Bryston & Harbeths - Good Match?

Half of my post got cut off some how. Damn iPhone...

The Totem Mani-2 is a very hard speaker to drive. A friend's McIntosh MA6900 went into protection mode on a regular basis when driven slightly past normal levels. His room was on the smaller side too.

The 4B SST2 is a very strong amp, but it may actually be on that fine line of enough or not enough. I'm a huge Bryston fan and own a B60, so it's not a shot at it. Any normal to difficult speaker will be fine with it. The Mani-2 is beyond difficult.

I'm also a huge fan of the Mani-2. When properly driven, which is almost impossible, and some room to breathe, it could be one of the best speakers there is, regardless of price. There are a ton of people out there who've given up and sold their Mani-2s because they're almost impossible to live with.

I've never owned them. Just going by what friends and dealer's have told me about their experience with them. I've also read the same thing countless times on forums.

In my OP I mentioned my budget was $2k-$4k. I am not opposed to spending less, so when you have a range from say, $1k and up, there are many choices. The Harbeth’s were on the short list but I think you all have convenienced me that they may not be the best choice to go with my Bryston.

Jaybo, did you mean the Vandy 2ce Sig. II's? I would be curious to hear the difference between mine and the II’s. I really do like the Vandy’s but I think they can be improved upon. The II’s might be perfect, but I’m in the mood to try something different.

It’s odd that the third largest city in the US (Houston) only has a couple of high-end audio stores. My in-store listening options are limited and I know that what I hear in the store may not be what I hear in my room with my gear. I have to rely, at least somewhat, on other people’s opinions and reviews. Since everyone’s ears and tastes are different, I could end up getting something I don’t like or missing something I would like, but I have found, for the most part, the info I pick up is pretty much right on.

There have been some good suggestions already. I have heard great things about Focus Audio and need to look into them some more. Thanks for all the comments and I’m looking forward to more suggestions.

You outta come up to Austin.... There are a few good dealers here.

Cmo...A weekend in Austin visiting dealers might be a good idea.

It seems that in my budget – up to $4k – there is just a plethora of options. It’s too bad it’s not as simple as, the higher the price, the better the speaker.

For a while, I was looking at the Sonas Faber line, but many reviews seem to say it’s an okay speaker in a really nice box.

As I research Totem, I keep running into comparisons with Ohm Micro. Most posts seem to favor the Ohm Micro and they cost less. Anyone here have an opinion?

As I mentioned, my room is fairly small. Are the any speakers that love being close to the back wall? It seems like most high-end speakers like being two feet or more from the back wall. That puts my sitting position about eight feet from the front of the speaker. That’s not too close, but if it’s a big floor stander, it feels like they are right on top of you.

The Ohm line is definitely worth a look. Whether their "pseudo-omni" presentation floats your boat is something you'd have to judge for yourself, but the Micro Walsh Talls boast a tiny footprint, great low end, tonal neutrality (great for voices) and a sweet top end. And with the 3 month no risk (except for shipping) home trial, you don't have much to lose.

In my experience, FWIW, the Ohms like lots of solid state power, so you should be in good shape with your Bryston electronics.

And yeah, come up to Austin and say howdy. :-)