[Stu Pitt]

I’m seriously considering a speaker upgrade after the holidays. I’m hopefully closing on a house next week and am not quite sure which room the system will go in and don’t have very accurate measurements. One potential room is around 10’ x 13’, and the other room and main contender is the basement. Living room is certainly an option, but I want to keep it in my own dedicated space. I get whichever room to do with as I wish without any compromises as far as decorating and the like, and my wife and 2 daughters get the rest of the house. Suckers

I’m intrigued by the Mini T. I love my Audio Physic Yara monitors, but I want bass slam that they can’t physically offer with a single 6” driver pulling mid and low end duty. I guess my M-Audio BX8s in my current basement really opened my eyes (or ears?) to what I’m missing.  I don’t like subwoofers and don’t want to go down that rabbit hole.

Will the B60 have enough muscle behind it to drive the Mini T to moderate levels with plenty of slam and headroom in a moderately sized room? I like the design on paper - tweeter, 5.5” mid (or somewhere around there) and 8” woofer. Or would I be better served by the A2 or A? It seems the Mini T would be better in smaller rooms whereas the A2/A1 would be better in larger rooms?

I haven’t heard Bryston speakers. I’d be taking a leap of faith and ordering online from Audio Advisor so long as I can return them with minimal loss if it doesn’t work out. A demo would answer my questions and more, but that’s not likely to happen.

[Brettio]

I can’t answer your question about the synergy of that amp and speakers but there are a pair of used Mini T’s for sale a couple hours south of you in Delaware that you could listen to (check hifishark.com).  Unlike the new ones you’d be buying I’m assuming the used ones for sale are broken in and appear to be well priced at $1,500.

This may not be my best idea but it’s an option.
Brett

[CanadianMaestro]

@StuPitt:  imho, you're running an unnecessary and potentially expensive risk buying Bryston spkrs from AA online. Shipping spkrs alone is a risky venture imo. Second, AA is not a specialist speaker retailer, so I'm not confident they have lots of experience packing/exporting speakers. That would be my own acid test before I spring for online purchase of someting as pivotal as speakers for my system.  If at all possible, try to at least listen to the spkrs before deciding, even if it means driving a fair distance.
cheers

[JLM]

My 2 cents:

Wait until you've picked the room to be used.  Then try your existing speakers there.  Audition before you buy, for sure.  What in particular is drawing you to the Mini T's?  If you're missing bass slam have you considered just adding a subwoofer (or two)?  Read Floyd Toole's "Sound Reproduction" 3rd edition to learn the why's for multiple subs (I use 3).  Suggest small sealed sub(s) like SVS SB-1000 or Rythmik L12. 

Mini T's are low efficiency (85 dB/w/m at 4 ohms).  Ideally I'd aim for 93 dB/w/m at 8 ohms (11 dB more efficient) to improve dynamics and offer more flexibility on sizing amps yet avoiding system self-noise.  The B60 is rated at 100 wpc into 4 ohms, so expect in-room peaks around 100 dB (not live music peaks) in a smaller space but coming from the same manufacturer should have good synergy with the Mini T's.  The pairing would do moderate levels, slam not really (only rated down to 37 Hz), lots of headroom - a definite no.

[gene9p]

I picked up a demo pair of Mini A's which would be easier to drive than the Mini t's. My mini t's worked well when I had  250 watts per channel amp but lacked at 125 per channel..so 60 wouldn't give you the best sound. I am driving the Mini A's with a 25 watt per channel Vinnie Rossi LIO and they sound great. The dealer still has 3 more pair left he is selling at 1k per set in real wood. He accepted my offer of 900 for the gloss white. They now show 899 OBO so even better. They are an authorized Bryston dealer. Are they as good as the Mini'ts ?..no...of course not but you need POWER to drive the 4ohm T's.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9hbd6-bryston-mini-a-light-cherry-full-range

[James Tanner]

I picked up a demo pair of Mini A's which would be easier to drive than the Mini t's. My mini t's worked well when I had  250 watts per channel amp but lacked at 125 per channel..so 60 wouldn't give you the best sound. I am driving the Mini A's with a 25 watt per channel Vinnie Rossi LIO and they sound great. The dealer still has 3 more pair left he is selling at 1k per set in real wood. He accepted my offer of 900 for the gloss white. They now show 899 OBO so even better. They are an authorized Bryston dealer. Are they as good as the Mini'ts ?..no...of course not but you need POWER to drive the 4ohm T's.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9hbd6-bryston-mini-a-light-cherry-full-range

Love the Teddy, Gene

james

[gene9p]

He is a Rangers fan..sorry..lol 

[Stu Pitt]

I appreciate everyone’s insight. So I guess the consensus is the B60 doesn’t have enough horsepower to really drive the Mini T.

I’m just in the kicking the tires phase of speaker shopping. I’m not going to start auditioning stuff until at least February. I figure get into the new place and settled, live with my current setup (which is fantastic), and most likely configure a good portion of the basement into my own space. I’ve helped my father maintain and alter several income properties, so I’m pretty comfortable doing my own work. I just don’t mess with plumbing and electrical; enough bad things can happen with that stuff, so I’ll leave that to professionals.

Due to my recent career change, I’m home alone Monday-Wednesday, so no need to go crazy with soundproofing and I can get stuff done. I’ll do that first then start speaker hunting. Although I heard a pair of Totem Forests for the first time in quite a while a few weeks ago and really liked what I heard. They were driven by an NAD 360BEE, which my B60 mops the floor with (I owned the 320BEE and other NAD stuff, so it’s not a put down).

I guess I’m rambling

[veloceleste]

your not rambling, your organizing your thoughts! My Mini T's replaced a pair of Forests which I liked a lot. I like Totem Acoustic speakers and also owned Arros twice. However, IMHO, the Mini T's bested the Forests; better bass, more even tonally and not as bright. Imaging and sound-stage presentation was very close between the two.

[JLM]

Again, why not add a sub if bass is your only qualm? 

If not, certainly there are good $4000/pair speakers out there that are more efficient and go deeper to your liking if you're married to the B60.

But honestly it's best to pick speakers to suit your tastes and room, then shop for the amp to serve them best.

[gene9p]

your not rambling, your organizing your thoughts! My Mini T's replaced a pair of Forests which I liked a lot. I like Totem Acoustic speakers and also owned Arros twice. However, IMHO, the Mini T's bested the Forests; better bass, more even tonally and not as bright. Imaging and sound-stage presentation was very close between the two.

Once broken in..they DO take a while so don't believe the quickie 30 hour break in stuff you will see....The Mini t's are an excellent speaker. For me it seemed  quite a few months b4 they opened up. Once  I upped my Parasound amp to the A21 with 250 watts , 400 at 4 ohms,they were at their best. They also sounded best to me on a low stand slightly tilted upward. Gave the feeling and sound of a big floor stander with a huge sound stage.  I did plug the rear ports with the plugs available on Axiom's website because of how close to the rear wall they were placed. I did the some with the Mini A's I now own.

[TJ-Sully]

I haven’t heard Bryston speakers. I’d be taking a leap of faith and ordering online from Audio Advisor so long as I can return them with minimal loss if it doesn’t work out. A demo would answer my questions and more, but that’s not likely to happen.

They Mini T's are a fantastic speaker. I owned a pair for about 5 years. Then bought a pair Bryston A1's.
I say go for it...then..over time... sell your B60 for a 4BSST2 and a nice used BP20...and you're rocking big time! 

my 2 cents..

TJ

[Stu Pitt]

Thanks again, everyone. I’m was just trying to get a sense of how the Mini Ts would work with the B60 from a power standpoint. I’ve got to get into the space and live with my system for a while before I know what’ll happen. I’m kicking around a few ideas and the Mini T is one of them.

I’m not a big fan of subwoofers, but it’s an option. My local guy carries JL Audio which is highly regarded. I’ll get a formal audition when the time comes. He’s got other stuff too that may work well. If I go the sub route, they’ll come and set it up for me. They’re about 2 miles away from the new place, and said they’d do it after work free of charge. That’s certainly an option. I’m just trying to keep all options open right now.

[yakbikeski]

I ran Mini-Ts with a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II amp (100 w amp).  No problems driving the Mini-Ts and had them in a 15' x 30' room. Amazing speakers. Loved them so much that I ended up getting the Middle-Ts.   

[bobf]

I am presently running Mini T speakers with a Bryston 4B3 amp which puts out 500 watts at 4 Ohms.
Previously I ran the Mini T's with a Moon 340 integrated that put out 200 watts at 4 Ohms.
The Mini T's sound was fine with both amps.

[Stu Pitt]

I am presently running Mini T speakers with a Bryston 4B3 amp which puts out 500 watts at 4 Ohms.
Previously I ran the Mini T's with a Moon 340 integrated that put out 200 watts at 4 Ohms.
The Mini T's sound was fine with both amps.

You mixed Bryston and Simaudio? Heresy!!!

[CanadianMaestro]

Barely treasonous.

[Stu Pitt]

Barely treasonous.

It’s like putting a BMW engine in a Mercedes

[CanadianMaestro]

It’s like putting a BMW engine in a Mercedes

Peugeot....reeebbit!