Vento Reference 9.2 DC vs New BMR with SB Acoustics 6" Ceramic

[lp85253]

Yup.

Let me extend a bit more of subjective experiences. I run a set of the DCM TP260 towers in my living room, which are also excellent speakers. Then, when I consider that closeout pricing, it's hard to imagine anything better for anything close to that price point. I just last week added a Dayton Sub-1200 to that system, and haven't dialed anything in yet either.

For what it's worth, on the other forum, Dennis specifically said that the DCM TP160 was one of the best deals out there at the time, and putting to shame many other speakers that cost much more. Then, he specifically told me via PM that his tweeter/resistor mod should make those a nice match as surrounds for my Alexis Sound Rebecca (Philharmonitors out of Taiwan, the same guy that is building the new BMRs now). I have 2 sets of these now, but have not done any of the mods yet (it is easy).

Then, my bedroom is running a set of GE T2 speakers. At my previous home, these were the mains in my living room and paired with the Rythmik F15HP. These have the built in "subs". I find that in my bedroom, these speakers are excellent and have plenty of punch without a standalone sub (at least for music).

i remember Dennis saying that, he was modding my emotiva b1's at the time and said the dcm's were close to as good as the b1 mods...i would think that based on what he implied that the dcm's would be competitive with the likes of jbl 5 series and elac debut reference type speakers .. from what i gather they are probably a bit more treble heavy than the jbl's (i have the 530's) , but i wouldn't speculate as to how they might sound compared to the elac's

 

[slipperybidness]

i remember Dennis saying that, he was modding my emotiva b1's at the time and said the dcm's were close to as good as the b1 mods...i would think that based on what he implied that the dcm's would be competitive with the likes of jbl 5 series and elac debut reference type speakers .. from what i gather they are probably a bit more treble heavy than the jbl's (i have the 530's) , but i wouldn't speculate as to how they might sound compared to the elac's

I have a pair of the slim-line Emotiva Bookshelf speakers that I got on closeout, I forget the model number.

I have seen that info over on the other forum (I lurk there but never set up an acct to post). I didn't realize you were the same person either.

I have been curious if these slim-line speakers would benefit from a similar mod, but have not pursued that nor asked Dennis about it.

 

[lp85253]

the emo's sound pretty good after Dennis' mod .. they have a much flatter response than they did.. i would assume the slim line speakers could be modded in a similar fashion, but , of course Dennis would probably have to have a pair for a while to see...i'm guessing the speakers you have are pre- amt?

I have a pair of the slim-line Emotiva Bookshelf speakers that I got on closeout, I forget the model number.

I have seen that info over on the other forum (I lurk there but never set up an acct to post). I didn't realize you were the same person either.

I have been curious if these slim-line speakers would benefit from a similar mod, but have not pursued that nor asked Dennis about it.

 

[slipperybidness]

the emo's sound pretty good after Dennis' mod .. they have a much flatter response than they did.. i would assume the slim line speakers could be modded in a similar fashion, but , of course Dennis would probably have to have a pair for a while to see...i'm guessing the speakers you have are pre- amt?

Mine are indeed AMT. The (close out) price was right, and being AMTs, I took a chance that they may make good surrounds for my GEs with AMTs. I hooked them up and listened for a few days, then boxed them back up until I feel like messing with surrounds.

 

[lp85253]

Mine are indeed AMT. The (close out) price was right, and being AMTs, I took a chance that they may make good surrounds for my GEs with AMTs. I hooked them up and listened for a few days, then boxed them back up until I feel like messing with surrounds.

they should make nice surrounds .. i have a stock pair of b1's as well .. they would , imo , be great surrounds... that amt is pretty great considering the low price ...imo better than most domes you can get in speakers of that price range..

 

[VMPS-TIII]

After a month of running the pair of new BMR's in my office I switched back to the Vento Reference 9.2 DC. Oh my... it's amazing how different they sound now after my ears acclimated to the BMR.

While the Vento has more mid-bass kick... it doesn't have anywhere near the definition and clarity the BMR offers. I was absolutely shocked how after spending a month with the BMR - the Vento just doesn't do it for me anymore!

Guess which speakers are staying in my office. lol

 

[Gryph]

After a month of running the pair of new BMR's in my office I switched back to the Vento Reference 9.2 DC. Oh my... it's amazing how different they sound now after my ears acclimated to the BMR.

While the Vento has more mid-bass kick... it doesn't have anywhere near the definition and clarity the BMR offers. I was absolutely shocked how after spending a month with the BMR - the Vento just doesn't do it for me anymore!

Guess which speakers are staying in my office. lol

That same thing happened with my Focal Aria 906’s.
I loved the Aria’s and put them up for a little while after my Vento 876 towers came into the picture replacing them in that 2 channel setup.
Then the 876’s moved to HT duty and the Focal’s came back out until the 9.2’s arrived and saw the Aria’s boxed up again with me having all intention of using them at some point down the road.
The next time I pulled the Focal’s out was a couple months later, I just set them up for an A&B comparison against the Canton 9.2’s.
It was at that point I had that same epiphany you did. While the Aria’s still sounded good they just no longer did it for me like the Cantons do.
So I ended up selling the Focal’s and now have three 2 channel setups and my HT setup all comprised of Canton speakers.

At this point I’m pretty well satisfied with everything and not sure I’d even want to chance auditioning the BMR’s [emoji6] I actually think for the music genres I listen too the Cantons are pretty much balanced perfectly.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

That same thing happened with my Focal Aria 906’s.
I loved the Aria’s and put them up for a little while after my Vento 876 towers came into the picture replacing them in that 2 channel setup.
Then the 876’s moved to HT duty and the Focal’s came back out until the 9.2’s arrived and saw the Aria’s boxed up again with me having all intention of using them at some point down the road.
The next time I pulled the Focal’s out was a couple months later, I just set them up for an A&B comparison against the Canton 9.2’s.
It was at that point I had that same epiphany you did. While the Aria’s still sounded good they just no longer did it for me like the Cantons do.
So I ended up selling the Focal’s and now have three 2 channel setups and my HT setup all comprised of Canton speakers.

At this point I’m pretty well satisfied with everything and not sure I’d even want to chance auditioning the BMR’s [emoji6] I actually think for the music genres I listen too the Cantons are pretty much balanced perfectly.

Yeah, it's weird how once your ear gets accustomed to a new speaker that you really like and you go back to your previous favorite how different it can sound. When I was plugging in the Vento 9.2, I thought I may want to leave them plugged in for awhile. The Vento mid-bass kick was still strong but it could not compare at all with the clarity and definition of the BMR.

The Vento all of a sudden sounded dull, like a sheet was over the speaker. The absolute clarity I was accustomed to with the BMR in the last month was gone. I never would have thought of Vento 9.2 like this before. Did the BMR break in or was it just my ears? I can't be sure, but I'm loving the BMR sound now. In my office the speakers are setup in an intimate setting. Only about 9 feet away from my desk. While the BMR takes more power to drive they are so much more open and crystal clear.

With the Vento it was the mid-bass punch that I loved but the highs are more shimmery and less defined (by a lot). Once you get use to the close up crystal clarity of the BMR it's impossible to go back.

I should probably shut up right now as I may want to sell my Vento 9.2's. lol
I would strongly suggest you not borrow a friends BMR's for a month.

 

[KEW]

Yeah, it's weird how once your ear gets accustomed to a new speaker that you really like and you go back to your previous favorite how different it can sound. When I was plugging in the Vento 9.2, I thought I may want to leave them plugged in for awhile. The Vento mid-bass kick was still strong but it could not compare at all with the clarity and definition of the BMR.

The Vento all of a sudden sounded dull, like a sheet was over the speaker. The absolute clarity I was accustomed to with the BMR in the last month was gone. I never would have thought of Vento 9.2 like this before. Did the BMR break in or was it just my ears? I can't be sure, but I'm loving the BMR sound now. In my office the speakers are setup in an intimate setting. Only about 9 feet away from my desk. While the BMR takes more power to drive they are so much more open and crystal clear.

With the Vento it was the mid-bass punch that I loved but the highs are more shimmery and less defined (by a lot). Once you get use to the close up crystal clarity of the BMR it's impossible to go back.

I should probably shut up right now as I may want to sell my Vento 9.2's. lol
I would strongly suggest you not borrow a friends BMR's for a month.

How are your VMPS-TIII's holding up through all of this?
When you were first inquiring about new speakers, I looked them up and they are impressive speakers! However, to my awareness, those older tweeters would not compete with either the ceramic Canton or the RAAL. However, I would be content with a very good speaker that did not have the final word on crystal clear highs if it was for a HT setup as long as the rest of the FR was good (which I suspect it is)!

 

[VMPS-TIII]

How are your VMPS-TIII's holding up through all of this?
When you were first inquiring about new speakers, I looked them up and they are impressive speakers! However, to my awareness, those older tweeters would not compete with either the ceramic Canton or the RAAL. However, I would be content with a very good speaker that did not have the final word on crystal clear highs if it was for a HT setup as long as the rest of the FR was good (which I suspect it is)!

@KEW - The VMPS SuperTower III's are still in my theatre but they have been reassigned surround duty of late. They provide more bass punch than any speaker I have. But I currently prefer the Ascend Sierra Towers for Front Left and Right.

With this setup, I can listen to the Sierra Towers alone in stereo or use the 7.2.4 setup for movies or Auro 3D with music. Or if I just want to go crazy, push the multi-channel stereo button and let all the speakers fill the room.

I have A/B'ed the Sierra Towers to the VMPS Super Tower III's and the Sierra Towers offer a crisp, clear sound with the RAAL 70-20 that is not quite attainable on the 20 year old VMPS. And while the Sierra Towers have wonderful mid-bass - it's not the same power as the VMPS.

When I use the VMPS Towers with the Sierra Towers in 7.2.4 mode it's a new animal with amazing bass power and clarity. To my ears, the combination compliments each other nicely.

It's fun to have so many different sound painting options with the push of the remote button.

 

[slipperybidness]

Yeah, it's weird how once your ear gets accustomed to a new speaker that you really like and you go back to your previous favorite how different it can sound. When I was plugging in the Vento 9.2, I thought I may want to leave them plugged in for awhile. The Vento mid-bass kick was still strong but it could not compare at all with the clarity and definition of the BMR.

The Vento all of a sudden sounded dull, like a sheet was over the speaker. The absolute clarity I was accustomed to with the BMR in the last month was gone. I never would have thought of Vento 9.2 like this before. Did the BMR break in or was it just my ears? I can't be sure, but I'm loving the BMR sound now. In my office the speakers are setup in an intimate setting. Only about 9 feet away from my desk. While the BMR takes more power to drive they are so much more open and crystal clear.

With the Vento it was the mid-bass punch that I loved but the highs are more shimmery and less defined (by a lot). Once you get use to the close up crystal clarity of the BMR it's impossible to go back.

I should probably shut up right now as I may want to sell my Vento 9.2's. lol
I would strongly suggest you not borrow a friends BMR's for a month.

Lately, I have been listening to a lot of Santana on my BMRs!

Good stuff!

 

[VMPS-TIII]

Crank it!

 

[slipperybidness]

Crank it!

If you are gonna go DP and crank it, then you need the Tron Legacy OST!

As far as the album RAM, this is THE track in my opinion, it shows why they are the modern kings of the synth

Google Search

 

[KEW]

With this setup, I can listen to the Sierra Towers alone in stereo or use the 7.2.4 setup for movies or Auro 3D with music. Or if I just want to go crazy, push the multi-channel stereo button and let all the speakers fill the room.

A couple of comments on the multi-channel stereo setting.
It is generally looked down upon here because of the comb filtering (cancellations and amplifications) that can happen when you have the exact same signal coming from different points in the room. My personal subjective experiences (only 2) have been mixed. In one room it worked very well for me, but another it was a jumbled mess!
The other comment on multi-channel stereo is it is pretty demanding on your amps/power supply. I don't remember if you are running external amps or not, but if you are only using the AVR this could well challenge the limits of the amp section. With normal surround content a sharp loud noise in front of you spikes the demand in front of you, then behind you a fraction of a second later. Multi channel stereo is feeding the exact same signal to a few speakers all at once which can challenge the current limits of your power supply.
Ultimately, when you are playing it loud in multi-channel, keep an ear out for signs of clipping until you establish it is not an issue for your setup!

PS: Multichannel stereo is often recommended for use at low volume, say for background music at a dinner party, where there are more seats in the room that will receive a decent mix of sound from both stereo signals.

This is what I have gleaned from being on this forum over the years, but, if it works in your setup, don't let it dissuade you!

 

[VMPS-TIII]

A couple of comments on the multi-channel stereo setting.
It is generally looked down upon here because of the comb filtering (cancellations and amplifications) that can happen when you have the exact same signal coming from different points in the room. My personal subjective experiences (only 2) have been mixed. In one room it worked very well for me, but another it was a jumbled mess!
The other comment on multi-channel stereo is it is pretty demanding on your amps/power supply. I don't remember if you are running external amps or not, but if you are only using the AVR this could well challenge the limits of the amp section. With normal surround content a sharp loud noise in front of you spikes the demand in front of you, then behind you a fraction of a second later. Multi channel stereo is feeding the exact same signal to a few speakers all at once.
Ultimately, when you are playing it loud in multi-channel, keep an ear out for signs of clipping until you establish it is not an issue for your setup!

PS: Multichannel stereo is often recommended for use at low volume, say for background music at a dinner party, where there are more seats in the room that will receive a decent mix of sound from both stereo signals.

This is what I have gleaned from being on this forum over the years, but, if it works in your setup, don't let it dissuade you!

Like I said, if I want to go crazy multi-channel stereo is an option. I don't use it much but it's fun to try. I have to turn the volume down 10 clicks if I enable it or there will be a big leap in volume.

I don't use any of the amps in the Denon 4700. It's setup in preamp mode with the Monolith 7x and an Adcom 5 channel amp for 12 channels of fun. 7.2.4 can be immersive.