704 to 805S?

[Navin R. Johnso]

Hi:

I currently have a pair of 704s with a Velodyne DD-10 that I recently added. I'm looking at some 805S on demo sale. Now that I have the DD-10 I'm wondering if the bass capacity of the 704s is not needed and that 805s+dd10 would be a better pairing. I think I can sell the 704s (they're in pristine shape) for enough that the overall cost should be pretty managable.

Does anyone else have experieces to share along this upgrade path? Experience marrying 805s and DD-series velodyne?

Also, do the 805s attach solidly to the matching stands? Can the stands be weighted down for extra stability?

Thanks

[pbarach]

Hi:

I currently have a pair of 704s with a Velodyne DD-10 that I recently added. I'm looking at some 805S on demo sale. Now that I have the DD-10 I'm wondering if the bass capacity of the 704s is not needed

I have 704's. What bass? There isn't much going on down there. That's not one of the strong points of this speaker.

[rado]

pbrach,
what electronics and speaker cable you are using?

[Briz vegas]

805 and DD10 should be a very nice combination. Karma swears by his 805 and ASW 8## setup, Velodyne DD is a worthy subsitute for the B&W sub.

805s bolts onto the stand which you can fill with sand. Its a very stable setup, equal or slightly better to floorstanding speakers.

Electronics and speaker cable can come later if you are not using the best/ideal.

[pbarach]

pbrach,
what electronics and speaker cable you are using?

I have a Carver m1.0t amp (200 wpc), a Carver CT7 preamp, and I use the highest quality <g> Home Depot 12-gauge zipcord (it's a very short run to the electronics, too). My signal source is a Marantz CD-67 SEII cd-player.

The bass reach of the 704's (or lack of it) sounded essentially the same in the audio store, with different electronics and expensive cables (I don't recall which ). The best way to describe what I hear is to tell you that when I listen to a jazz trio, the acoustic bass isn't felt through the floor. I'm hearing a lot of overtones but not always the fundamentals. As for something like pipe organ, forget about it. Adding a sub made all the difference! I have the crossover set to 60 Hz. Media reviews of the 704's have pointed out the same shortcoming.

What I'm wondering is whether there would be any significant change in the mids and highs if I'd gotten 703's instead of 704's. Any thoughts on that?

[Navin R. Johnso]

I have 704's. What bass? There isn't much going on down there. That's not one of the strong points of this speaker.

True, but it does offer more from 40-100 Hz than the 2-way 805 or 705. But if I'm going to offload those frequencies to the sub then the comparative advantage in that range is moot, so I'm curious about the comparative performance from 100Hz and up.

Going to demo some more today with my own material and will learn more.

[hifiguymi]

The 805S is a better souding speaker than the 704 so it would be a worth while upgrade. The 805S has a more open soundstage and a more lush midrange. The 704 is a touch more dynamic in the midbass but it should be having two woofers instead of one. I think you'd like the upgrade.

Eric

[pbarach]

The 805S is a better souding speaker than the 704 so it would be a worth while upgrade. The 805S has a more open soundstage and a more lush midrange. The 704 is a touch more dynamic in the midbass...
Eric

Any thoughts on the 703 versus the 704 if either speaker is to be used with a sub? Is there a significant difference?

[Navin R. Johnso]

The 805S is a better souding speaker than the 704 so it would be a worth while upgrade. The 805S has a more open soundstage and a more lush midrange. The 704 is a touch more dynamic in the midbass but it should be having two woofers instead of one. I think you'd like the upgrade.

Eric

Spent a couple of hours listening today, 805s w/o a sub vs. 704. Some observations:
-Started with the 805- the bass/mid-bass didn't seem too thin until switching over to the 704, which then revealed the advantage of a full floorstander in those regards. Male vocals sounded fuller and richer on the 704.
-Female vocals- 805 was a little more pure and had tighter placement
-Overall the 805 had more defined placement and a deeper (towards me and away from me) soundstage

If it was one vs. the other without any subs it would be a tough call- the 704 has some depth and umph that the 805 lacks while the 805 was more defined in its presentation. I'm thinking that 805+a DD-10 might be the best of both worlds but I didn't get to run that.

For $900 more retail I think I would stick with the 704- we'll see what the demo discount comes down to.

[wgriel]

Any thoughts on the 703 versus the 704 if either speaker is to be used with a sub? Is there a significant difference?

In my opinion, yes - particularly in the midrange.

To me, the biggest difference between the 704 & 703 is the FST midrange. The 703 does have better bass extension of course, but that is irrelevant when using a sub. But I found that the 703 had better midrange clarity and detail. In fact, I was close to buying 704s, but after comparing them side-by-side with 703s I really wanted the 703s, primarily because of the awesome midrange.

Bill

[Karma]

True, but it does offer more from 40-100 Hz than the 2-way 805 or 705. But if I'm going to offload those frequencies to the sub then the comparative advantage in that range is moot, so I'm curious about the comparative performance from 100Hz and up.

Going to demo some more today with my own material and will learn more.

HI Naven,
With these small speakers you are definitely asking the right questions. Since I am a bass lover, sub's with my 805S's are a must. As you are considering, the remainder of the performance envelope is where the differences will be heard. Expecting strong bass from these speakers is an empty wish.

One valid consideration in the bass range is the ease with which the main speakers can be seamlessly integrated with the subs. Not many combinations work well together. Thus, when auditioning you should be considering the sub at the same time. The primary reason I selected the B&W ASW800 sub's (besides competent bass performance) was that they integrated with the 805's beautifully. It did take a bit of work but the result is wonderful.

Sparky

[Briz vegas]

I have a Carver m1.0t amp (200 wpc), a Carver CT7 preamp, and I use the highest quality <g> Home Depot 12-gauge zipcord (it's a very short run to the electronics, too). My signal source is a Marantz CD-67 SEII cd-player.

Hey, I used to have your players more modest brother, a Marantz CD67. I was really happy with that little player while it lasted. One day it just refused to spin any disks. If I had tried to get it fixed instead of replacing it I might not have ended up with upgraditis (and a pretty darn nice setup as compensation).

[pbarach]

If I had tried to get it fixed instead of replacing it I might not have ended up with upgraditis (and a pretty darn nice setup as compensation).

Getting mine was the beginning of my upgradeitis. What I'd read near the beginning of the CD era was that all CD players sounded alike, so I'd purchased a cheap Hitachi CD player. When it died, I went to the audio store and found that all CD players did not sound alike. The Marantz was the best-sounding player I could afford, and I've had it as my preferred red-book player until recently. Now I'm using a Denon 3910 in my main system, and the Marantz is in use elsewhere.

[bigburner]

I have the CDM9NT which is the predecessor to the 703. The CDM9NT also has the FST midrange driver.

The midrange performance of the CDM9NT is its outstanding feature. However, I find this speaker a little bass shy for my tastes, which is why I bought an ASW750 sub. Like others in this forum who have bought a sub to complement their fronts, I have spent a lot of time integrating it into my system.

Integration involves three main aspects - placement, crossover frequency, and volume. Placement (dead centre between my floorstanders) and crossover frequency (80 Hz) are constants in my system. Volume is the only variable because adjustment is required frequently. My only criticism of the ASW750 is therefore its lack of a remote volume control. Other than that small inconvenience I get outstanding performance from my floorstander / sub combination.

Nigel.