B&W805s/Dynaudio S1.4/ Wilson bensch Square 1

neo

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Hey! I'm helping my friend build a stereo system. His choice of music is mostly rock, hip-hop & some bollywood.
The living room where it is to be installed is T shaped. The width of the wall where the speaker has to be placed is arnd 7.6? (The ceiling is 18ft), the listening distance is arnd 18ft (ceiling height is 9ft), the max length of the room is 36ft.
It is very abnormal situation & no acoustic treatment is possible.
I??m primarily looking for suggestion's on the speaker front at he moment. The amp that we may mostly go for is the Krell 400xi.

The spk that we??ve shorltlisted are all bookshelf??s as we feel that would be the best option given the room.
1.B&W 805s
2.Dynaudio Contour S1.4
3.Wilson Benesch Square 1
4.Morel (Can??t remember the model)
5. May be spendor from the R series (ve no clue of the pricing)
6.Tannoy Signature Revolution DC 6
7.??? Any more suggestions that you guys might have.( Arnd the same price range)

It is a bit confusing as always. As it's goin to be impossible to get all the spk at my friends place for a demo esp in surat, so please send in your views.
Thanks
Cheers.
 
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...I??m primarily looking for suggestion's on the speaker front at he moment. The amp that we may mostly go for is the Krell 400xi.

The spk that we??ve shorltlisted are all bookshelf??s as we feel that would be the best option given the room.
1.B&W 805s
2.Dynaudio Contour S1.4
3.Wilson Benesch Square 1
4.Morel (Can??t remember the model)
5. May be spendor from the R series (ve no clue of the pricing)
6.Tannoy Signature Revolution DC 6
7.??? Any more suggestions that you guys might have.( Arnd the same price range)

It is a bit confusing as always. As it's goin to be impossible to get all the spk at my friends place for a demo esp in surat, so please send in your views.
Thanks
Cheers.

Some of the finest speakers indeed. Among these, I would any day go with the Wilson Benesch Square 1. With that Krell, you cant possibly go wrong with the Square 1.


All the best.
 
Hey! I'm helping my friend build a stereo system. His choice of music is mostly rock, hip-hop & some bollywood.
The living room where it is to be installed is T shaped. The width of the wall where the speaker has to be placed is arnd 7.6? (The ceiling is 18ft), the listening distance is arnd 18ft (ceiling height is 9ft), the max length of the room is 36ft.
It is very abnormal situation & no acoustic treatment is possible.
I??m primarily looking for suggestion's on the speaker front at he moment. The amp that we may mostly go for is the Krell 400xi.

The spk that we??ve shorltlisted are all bookshelf??s as we feel that would be the best option given the room.
1.B&W 805s
2.Dynaudio Contour S1.4
3.Wilson Benesch Square 1
4.Morel (Can??t remember the model)
5. May be spendor from the R series (ve no clue of the pricing)
6.Tannoy Signature Revolution DC 6
7.??? Any more suggestions that you guys might have.( Arnd the same price range)

It is a bit confusing as always. As it's goin to be impossible to get all the spk at my friends place for a demo esp in surat, so please send in your views.
Thanks
Cheers.

Hi Neo,
Ur room dimentions are confusing me. U seperating the speakers 7 ft is fair enough but the listening area is 18 ft away? The ceiling is 18 ft or 9ft?
The B&W s i currently own and love, the Dyna i had the 1.3 SE (which is the speaker the one u mention replaced ) and i enjoyed that sound too and the morels are an aquired taste. Boomerang has them and i have listened to them a couple of times. Initially i didnt like them they grew on me but i dont know how they will handle the music u mention ur friend listens too. Tannoys,wilson have not heard so cant comment on.
Am sure u guys will hear the proposed combo's and take a call. One thing i confirm is the need for a really good, clean amp for most of these. My Bryston power amp blew and am using an Arcam FMJ P35 as a stop gap solution till the new bryston arrives and i have never had my speakers sound this un appealing!!!! I hope i am not offending the Arcam fans/owners but in my set up the amp has just not fit in. Similarly when my old amp had blown i had borrowed a friends Nad C 370 i think and my Dyna C1.3 SE had sounded very mediocre. Point i am making is SS or otherwise please buy a cracker of an amp for these. Have heard a few krell amps a few years ago but not this integrated u mention. If u like the Krell sound i doubt u can buy a better built amp.
Regards
 
:D Some of these speakers have very different sound and there is no good or bad among these. e.g., Wilson Benesch is not a speaker that everyone likes but if you do, you would be hard pressed to find a speaker which has this type of sound (assuming this model has the typical WB house sound). As others said, component matching is also important, what is your source? I am not a fan of the Krells but it would be important to consider the chain as a whole. Also check on heat dissipation of the Krell

cheers
 
Hi,
To add a bit more confusion i feel u must audition a few more amplifiers along with the krell. The Musical Fidelity A5.5, Primare Pre/Power, Bryston Basic pre/3 or 4BSST(depending on the power requirement). Lots of guys really rate the odyssey amps highly so i guess they merit an audition too.
Neo when ur friend is willing to shell out and buy a system in this price range i think its best to fully satisfy yourselves before u take the plunge. If auditions in Surat are not possible why not come down to bbay after speaking to the dealers and hear all the various speakers.AVI can demo the B&W s with classe/Rotel gear, Boomerang can offer u an audition of the morels with bryston/Musical fidelity/Arcam/Marantz ,the soundsmiths will offer the gorgeous Dyna contours with Plinius/primare gear and lastly Huzefa will help with the spendor/cadence(another option) audition. For the Wilson u will have to contact SNV(PUNE) and arrange accordingly.
A forum is a great place for ideas but ideas to short list and audition. Really cant say what speakers or combos will appeal to your friends ears.
Regards
 
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Thumps up for the Wilson Bensech.
But I would go with a Plinius Integrated instead of that Krell.
Do have a look at the Tiny dancers also. The proac response ISE is also one speaker to be considered.

Rock-of course;)
Bollywood and hiphop- I am not sure will work with any of these worthy components.
 
Neo
If I understand the room size correctly, you will need a speaker that can play very loud and also with a very good dynamic range. Any place you will demo speaker is likely to be small compared to the room (in volume) that you mentioned. Also, I dont think you will have much of a soundstage or imaging or <insert your audiophile term here ;) > with that setup. Why did you rule out a FS? Dont take this the wrong way, but you should re-think if this is possible anywhere else in his place, you could end up with a setup that sounds far less than it might be capable of.

cheers
 
Thanks dinyaar! i was counting on your reply as i'm aware that you've used dyns & are using the 805s. Which of the two would you choose provided the spk will be placed 1ft or 1.5ft away from the wall?
I feel the same about the morel's i've heard them at boomrang. They first set it up with MF amp & marantz 7001 cd player which i did'nt like at all but then gratin set it up with the 7bsst , mark levinson pre & the metrnome cd payer aft which it sounded acceptable, but i guess it was more to the amp & cd player then the spk.
As i've mentioned the room is T shaped (PL Invert it).The room is of double height i.e18ft where the spk is to be placed & the sitting is 18 ft away where the room has a normal height celing i.e 9ft. There is column that is running over the seating area. I know it sounds weird but i hope you get the pic.

Even i've never liked the arcam sound. The krell that i'm mentioning is not the most neutral you get but it has good power & control so imo is great value at 1.65k.
Cheers
Hi Neo,
Ur room dimentions are confusing me. U seperating the speakers 7 ft is fair enough but the listening area is 18 ft away? The ceiling is 18 ft or 9ft?
The B&W s i currently own and love, the Dyna i had the 1.3 SE (which is the speaker the one u mention replaced ) and i enjoyed that sound too and the morels are an aquired taste. Boomerang has them and i have listened to them a couple of times. Initially i didnt like them they grew on me but i dont know how they will handle the music u mention ur friend listens too. Tannoys,wilson have not heard so cant comment on.
Am sure u guys will hear the proposed combo's and take a call. One thing i confirm is the need for a really good, clean amp for most of these. My Bryston power amp blew and am using an Arcam FMJ P35 as a stop gap solution till the new bryston arrives and i have never had my speakers sound this un appealing!!!! I hope i am not offending the Arcam fans/owners but in my set up the amp has just not fit in. Similarly when my old amp had blown i had borrowed a friends Nad C 370 i think and my Dyna C1.3 SE had sounded very mediocre. Point i am making is SS or otherwise please buy a cracker of an amp for these. Have heard a few krell amps a few years ago but not this integrated u mention. If u like the Krell sound i doubt u can buy a better built amp.
Regards
 
Thanks! dude but i'm cant come all the way to banglore to audtion the speakers. At the most it has to available in Mumbai.
You might want to look at the Usher Be-718

6moons audio reviews: Usher Audio Be-718 'Tiny Dancer'

Stereophile: Usher Audio Technology Be-718 loudspeaker

SoundStage! Equipment Review - Usher Audio Technology Be-718 Loudspeakers (10/2007)

Be-718 Test Review From The Absolute Sound

They are cheaper than all the speakers you shortlisted but doesn't mean they are less capable. I personally own one and couldn't be happier.

Another option you might wish to check out is the Proac Response 1SE.
 
:D Some of these speakers have very different sound and there is no good or bad among these. e.g., Wilson Benesch is not a speaker that everyone likes but if you do, you would be hard pressed to find a speaker which has this type of sound (assuming this model has the typical WB house sound). As others said, component matching is also important, what is your source? I am not a fan of the Krells but it would be important to consider the chain as a whole. Also check on heat dissipation of the Krell

cheers

Yeah! I've heard the square 1, I liked it but was not impressed by it . I could've been mainly due the set up, which was Cyrus pre,8 power , 6 cd payer & the chord interconnects, they were palced against the wall & i was listening fram only 5 ft.
The source is undecided. The 400xi is not a typical krell sound & it does get warm but not hot.
 
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Hi,
To add a bit more confusion i feel u must audition a few more amplifiers along with the krell. The Musical Fidelity A5.5, Primare Pre/Power, Bryston Basic pre/3 or 4BSST(depending on the power requirement). Lots of guys really rate the odyssey amps highly so i guess they merit an audition too.
Neo when ur friend is willing to shell out and buy a system in this price range i think its best to fully satisfy yourselves before u take the plunge. If auditions in Surat are not possible why not come down to bbay after speaking to the dealers and hear all the various speakers.AVI can demo the B&W s with classe/Rotel gear, Boomerang can offer u an audition of the morels with bryston/Musical fidelity/Arcam/Marantz ,the soundsmiths will offer the gorgeous Dyna contours with Plinius/primare gear and lastly Huzefa will help with the spendor/cadence(another option) audition. For the Wilson u will have to contact SNV(PUNE) and arrange accordingly.
A forum is a great place for ideas but ideas to short list and audition. Really cant say what speakers or combos will appeal to your friends ears.
Regards

True! Bbay is not a problem at all as i also have a house at bbay & do come often.As i've mentioned abt my audtion at boomarang, I loved the bryston & would def like to hear the 4 0r 3bsst.

The problem comes if you want to mix & match with the distributor brands.
 
Neo
If I understand the room size correctly, you will need a speaker that can play very loud and also with a very good dynamic range. Any place you will demo speaker is likely to be small compared to the room (in volume) that you mentioned. Also, I dont think you will have much of a soundstage or imaging or <insert your audiophile term here ;) > with that setup. Why did you rule out a FS? Dont take this the wrong way, but you should re-think if this is possible anywhere else in his place, you could end up with a setup that sounds far less than it might be capable of.

cheers

Yes i'm aware of it. We are going to place the spk near the wall & corners. so imo the fs will boom, aslo i've yet like a fs above 200k as i personally hate the extension in sound. But we are goin to try the Tannoy Fs & see what happens.
Thanks
 
just my 2 cents... the Baby Krell - 400 is a Lifestyle amp ( Looks Great, easy to use, clean lovely front panel, and a nice remote ).

Its sound is warm, fuzzy and muddled :( IMHO. It is NOT the typical Krell Sound. PLEASE Listen to it before buying it, even if you are getting it cheap. I was VERY interested in this amp, based obn the Stereophile review, and almost bought it wiithout hearing it. Then heard it in Hong Kong at the dealer. I RAN...:eek:

PLEASE LISTEN to what you are buying, preferably with the intended speakers. Buying warm amp + a warm speaker could be disastorous...

DO NOT go by brand names. They do NOT guarantee good sound. :eek:

For Whatever Its Worth, a knowledgable audiophile friend describes Bryston as a "Public Address Amp dressed in a Tuxedo ! " ... Sorry Dinyaar....:(. NOT my intention to offend, but this may be a good oppourtunity to hear other brands.....

Incidentally, your room dimensions seem good for even floor stand speakers, and again IMHO :rolleyes: A Big Driver in a big cabinet Makes Better bass.

Maybe for the price you are willing to pay, you could look at some pretty good floor stand speakers... depending on your taste in music...

All the best on your journey.

Also my apologies to the Krell 400 & Bryston, its MHO, and not my intent to offend ...:)
 
We are going to place the spk near the wall & corners. so imo the fs will boom,

Every speaker ... even bookshelfs deserve to be place atleast 1 foot away from the rear & side walls, of an Un-treated room.
 
just my 2 cents... the Baby Krell - 400 is a Lifestyle amp ( Looks Great, easy to use, clean lovely front panel, and a nice remote ).

Its sound is warm, fuzzy and muddled :( IMHO. It is NOT the typical Krell Sound. PLEASE Listen to it before buying it, even if you are getting it cheap. I was VERY interested in this amp, based obn the Stereophile review, and almost bought it wiithout hearing it. Then heard it in Hong Kong at the dealer. I RAN...:eek:

PLEASE LISTEN to what you are buying, preferably with the intended speakers. Buying warm amp + a warm speaker could be disastorous...

DO NOT go by brand names. They do NOT guarantee good sound. :eek:

For Whatever Its Worth, a knowledgable audiophile friend describes Bryston as a "Public Address Amp dressed in a Tuxedo ! " ... Sorry Dinyaar....:(. NOT my intention to offend, but this may be a good oppourtunity to hear other brands.....

Incidentally, your room dimensions seem good for even floor stand speakers, and again IMHO :rolleyes: A Big Driver in a big cabinet Makes Better bass.

Maybe for the price you are willing to pay, you could look at some pretty good floor stand speakers... depending on your taste in music...

All the best on your journey.

Also my apologies to the Krell 400 & Bryston, its MHO, and not my intent to offend ...:)

Thanks! Your opinions are most welcome.
So what would your choices be??? Give your suggestions aslo
I"ve recently ordered a so called "PA amp" MC2 T1000 for my Tannoys & So a good PA amp IMO is not a bad thing.

I've heard the krell 400xi extensively & given the circumsatnces i.e my friends budget, choice of music etc i'm yet to come across a better option.
The Primare's & Bryston's are in my list but i've yet to hear them.
Cheers
 
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Sir !

Not only do we all listen to different types of music, we want different things in our music too... just like individual preferences and aversions in food.

If you have HEARD something and really like it, GREAT !

What I have written about are my PERSONAL preferences.

That brings me to another point... Often Audiophiles want to know "How To Listen" and tend to accept the views of respected colleagues but are left unhappy, personally with the sound of their system.

I believe there is no "Correct" or "In-correct" sound.

Experience, enjoy and grow.

Growing implies seeking advice from others, but Dont under play your own prefs...:)
 
Sir !

Not only do we all listen to different types of music, we want different things in our music too... just like individual preferences and aversions in food.

If you have HEARD something and really like it, GREAT !

What I have written about are my PERSONAL preferences.

That brings me to another point... Often Audiophiles want to know "How To Listen" and tend to accept the views of respected colleagues but are left unhappy, personally with the sound of their system.

I believe there is no "Correct" or "In-correct" sound.

Experience, enjoy and grow.

Growing implies seeking advice from others, but Dont under play your own prefs...:)

Can't agree more.

But would def like to know where you stand & what's choice of good sound gear.
 
Thanks! dude but i'm cant come all the way to banglore to audtion the speakers. At the most it has to available in Mumbai.

No need to come to bangalore. PM Surreallistix. He has a pair and might be gracious enough to offer you an audition if you request :).
 
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