[tie_breaker]

I have all Bryston components, including BDA-1, BP26, and 4BSST2. I have been using B&W 803 Nautilus speakers for the last 10 years and they sound great, especially after I upgraded to all Bryston components earlier this year.  I never thought my speakers could produce such quality sound.  Makes me wonder though how much better the new B&W 803 Diamonds are. Or 802s? Or another brand? Any suggestions?

[nomeans]

I went to a B&M store about a month ago and they had the 800's powered with 2 28B's. One word, WOW!

[DaveNote]

Speakers, of course, at the end of the day are a metter of personal taste. Not long ago, I decided to look into something other than my PMC MB2 speakers. I tried Wilson and B&W speakers. These are very reputable brands, but I felt the Wilson, although very open and transparent, did not sound right to my ear in some mid range sounds (especially sax), and the B&W just didn't have the bass and punch I like. I decided I could buy neither because I knew I would miss the beautiful mid range and great bass of the PMC. My only reservation about the MB2 was its less the forceful and sparkling high end, especially where instruments like cymbals were playing. I took a gamble, and without a demo I bough the upgrade of my PMCs, the MB2i, which has a different tweeter. The sound was what I was looking for, and when I added the squared version of 7BSST amps, these very good speakers became truly magical for me.

Point? If you're looking for speakers, you might find the PMC sound worth exploring.

Dave

[won ton on]

tie_breaker i'm using the same bryston stuff as you but with a bcd-1 also.i had been listening to martin-logans,aerius for a year after i got the bryston and yba before that.then i upgraded to salk ht2-tl's . well i didn't think there would be that much of a difference but was suprised at how much speakers have improved over the years.so you should upgrade your speakers.also the salk's cost less than the b+w'sand i'm very happy with them.

[tim92gts]

i chose PMC over B&W, slightly better top end but the bass was the big difference.
Oodles of lovely clear bass with the PMCs.
Stands out most on organ and dance but also does the job without subs for movies.
Speakers go half an octave lower than my previous sub.

Tim

(BB5is and a pair of 14BSST2s)

[DaveNote]

i chose PMC over B&W, slightly better top end but the bass was the big difference.
Oodles of lovely clear bass with the PMCs.
Stands out most on organ and dance but also does the job without subs for movies.
Speakers go half an octave lower than my previous sub.

Tim

(BB5is and a pair of 14BSST2s)

Tim, with squared Bryston amps and "i" series PMC's you get all you describe, plus something almost entirely missing without the "squares" at reasonable volumes - incredible punch and slam. You have a combination to drool over - out of the park in sound no doubt and, sadly, beyond my means.

Dave

[larevoj]

I have the exact Bryston electronics and went from Dynaudio to Sonus Faber. I have also heard Bryston with PMC and they sound great but doesn't quite suit me. I do agree speaker choice is very subjective...not just on taste but as well as space availability. 

[tim92gts]

beyond my means.

Hi Dave,
the setup does sound great; it's taken me a long time to get here.
i'm also one of those strange people who values the sound system more than a car so drive a 19 year old.
Always have an idea of where you want to end up, lots of little incremental improvements can add up but if you end up selling off mistakes it becomes an expensive pastime.
In 45 years i reckon we've only done 4 major upgrades.
Tim

[Rod_S]

I have all Bryston components, including BDA-1, BP26, and 4BSST2. I have been using B&W 803 Nautilus speakers for the last 10 years and they sound great, especially after I upgraded to all Bryston components earlier this year.  I never thought my speakers could produce such quality sound.  Makes me wonder though how much better the new B&W 803 Diamonds are. Or 802s? Or another brand? Any suggestions?

I have the older 4B-SST C Series mated with a pair of B&W 802 Diamonds and it sounds amazing. Incredible clarity with very refined and smooth mids and bass, just an awesome combination. Down the road I'll be adding either 803 Diamonds or more 802 Diamonds as surrounds.

Rod

[DaveNote]

larevoj, thanks for reminding me that space and the kind of space you have is truly a limiting factor, notwithstanding your other preferences. I once was forced to use a nearly square bedroom for my audio, and it nearly drove me nuts. Tried top end Mission and good Boston speakers, and until I got Hales Revelation IIIs, nothing worked, which was fairly inevitable with a nearly square space. My present audio digs don't present standing wave or other space problems.

And, Tim, of course you're right to note that even when you have limited means, making choices can extend your options. I love audio, but I also like cars. And there is no question, if I weren't such an idiot about them, I could have kept my two-year old VW GTI, given my dream car Bimmer a pass, and stretched to have a system like yours. 

Dave

[zybar]

larevoj, thanks for reminding me that space and the kind of space you have is truly a limiting factor, notwithstanding your other preferences. I once was forced to use a nearly square bedroom for my audio, and it nearly drove me nuts. Tried top end Mission and good Boston speakers, and until I got Hales Revelation IIIs, nothing worked, which was fairly inevitable with a nearly square space. My present audio digs don't present standing wave or other space problems.

And, Tim, of course you're right to note that even when you have limited means, making choices can extend your options. I love audio, but I also like cars. And there is no question, if I weren't such an idiot about them, I could have kept my two-year old VW GTI, given my dream car Bimmer a pass, and stretched to have a system like yours. 

Dave

Don't know how much you drive or which BMW you went with, but I think you made the right choice.  I love my 335i with Xdrive and it has rekindled my driving passion.

Back to the original topic...

What would be your budget be?

How big is your room?

What would you like to see improved by a possible speaker change?

George

[DaveNote]

Don't know how much you drive or which BMW you went with, but I think you made the right choice.  I love my 335i with Xdrive and it has rekindled my driving passion.

George, I said I was an idiot about cars. Here's more evidence. I bought a 335d which is not as quick or as agile as your 335i - there's a reason for your renewed passion. But I have a totally weird dislike of getting poor mileage in city driving. I drive the 335d - which has mind-bending torque - very little and even then in short trips, which is not where a diesel's mileage shines. I know the poorer milegage of the gas models would have irritated me although I there is not a hope in hell that the diesel will pay back in better mileage what the premium was to buy it, especially the way I drive it. But I, too, love my BMW, however impractical it is - just something I always wanted.

Now back to the topic, I would be interested in tiebreaker's answers to your questions.

Dave

[tim92gts]

larevoj, I could have kept my two-year old VW GTI,  Dave

Hi Dave,
nice little car, should confess i'm not too glum as my old heap is a Porsche 928.
Bit of a classic and plenty of aftermarket spares so dirt cheap to run once the tank is filled.
Cheers
Tim

[DaveNote]

Tim, your story about driving a 19 year old car in order to have an extraordinary sound system would have been more poignant if instead of a Porsche you had to make do with a Chevy - or better, yet, a Yugo. 

Dave

[tie_breaker]

My room is about 22x13.  My budget is about $10k.  I guess I would like to get deeper base, but overall I am curious how much better the sound quality can get by upgrading from my B&W 803Ns.. When I upgraded from Rotel components to Bryston the difference was huge.  Now I am wondering if I can get even better sound with new speakers.. Btw I drive a Yaris....

[DaveNote]

Tiebreaker, my first thought was if you have a Yaris, you should buy another car, but if you have ony 10K, then speakers are a better choice. Your room is about the size and shape of mine, in fact a bit wider which is a good thing. My PMC MB2is don't overwhelm a room of your size, but they would overwhelm your budget. I don't live where I can demo a lot of spekers, so I haven't heard a lot of different brands in recent years. But I can say if you want a better bass end, PMC speakers are well-known for their base extension and it is one of the reasons i have had three pairs. Some years ago, I bought IB1 PMCs, which at the time cost about $10K. I have no idea what they cost now, but PMC has introdced a lot of models in recent years and at least in Europe where the brand is better known, they have received good reviews. If you have a PMC dealer near you, I would urge you to give them a demo.

Dave

[cujobob]

Diamonds are supposed to be pretty good...myself, I'd probably go with something like the new Salks, but there are just so many good options nowadays in that price range. It really depends on what kind of things you value from your speakers.

[Andre2]

Tiebreaker, my first thought was if you have a Yaris, you should buy another car, but if you have ony 10K, then speakers are a better choice.

^^^^^  ^^^^^^^

This thread about old cars, new cars, old speakers, new speakers... is hilarious !

[Diamond Dog]

Tie_Breaker -  re: PMC     FYI Your current budget would get you into OB1i's with $ to spare or into fact.8's. I've owned FB1i's ( model below OB1i ) and replaced them with fact.8's recently. The fact.8's are a very different sound from the i series. Neither will fail to satisfy your wish for bass.

Nothing wrong with your Yaris - I drive a RAV4. Buying either hi-fi or cars for the sake of status is a mug's game.

D.D.

[DaveNote]

^^^^^  ^^^^^^^

This thread about old cars, new cars, old speakers, new speakers... is hilarious !

If you read between the lines, the thread also is about some old guys. As one of them, I'd have to say that I'm not worth Tiebreaker's Yaris, and certainly not Tim's ancient Porsche.

Dave