[thayerg]

I wasn't meaning to criticize you or blue note or anything. i was really trying to suggest that there's a great big world of audio equipment out there. I haven't heard of bluenote but from its web site it looks like the kind of small european company which comes and goes in the American market and more than likely gets everything made in China or Korea. A salesman or a reviewer might tell you it's the greatest thing ever but the truth is that in the audio marketplace it is just one more "piece" and how happy you'll be with it depends on its synergies with other components and how well its characteristics blend with your tastes.

But I think your decision to focus first on speakers does make sense.

[lonewolfny42]

Bluenote Steroid amp link.... http://www.bluenote.it/bluenote_product_dett.asp?cat=tabAmplifiers&IdProd=3 .

They do have an interesting CDP....

http://www.bluenote.it/bluenote_product_dett.asp?cat=tabCdplayers&IdProd=1 .[/list:u]

[doug s.]

Hello guys!

I know that this may seem repetative, but I'm on the lookout for speakers.
My budget is maximum 1000 dollars, but prefer to have it in the 600-800 dollar range.


I don't mind used, but it just has to be in good condition.

As far as sound characteristics go, I need the following:

Lows: Bass extension is somewhat important, bass impact not as much - I want it musical and fitting to the sound, not overly-done
Mids: I like it to be natural and musical. The mids are the most important for me, and mid impact is a nice feature too
Highs: I don't mind if they're rolled off as much, just don't make them shrill or grainy
Soundstage: I just don't want Grado soundstage. I want to be like fifth row center, if possible - not next to the instruments, not in the balcony
Detail/Resolution: Not a top priority, but always nice
Characteristic: Warmth is more important than forwardness

I don't mind if they are monitors or floorstanding, but if they are floorstanding I'll need to incorporate stands into the price. If they are large speakers but not quite large enough to call them floorstanders, I have small stands that can get them off the ground, but not as high as required for a monitor.

They also must not be REALLY power consuming. For now, I am using a 15watt (8 Ohm) Pioneer SX-450 receiver. It's a great receiver but it also has a bit of a power restraint -- at least I plan on upgrading it some time. My Ohm (Model B) speakers run fine out of it, as a guide. I am satisfied at it turned about 1/10 of the way up!

If anybody has a good recommendation, I'd be very appreciative! Thank you in advance!

if your top priority is *NO* detail & *NO* resolution, then vandersteen's are for you!     yust my opinion, of course.

doug s.

[Dan Driscoll]

I don't think a 25 watt integrated from some company nobody's ever heard of is worth 550 bucks. For that kind of money you can get either more power from Rotel among many others or the true toob sound from ASL or Jolida.

Um, BlueNote is hardly unknown. Yes, it is a small company, but it's been around for a while and has a reputation for making some nice gear.

Andrew, several of us have brought it up, but you still haven't said what kind of music you listen to, how loud you like to listen and how big your room is. These, as well as the speaker you eventually chose, will be critical in deciding what integrated amp or receiver to get. And the more information you provide, the better the recommendations you get back will be.

I noticed you keep gravitating towards low powered tube amps. Is there a particular reason for that? Have you had a tube amp in the past and liked the sound? Something you need to keep in mind with tube amps is that you need to be more careful about selecting the speakers they will drive.

Have you checked AudioGon.com for used integrated amps? There are some very good pieces available for very good prices. Here are some nice medium powered units that will drive any of the speakers that have been mentioned just fine.

How about this NAD C350? Here's an Audio Refinement Complete integrated. I would give serious consideration to this one myself, if I didn't already have separates. And take a look at this Musical Fidelity Synthesis.

You could get any one of these integrateds, with a pair of used Vandy 2C's (or similarly priced used speaker), still be under your $1000 limit, and have a damn nice 2 channel rig for very good price.

BTW, have you listened to those Omegas yet? Maybe they will work well with your receiver and you won;t need a new power section.

[Aman]

Okay, my musical tastes:

I really LOVE progressive rock. This means bands like Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, and Emerson Lake and Palmer. My top three:

1. Progressive Rock
2. Chamber Classical
3. Jazz Fusion/Acid Jazz

I haven't demoed any speakers yet. Been too busy

When I listen to some Omega's with my receiver, I will go and check out a Vandersteen and probably a Monitor Audio -- if I like one sound better than the other and it requires a new amp, a new amp I'll get!

Oh yeah, and my music is almost 95% listened to through Vinyl. Goldring GR1 turntable, Music Hall MMF phono stage - DiMarzio Interconnects

The reason I keep on considering tube amps is because I generally like the sound better. I mean, if some solid states are more warm, (and I hear the Bluenote is) than some I have heard, then I'll definitely go for it -- I'd love to not have to deal with the hastle of tubes.

The thing I am affraid of with the Vandersteens is that they'll be too laid-back and I won't be able to enjoy the speedy and powerful sections of my Prog music like I should.

Thanks for the comments!
-Andrew

[Dan Driscoll]

Okay, my musical tastes:

I really LOVE progressive rock. This means bands like Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, and Emerson Lake and Palmer. My top three:

1. Progressive Rock
2. Chamber Classical
3. Jazz Fusion/Acid Jazz

I'm not a big fan of #2, but my own favorite music is classic rock, with a healthy dose of progressive and hard thrown in. Supertramp, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Aereosmith, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, etc.

I haven't demoed any speakers yet. Been too busy

Certainly understandable. As much as you obviously love music, your education has to come first. (Am I showing my age? )

When I listen to some Omega's with my receiver, I will go and check out a Vandersteen and probably a Monitor Audio -- if I like one sound better than the other and it requires a new amp, a new amp I'll get!

Hopefully the Omegas or another speaker will work fine wih your receiver and you won't need new electronics.

The reason I keep on considering tube amps is because I generally like the sound better. I mean, if some solid states are more warm, (and I hear the Bluenote is) than some I have heard, then I'll definitely go for it -- I'd love to not have to deal with the hastle of tubes.

Does your receiver have pre-outs? Can you use it like a sperate pre-amp, to drive a power amp? If it does, that would open a lot of other options.

The thing I am affraid of with the Vandersteens is that they'll be too laid-back and I won't be able to enjoy the speedy and powerful sections of my Prog music like I should.

There are a lot of good speakers out there, Vandys are just one option. I use them as an example because that's what I have and I've been very happy with them. Here's my equipment list.

Doug's statement not withstanding, I find my Vandys very nicely resolving and well detailed, with excellent dynamics. But again, that's my ears, in my room, and with my equipment. One thing to keep in mind is that how speakers will sound with a tube amp may be very different than how they sound with a solid state amp. I love how my Vandys sound with my 200wpc Sherbourn amp, but I suspect I would not enjoy them as much with a low powered tube amp, for exactly the same reason you are concerned about. FWIW, last year I had an ASL DQ2004 tube preamp in my system and I loved how the mid-range sounded. But I took it out because I felt it rolled off the highs and softened the bass too much. I replaced the ASL with a Bryston .5B, but that was a little too detailed, so I found a Rotel RC-1070, which so far seems to be a nice compromise. If has the resolution and frequency response that I missed with the ASL, but is warmer than the Bryston.

Of course, it is entirely possible that you won't like Vandys, regardless of the amp and/or preamp being used.