Integrated amp for my Sonus Faber Guarneri

D-I-L-Eye,

Depending on your budget/desire to maximize the output of the Gs, i can say that i found a dramatic change when i switched speaker cables. i used to use Audioquest Crystal from the early '90s. i then bought a pair of very old, used Transparent REference cable...holy smokes, big difference. not a subwoofer, but i was surprised at how much more full it was. i do not know Belden, so i cannot say how good/not good Transp Ref might be...just another thought. good luck.

Loydelee21

I'll toe them in a further as per your suggestion.

The Gs are over 4 feet from a bookshelf in front of the back wall, which is a thin Japanese-style plexiglass sliding door. The first true concrete wall is another 8 feet behind the sliding plexiglass door. I've got some thick cloth hanging between the bookshelf and the plexiglass to reduce reflections. The room is very small, about 10 X 12 feet, 8 ft ceiling. I wonder whether a sub would work in this small space, though I imagine it might. The 12-inch woofers of my Yamahas do fine.

My cables are not special, just what the shop where I bought the Gs uses for all their gear and better than typical K-mart stuff.

Many people recommend a sub, in particular a Rel, which I can't find here and would have to order from the US. The timing is good for me in terms of Yen/Dollar, but impossible in terms of my listening trial period with the Gs.

I've got until the 28th of this month to decide whether to keep these, or face possible long-term disappointment (in terms of diversity of enjoyable genres) and the difficult task of trying to resell them in Japan myself someday. That makes it tough to try other components. In addition, the shops here don't generally allow listening trials. I have to take a loss of 10% on a return within 30 days, even for the Gs. Beyond 30 days the return price drops to joke level.

Do you agree with Daveyf that I am not hearing the G's potential at all yet because of the limited quality of my equipment, and with much better equipment I would probably love these, or feel that perhaps I am hearing the basic character of the Gs at least in a relative sense, which is apparently not well-suited to my tastes, and that with better equipment I will still be "sitting in the middle seats" rather than at the front, and limited to enjoying small ensembles, even with a better amp and sub?

Deaf_in_left_eye.
I agree with most everything that Lloydelee21 has said. Without a doubt, the GH's are NOT going to plumb the depths of music reproduction. As I said before, they fall off fairly drastically below about 50hz. A sub would be a very good idea if you want to get information below that. Also, you would gain a better foundation to your music. This is absolutely correct. However, in your room, which is appx. the same size as my room and therefore very small, a sub is a very very difficult thing to integrate. I have not chosen this route, simply because I know that my odds of success are slim. Far better, IMHO, is to do what I have now done...that is add room acoustic treatments. If you look again at my system pictures, you will see that I have added bass trapping which has garnered a VERY BIG improvement. Nonetheless, I still think that your gear needs to be changed for you to begin to hear what the GH's can do.
I have heard Belden cable, which again IMHO, isn't even high-end. Like Lloyd said, even a change there would produce tremendous results. Unfortunately, the only way you are going to know if what we say is true, is to try out our advice and see. I can think of no other method.
IF you decide to keep the GH's, then I would say that they would be a GREAT FOUNDATION to a superb system. However, a foundation is all they would be.

Deaf_in_left_eye...

Fellow GH owner here. Like Lloydelee21 mentioned, try and get your hands on "ANY" subwoofer you can take home to try no matter how cheap or small (but do try for the best you can). I don't see how the G's are going to have the impact of what you are used to (12" woofers). Even a cheap sub will give you an idea. If this makes the difference you want, then by all means get a great sub, the G's deserve it.

The beauty of the sub/monitor way is you can put the G's where they image/sound best and put the sub where the bass will sound best. The G's go low enough so you can use a low x/o point (good thing) and then use the subs volume control to dial in the correct amount for your room/taste.

Good luck.

Maximum toe-in per Lloydelee21 made a huge difference. Such a dumb and simple thing. I think it drastically reduced reflections off side walls that I hadn't realized were so severe, giving me more "near-field" earview. Right now I'm enjoying a collection of jazz recordings (not classic string quartets), and they sound really good. Another thing I'm doing is not comparing to my other speakers, but just listening to these Gs for a change. The total lack of harsh notes, even with trumpets, is certainly soothing...

Next, I'll try to find any cheap subwoofer to try as "test of concept" per Onemug.

Thanks all, and please keep any more suggestions coming. I really hope to make these Guarneris work and keep them.