2. speakers
  3. 184961-11209

Do my ears deceive me??

     The money is in the bank, thinking of upgrading speakers, but everything I demo is no better or worse than what I have.   Willing to spend up to $6,000.      Upgraditis??   My main system is Mcintosh MX 134 that I bought in 2003, with a pair of Focal 836v's and a Parasound 5250  (250w/channel) amp I bought around 2012.   I either blew the tweeters or crossover on my 836's, so they are in for repair.   Since I've owned them for 10 years, I was considering new speakers.    The blades are way more than I would spend, but I also demoed the Kef R11s, Martin Logan xtf 200's, Mcintosh XR 100s, and B&W 703 S3.   

       None of them sounded better than what I'm hearing right now from my BP 2006s.    Would I really need to demo them in my room to make a fair comparison??  Or are speakers just not much better than they were 20 years ago?   I know I love detail, and tend to lean towards aluminum tweeters.  I pretty much only listen to classic rock and roll.   Of all I demoed, I really like the B&W 706s.   They sounded much brighter/cleaner than the others.   But they had the reciever set up so I couldn't adjust the treble/bass.  I love a V equalizer curve, and bump up the bass and treble a bit on my home/car systems.   Maybe I just have the good luck of prefering cheaper speakers.   

 

  

fenderu2
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,950 posts
 

Embarked?

fenderu2 OP
22 posts
 

Yep.  I hear ya Tom on the 10%.  Gonna keep demoing and hopefully find something that blows me away.   I've saved a lot of money the last 3 years, partially thanks to covid, so maybe I just have to accept that a 10 to 20 percent improvement is good enough.  Obviously I keep my stuff for the long haul.   $5,000 to $7,000 over a 10 year span could warrant the purchase.  Plus the right brands and models can hold some or a lot of their value. 

            Years ago, I was semi tempted to move up to Focal Electras, and they were a lot cheaper 3 to 8 years ago than they are now.  WIth covid kind of ending, hopefully supply chains will get back to normal.   Had I bought those electras  back then, I could have broke even, or even maybe made a little money.  So I am not averse to going the used route too.   

 

 

 

stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,453 posts
 

see if you can find an owner or dealer of Vandersteen speakers

grislybutter
2,912 posts
 

I would say ditch the old speakers and buy something way more expensive

soix
9,453 posts
 

You really shouldn’t need an equalizer, and the McIntosh is doing you no favors given your tastes. I’d first look for a new preamp, which I’d first recommend you look at Anthem.  If you’re using EQ something is likely wrong elsewhere.  That said, I’d say stay with Focal or take a look at Revel.  But, if you change the preamp first I think you’ll be much happier.  The McIntosh is working against you given your tastes and you’re fighting to correct for that mismatch.  That’s not fun and I’d say stop beating your head against the wall.  If you need an AVP I’d highly recommend you look at Anthem, but if you just need a stereo pre Bryston should be high on your list.  Best of luck.

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