Help with 10k speaker system!

[rded]

You say you didn't like the deftechs? How did you like them vs. paradigm studio 100s? I liked the studio 100s but loved the signature s8s. I'm at the point in my life where cost isn't too much of a concern. I finally have a six figure salary with the exception of 200k in student loan debt! I'm just not sure I can justify spending 14k on the signature 5.1 when the studios go for 8. I will say I noticed a difference with the tweeters and mids on the signature series. It was noticalbe, but not significantly. For nearly twice the price the sound was slightly better.

Let me know how you liked the supertowers vs.the 100s. -Josh

I never said I dont like Deftechs! Infact I own a Deftech Pro cinema1000 I like them so much that they propelled me to wanna get better speakers!

Regarding Deftech STs vs Paradigm studio 100, I would have to say the STs are better for HT! They just have that "Movie Theater" feel to them. The bass extention is insane-Make sure you get a more poweful sub because it can easilly over power it! I am not too crazy about the paradigms at any level. I even heard the signature floor standers- not impressesed but that's me Trust your ears and heart. And OH!Take into consideration the wife factor. But I mean with that money you should not limit yourself to the above speakers, Try the Sonus Faber and Revel and Focal. These are pretty damn good too B&W is like a corvette for people with midlife crisis! Hehehe! They do have their own following.....

 

[codexp3]

You should look at Bag End subwoofers. They are excellent. The Infrasub-18 might be right up your alley.

http://www.bagend.com/

Here is an Infrasub-18 review:
http://www.soundstage.com/video/revequip/bagend_infrasub18.htm

Here is an Infra-12 review:
http://ultimateavmag.com/subwoofers/1104bagend/

I'd love a pair of Infrasub-18's, whenever I live in a place that could handle them. They are simply amazing sounding subwoofers. If you want more output, Bag End sells bigger subwoofer than that (dual 18" ... from the professional line they even have a quad 21")

I'll keep this one on the sub list. I've got so many speakers to audition, I haven't even thought about the sub yet. Last week I was sure I was getting the Definitves, before I had a chance to listen to them I fell in love with the paradigms. Now the dynaudios, and b&ws are getting a shot. Of course the b&w dealer told me to listen to Wilson's when I go in on Monday. Wednesday of next week I'll have a full report, and probably be more confused than ever!

 

[rded]

There is always Theil and Anthony Gallo, Viena Acoustics. Heck even consider Martin logans.

 

[codexp3]

There is always Theil and Anthony Gallo, Viena Acoustics. Heck even consider Martin logans.

You need to tell me where you're shopping! Evey dealer in Tampa is 1-2 brands per store! The B&W dealer also has Wilson's so I'm going to listen to those while I'm there. The Martin Logans...those things are out of the question! No way they sound good.

 

[rded]

You need to tell me where you're shopping! Evey dealer in Tampa is 1-2 brands per store! The B&W dealer also has Wilson's so I'm going to listen to those while I'm there. The Martin Logans...those things are out of the question! No way they sound good.

Well Just like you I go do different dealers. I am very lucky to be in Chicago as we have so many high-end speaker specialists. this one dealer I go to has Dynaudio, sonus faber, Paradigms and their own version of Naim speakers. The other on a mil away has B&W, Anthony Gallo, Thiel....IMHO speakers that do well with music will definitely do a superb job with HT so don't pull the trigger and keep on auditioning.

Oh BTW you should consider Totem and PSB(esp if you like paradigm). Did you listen to Mirage?

 

[cbraver]

I'll keep this one on the sub list. I've got so many speakers to audition, I haven't even thought about the sub yet. Last week I was sure I was getting the Definitves, before I had a chance to listen to them I fell in love with the paradigms. Now the dynaudios, and b&ws are getting a shot. Of course the b&w dealer told me to listen to Wilson's when I go in on Monday. Wednesday of next week I'll have a full report, and probably be more confused than ever!

Auditioning should be thought of as a fun thing. Enjoy your drives, bring some tunes, stop for coffee, bring a friend (but not a disinterested one), and so on.

What Wilson's are you planning on auditioning? A pair of Sophia's alone are like 11 grand a pair.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Acudeftechguy- I’m auditioning the deftechs Monday at 1100. They were my first choice going in, but the paradigms sounder unbelievable.

Any suggestions on blu ray titles with really good highs to take with me to the auditions. I took Underworld and T2 yesterday (neither of which utilized high frequencies). The dealer used a Kill Bill DVD and that’s where the paradigms really shined, the highs on the sword clashes were flawless! I guess I need to buy the movie for comparison.

I would take some Vivaldi- The Four Seasons DVD-Audio or at least CD to audition the high frequency and overall wide dynamic range!

Movies will sound very good with most systems, but music, especially 2 ch will be more difficult to get right.

Take your favorite Rock, pop, classical, etc. music to audition. We know these speakers can play loud, but can they please you where it is most important - CLARITY in all frequencies.

 

[codexp3]

I listened to Mirage when I bought my LSIs. I wasn't a big fan at all. As to the Wilson's I really have no idea. The B&W dealer I talked to, suggested I listen to them while I'm in the store. I'm not going to drop 11k for a set of towers! They'd have to absolutely kill for that price. I'm having a hard time swallowing the 8k for the S8s. Is everything in Wilson's line 10k plus? I'd like to do the 5 of my 5.1 for 10k, maybe a bit more if the towers kill. In most HT applications I doubt I'll notice a difference.

After looking at the Wilson line scratch them from my list. Too expensive!

 

[cbraver]

I listened to Mirage when I bought my LSIs. I wasn't a big fan at all. As to the Wilson's I really have no idea. The B&W dealer I talked to, suggested I listen to them while I'm in the store. I'm not going to drop 11k for a set of towers! They'd have to absolutely kill for that price. I'm having a hard time swallowing the 8k for the S8s. Is everything in Wilson's line 10k plus? I'd like to do the 5 of my 5.1 for 10k, maybe a bit more if the towers kill. In most HT applications I doubt I'll notice a difference.

No, I think their WATCH center channel is only 5 grand. Haha. Yeah, careful listening to audio dealers, many will try to bump you up into the next price bracket. I always tell audio dealers my budget is significantly less than what it really is, and I find that gives me a good start in bargaining. They tend to not high-ball you as bad when you do that, because they think they already have you over your original budget. It takes them off their guard. My finale is generally something along the lines of politely saying "I'll think about it, but, I'm pretty far over my budget... I have to think about it." Any salesman/women knows that when a customer is leaving, you'll probably lose the sale... so they tend to do one last cost reduction in hopes for a sale they would have otherwise lost. If they don't happen to stop you, when they follow up (which any good salesman/women will), you can normally get a bit more off then. People working on comission figure out pretty quick that more sales with less profit is better than less sales at rip-off prices, and it helps them get repeat business... so, you have some working room.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I love the Sigs but make sure you listen to the upper end B&W and Dyna Audios.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...I'm not going to drop 11k for a set of towers! They'd have to absolutely kill for that price. I'm having a hard time swallowing the 8k for the S8s. Is everything in Wilson's line 10k plus? I'd like to do the 5 of my 5.1 for 10k, maybe a bit more if the towers kill. In most HT applications I doubt I'll notice a difference.

After looking at the Wilson line scratch them from my list. Too expensive!

As The Audio Critic would say, after you reach the $4k/pr mark, all speakers tend to sound the same more or less.

Well, his exact words were:

"...There’s a ceiling in performance with this type of loudspeaker, maybe at three or four thousand dollars, above which you get very little, if anything, regardless of the hyperbolic claims and insane prices of some ultrahigh-end models..."

So price doesn't necessarily guarantee the perfect speakers for you.

 

[codexp3]

As The Audio Critic would say, after you reach the $4k/pr mark, all speakers tend to sound the same more or less.

Well, his exact words were:

"...There’s a ceiling in performance with this type of loudspeaker, maybe at three or four thousand dollars, above which you get very little, if anything, regardless of the hyperbolic claims and insane prices of some ultrahigh-end models..."

So price doesn't necessarily guarantee the perfect speakers for you.

I did notice a tiny bit of difference between the S8s and the 100s, in the higher frequencies. Not enough to justify costing more than double. It sucks having limited funds when you know there's something out there better than yours. Had I never listened to the S8s I'd would have been happy with the 100s. BTW how do your definitive's compare in the higher frequencies to the paradigms. I listen to the defs this coming Monday, did you audition the paradigms before choosing the 7000s?

 

[codexp3]

I love the Sigs but make sure you listen to the upper end B&W and Dyna Audios.

B&Ws on Friday (although the dealer was trying to push me into listening to the Wilson line).

Dynaudio on Monday with the DefTechs...

Results reported on Tuesday or Monday night.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I did notice a tiny bit of difference between the S8s and the 100s, in the higher frequencies. Not enough to justify costing more than double. It sucks having limited funds when you know there's something out there better than yours. Had I never listened to the S8s I'd would have been happy with the 100s. BTW how do your definitive's compare in the higher frequencies to the paradigms. I listen to the defs this coming Monday, did you audition the paradigms before choosing the 7000s?

No, I did not get to listen to the Signature Series Paradigms, but I did listen to some other model towers from Paradigm.

I don't know if you listen to Classical music, but I think auditioning with classical music, where there are a dozen instruments playing, is a huge test for any speaker. The highs can be really high (trumpets, violins, etc.), and the lows can be really low (pipe organs, bass, etc.). Extreme dynamics.

I'm listening to Vavaldi's The Four Seasons DVD-Audio right now as I type this, and I feel like I'm sitting in a concert hall.

Everyone is different.

I'm sure you'll find the right speakers.

 

[3db]

Well, thanks to 3db I stopped at my dealer to ask about the Focus Audio and walked out with a pair of Dynaudio Focus 140.

Apparently Focus Audio is legit, has been around for 12 years, does R&D in Canada but serves mostly the Asian market out of Hong Kong. They range in price from the low thousands to tens of thousands and produce a genuine high quality product. He didn't have any in stock and likely won't in the future so I can't give any personal notes.

Oh sure!! Blame your happiness on me

Dam. I wish they had some in so you could listen to them. I was real curious about them.

 

[3db]

Another brand you SHOULD audition is Totem. Their only downside is that they need a robust amp to make most of their models sing as they are low impedance/low efficiency speakers. I would look at the Forests or Hawks.

They make amazing sounding speakers