B&W vs Thiel vs Dunlavy 6K LIST

I haven't listened to hte Thiel but to me there was no comarison between the B&W 801n and the athenas. the highs on the athenas were much smoother and the mids more open. The athenas sounded mushc more realistic. Maybe the set-up sucked for the 801s in the room i heard them in but they never even made it into the game for me.

NT NT NT

Hi Lou

The midrange in the Alethas is probably the best I've heard. It is very natural and the truth of timbre is outstanding. High-end, I would give the nod to B&W, Dunlavy's tweeters sometimes exhibit a little too much energy. Could be the recording, but to me the 802s was a bit sweeter sounding. The bass is where it isn't even close. Dunlavy's clean, tight, and accurate sounding. I have never heard a B&W speaker that had good bass. Thiel and Dunlavy bass are similar sounding to me. For me the Aletha is the best sounding speaker at it's price, I've been very happy with them. My system is ARC Ref2, VT100 mkII, and CD2. Synergistic Research Designer Ref I-Cs and Acoustic Zen's best bi-wire speaker cables.

Dan

Thanks, I have never heard a Dunlavy speaker, yet am attempting to decide wether to buy them, or forget about them. The more I hear, the more it sounds like I may end up with a pair.

lou,

please try before you buy. i've hear many speakers in the dunlavy line and none has impressed me to a great degree, but to each his own. fwiw, i ultimately chose avalon arcus speakers, which list for $7300 but can be had for less and may be in your price range. the avalon avatars, which list for ~$5600, are also excellent. please demo the avalons if you can. NEVER buy anything based on the opinions of others.