B&W, Energy, Bryston amps, and more
August 28, 2008
In my quest to build a great two-channel stereo setup, I've
been listening to B&W 804s and find that, although I love the midrange driver and
tweeter, I feel that the speakers don't sound quite full enough on the bottom end for me.
I'm wondering if these speakers will change significantly after a good break-in period and
become more full in the bass. Alternatively, I am thinking about Energy Veritas 2.3i's as
I've read (not yet heard for myself) that they have a much more full and perhaps musical
sound to them, although I know I'll be sacrificing some of the tonal accuracy of the
B&Ws.
I plan on running a Bryston preamp (BP26DA) and amp (3B
SST) to power the speakers along with a Rotel 1072 CD player. If I go with the Energy
speakers, which are quite insensitive at 87dB compared to 90dB for the B&Ws, I wonder
if 150Wpc from the Bryston amp are enough or if I need to move up to the 4B SST to be able
to drive these speakers without any significant compromises. I would like to stick with
the 3B SST, as I've heard that it is a little more transparent than its bigger brother.
So I guess I have three questions. Will the B&Ws change
significantly after break-in? Do you think the Energy Veritas speakers are in the same
audiophile class as the B&W 800 series? Should I power Energy Veritas 2.3i's (rated
for 200W) with the 3B SST (150Wpc) or the 4B SST (300Wpc)?
Ry
You’re making a couple of assumptions that may not
be completely correct, so let’s tackle those first. I’m not sure the B&Ws
are more tonally accurate than the Energy speakers. That’s not to say you won’t
prefer the B&W speakers ultimately over the Energy, or the other way around, just that
the Energy speakers might prove to be just as accurate, if not more so, than the B&Ws.
I’ve heard the 2.3i's, and they are very honest speakers. Second, unless you’ve
seen independent measurements for both the Energy and the B&W speakers I would not
assume that the 804s are that much more sensitive. This is a specification that we often
find to be quite inaccurate. Check the speakers at www.speakermeasurements.com
to see what I mean.
As for power, I know the Bryston amps are
conservatively rated, typically producing more power than the manufacturer states. For
instance, the 4B SST is rated by Bryston to produce 300Wpc but actually outputs 336Wpc
into 8 ohms according to our measurements on www.amplifiermeasurements.com. That is a
full 10% over its rated power output. Taking that into consideration, I think the 3B SST
would be sufficient for either speaker you are considering. As for the Energy Veritas
speakers, there is no doubt in my mind that they are as “audiophile” as
B&Ws. I’ve heard them in my home and like them quite a bit. Lastly, speakers will
break in to a small degree during the first 24 hours or so of use, and this might result
in some slight audible improvements. However, the basic sound will not change dramatically
over what you hear when you set them up for the first time.
In-ceiling speaker follow-up
August 20, 2008
Thank you for the answer to my question on in-ceiling
speakers. I have been looking at speakers for the past two days online and have found a
dizzying array of products to choose from. I do think I will go with a set of Paradigm
speakers. One last question: Since they will be mounted in the ceiling, is placement all
that critical?
S.D.
Placement is still important. In regard to where each
speaker is mounted in relation to the listening position: make sure there is enough
distance between you and the speakers for the drivers to integrate properly. This usually
is not a big issue with in-ceiling speakers since many of them are coaxial-type designs
where the tweeters are mounted within or over the top of the cones of the woofers, thereby
making integration (the tweeter’s sound meshing with that of the woofer) quicker. I’d
say at least six feet from the listening position is a bare minimum, which, depending on
the height of the ceiling, should be a snap. The second point is symmetry: make sure that
each speaker is equidistant from the listening position. This is really critical for good
sound. Although you can level match the speakers with the settings in your receiver, it is
far less compromised to simply get out a tape measure and ensure that each speaker is
mounted the same distance from where you will be sitting.
In-ceiling speakers
August 15, 2008
I've just bought a foreclosure home and the previous owner
removed the great-room ceiling speakers, leaving five 8” holes in the ceiling. I've
currently been listening to Paradigm Cinema speakers, with a higher-end Paradigm center
and sub, which I really like. Since I'm going to mount a flat-panel TV over the fireplace
there's no place for my center speaker. Can ceiling speakers really produce good sound?
It's hard to imagine all of the center-channel sound coming from above.
S.D.
Ceiling-mounted speakers are a subset of wall-mounted
speakers -- which include both on-wall and in-wall. This product genre has advanced in
sound quality and overall engineering greatly over the past five years, to the point where
it is not considered a seriously compromised solution anymore. Most speaker companies have
a product that is intended for wall installation, so the number of choices is huge.
Paradigm makes a wide array of products themselves, and since you have those already I’d
suggest looking to them first. Will the sound be exactly what you’re used to from a
standard center speaker? I really can’t say, but I do believe it will be closer than
you think. And, of course, it will satisfy your décor issues completely.
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