Talon Khorus x or B&W 802

Mike,

I am a B&W owner. I appreciate your opinion regarding the Talon X speaker, dealer or not.

I WOULD like to say that you do not need a ton of power run the N802,N801, or the N800's. But if you really want to maximize the capabilities of these speakers, then one should pay extra attention to ALL of the upstream components..in my experience.

I have two questions:
Are the Talon Khorus and Khorus less forgiving and therefore more musical?

What is the best set-up you have heard using the Khorus or Khorus X speaker?

These questions are open to whomever would like to answer.
Thanks!

Dan...Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it very much.

Avnut...You are correct, you don't need a ton of power with the B&W Nautilus series, but they really do sing with higher current amps. My "nuclear power station" comment may have come across that way, sorry about that. And as you stated, careful attention to upstream components (with ANY B&W speaker) is critical to get the best sound.

The Khorus (and the entire Talon line) are definitely more forgiving AND musical than the B&W line, IMHO. This is not egg on the face of either speaker, just a difference in the way they present the music.

The best set-up I have heard running the Khorus? Wow, that is a tough question...Mainly because I have heard them with so many different systems and they all had their pros and cons. If I had to pick just one it would be:

Acoustic Zen cables
Electrocompaniet EMC-1 MK2 CD Player
Edge M-8 Amplifier
Simaudio P-5 Preamp

Off the top of my head, other amps/preamps that I have been VERY impressed with running the Talon products are the latest Electrocompaniet, Rogue, Pass Labs, Simaudio, Jeff Rowland, Power Modules, and First Sound (I am sure there are others, just can't remember them right now).

Lately, we have been running the Khorus X in the showroom with a Power Modules (Belles) 350A and the Shanling CD-T100 direct into the amp with VERY good results.

Hope this helps.

Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio

I am also a Khorus dealer and let me make a few comments about set up. The room size is not as critical as the fact that these are a rear ported speaker and do need to be placed at least a few feet into the room. Also they require a great deal of toe in so be aware of that when you are playing with their set up.

They are very easy to drive and we have driven them with everything from an 8 watt integrated to Pass X 600 mono blocks. The Khorus work very well with Rowland and for a few years showed with the Rowland gear. ( I will state that if you like to play your music really loud do not go with a 8 watt integrated amp.)

To answer the question are the Talon's more forgiving thus more musical? That has numerous interpretations so let me elaborate by saying that they will give you all the information that your system will provide except that they will do it with an uncanny delicacy and finesse that is never in your face. I would describe the Soundstage on the Khorus X as one that is very deep and draws you seductively into the music.

Does this make this speaker more musical? A very subjective opinion but I find them to be the most musical speakers that I have had the pleasure to have in the showroom and we have had alot of the very exotic and expensive speakers traded in on the Khorus X.

They are not cheap but for what they offer they are one of the great bargains in audio. There are also some being sold on Audiogon at this time very inexpensively. (None of the ones being sold am I in anyway associated with although I do know the customers selling them.)

Needless to say since some are being sold they are not the speaker for everyone. Some customers like a speaker that is more aggressive. Some a speaker that I might consider a touch bright but others may consider more detailed and transparent. There is no product in Audio that everyone will love!

But if you get the opportunity to listen to a pair I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised although it may take you a while of listening to appreciate what they do because the presentation is different than what many Audiophiles have experienced in the past!

Thanks to both who responded to my question about room size. Currently, I have a 14x18 room which I consider "medium" sized. I read about some speakers that sound like they'd be great, and then realize they wouldn't work in this size room. Nice to know that these would work even if I don't remodel my basement.

I'd also like to say this - thanks very much to all of the incredibly helpful dealers that post on Audiogon. Dealers reputations are getting the kicked in the teeth over the last several years, and a lot of it is deserved - snobby, only interested in the sale, etc. etc. I have made some of these complaints myself, as it has been my experience in visiting many high-end shops. On Audiogon, however, I have had the pleasure of reading several dealers posts that are incredibly informative, and I really appreciate it. Not only that, I don't get why everybody wouldn't appreciate it, assuming the bias and potential conflict of interest are identified up front. They're some of the best, most informative and well written posts I've read, and they're exactly what we all claim a dealer should provide. Only here, they have little to no chance of making a sale, and yet they're still taking the time to give their point of view to somebody who is asking for it. That's awesome and appreciated. Come back often. -Kirk

Thanks Kirk...You are correct, there are certainly many dealers out there that only care about profit. Unfortunately, many of the good dealers end up being lumped in with the "bad apples" and we end up being treated like used car salesmen. For the most part (there are a few "bad apples" even on Audiogon), the majority of dealers on Audiogon are great folks and really care about making the customer happy. The only reason I ever got into this crazy business was to share my passion for music reproduction with others, and so far, it has been a great ride. Although believe it or not, the amount of time and effort my dad and I have put into the business have not been directly proportional to our profits (maybe someday ;-] )

FYI...Stewart (SOS) who posted above is one of those "great folks" I mentioned. He is VERY knowledgeble and cares VERY much about his customers. Duke of Audiokinesis is also a dealer I respect very much.

Ok, enough of that ;-) Back to the music!

Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio