Speaker choices - Dali vs B&W & some more...

newsounds

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hi...i had originally posted a thread seeking advice on setting up my HT. thanks for all those who responded, esp. dinyaar for his sound advice. work being what it is, i had to break off my search for a couple of months & now im back on track to complete what i had set out to do.

we will be returning from the US to india in june. after browsing several threads in this forum as well as advice to my thread, im convinced at least to startup with my HT in the US. i'm more convinced by dinyaar's advice to go for book shelf speakers than floor standers due to issues with shipping, customs & potential servicing troubles with dealers in india (hopefully i dont hit that last snag). also, the thinking is i can spend limited resources on slightly better gear, even if i'm scaling down to a book shelf, while postponing the floorstanders by 3-5 years.

i've narrowed down to the dali ikon 2 (i'm tempted by the dali monitors too) and B&W CM1. there is a lingering thought on the paradigms, but i've to re-audition them.

instead of a HT setup, i'm thinking of the peachtree nova, since the primary purpose of this setup is for music. will i be able to drive dvd-audio through the peachtree to my bookshelf speakers and get relatively good performance?

please advice.

also, any suggestions on a CD/DVD player in the $500-700 range and similarly for a turn table? please suggest.

thanks.
 
i forgot to mention, the speaker choices that didnt make it are klipsch, KEF, energy, atlantic technology, definitive and a few others.

also, suggestions on cables please.
 
Hi , I am using a Dali ikon 2 for a year now and very happy with it. But be ready to spend some money for a good stands. I am using a PM 15 amplifier and SA 15 sacd/ cd Player from Marantz. The sound is fantastic and when placed properly the speaker does vanish. for amplification you should try to audition the Marantz too.

Vijay
 
If you are looking at a universal player (CD/DVD) do consider the Oppo BDP83. It will serve you well.

How much did you pay for the Dali Ikon2 and where did you buy it (online/retailer...)?
 
i've narrowed down to the dali ikon 2 (i'm tempted by the dali monitors too) and B&W CM1. there is a lingering thought on the paradigms, but i've to re-audition them.

Brands such as Dali and B&W - you can get them in India, and the price difference may not be too much. I know for a fact that PSB's price is the same in India as in the US.

Since you are in the US, you should look at Internet only brands that could offer you tremendous value if you choose carefully. Look at brands such as the following:

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/
http://www.axiomaudio.com/
http://www.aperionaudio.com/
http://svsound.com/
http://www.hsuresearch.com/
http://www.ozhometheater.com/
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/

Brands such as Axiom. Aperion, SVS, and HSU have been very favourably reviewed.

If you are looking for a Universal player, as mentioned by Sud98, just pick up the Oppo BD-83 SE. It will be hard to beat that.

Cheers
 
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@venkat : how good are the ascend acoustics sierra -1 ?
Ive read rave reviews that they are very hard to beat at even twice the price level performance wise.
 
@venkat : how good are the ascend acoustics sierra -1 ? Ive read rave reviews that they are very hard to beat at even twice the price level performance wise.

Sorry, the only product I have are the Aperion Audio bookshelf speakers, and they are extremely good.

Cheers
 
If you are looking at a universal player (CD/DVD) do consider the Oppo BDP83. It will serve you well.

How much did you pay for the Dali Ikon2 and where did you buy it (online/retailer...)?

i've been considering the oppo. havent bought any equipment yet, im still doing the rounds auditioning with various dealers. will look at online options if i dont lose the warranty. though i find some dealers willing to discount.
 
venkat, thanks. i will look at these, hope i can audition them and they are not internet only. i've heard favorably about svs, esp. their subs. any advice on cables?

anyone using peachtree nova in india? i came up on it because i didnt want to buy 110 volt gear in the US and have to get a step down transformer. in face we almost postponed the buy once we returned to india due to this. the last dali shop i visited suggested arcams and peachtree, they have a switch to jump between 110 & 220v. then i found the peachtree to be good and also saw decent reviews. arcam burns a hole in the pocket :(, though i auditioned the dalis on an arcam.
 
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If you are looking at a universal player (CD/DVD) do consider the Oppo BDP83. It will serve you well.

How much did you pay for the Dali Ikon2 and where did you buy it (online/retailer...)?

hi, a quick question on BDP83 vs BDP83SE. from what i understand, oppo added a DAC to the SE model. if i am going for the peachtree nova, which will act as the DAC, then i should be good with the BDP83 instead of the SE? is the BDP83 compatible with all DVD zones or do i need to hack it?
 
Adding to what Venkat had said:

Since you are in the US, you should be looking at direct to customer brands. They sound far better than the mainstream commercial brands like B&W, Dali etc... for the same money you spend. The B&W's and Dali's start sounding good once you reach their top of the line models.

If you stretch your budget, you can look at Salk audio.
Salk Sound :: Speakers HTS

They have speakers dedicated for two channel audio too. The song tower is a legend.
 
hi, a quick question on BDP83 vs BDP83SE. from what i understand, oppo added a DAC to the SE model. if i am going for the peachtree nova, which will act as the DAC, then i should be good with the BDP83 instead of the SE? is the BDP83 compatible with all DVD zones or do i need to hack it?

The BDP 83 will be tied to the US region for DVD and BD. There is a hardware mod from bluraymods.dk at 70USD which is a simple procedure, check the thread by member ashishkesarwani for details.

If the peachtree is going to be the DAC and if its better than even the 83SE, you could even look at a level lower from Oppo, the BDP 80 and use source direct to the peachtree.

The costs of the three would be 80 $290 ->83 $499 -> 83SE $899

The full feature difference can be found in this forum and the oppo site.
 
hi, a quick question on BDP83 vs BDP83SE. from what i understand, oppo added a DAC to the SE model. if i am going for the peachtree nova, which will act as the DAC, then i should be good with the BDP83 instead of the SE? is the BDP83 compatible with all DVD zones or do i need to hack it?

Even the 83 has a DAC. The 83SE has a more powerful DAC. In addition, it has better SNR, improved dynamic range and channel separation, and an improved board. Look at OPPO BDP-83 Special Edition Blu-ray Disc Player for more details.

If you are going to listen to music a lot, I would say the SE is a better option. And yes, you can also use it as a transport and use an external DAC. But, unless you are talking about a DAC in the 1000$ range, I suspect the 83SE DAC will be hard to beat.

Cheers
 
thanks to each one of you for your responses. appreciate your experience & expertise, including in other threads that i've read on this forum. i've finally gone with the peachtree nova and the sonus faber toy floorstanders. oppo decision is pending.

im not as technical as many of you are, but the application of the terms "image" and "sound stage" dawned on me when listening to this pair of speakers. its been home now for 5 days and has clocked about 30+ hours of music and 4 hours of movies & its just getting better and better. whats your advice on "breaking in" the nova and the speakers?
 
Even the 83 has a DAC. The 83SE has a more powerful DAC. In addition, it has better SNR, improved dynamic range and channel separation, and an improved board. Look at OPPO BDP-83 Special Edition Blu-ray Disc Player for more details.

If you are going to listen to music a lot, I would say the SE is a better option. And yes, you can also use it as a transport and use an external DAC. But, unless you are talking about a DAC in the 1000$ range, I suspect the 83SE DAC will be hard to beat.

Cheers

venkat,

is the oppo available in india? or is the US the only place? if so, then i've to get it region free and that puts the warranty at risk.
 
The BDP 83 will be tied to the US region for DVD and BD. There is a hardware mod from bluraymods.dk at 70USD which is a simple procedure, check the thread by member ashishkesarwani for details.

If the peachtree is going to be the DAC and if its better than even the 83SE, you could even look at a level lower from Oppo, the BDP 80 and use source direct to the peachtree.

The costs of the three would be 80 $290 ->83 $499 -> 83SE $899

The full feature difference can be found in this forum and the oppo site.

i also came across a region free version of the oppos at sams stores online. but i'm not sure about the warranty.
 
so here's the final setup...or more aptly the current setup...

peachtree nova + sonus faber toy floorstanders
source
1) a 10-year old sony dvd player...and from the sounds of it, needs replacing badly
2) arcam ipod dock
3) wdtv live, which connects to a 1TB NAS drive that houses most of my music files (unfortunately i didnt think long term when i ripped those cds, so the "lossless" term was lost on me then...have to catch-up)

any suggestions to improve the listening experience or your experiences will be helpful.
 
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