[alanbeeb]

I know its an odd thing to talk about on a headphones forum but thought I'd try....
 
I am mainly a speaker listener. Although I love headphones I generally only use them when music will disturb other people late at night.  SO most of my listening is done on speakers.  Until a couple of weeks ago when I scored the greatest own goal in the entire history of hifi box-swapping by deciding that my beloved big Tannoy D700s could be replaced by a pair of refurbished Quad ESL 57s.
 
To cut a long story short, they just don't hack it.  Although they are hair-raisingly gorgeous and "real" with solo accoustic and very small scale music, they are awful with anything big or complex. And unfortunately big orchestral and rock are my mainstays.  They just don't do dynamics.
 
So now on the hunt for speakers with the capability to play big music.  Amps will be as per my sig.... Krell KSA-100s or Lyngdorf SDA2175.    SO need plenty of dynamics, bass impact but not ponderous.  Positioning is not a problem, my room can cope with speakers up to about a metre from the walls althoughs its only 5.5 x 4.2m.
 
As I never buy big things new (why pay the depreciation?) I will be looking for 2nd hand or ex-demo at a good price.  I have seen several things advertised that could be interesting....  B&W Nautilus 803s, Dynaudio Contour 3.4s, Audiovector S3 avantgarde, Neat Momentum 4i. 
 
Anyone got a view on the relative strengths and weaknesses of these speakers or any other suggestions? Thanks.

 

[koven]

Haven't heard Audiovector or Neat but I used to own B&W Nautilus 805's and now have a pair of Dynaudio Focus 140's. The Dynaudio's are much more dynamic.

 

[mulveling]

Wait, why not stick with the D700s? They'll be hard to match for coherence and dynamics, especially in that price range. Are you still set on downsizing? To improve on bass impact and dynamics over what you've already got will require even bigger speakers, or a bigger amp on the D700.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quads just aren't rock and roll speakers. That doesn't necessarily mean you need to give up on panels altogether though. Maybe consider a pair of Maggies? The big Soundlab stats can also get loud, but even on the used market the good ones are on the pricey side.
 
The Dynaudio Confidence C4s blew me away when I auditioned them several years ago, and if the Contour range is anywhere close to the performance of the Confidence series, they could be very good indeed. B&Ws have never been my favorites, they are too forward overall and I think their treble is unrefined considering the price tag. If you'd like to hear what some other designers can do with Dynaudio drivers, maybe check out Egglestonworks, and Silverline. 

 

[plantsman]

From this side of the Atlantic I'm not sure how much help I can offer as I really don't know the used market in Scotland or England but I'm not shy about voicing my opinions.  Like DaveBSC above I don't care much for the N series B&W speakers. At least in the USA there are, IMO, far better speakers for the money.  I have not heard the Neats, they are very rare in North America, but I've heard positive comments about the Ultimatum series.  The Dynaudios I have heard haven't done much for me but they produce so many models I've only heard a tiny fraction.  What about Wilson-Benesch or the Swiss Piega speakers?  ATC or PMC might also be worth a listen.  I'm trying to confine myself to U.K. or at least EU produced speakers.  There are many wonderful American built speakers: Sound Labs, Green Mountain Audio, Avalon Acoustics, Wilson Audio, Magnepan, etc. but I imagine they are rare, very expensive or both in your country.

 

[GuyDebord]

I have hear them all except the audiovector's, one of my favorite dealers carries these three brands and I am invited often to informal auditions. I heard the three powered by an accuphase E-450 integrated and they were using a slimdevices transporter as source. The only one that left a very positive impression were the Neat's. followed by the Dynaudio. The B&W suck for the price (IMO), I never really liked B&W anyhow. 
For a full range 3k speaker, I think the Neat's are hard to beat, but I would also look at the Dali's and the Paradigm's.

 

[alanbeeb]

Thanks for comments guys.... currently got a loaner pair of Dynaudio Contour s3.4 and quite enjoying them but not sure they are doing enough to justify the price.  I've had a pair of Dali Helicon 400s in the past and they were lovely.... if a used pair came up at a good price I could be tempted back to them.
 
Interesting that I'm hearing consistent tales of underwhelment (is that a word?) with B&W.  Not just here but elsewhere too - even from a B&W dealer.
 
Of the US brands mentioned, yes you are right I'm afraid, almost no presence in UK market apart from a few Wilsons at horrific prices.  US/Canada speaker brands that have got some presence here are Reference 3a (maybe a good one for the tubeheads?), Totem and Shahinian.... could be tempted by Shahinian just to hear how different they are with the semi-omni design.   Martin Logan are not too uncommon here but in demos I've never been convinced by trying to marry a panel with a woofer, just too much disconnect in my ears.

 

[zeroeight]

My friend has a pair of B&W 803s and I have auditioned the Dynaudio S3.4.  In my opinion, there is no comparison, the Dynaudios sound so much more balanced and coherent - just seemless from top to bottom.  The B&Ws sound good but that tweeter can get a little tiring - too much shimmy.
 
I ended up with a pair of Confidence C1s - but not sure these are really a rock speaker.  Plus you will need a big amp with lots of current to drive these babies to their full potential.
 
You should also try some Jamo top of the line speaks, not sure of the model number.  These really rock the bass.

 

[freckling]

I'll second GuyDeBord's post and add Revel and JM Labs to the good ole list.

 

[alanbeeb]

Quote:

Wait, why not stick with the D700s? They'll be hard to match for coherence and dynamics, especially in that price range. Are you still set on downsizing? To improve on bass impact and dynamics over what you've already got will require even bigger speakers, or a bigger amp on the D700.

Yes... hmm.... well.... unfortunately in my sheer lunatic idiocy I sold the Tannoys.  Where's the emoticon for self-destruct?
 
Yes, the Tannoys pretty much covered the bases but the curiosity for the 'statics got the better of me. Live'n'learn.

 

[DaveBSC]

Maybe check out Monitor Audio. The Gold Reference series is frequently available in the US for quite reasonable prices on the used market. Their new top Platinum range is supposed to be superb, but I don't know what prices or used availability is on those.

 

[Skylab]

For the ten year period between 1990 and 2000, I owned 5 different pairs of speakers - roughly changing every 2 years.
 
In 2000 I bought a pair of B&W Nautilus 800's - and I have never, ever wanted to buy a new pair of speakers since.  Now 10 years on, I still love listening to them, and have still no desire to change them.  I could afford to it I wanted to - but I don't.  I am more worried I would like something else less than ever feeling like I could be getting something more.

 

[alanbeeb]

Quote:

In 2000 I bought a pair of B&W Nautilus 800's - and I have never, ever wanted to buy a new pair of speakers since. 

What amp are you using to drive them?  I'd be surprised if that hasn't changed in same timeframe!

 

[Skylab]

It sure did at first! Went from a VanAlstine Omega III 440hc to a pair of Audio Research monoblocks to the Sunfire Signature II, which has been here about 7 years now. Great match for the big B+W's, which ned a LOT of power. 200 wpc was not even close to enough.

 

[Frank I]

Have you ever heard the Cat Signature 100W monoblocks. My brother bought thos to drive a pair of the Genesis 11, Those were the best tube amps I ever heard. Powerful 100W triode with a Cat SL1 preamp and he sold them for Mark  Levinson 33 mono. They were much better with the tube setup. The longest setup I had was the Revel F30 with the CJ Premier 11a and Cat Sl1 MK11 with a Classe CDP.5 12 years and mine with the Revel speakers. Now I am a Maggie guy  Now my brother just got the YGA Acoustic speakers that I have not heard yet.