Theo said:
Great feedabck, thanks! That AW250 looks tempting too, would that be smooth as in laid back or tubey compared to other Electros? Partly my issue could be listening room dimensions at 24' x 10' it is long and narrow and I keep the PB1is along the length at about 8 feet apart. So the sidewalls are too far away and the back wall is too close. As you know, the PB1is are known to be very sensitive to placement and when placed the way I have done, the lower mids and bottom end suffers - I see no way out with that. I have an absorption panel behind the speakers which has improved things a bit but the side walls being too far means bottom end energy suffers. I am a huge fan of the THTST album
http://www.thtst.com/reviews.htm and the PB1is should be ideal to convey the energy, attack and articulation of the percussion instruments but I find myself having to turn the volume way high up to experience that. And I have heard the PB1is sounding way better than this albeit at a dealership and it was while back but they were using some Marantz gear. So my quest continues and I want to be sure before buying any more components - hence the reason for this thread. Perhaps my room characteristics mean I will have to go with tone controls to boost the lows - so far have tried to keep away from this route but maybe the 851E/W duo will be a better match because of that.
The AW250 is not laid back or boring at all , it is incredibly powerful and dynamic right across the frequency spectrum but it is slightly more tubey sounding than some of the other power amps but only slightly so , it combines incredible power and impact but is also detailed and delicate in equal measure .
The bass power, dynamics and slam it can provide will make you Bryston sound a little anemic and weak but the mid and top are never overpowered or masked by the powerful bottom end when the music gets complicated and loud , it has almost unlimited transient power !
If I were you I would put the panel or panels behind you head on the wall because you are so close to the speakers and your head to the wall , the fact that the speakers are not near the sidewalls is a good thing and should not affect the bass amount or impact .
My room is 24' x 15' and my PB1i's are on the long wall away from the sidewalls and I experience very deep sub bass and incredible impact that can with some recordings pressurise the whole room even at low volumes , drums sound like real live drums with all the impact leading edges and textural decay , deep synth bass feels like you are floating on vibrating air !
If you are really interested I am sure Mike and Caroline at Audiodestination will let you try the AW250 before you buy it , they are very helpful *smile*