primare components (SP31 processor, A30.2 amplifier, T23 tuner, and I’m using a Denon DP as a transport), Audioquest cables (Mont Blanc bi-wire (two run) speaker cables, Eagle Eye digital cables, NRG 5’s and NRG 3 power cables, and Jaguar XLR interconnects), and Polk Audio LSi-15 speakers. I am looking to finally upgrade my speakers.
The B&W 804 D3 sounded good in the show room, so did Sonus Faber Olympica III. (I feel the Olympica III is warmer and more extended in the highs, and the 804 D3 is cleaner and more involving in the showroom setup.) The Olympica III’s bass is a little big (in the showroom), so I am deciding between Olympica II and 804 D3; but the dealer here does not have an Olympica II, so I cannot audition it. What are your experiences / recommendations between these two speakers? (Of course, you can suggest other speakers in the similar quality/price range, and please feel free to suggest other improvements as well, though my primary interest now is between these two speakers.) Please let me know your reasons for your recommendations if possible.
Thank you all so much!
Leon
The B&W 804 D3 sounded good in the show room, so did Sonus Faber Olympica III. (I feel the Olympica III is warmer and more extended in the highs, and the 804 D3 is cleaner and more involving in the showroom setup.) The Olympica III’s bass is a little big (in the showroom), so I am deciding between Olympica II and 804 D3; but the dealer here does not have an Olympica II, so I cannot audition it. What are your experiences / recommendations between these two speakers? (Of course, you can suggest other speakers in the similar quality/price range, and please feel free to suggest other improvements as well, though my primary interest now is between these two speakers.) Please let me know your reasons for your recommendations if possible.
Thank you all so much!
Leon