I have a Nakamichi AV3s - which, as some of you might know, has a limited ammount of power (especially in surround sound mode) to the tune of 70wpc stereo or 55wpc surround. I have been looking to replace all of the speakers (mains, center and surrounds) so that I have a nicely match set. I am looking for something that would handle movies, and still be true to music. When I went to my local audio dealer, he suggested the B&W 600 series (primarily the 604's with match surrounds and center).
Would this be a good purchase for my current receiver? or would anyone here suggest something better suited for the same price bracket? (about $2000 total cost)
Those 604s would probably strain that Nak. If you go with B&W I would not go bigger than the 602s.
Also, I would look into these Internet direct speakers:
ascendacoustics.com
Easy to drive 8 ohm speakers, extremely accurate and flat frequency response, ideal for movies as well as music. Google them for reviews.
Best bet is, order a single pair of the 170SEs, take them into the shop and AB them against the B&Ws. If you still prefer the B&Ws, return shipping will cost about $20-30 for the Ascends. If you like the Ascends you will save hundreds of bucks per pair.
James, Klipsch speakers do not require very much power at all. They do real well with movies as well as music. I have the reference series 35's. I believe the 82's replaced these. They are a forward sounding speaker.
I was looking at B&W 604's and I chose the Klipsch. My reason was that the 604's felt like you were standing in a mist (an all encompasing sound very soothing) the Klipsch felt like you were in a horizontal rain being blown in your face (forward sounding kinda like a concert)
For me I was looking for an "in your face" sound. Give them a try they require very little power to get loud.
Ed. so far no, I am trying to stay away from that at the moment. I know that I will be limited in the depth of the bass. However, getting a good, solid sub could be an easy $500 - $1k more that I would like to avoid at the moment. If there is a complete set that can re
Thank you both for the suggestions, I will look into both the Klipsch and the accends.
your best bet is to get a dealer on the phone and see what they advise you to do reguarding your reciever. One brand that came to my mind just now was Era, which makes outstanding subwoofers and sats, but the sensitivity is a tad on the lowish side.
However, I have Magnepan MMG's and drive them with a 50 watt amp, so if your reciever is truly built well, it can handle a lower sensitivity.
Art Kyle can advise you on the Era's if you are interested, as it was a name that popped into my head not because I have experience with them, but from hearsay because Art owns one of their subwoofers, and talks about it from time to time. I know they also make speakers, and they garner excellent reviews as well.
This may be useless to you because I have no experience with the product and my knowledge is from reviews, but take it as you wish.
It will be in my living room - 20x12 with a 9 foot ceiling. I have open areas into other rooms, like the dining and kitchen area. A large bay window on one wall - and a hallway leading to the bedrooms.
The amp powers my Yamaha Ns-55's quite well (never needed more than half volume), But I am unsure how well better speakers will be driven.
Would most local dealers allow a person to take thier amp and connect it to the demo speakers? I would like to take it in, that way there are fewer surprises.
most reputable dealers would not have a problem with that, unless the speakers are run through a switchbox, which could make that impossible. Even then, you should be able to take the speakers home and try them for yourself. If you don't like them... bring them back :-)
I called them to be sure, and we set up an appointment to test the amp on a couple different speakers (The B&W 604, and Klipsch RF-82). He says that while the 604 will likely take everything my amp has to offer, it should still sound fine. He also claims that that should make it easier to upgrade to more powerful amps in the future.
Thanks for all your help, I will let you guys know what I decide on.
Gavin I agree VERY different sounds. I think if i listened to classical or softer music I would have went B&W. They did sound great. However since I listen more to rock, and do even more movies I felt the Klipsch fit me a little better.
My fiancee's dad has B&W 801's and those are just awesome. Unfortunately they are in the expensive range compared to the 604's.
James looking forward to hearing how the two compare for you.
Gavin, Thats quite a bit of power required. I'm currently running of off a standard reciever with the Klipsch and they are quite loud enough for my room (until I get a bigger house) I imagine that 300 watts is a fairly expensive amp. Since i know what B&W as well as Klipsch sound like roughly were do the magnepans fall? Aren't they electrostats? I've heard Martin Logans they sounded good as long as you were in the "sweet spot" but as soon as i moved they lost alot.
Well, I got a chance to test the amp on several different speakers - The Klipsch rf82, B&W 603+604, and Tanoy DC-2. They all were great on my amp. The klipsch though did not quite cut it for me - Pink Floyd just didn't quite sound as good as it did on the B&w 604. However, I was introduced (by a different dealer) to the tanoy dc-2.
That was a surprising little system, I would not have normally thought that a design like that could sound as good as it did (the speaker in speaker I mean of course). They just could not quite carry the Low ends without an amp as well as the 604.
The 604's did take everything my amp has to offer, but at half volume the music was breathtakingly clear, and precise (in comparason to what I am used to - and testing of course) with plenty of clean, crisp sound.
So it looks like B&W 604's! Thanks for all the help. It is greatly appreciated.
magnepans are not electrostatics, they are planar magnetics. They are a thin film speaker, like MartinLogan, but have a warmer, richer sound to them IMHO.