Upgrade Speakers or Separates?

[RebelMan]

sikoniko, what are your planned objectives? I can see a few other combinations consisting of amplifiers from the Classe' family or the Bryston family that may involve less expense than mixing the CA-5200 with the 9B-SST. Are you trying to achieve something more than just cost savings?

[alpina]

i spent a lot of time looking and listening to the 9b - even though it had heaps of power and powered 703s wonderfully, i couldnt help thinking that i wanted more "rated power". i know this is silly for at best they will be powering 804s and this has to be one of the best sounding amps i have heard.

i ended up going with a 6b and a 4b so that power will never be an issue for me. haven't purchased front speakers yet so cant comment on performance but i'm 100% sure that i will not be disatisfied.

preamp/pre-pro is another story and still undecided on choice.

cheers,

julie

[sikoniko]

Would you be biamping the mains? I use the 3200 for my front three (803s, htm3s) and Classe gear really made a huge difference. I thought i was getting the most out of my 803s.. But, sounds like Rebelman is proving me wrong.

If you decide to upgrade those speakers to 802d or the summits you wrote about, then I will take your 803s for my rears.. woohoo.

By the way, Just added a second Velodyne dd-18 for HT...... It is gonna ROCK!!!
Stew

Perhaps I should clarify. I have 4x SCM1's for my surrounds. The 9b would be for surrounds. Later, I would potentially come back and upgrade to the 3200 for my front 3 speakers (N802's & NHTM1).

[RebelMan]

Why not start with the 9B-SST and add the 6B-SST later or start with the CA-5100 and add the CA-3200 later? Retail price difference is about $1K and then you can avoid mixing "brands". However, if your intentions are to blend the Bryston sound with the Classe' sound as well as save some money then that would merit further discussion.

[sikoniko]

Since the 9b is modular, and I only need 4 channels, I can make the price cheaper than the 5100. It would also match my sp2 (my wife calls me a brand whore!). The other issue I have with classe is no local dealer. This presents an issue of having to drive 4-5 hours just to listen to it, let alone buy it, or get support for it. I went w/ the bryston sp2 over the classe because of this, as well as classe's long-term hdmi support (or lack there-of), plus I needed balanced, and would require me to get the ssp-600, which is significantly more.

The reason I keep going back to classe is that you guys make it seem like it is the best combination for b&w, understanding that is your perspective, and mine potentially could be different. It seems to be a re-ocurring theme on this board.

For my front 3 speakers, I am currently using the nuforce ref9. I am thinking of upgrading to the SE, but my long-term audio plans are as set in stone as anyone else that reads this board.

[RebelMan]

It has been my experience that the pre-amplifier/processor is going to be the dominate player in sonic reproduction (brand name sound so to speak) of any front end. If I had to put a weight on it would be something like 3-to-1 (pre/pro to amp). Given that you currently own the SP2 (and I assume that you are using the by-pass feature for two channel sources) I don't suspect you will hear the "Classe' sound" that has been described to any appreciable degree by adding just their amps to your system.

However, you might be able to slightly season the Bryston sound by smoothing out the top and bottom ends of the audio spectrum. Theoretically, amplifiers aren't supposed to add any characteristic of their own to the signal they amplify (Bryston is very good at this). When they do it is usually in conjunction with buttressing sister components as in the case with Classe' (they voice their amps Bryston doesn't). This is one of the reasons why pre-amp and amp synergy (component/brand name matching) is so important.

[mike c]

hi rebelman, Im sorry if this was mentioned in this thread (must have missed it)
but what classe items did you buy?
did it replace the rotel receiver and rb1080 combo? (or do you have a separate 2 channel setup)

[RebelMan]

hi rebelman, Im sorry if this was mentioned in this thread (must have missed it)
but what classe items did you buy?
did it replace the rotel receiver and rb1080 combo? (or do you have a separate 2 channel setup)

I have the CDP-202 source player, the CP-700 pre-amplifier and twin CA-M400 monoblocks for two-channel sources. For now I intend to keep my RSX-1056 for HT duties and will be selling my RB-1080. At this point I am uncertain wether my next upgrade will be on the HT component side or the LR mains. As sweet as my two-channel (Classe') system is with the 803S's, the 802D's/800D's will take it to yet another level which is something I can look forward to.

[mike c]

thanks rebelman, would you mind sharing with me how much the pre amp and twin monoblocks set you back? (if not here, maybe a pm? http://www.htguide.com/forum/private...o=newpm&u=6330)

thanks in advance

[stewfoo]

As sweet as my two-channel (Classe') system is with the 803S's, the 802D's/800D's will take it to yet another level which is something I can look forward to.

You are right James.... So, if you ditch your your 803s let me know.. I could use a good pair of surrounds to match my mains. I am just not sure that my 2100 can push them....

[Fraise]

Considering your space limitations, the Summits would be an easier fit, especially since they can be placed closer to walls without as many problems. There are also people modifying the Magnepan MG 20.1 speakers, which would be a good fit in a smaller space.

Thats not true about placement. I've found electrostatics to be extremely picky about where they're placed. I know for myself, when i made the switch from 803's to Ascents everyday i was tweaking the positioning just a little bit for at least a month.

[JKalman]

Thats not true about placement. I've found electrostatics to be extremely picky about where they're placed. I know for myself, when i made the switch from 803's to Ascents everyday i was tweaking the positioning just a little bit for at least a month.

I'm sorry to hear you had problems with your Ascent. In general, electrostatics can be placed closer to walls, making them more suitable than most other speakers which have large footprints when dealing with a small space. As in this case, where the room is close to or below the 1500 cu ft which was found through research to be the point at which rooms become acoustically impractical for sound reproduction (not knowing the room height, I can't say for certain...). Then again, my point wasn't that they are easier to position, it was that they can generally be placed closer to walls without as many problems as other types of speakers.

"Gilford states that studio volumes of less than approximately 1,500 sq ft are so prone to sound coloration that they are impractical. Rooms smaller than this produce sparse modal frequencies with exaggerated spacings, which are the source of audible distortions." (Master handbook of Acoustics, fourth edition, F. Alton Everest pg. 401)