soix

Responses from soix

Rockport Avior vs. Marten Coltrane vs. Kharma Midi
Groundhog Day??? Echo what Philb said. 
Rockport Avior or Magico S5
Given what you're looking for I don't think Magico would be a good choice as they are probably too analytical, and Rockports would seem to be more in the right direction. As you're looking for soundstage depth and an ability to play various record... 
Rockport Altair matching amplifier?
Can you integrate speakers like the Altairs into a 17x14 room? Seems like an awful lot of speaker for that space. I auditioned them in a room twice that size and they pressurized it pretty good with some big Boulder amps. I'd have to heavily consi... 
Customer Service
Steve McCormack is another great one. 
Bryston BP26 with Pass Labs
Zd"Any opinion that I give is based on actual experience. You can't say the same. And that's not my opinion, that's a fact."Yet you assert Bryston and Pass preamps are polar opposites without ever having had a Bryston pre in your system. What is y... 
Bryston BP26 with Pass Labs
I don't see how Bryston and Pass preamps are polar opposites. They're both solid state designs that seem to strive for neutrality. I certainly hear my BP6 to be very neutral, and Bob wasn't able to hear any meaningful differences with them both in... 
Sealed / Front-ported monitor recommendations
ATC might be a good choice. Great speakers and I think their monitors are sealed. Best of luck. 
Bryston BP26 with Pass Labs
Hey Zd, Bob said he had both in his system and didn't notice a difference. Um, pretty much says he listened to both. Have you had a Bryston preamp in your system to directly compare with a Pass pre? And then there's always the personal taste varia... 
Recommend a subwoofer?
SVS subs are well regarded and relatively inexpensive. Best of luck. 
Center speaker - Dynaudio Contour vs ATC C3C
Haven't heard either but just a couple thoughts fwiw...- center channel is largely about midrange and vocals in particular, and IME ATC is hard to beat in that range. - the Contour is pretty ugly IMHO, and I'd feel like an owl was constantly stari... 
Advice: used speakers $600
There's a pair of Silverline Preludes for sale here a little over your price range that have the sound characteristics you are seeking and are better looking than the Kefs and definitely the B&Ws -- Ick. Best of luck. 
Help with a secondary system
I'd use what you have and look for a used pair of Silverline Minuets. Saw them at an audio show where the designer was using a low-fi CD player he bought at a garage sale and it sounded unbelievably good. Then go from there. Best of luck. 
Help with Preamp selection
Would be helpful to know what aspects of sound reproduction are most important to you, what preamp you're replacing, and what you're looking to improve. You should shoot for a minimum of a ratio of 10:1 between the input impedance of your amp and ... 
Floor Stander with Small Footprint 7K - 15K
If buying new, the Joseph Audio Perspectives, Vandersteen Quatro or Treo, and Reference 3A Grand Veenas would be at the top of my list. If used maybe Rockport Mira or something from Verity Audio. Best of luck. 
Vandersteen Quatro CT
You might not want to listen to the latest generation Thiels. They bear no resemblance visually or functionally to any prior Thiel speakers and are the product of a new designer. To me they look more like something Revel would put out. Not that th...