Hi there I am new to the hi fi world and recently picked up a denon amp 1510 due to it being last one in Dubai and only other options being cheap amps or amps out with my price range.
So I tested it with the following speakers (not many options here) all costing about 900 gbp
Focal 726 Klipsch r82 Wharfedale evo2 40
I used the following songs as tests :
Brighton rock, queen Battle of Evermore, led zep Larks tongue in aspics pt 1, king crimson Stockholm syndrome, Muse Always driving in same car, bowie
Anyway side by side comparison the 726 came out on top big time, there was a sense of urgency with them and not too much bass and not too little (wharfedale had none whilst klipsch too much) . The 726 whilst bassy never lost the detail and soundstage was impressive. It just wowed me.
Now I am keen on getting them however before I do so I want to test b&w 683 speakers. Unfortunately I can't test them with my amp only a rotel. I plan on checking it out this week.
My room is 6x4m however it leads onto another room of 6x4m and the open area is large enough that you could call the room a 6x8m room.
Tiled floor and windowed wall on the full 4m side of the wall in both rooms. Hard concrete walls too.
So I was wondering about the focal and b&w...
1. Are 600 series and 700's similar standard? Ie are they comparable or are the 800's closer to the 600 series? I know that focal are more expensive for what u get due to higher cost of manufacturing in France vs china (600 series) 2. Main difference between b&w vs focal sound? What can I expect when I finally hear the 683? 3. Difference between denon 1510 sound and rotel 1520 sound? Since I want to be able to consider amp effect on 683 when I listen to it. 4. A room such as I described... 683 maybe a better option since it comes with plugs? Manage bass better...? 5. Any other thoughts?
To be honest I already listened to 683s but wasn't impressed but this is due to the fact that the shop was renovating and they ha them in a padded room which allowed no reflection at all. So I want to give them another chance in a similar environment to when i tested the focals
this is WAY too broad... you are asking us to mate equipment for you in a way I assume to get each component to compliment each others flaws. The only way you can determine the sound is to hear these items for yourself. My ears are totally different than yours, and what I prefer, you may not. This is one area that I feel Dr. Bose was correct in... measure by enjoyment and not specs.
Basically, go and listen instead of ask us! It will be less expensive in the long run vs. if we give you advice you don't care for.
Actually, no i wasnt. I came up with specific questions. they are very specific and not very broad.
Also, I state in my post that I CANT listen to the B&W's on the amp of my choice so therefore i have specific questions regarding the differences in sound in general between B&W & Focal. Also the amp experience of anyone that has it.
As it happens I went with the B&W since the shop only had old Focals and not the new 726 series.
The room described....concrete walls and such....needs to be modified in some fashion. 'room treatments' is the category to prevent excess liveness and help absorb some of what may end up as EXCESS bass energy.
In general, B&W speakers are a more difficult load for an amp. The Denon you have weighs enough to have a good PS and it does 2x the power into 4ohms as 8ohms. Both good signs.
Trying to predict the changes you ask about is very difficult if not impossible. Your specific room, for example, gives me pause. Trying to get good sound in such a 'hard' room can be daunting. And I know that one speaker DOWN from the Klipsch '82 will be a similar speaker with smaller woofers and somewhat less bass....maybe that's where you would have landed if you'd heard 'em.