[JayPhilips]

I'm JayPhilips, and I bought a pair of Supercharged Song Surrounds for my office two years ago. I am so impressed with them that I am looking at the various floorstanding speakers to replace my 20 year old B&W 804 Nautilus speakers. I have a Marantz SR7010 AV receiver and use a Marantz PM-KI Ruby integrated amp for the front two speakers in a home theater bypass configuration. I want to get the full bang out of the Ruby (also have the Ruby SACD player) and figure that my 20 year old speakers are due for an upgrade. Any advise from anybody who can relate to this will be greatly appreciated.

[toocool4]

Welcome to AudioCircle JayPhilips

[Phil A]

Welcome!

[listenermark]

Are you a man of wealth and taste?   

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome to AC 

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC Jay   

[JLM]

Welcome!

First pick the loudspeakers.  Salks are good.

Second pick the room.  (Not small or square, make sure it's well insulated, and hopefully dedicated for listening.)

Third pick the amp to power the loudspeakers, well matched in terms of power for your room and tastes.

Fourth pick the source(s).  Streaming is convenient (once it's hooked up) and opens you up to millions of albums.

[artur9]

Auditioning speakers can be a challenge.  Take every opportunity you can to do so before making a decision.  Even listening at an audio show can help.

The reviews on that Marantz Ruby are amazingly positive!  Sounds like you're enjoying it quite a bit?

[JayPhilips]

Thanks, artur9, and all the others who replied. Yes, I am enjoying the Rubies, I just wish I knew if I would enjoy them much more if I had different speakers. The B&W 804s still sound good to me, maybe because I have had them for 20 years and it is the sound I know. But could I do better without breaking the bank? Unfortunately, in the central Florida area there are very few places to audition speakers. There's Best Bite which is fine for some stuff, but nothing there for this upgrade. I decided on the Rubies after reading a ton of reviews, all of which were enthusiastic, and for the price ($6,000 for both) they seemed like a good deal. Certainly I could have spent more, but how much better for how much money - the eternal question, right? But purchasing speakers based on reading reviews seems a lot riskier. I've always been able to audition speakers (in a show room) and I'm just not comfortable buying new speakers based on reviews. Oh well.

[artur9]

But purchasing speakers based on reading reviews seems a lot riskier. I've always been able to audition speakers (in a show room) and I'm just not comfortable buying new speakers based on reviews. Oh well.

Best Buy Magnolia has some things to listen to.  There are 2 levels of Magnolia and they have slightly different stuff.

One possibility is to find fellow audio enthusiasts nearby with speakers you'd like to hear.  Excuse to meet new people!

Another crazy possibility.  Take one of the $49 flights from FL to NYC and visit some of the many dealers there.

[dflysons]

My current interest is in constructing the crossover for GR Research modification of the Sony SS-CS5 speaker

[dasolis]

Dear All,

My name is Dario Solis and I have been an audiophile for many years. I have a background in both electrical and mechanical engineering and enjoy working on diy projects for DACs, cables and speakers. I enjoy listening to vintage tube and ss gear. Most recently, I have been experimenting with open baffle speakers and have built an experimentation platform and also built a few diy closed box kits. I look forward to engaging with you all in the future. Best, Dario

[Blackmore]

Welcome to AudioCircle Dario and dflysons

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC Dario & dflysons