Side-grading from B&W N805, need advice!

[koven]

okay, i thought the usher x-719's were a bit underwhelming... the build quality is probably one of the best ive ever seen, but the sound didn't impress me much. the bass was great no complaints there, the highs were well extended but a bit harsh at times, and the mids were a bit recessed. also, it didn't sound natural.. kind of artificial/digital sounding, but that could just be my system's problem. during complex music, it would often sound congested... all the details are there but just not separated/distinguished enough.. also sounded a bit thin compared to the forests and carbon 7's. it throws a nice horizontal & vertical soundstage but it lacks depth, it didn't have a 3D quality to it like the carbon 7's... anyway, i don't want to make it seem like i'm hating the x-719's, they do have many upsides but it's tough to compare 805's, forests, and carbon 7's to a <$1000 speaker... and honestly, the x-719's don't hold up too well to that group, but they are excellent competitors in their price range.

now.. a bit more on the carbon 7's, i'm really falling in love with these. the music sounds so full and lush, it fills my entire room with ease unlike the x-719's. the sound is very 3d and life-like. it handles all types of music very well too

the proac's got delayed and should be here tomorrow... i'm the most curious to hear these.. cus i've read so much about proac, but have never heard it

[harley .guy07]

That was what I was wondering is how the Ushers compared. They are Ushers more budget minded speaker so I had a feeling that they would not hold up with the others in your group but Me being an usher fan was hoping for it to be different. But Scan Speak drivers are a hard driver to beat if set up and crossed over properly so really its starting to sound like the Fitz speakers are starting to win you over.

[harley .guy07]

I went to Fritz website and looked at his speakers and he has some interesting models on his site. One thing to consider is the fact that he is not going to have the overhead that the bigger companies have to deal with so the markup of his products probably is not as high as the other speakers you have there. So to me it seems that you are getting more for your money and I believe it is starting to show as well.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Very interesting impressions on the Ushers. I was waiting to jump into the discussion after you listened to the X719's. Being an owner, I didn't want to influance you. I had similar thoughts when I first hooked up my pair and expressed my concerns to the dealer. Thinking that maybe my associated equipment might be the problem. He assured me that all would be fine after the drivers had time to loosen up. Now here I am 2 years later listening to a jazz DVD-A on a full set of Ushers as I'm typing this with a smile on my face. Knowing that I was thinking the same things about them.

I'll grant you that I didn't listen to the speakers that you're comparing to the Ushers. You have what I would consider the best way to check out speakers. In your own home, with your equipment will give you optimum listening conditions.

I listened to Dynaudio Focus 140's, Von Schweikert VR-1, Opera-Consonance Eric-1 and the Quad 12L's. I wanted to listen to ProAc's but couldn't find a dealer. I did check out Totem to here the Rainmaker and got to listen to the Forest, Sttaf and Arro also. Liked the Forest especially, but was more than I could afford.

Looks like you have some great speakers to choose from. Good Luck

[Mr Peabody]

Jack, you decided on Usher over the Focus? Oh well, you have the same headphone rig as me, you can't be all bad I think the Focus 110 is the best bang for the buck speaker in that $1 to 2k range or more. It's a shame Koven couldn't have gotten a Dyn in the mix.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Mr P, it was a real close choice. If they had been at the same shop, it could have gone the other way. It ultimately came down to price. The Usher dealer was able to discount the X-719's and the Dynaudio dealer was firm on the price. I knew that I would eventually want to get the matching center channel speaker and at $1000 list, any money I could save meant that I could make that purchase sooner. I just picked up a pair of Usher S-520 for surrounds. The wife has had her eyes on my Paradigm Mini Monitors to go with her new TV in the family room, so I made her a deal. The Dyns will always be on my "got to audition" list when it comes time to upgrade..

[Mr Peabody]

Jack, I'm just giving you the business. .

[Jack in Wilmington]

Jack, I'm just giving you the business. .

I didn't want to get on your $hit list with RGA.

[jrhymeammo]

I used to own a pair of B&W Signature 805, and I think you are making a good decision.
They were very good speakers, but I didn't think they were worth the price at the time.

Currently, I own a pair of Tyler Acoustics Reference Monitor.
I don't have experience with SEAS Millenium tweets or their new Decade line, but the Reference products are worth auditioning.

Here is a link.
http://tyleracoustics.com/home_demo.html


Prior to purchasing the Tyler A, I had seriously considered Fritz, but decided to go with a local guy instead (I dreadfully live in KY). I haven't heard the D2905/9500, but the Revelator tweets are very very good. I believe Fritz offers Revelator upgrade. If I'm right, you might want to audition the upgraded pair. I imagine the upcharge to be around $200.

JRA

[frenchmon]

Kovan...Do the Fritz Speakers come with grills?

frenchmon

[harley .guy07]

Kovan...Do the Fritz Speakers come with grills?

frenchmon

Its funny that you ask that question because tonight my girlfriend just commented on the fact that she liked the fact that I run my speakers with the grills off because as she puts it they look more high tech and to me I just like nothing between me and the drivers. but I understand that grills are sometimes needed to keep a clean look. I am not putting down your question by any means but it was just ironic how my girlfriend made that comment at about he same time you posted your question.

[Mr Peabody]

I listen with mine off but when I'm done I put them back on. With kids around they can sometimes help.

[frenchmon]

I take mine of as well. But I ask because I cant understand why a Speaker company would not include them, especially at the price they ask for some of their gear. I think one such company that you have to buy what aught to be included in the price is Totem Acoustics.

frenchmon

[koven]

frenchmon, fritz builds speakers to order and will include grills if requested.. most people prefer no grills though.. i have no wife/kids/pets so im not too worried about protection

mr peabody, yeah i really wish i could have some dynaudios in my home to compare.. maybe someday in the future i'll pick something up from audiogon

jack in wilmington, to be fair, the x-719's i have are brand new so burn-in could definitely be the issue.. i haven't gave up on them yet, i will give them some time to burn-in and re-evaluate my thoughts

[Jack in Wilmington]

frenchmon, fritz builds speakers to order and will include grills if requested.. most people prefer no grills though.. i have no wife/kids/pets so im not too worried about protection

mr peabody, yeah i really wish i could have some dynaudios in my home to compare.. maybe someday in the future i'll pick something up from audiogon

jack in wilmington, to be fair, the x-719's i have are brand new so burn-in could definitely be the issue.. i haven't gave up on them yet, i will give them some time to burn-in and re-evaluate my thoughts

Any thoughts on the ProAc's yet? And some more pictures too. All those speakers reminds me of my dealer's room where he has all the bookshelf speakers.

[koven]

unfortunately i missed the delivery on the proacs again..hopefully tomrrow will be different

here are some pics of the ushers .. my cheap camera doesnt do them justice.. they are really nice in person

[harley .guy07]

Usher sure makes good looking speakers and yes I think a new camera is in your near future.

[koven]

after a few hours of listening, i'm really enjoying the proac's.. i definitely prefer them over the forests.. the response 1.5's seem to fill my room better and the midrange is smoother/more natural.. it even makes the forests sound a bit thin/harsh.. i think the bass is tighter on the forests but the proac's just get the music right imo, very similar to the way the carbon 7's do..

anyway, i got the proac's for a really good price so now the decision is tough... i think i like the carbon 7's a bit better, but the response 1.5s are pretty close... much closer than the ushers or the forests,, i'm going to have to spend more time w/ both and do some a/b'ing before making a choice

i think the proacs are gorgeous btw, especially in mahogany, they look much classier than the forests imo

[poppachubby]

You've got $80 000 of speakers in your living room. Have you considered any electro-stat/panel at all? I heard some Martin Logan's recently that made me want to cry. Quite honestly, I feel that an ESL is quite possibly everything that a box speaker listener is chasing, but may never get.

[audio amateur]

$80 000??

[harley .guy07]

Hey if you have the money and know that you can resell all the speakers you don't choose and get your money back he is doing the best form of speaker comparisons that you can do. In home demos are the best way to get a real feel for the speakers and see which ones you really like in your room instead of just going off specs or taking a chance.

[poppachubby]

I'm not knocking him, I was exagerating. He's obviously fortunate enough to be able to audition everything, and I applaud the effort. I'm just saying that I think that Martin Logan could be a real option for him.

[audio amateur]

Ah right thought so.

[Ajani]

I'm just saying that I think that Martin Logan could be a real option for him.

I agree... if he has the chance he really should add something different to the mix (some kind of planar or maybe horn speaker - better yet - both).... You'll never know what sounds best to you until you try it...

[koven]

i've actually had some brief experience with the ML Vantage

when i went to pick up my 805's from a fellow Audiogon'er, he actually had the vantage as an upgrade to the 805's... however, the funny thing is, he thought the 805's sounded better. he bought the vantages after auditioning in stores, only to find out that they didn't sound nearly as good in his room, i don't think electronics were his problem because he had a whole mcintosh rack w/ mono amps which had to be at least $10k all together

his problem was, his wife would not let him keep throwing around money on switching speakers so he was stuck w/ the ML's and his wife was forcing him to sell his old speakers (805's). we did some short a/b comparisons between the 805 and ML and there was no doubt in both of our minds that the 805's sounded more life-like/smoother. of course the ML's put out more bass, which is expected. something about it just didn't sound as natural or dynamic as the 805's.

anyway, i'm pretty sure that can be attributed to his less than ideal listening room, as i've heard planar/esl are very sensitive to room. but in this situation, the ML's did not sound good and since it was a first impression for me, i never looked into it further


on a side note, i did go listen to magnepans and like i've mentioned earlier in this thread, i did not fall in love w/ their sound.. i can totally see why someone would, but i don't think it's for me to be honest.... it sounded a bit soft, somewhat lacking in energy and dynamics especially compared to the proac and carbon 7's


but despite these two experiences, i would still love to have either a magenpan or ML in my room so i can see for myself... i will try to contact some local dealers for a home demo.. however, if they do not allow it, i probably wont go through the effort of buying a used planar/esl for demo'ing... because my first two experiences didn't go well, and also because i dont think my room and electronics would bring them to full potential