Digital streamers with Floor standers fuller sound?

[ChemMan]

....by being patient and getting a good demo guy and taking my amp to the store, it turns out I could solve my sound issue with new speakesr rather than a new amp. The opposite of what I was expecting. I am a loyal fellow and really wanted to be loyal to LS 50s. When I heard the floor standers it was nearly an epiphany.

 

[Strictly Stereo]

Tried Airplay a few times. Including when I visited Blacksabbath25. It works, but should I use it at home I'd use Upnp. Bubbleupnp works extremely well with it.

Any idea why MQA is on Hegels website under Rost?

I mentioned AirPlay because you can use it to integrate Hegel products with Roon. It works great too. The only issue is that AirPlay is limited to 44.1kHz, but Roon will do a great job of downsampling your HD content before sending it on to the Röst.

The only reference to MQA on Hegel's Röst product page is a link to their TIDAL Masters Guide. This link appears on the product pages for all of their integrated amplifiers and DACs. The guide provides instructions on how to set up the TIDAL desktop app to output partially unfolded (up to 96kHz) MQA content.

 

[CnoEvil]

....by being patient and getting a good demo guy and taking my amp to the store, it turns out I could solve my sound issue with new speakesr rather than a new amp. The opposite of what I was expecting. I am a loyal fellow and really wanted to be loyal to LS 50s. When I heard the floor standers it was nearly an epiphany.

One slight caveat - the speakers may sound different (better or worse) in your room....depending on differences in dimensions, decor and construction.

 

[ChemMan]

..about that very paradox/conundrum this past year. Outside of bringing them home and trying them here I am not sure what to do. I have no idea if they would even go for that. Though since they fucntion exclusively as demo models for the shop it would make good business sense.

Let me ask you a moral question: I do like the guys at the store, but they are more expensive than other places. I could drive an hour to Brugge and even less to Antwerp and buy for 300 to 500 less. Yet, these guys put in the time with me. My guess is if there are problems at home, they would help solve them if I buy from them. Not so much if I use the competiton in order to save money. On the other hand, 500 euros is a big chunk of change and can be applied to superior cables, etc. Any thoughts?

 

[newlash09]

..about that very paradox/conundrum this past year.  Outside of bringing them home and trying them here I am not sure what to do. I have  no idea if they would even go for that.  Though since they fucntion exclusively as demo models for the shop it would make good business sense.

Let me ask you a moral question:  I do like the guys at the store, but they are more expensive than other places.  I could drive an hour to Brugge and even less to Antwerp and buy for 300 to 500 less.  Yet, these guys put in the time with me.  My guess is if there are problems at home, they would help solve them if I buy from them.  Not so much if I use the competiton in order to save money. On the other hand, 500 euros is a big chunk of change and can be applied to superior cables, etc.  Any thoughts?

I can only tell you what my position is.

I have always valued (and benefited from), having an exceedingly good good relationship with a couple of dealers. They have looked after me when things went wrong; gave me the heads up on interesting deals; given good advice; invited me to musical evenings; been on hand to give technical help over the phone and indulged me when wanting to listen to all sorts of stuff, with no intention to buy.

For this, I usually spend a bit more...but not hundreds more (for new products).

IMO. You need to see if the dealers that are much cheaper give decent advice and service, or are simply box shifters. At least make sure you are not paying above list price, wherever you buy.

If you want to stay with your local guys - see if they can do something for you, even if its in the form of cables etc

Speakers are the one area that are likely to give the least trouble - though it does happen - so if you do decide to pocket the difference, this could be a factor.

+1

Having a long term relationship in a hobby like this has its rewards. When I wanted to buy the parasound in the usa, only Black models were available in los Angeles. I contacted a college mate of mine who was living further away, and I knew he was passionate about audio. He used his good rapport with his local dealers and got me a parasound in silver colour in less than 24 hrs. Though I paid full MRP, I was happy to get what I wanted

 

[CnoEvil]

..about that very paradox/conundrum this past year. Outside of bringing them home and trying them here I am not sure what to do. I have no idea if they would even go for that. Though since they fucntion exclusively as demo models for the shop it would make good business sense.

Let me ask you a moral question: I do like the guys at the store, but they are more expensive than other places. I could drive an hour to Brugge and even less to Antwerp and buy for 300 to 500 less. Yet, these guys put in the time with me. My guess is if there are problems at home, they would help solve them if I buy from them. Not so much if I use the competiton in order to save money. On the other hand, 500 euros is a big chunk of change and can be applied to superior cables, etc. Any thoughts?

I can only tell you what my position is.

I have always valued (and benefited from), having an exceedingly good relationship with a couple of dealers. They have looked after me when things went wrong; gave me the heads up on interesting deals; given good advice; invited me to musical evenings; been on hand to give technical help over the phone and indulged me when wanting to listen to all sorts of stuff, with no intention to buy.

For this, I usually spend a bit more...but not hundreds more (for new products).

IMO. You need to see if the dealers that are much cheaper give decent advice and service, or are simply box shifters. At least make sure you are not paying above list price, wherever you buy.

If you want to stay with your local guys - see if they can do something for you, even if its in the form of cables etc

Speakers are the one area that are likely to give the least trouble - though it does happen - so if you do decide to pocket the difference, this could be a factor.

 

[insider9]

Tried Airplay a few times. Including when I visited Blacksabbath25. It works, but should I use it at home I'd use Upnp. Bubbleupnp works extremely well with it.

Any idea why MQA is on Hegels website under Rost?

I mentioned AirPlay because you can use it to integrate Hegel products with Roon. It works great too. The only issue is that AirPlay is limited to 44.1kHz, but Roon will do a great job of downsampling your HD content before sending it on to the Röst.

The only reference to MQA on Hegel's Röst product page is a link to their TIDAL Masters Guide. This link appears on the product pages for all of their integrated amplifiers and DACs. The guide provides instructions on how to set up the TIDAL desktop app to output partially unfolded (up to 96kHz) MQA content.

Thank you for clarification. I've seen H590 will have MQA support so was wondering if you may have known about any plans for Rost or H190.

 

[jjbomber]

Let me ask you a moral question: I do like the guys at the store, but they are more expensive than other places. I could drive an hour to Brugge and even less to Antwerp and buy for 300 to 500 less. Yet, these guys put in the time with me. My guess is if there are problems at home, they would help solve them if I buy from them. Not so much if I use the competiton in order to save money. On the other hand, 500 euros is a big chunk of change and can be applied to superior cables, etc. Any thoughts?

I would ask them to price match. Given that you move location with work quite often, the chances are that something will go wrong long after you've left your local dealer anyway. In your case, the 500 Euros extra may only be for 3 years service, whereas for most of us it's a lifetime with a local dealer. So give them the opportunity to price match first, then worry about the dilema.

 

[ChemMan]

...and thanks. You are right, thanks for reading the past stuff. We are gone from here in three years so there is no way to establish a long term relationship. I never really thought about price matching. That's a really good idea.

 

[ChemMan]

Hi All,

Today we comapred the B&W 703 vs. B&W 683 and Montor Audio Gold 200 as well as digital sources. This was the second store in which I have heard the 683s play. When compared to the 703 it was apparent that with the 683 the sound was more right at you, but with the 703 the sound stage seemed more around you. (683 had a forward bass reflex port the 703 is in the back) We played multiple tracks thru the A39 and an associated arcam cd payer/streamer that I had not seen before. When compared to the gold 200 the diiferences were slighter. I really thought anyone would be happy to own the 703 or the gold 200. I am leaning now towards those.

We then moved to the bluesound node 2 and the Linn secret. When putting Tidal thru both it was like night and day. The Linn was soft and felt thin. I asked for the Majic, but it was unavailable. To be honest, I was stunned at the difference. He explained that my Arcam is a "softer" less punchy amp and coupled with the Linn, which falls into a bit softer category as well, that's what you get I guess. We did not have the Naim ND5 available either, but we listened to the Naim Uniti in order for me to get an idea about how Naim sounds. As Cno said, it is more direct and "foot tapping." I don't listen to much Zeppelin anymore when chiiling at the house. I am a more singer/songwriter, Steely Dan, Jazz, well engineered/produced recording kind of listener.

The guy running the show was great. NO pressure, he spent three hours with me. We went back and forth with all three sets of speakers, and he was of the opinion that in that price range (3000 euro) he felt those would go best with my amp. As I said at the very beginning of this thread, I want to find fuller sound at lower volumes. With the 703s/Gold 200 I have found one solution to for what I was lookng for and I like the idea that the next upgrade a few years down the road would be amp most likely. He also told me that B&W is phasing out the existing 600 line at the end of the summer.

The Blue sound app was not that big of a deal. Seemed to work fine. But he got me thinking about the Vault 2. It rips, has bluetooth, wifi, radio, Tidal, storeage, etc. I am wondering if the Vault is real hi-fi or more utilitarian. I can get the node for now and enjoy music with new speakers, for 3500. The real cost to me is closer to about 2000 as I have a buyer for some of my older stuff. And the way products are changing so fast, maybe this Bluesound node is a good way to go as we wait and see what the increased competition into the digital arena yields in the next year or two.

I am not done comparing and will go back for at least one more listening session. Any insight into these products and their competition is most welcome.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Have you thought about what possible in a demo with a different amplifier to see if this changes things sound wise and just keep looking at different speakers as well before handing over your money and do not let the dealer make your mind up for you *smile*

 

[CnoEvil]

Thx for getting back to us...I'm glad you are getting out there and listening to different options.

The one DS I have never heard, is the Secret.

IMO. The Linn is more "Analogue" sounding for a digital source, but should certainly not sound thin.....so you should hear the Majik before ruling it out imo. There should be no problem with it matching the A39...which I have heard many times.

Anyway, my advice is keep demoing and not to commit until you get the right sound...which you will know, when you hear it. As a singer song writer, you will now what a realistic presentation should sound like.

What other speaker brands do your dealers have access to. Keep an eye out for J.M Reynaud and Diapason.

 

[ChemMan]

He would only give me 600 euro for the amp and I paid 1200 pounds. I am stuck with it at the moment, and it drives all these speakers nicely. Plus I have to get out of my computer so that is some money. He would let me demo anything I wanted including the Dali opticons, but they are at the other store. Yet in a big room my LS50s just can't give me the full sound even with my sub. I am going by the ears at the moment. Without being able to sell the amplifier, I am going a different route.

 

[ChemMan]

here you go: https://www.alphahighend.be/merken/

Maybe I wrote it wrong. I listen to singer/songwriter type music more so than when I was young and into rock and roll exclusively. I am still on a steady diet of Beatles and Stones, but I have moved toward more jazz and even some classical. A typical day in my music world looks like this:

Moodnaace or America's greatest hits for coffee during the week. Mozart and Beethoven Piano on the weekend. Chris Botti on Wednesday night with the wife for dinner. After dinner drink with Rippingtons Topaz. James Taylor Hourglass with Lunch or early afternoon. Supertramp is a staple as is/are Eagles, Dire Straits, Steve Winwood, Pink Floyd, the Dan and Miles Davis and any unplugged recording I can find. I am an album guy thru and thru. There are very few playlists in my world. I am always on the hunt for new acoustic music. Old rock recording don't sound all that great.

So I am giving you this "private" info so you get an idea of what I listen to. I think I need an all-rounder type of system.

 

[CnoEvil]

here you go: https://www.alphahighend.be/merken/

Maybe I wrote it wrong. I listen to singer/songwriter type music more so than when I was young and into rock and roll exclusively. I am still on a steady diet of Beatles and Stones, but I have moved toward more jazz and even some classical. A typical day in my music world looks like this:

No you didn't write it wrong....I read it wrong. *blush*

In that list of brands, you might try Dynaudio.

If you see Spendor, that could be anothe option.

 

[Macspur]

here you go: https://www.alphahighend.be/merken/

Maybe I wrote it wrong. I listen to singer/songwriter type music more so than when I was young and into rock and roll exclusively. I am still on a steady diet of Beatles and Stones, but I have moved toward more jazz and even some classical. A typical day in my music world looks like this:

Moodnaace or America's greatest hits for coffee during the week. Mozart and Beethoven Piano on the weekend. Chris Botti on Wednesday night with the wife for dinner. After dinner drink with Rippingtons Topaz. James Taylor Hourglass with Lunch or early afternoon. Supertramp is a staple as is/are Eagles, Dire Straits, Steve Winwood, Pink Floyd, the Dan and Miles Davis and any unplugged recording I can find. I am an album guy thru and thru. There are very few playlists in my world. I am always on the hunt for new acoustic music. Old rock recording don't sound all that great.

So I am giving you this "private" info so you get an idea of what I listen to. I think I need an all-rounder type of system.

If you're always on the look out for acoustic music, be sure to look through the Folk/Acoustic thread, or my blog where there's hundreds of artists listed.

Mac

www.realmusicnet.wordpress.com