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I currently have the first revision of B&W 603s. I am looking to replace these with speakers that do a better job with the sound stage - bigger and more precise with more seperation between instruments.I will probably buy speakers used, with a max price of around 2,000. This equates to around a max price of 4,000 for new speakers from what I can tell.
I liked the Meadowlark Shearwater Hot Rods that I heard. I also really liked Red Rose Classics that I heard, but these are $8000. Does anyone know how the Rosebud (3,000) or the R3 (3,500) compare to the Classics?
I did not really like Vandersteen 3As.
I am just starting my search. Does anyone have suggestions for speakers similiar to the Shearwater's or any adive on Red Rose speakers?
Thanks!
Follow Ups:
John;
Detailing your system would help the knowledgable folk around here to give you better advice.Having said that, the Shearwater HRs are extremely good speakers in the $3k range. Don't think you could go wrong with them in general. Sound is rich, full, imaging excellent.
You might pick up the previous Listener mag, they did a speaker comparison in the $3k ballpark. While not including the Meadowlarks, several others looked mighty tempting at least to me, JMR Evo3's to be specific. But I'm a fan of the JMR sound.
Revel makes some fine units also, the M20 monitor ($2200) and F30 floorstander ($3500) that merit a listen. Probably need more power than Meadowlarks, though; Meadowlarks love tubes and are an easy load to drive. Check jonbee's recent posts on the M20s, his descriptions are far better than I could manage. Dynamic, neutral, clean, excellent.
Lots of great choices, have fun listening. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice.
My system:
Creek 5350SE
Basis 1400 - Clearaudio Aurum Beta cartridge
marantz 67SEI rent, so I move fairly often. My big concern with the shearwaters is placement. I have read that placement with these speaker is fairly critical and they work better in a large room.
For this reason alone, bookshelf speakers may work better for me right now.
Hmm, don't know about the placement issue, maybe a search here would help you out. Smaller? Try the Kestral HRs; nice, compact floorstander sharing many of the characteristics of the Shearwater. A little less bass wouldn't hurt in an apt, either. Excellent speakers, especially for $1700. Might give 'em a spin, don't believe they'd disappoint either. High foot-tapping quotient.JMR Trente's might be a possibility as well.
How do you like the Basis, btw? Considering vinyl, so trying to get some opinions on some different setups. Thanks!
I like the Basis table. I am not sure I will ever use the upgrade path to Basis’s high end tables, but knowing it is there is nice. I was comparing it mainly to the Rega P25. To be honest I did not hear a big difference between them, but thought the Basis was a bit tighter and clearer.The Clearaudio Aurum Beta cartridge is ok, but the highs seem a bit compressed to me. The shelter 501 has gotten great reviews on this site, but I have never heard it. At some point in the future I am going to try and find someone with it so I can audition it.
I have listened to the kestrels. They were really nice, but the Shearwaters sounded a lot better to me. I may just get Kestrels though. I have heard that they are much easier to place and less dependent on the room.
John;
Thanks for the thoughts on the TT/cart. You might check the Vinyl board, there's a thread on the Beta vs. Beta S carts that might be of interest (if you haven't seen it yet).I am still rassling with the thought of going into vinyl. Set a $2k budget for that or upgrading my digital source. No software (LPs), so that would have to include a BIG slug o'cash for records. Big investment, still unsure if it will be worth it. If you were starting over, would you do vinyl again?
As re the Kestrals, at 1/2 the price, can't expect them to match the Shearwaters. But a great little speaker in it's own right. Think about the JMR Trente, check out www.soundsrightaudio.com. Mike, the owner is a great guy and will answer any questions you might have. Bought JMR Twins from him (also a great speaker), and he was extremely helpful.
Thanks again!
I started out in vinyl slowly. I originally bought a $120 Denon table with cartridge and built in phono stage. It sounded horrible, but I used it for a few years and only upgraded to the Basis about a year ago.The Denon table allowed me to get started in vinyl cheaply and by the time I upgraded to the Basis, I already owned a lot of records. The majority of the albums I own are used rock albums from the 60’s and early 70’s and do not sound great, but for one or two dollars each, I can buy a lot more of them than new cds or records.
I do own a few new records. To be honest, even with the Basis table and new records, I am not convinced that records sound better than cds. Some albums do sound better (Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’ for example), some do not. It is a different sound.
To end the rambling – I like inexpensive used vinyl, most of which sounds decently on my current setup. The majority of new stuff that I buy is still on cd. If I had it to do over again, I would still buy the turntable. The money that I have saved buying used vinyl vs new cds has already easily made the investment worthwhile. I am sure that this is audiophile heresy :)
I don't know how these compare to the speakers you mentioned above, but the Sonus Faber Signum does soundstaging very well. I auditioned a pair of Signums with two different amps, and despite the presence of lots of glass on one side of the room and a big, direct view TV on the other side, the Signums were very revealing of the amps' differences in soundstage width, height and depth. Soundstage layering was also good, and I imagine it would have been better with less reflective room surfaces.And, I know someone who as of a few weeks ago was selling a mint pair incl. Sonus Faber stands within your budget. He might have sold them by now, but the Signum is still worth checking if the music you listen to isn't bass-heavy. If the music you listen to is bass-heavy, you'll want a subwoofer with Signums, or you'll want to get something else.
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