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Sonus Faber Dominus Grand Piano vs Usher 6831/6731

Today I auditioned some Grand Pianos from Sonus Faber, coming out of mid-range Arcam seperates.

I also auditioned some Focal JM Lab's Cobalt 816s, and frankly I really preferred the $2K Focals to the $5k Sonus. The Focals had more detail, revealed more of the music and seemed to allow the music to sound more natural. It did seem a bit bright without the help of a sub woofer.

In contrast the Sonus Grand Pianos were more fluid, more emmotional, definitely warmer. The soundstage was not as open as the Focals though, things seemed to be compressed in terms of depth of the stage. I honestly just wasn't that happy with them.

All that said, I am wondering how the Usher 6381 or 6371 compares to either of these two? Are the Ushers more revealing like the Focals or are they warmer and more fluid like the Sonus?
toysnob
jack_dotson
210 posts
 
Nick, I forgot to ask why you like the CP-777's the best. If they are better than the 8571's I sure would love to hear a pair, and maybe this in the one I should save for?

Thanks.
talk2me's avatar
talk2me
325 posts
 
I have the JM Labs Alto Be's,but I have heard great things about the JM Labs 1000 series.Once you hear natural detail, and rock solid imagery,it is hard to go back to "romance".Detail in a liquid and 3D way, is emotional.IMHO
nick72's avatar
nick72
24 posts
 
hello Jack.

i meant hat the 777's are more vesatile than the 8571's.
easyer to drive than the 8571'S and great sounding with SET amps that have around 35 watts per channel which is something the 8571's just cannot be driven by.
the 8571's are great soundstagers, they are deep, high and wide in their presentation,very impressive sound for the price and a great finish to boot!
but they need power,lots of it, i would not recommend driving the 8571's with less than 150 watts per channel, they could be driven by less power but you will never get the best out of them.
in the bass region the 777's are edging the 8571 in overall tightness, the bass is faster on the 777'S, but the 8571 still has very textured tunefull bass and extends and dig deeper in the bottom octaves compared to the 777'S.
its a matter of taste, the room you would be setting them in...etc, if you have a chance to audition both the better.
hope this helps.
stylinlp_38
44 posts
 
I have a question about the usher cp 6371. It states that the max power handling is 120watts at 4ohms. So I can't use a powerfull amp? Right now I am using a Rotel 5x100 amp. I want to upgrade to a better ss amp for home theater use and vinyl music. I also noticed that most very expensive amps are 150wats and higher. Seems the more quality watts you go the higher the price. From looking at the stats of these speakers it seems I do not need a power amp. Any thoughts?
nick72's avatar
nick72
24 posts
 
hello stylinlp-38.

do not worry about the power handling rating....these are just underated.
you can drive the 6371 with a 200 watt per channel tube amp if you want and they will only sound better,you will notice that when using an amp with 200 watts or 100 watts wichever, you never bring the volume further than a certain point on your preamp because you cannot hear anymore right! at that point when the volume is unbearable you might be pulling only 50 watts out of your 200 watt amp.
do not get fooled by power handling figures and all that, this is not that sensitive of a speaker and will only benefit from a good powerfull amp(just make sure you uprade to good watts), you will never be able to judge how good your 6371's are using the rotel amp thats for sure.
a very good solid state amp(150 watts a channel) or a good tube amp that delivers at least 100 watts in push-pull and you will ready to hear what these speakers can do!
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