[MoodyDragon]

Hello folks. My Brystons are arriving this and next week. I plan to make a 4 hour drive to LA to audition some speakers that work well with them. 

Can you give me leads as to which speakers other than Bryston itself and Maggies I should audition? My budget is about 10k but price is short of secondary to synergy and musicality. I do prefer speakers that go down to at least 30Hz or lower so that I do not have to use subwoofers. I only listen to music. No movies.  If possible I would like to optimize my trip by listening to as many as I can.

Thank you in advance!

[Mag]

    Well since nobody is responding to your post yet. I thought I should suggest what to listen for with the Bryston Model T. If you can take with you a recording of Kitaro- Enchanted Evening and play the track Spirit of Taiko. You should hear the drums coming off the front wall. This is what sold me on these speakers, up to that point I wasn't convinced. There are a few other songs by Kitaro with Taiko drums if you are familiar with Kitaro.
  The Active Speakers bass is even more impressive but that is out of your budget from what you said.
Anyway I have mine set up un-conventionally reflecting off the backwall which then projects a 15' wide phantom stereo image off the front wall. But I heard them also at the Dealer in an almost ideal room and they also have like 3D imaging that seems to hang in space, especially with your cubed Bryston amp.

I also use Paradigm Studio 100 v2 in the corners to supplement my Model T's. So I have plenty of bass which I would describe as fast and articulate if you're also using a power conditioner. Without a power conditioner you may experience some lag in the bass. However the bass coming from these speakers I consider exceptional. Hope that you'll like it as well.

[Markwatkiss]

I’ve paired Bryston amps with many box speakers,electrostats and Quads.To my ears Magnepan speakers are just a seamless match with Bryston amps.if you have the room I would recommend the 3.7’s.
Then the only thing between you and the music is air.

[JLM]

You're ideas are at the opposite end of the spectrum from mine.  Loudspeakers have the toughest job in the audio system being transducers (changing energy from one form, electrical, into mechanical) and working in unknown environments, so I see the amps as serving the loudspeakers, not the other way around, and should be selected with that in mind. 

The leading-edge research done by Floyd Toole, Earl Geddes, and others indicate that inherent in-room bass peaks/dips (30 dB not being uncommon) are best dealt with via multiple subwoofers.  Bass is best produced in corners or midway along the primary walls, opposite for midrange/treble frequencies, thus another plus for the use of subwoofers. 

I'm a single driver and active monitor fan.  (In my opinion single driver designs are active by default.)  The use of a single channel of amplification per driver has several important advantages over passive loudspeakers.  In the case of active monitors the designer can better pick the best amp for each driver and the low voltage crossover is far more sophisticated than letting the consumer hunt for a "matching" amp and living with compromised crossovers.  BTW the Bryston actives are a clumsy and very expensive solution that tries to sell off the shelf amps.  Reminds me of a first phase lab experiment. 

The best auditioning are done in rooms similar to your's, taking your time, using music you're familiar with, taking notes to combat fleeting aural memory, and limiting yourself to no more than four auditions per day to avoid aural fatigue. 

Good luck on your search.

[bjski]

Legacy Focus…….very efficient however Bryston 4B will make them sing.

[1oldguy]

PSB-T3   Very efficient with deep bass and very balanced!!  But they are a discontinued speaker!!  They have 3 sets of binding posts and have 3 port holes that you can block 1,2,or all 3 to Taylor the amount of bass. And if you want, you can (NOT USE, 1 or the even the 2nd  set of binding post for more variation. Should you would have just 1 woofer and midrange and tweeter. Or 2 woofers, midrange and tweeter or all 3 woofers.
It is a fantastic find if you can find them!!!

[MoodyDragon]

    Well since nobody is responding to your post yet. I thought I should suggest what to listen for with the Bryston Model T. If you can take with you a recording of Kitaro- Enchanted Evening and play the track Spirit of Taiko. You should hear the drums coming off the front wall. This is what sold me on these speakers, up to that point I wasn't convinced. There are a few other songs by Kitaro with Taiko drums if you are familiar with Kitaro.
  The Active Speakers bass is even more impressive but that is out of your budget from what you said.
Anyway I have mine set up un-conventionally reflecting off the backwall which then projects a 15' wide phantom stereo image off the front wall. But I heard them also at the Dealer in an almost ideal room and they also have like 3D imaging that seems to hang in space, especially with your cubed Bryston amp.

I also use Paradigm Studio 100 v2 in the corners to supplement my Model T's. So I have plenty of bass which I would describe as fast and articulate if you're also using a power conditioner. Without a power conditioner you may experience some lag in the bass. However the bass coming from these speakers I consider exceptional. Hope that you'll like it as well.

Thank you for your suggestion. I have no opinion on the Model T as I have not auditioned it yet but thank you for the record suggestion. I played it on my bedroom system and it was awesome! I will definitely follow the artist.

[MoodyDragon]

You're ideas are at the opposite end of the spectrum from mine.  Loudspeakers have the toughest job in the audio system being transducers (changing energy from one form, electrical, into mechanical) and working in unknown environments, so I see the amps as serving the loudspeakers, not the other way around, and should be selected with that in mind. 

The leading-edge research done by Floyd Toole, Earl Geddes, and others indicate that inherent in-room bass peaks/dips (30 dB not being uncommon) are best dealt with via multiple subwoofers.  Bass is best produced in corners or midway along the primary walls, opposite for midrange/treble frequencies, thus another plus for the use of subwoofers. 

I'm a single driver and active monitor fan.  (In my opinion single driver designs are active by default.)  The use of a single channel of amplification per driver has several important advantages over passive loudspeakers.  In the case of active monitors the designer can better pick the best amp for each driver and the low voltage crossover is far more sophisticated than letting the consumer hunt for a "matching" amp and living with compromised crossovers.  BTW the Bryston actives are a clumsy and very expensive solution that tries to sell off the shelf amps.  Reminds me of a first phase lab experiment. 

The best auditioning are done in rooms similar to your's, taking your time, using music you're familiar with, taking notes to combat fleeting aural memory, and limiting yourself to no more than four auditions per day to avoid aural fatigue. 

Good luck on your search.

I agree in principle to what you are saying. The issue is changing any one variable in an equation creates a possible imbalance elsewhere. The same speaker will change how it sounds depending on which amp is driving it.... and it is far easier to lug even an heavy amp around rather than lug speakers to audition them with different amps. But your point is well taken. 

My choice of room and treatments is unfortunately limited by my desire to remain married as alimony will take away money I could better use to buy more stuff.

I agree on limiting myself on the number of auditions I do a day. I know this will be a journey as every time I hear a combination I really like, my OCD kicks in to somehow better the sound.  I have never heard a perfect system that I did not then proceed to completely mess up in a quest of even more 'perfect' sound.  So I am kind of doomed. At least I have insight to my illness

[MoodyDragon]

Legacy Focus…….very efficient however Bryston 4B will make them sing.

Thank you!

[MoodyDragon]

PSB-T3   Very efficient with deep bass and very balanced!!  But they are a discontinued speaker!!  They have 3 sets of binding posts and have 3 port holes that you can block 1,2,or all 3 to Taylor the amount of bass. And if you want, you can (NOT USE, 1 or the even the 2nd  set of binding post for more variation. Should you would have just 1 woofer and midrange and tweeter. Or 2 woofers, midrange and tweeter or all 3 woofers.
It is a fantastic find if you can find them!!!

Thank you!

[MoodyDragon]

I’ve paired Bryston amps with many box speakers,electrostats and Quads.To my ears Magnepan speakers are just a seamless match with Bryston amps.if you have the room I would recommend the 3.7’s.
Then the only thing between you and the music is air.

Thank you!