Choosing Components for a Hi Fi System

B&W makes enclosed cabinet speakers as good as they can be. The entire line is superior for what each model is. PSB is not bad either. But aesthetically, which seems to be of serious convern, the Nautilous 805 monitor is georgeous. Especially if you use the light cherrywood finish, and the dedicated stands. Bass extends to 50hz.

Stereophile rated it 'A' class when it first came out a couple years ago, then more realistically reduced it to 'B'. But it shows how taken they were with it, for what that is worth.

BTW it is not appropriate to use a single woofer. For better integration of frequency range place a sub next to each monitor, near a side wall --roughly in an arch from the listening position. By that they can be very unobtrusive, and with a sculpture or plant on top, even aestheically pleasing.

It would be a shame to power these little jewels with anything other than a distortion free amp. Examples: the vintage Hafler DH-200/220 ($200); Muse 160 ($7-1400); any ATI (probably the best value); Bry$ton (pricy), and Jeff Rowland Design Group (offers a suberb integrated model) tends to be so well built as to qualify as art. No kidding. ONe model comes with an optional plastic cover so the interior can be veiwed. Understanbly. But $8k? It shows how price is not the issue with accuracy in amps. Rather build quality and value.

BTW, to evluate other models, look for:
THD/IMD <0.1% over 5hz-50khz frequency range (the models mentioned are more like <0.005% THD/IMD)
Output impedance: <0.4ohms

If accurate bass response, and 'true to the original' sonic characteristics is not your goal, than I have nothing to suggest, and suppose that it does not then matter what you do, right.

Quote:
'Regrettably, much misinformation and outright nonsense have been spread to promote certain "high-end audio" products. The power of suggestion works exceedingly well, when listeners cannot trust their own hearing. I recommend to re-calibrate yourself frequently. Listen closely to all sorts of un-amplified sounds in order to recognize and remember natural aural patterns. It becomes an endless and futile pursuit to listen for and try to evaluate differences between speakers, equipment and accessories without a reality based mental reference. (Seigfried Linkwitz) www.linkwitzlab.com

I used to sell the Marantz line and I've owned my share of their product. Although certainly not a bad choice, you can do MUCH better for a little bit more $$$. Check out the integrated amps from Creek. Unbelievable sound for the money. I have owned a slew of integrated amps including Denon, Jolida, Levinson, Plinius, etc. Even though I own the Moon equipment from Sim Audio presently, ( I love it ) the Creek stuff is just such a great sound for the money. Also look at the JM Lab speakers, they will quickly show the weaknesses of the B&W line which I have also owned. Check out everything for yourself and get what YOU like because everyone has their own opinions of what is good or not.

If full range speakers are selected for the front/center/right channels then one sub will work fine. Linn AV 5140 speakers are very attractive and take up less floor space than your average high end metal stand for a bookshelf type speaker; they are also full range with right amplification.

Agree on Marantz comments; many better choices out there. Used Integra receivers are a good value and sound pretty good. Arcam AVR200 receiver is a good unit, too; and the AVR300 much better (but much more expensive).

Hard to beat a used REL Strata II for about 600/650; it is one of the quickest and most musical subs around. You never know it is there when it is set correctly. It also has a fairly small footprint and is fairly unobtrusive in the flat black finish. I use one with Gallo Dues (f/c/r) and Gallo Micros (rear surrounds) and an Integra 7.3 receiver with excellent results. I slimmed down from a much more powerful home theatre system with larger speakers (Thiel CS 2.2) and don't miss it a bit with this Gallo system. The receiver is good enough that I've already removed the Bryston amp I was using for the front channels and just use the amps in the receiver.

A great pair of stand mounted moniters would be Spendor 2/3; beautiful sound and fairly easy to drive with a solid 30 watts or better. These speakers do not present a difficult load so you don't have to have Krell/Levinson type gear to do a good job (although it never hurts). The smaller Spendor 3/1 is also very, very good and less expensive. Harbeth makes spectacular speakers that stand mount for a bit more money.

Point of order:
amplication has nothing whatever to do with speaker bass extension.

One need only follow the mfgr recommendation for min and max power. Though it is probably wise to use a little over the minimum for a sense of ease at higher levels of playback. But certainly do not go over the maximum which puts the drives at risk, while it accomlishes nothing.