April 30, 2002
Subject: Musical Fidelity amp
Hi Wes,
Well I suppose you get questions like this all the time. I
read your review of Musical Fidelity AC3 amplifier. I live in Boston, and although there
are dealers who carry MF here, they don't stock the AC separates. I'm thinking of getting
one to use with a Spectral DMC 12 preamp and a pair of Totem Forest speakers. What do you
think? I'm writing you because I believe your review turned me on to the C-J Premier 11,
which is still my main amp.
PS: Did you also review the wonderful ProAc Response One S?
Frank
Hi Frank:
I'm a little behind on answering "Ask Wes," so
forgive me if I didn't respond in a timely enough manner.
By now I'm pretty sure most dealers have replaced their
stock of AC3 with the AC300, which I am just starting to listen to, but even this early,
it's not a stretch to say it won't be embarrassed by your Spectral preamp.
If you can hang tight for a full review, I should be
posting one come summer -- if not, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks for the kind words. That was me writing about the
ProAc One S -- I still love 'em.
April 19, 2002
Subject: New speakers and cables
Hi Wes!
I have really enjoyed reading your reviews and answers to
queries ever since I came upon this site a few months back. Keep up the good work!
At present I have a Marantz CD6000SE player with a Musical
Fidelity preamp/power-amp A3CR combo and Acoustic Energy 109 loudspeakers. Interconnects
are van den Hul Integration, and speaker cables are a basic pair of Rogers.
Thanks to your recommendation, I bought the MF components
recently (as a replacement for my 15-year-old MF integrated), and I am really enjoying my
music right now. The only problem now is the loudspeakers, which whilst quite competent,
seem to "keep the music in the box" rather than "disappear." As a
long-term move, I would like to upgrade the speakers and cables and would welcome your
advice here. I'm looking at the Dynaudio Audience 8.2, Triangle Acoustique Antal, Sound
Dynamics P100 and NHT 2.9. As for speaker cables, I'm quite at a loss, bearing in mind the
large selection and price ranges available, so I would appreciate your invaluable input.
I mainly listen to modern jazz and female vocals, with some
pop and classical thrown in. I like the "breathless" sound of vocals with
speakers that are not apparently there right in front of you with a deep and wide
soundstage. Asking for too much?
Kee
Awww, Kee:
You don't ask easy ones, do you? I think your speaker
choices all seem sound for your system, but I don't know your room or, well, you. I
suspect it'll come down to a question of which has the bass response that best integrates
to your room, but that's hard to predict.
As for cables, find a dealer (if you have a good one) who
can lend you samples to try at home. Failing that, find a website that will. It's all
about synergy and there's no easy way to predict that, short of listening to your room to
your kit.
April 17, 2002
Subject: B&W Nautilus 802
Hello Wes,
I'm facing a dilemma. I've fallen in love with the sound of
the B&W Nautilus 802s at my local dealer. The problem is that my present listening
room is very small -- 11' x 13' x 8'. It's a dedicated music room, though, so I can put
things wherever I like. I've also treated the first reflection points with Sonex foam. At
reasonable sound levels (85-90dB) I don't think it's a bad-sounding room at all.
From what I've read, though, it seems that the general
consensus is that a large speaker will not work in a small room. Is the extended
low-frequency response of a larger speaker the real problem? The speakers I'm using now
show a strong output down to 40Hz in my room. The N802s go down to about 30Hz or so. I
cannot see where this is going to cause major difficulties. My room does show a peak
around 50Hz, but I don't find that to be a problem.
My other concern regards listening to a large speaker in
the nearfield. I can only sit about seven or eight feet at most from the speakers. I
remember you reviewed the N801 a couple years back. Did you listen in the nearfield at
all? I know the N801 is quite popular as a studio monitor. I'm thinking this may indicate
that it works well up close. B&W suggests a minimum listening distance of two meters,
which I can accommodate.
I realize that I wont get the full benefit of these
speakers in such a small room. I also know that I'm not going to live in this house
forever! Am I crazy to buy these things? I don't think I can be satisfied with a lesser
speaker after hearing these! I'd appreciate your thoughts!
Greg
Hi Greg:
I think your answer lies in your next-to-last sentence --
if you're not going to be satisfied with anything else, then get the N802s and work around
the room problem. I think that being passionate is the key to great audio experiences --
everything else is just details.
While B&W might recommend a minimum listening distance
of two meters for the N801s, I suspect that is optimistic. Those babies need a LOT of
room, and my Santa Fe listening room, which had 15' ceilings and was part of an open-plan
house, might have been on the small side for those babies. Recording studios like 'em,
BTW, because they are flat and will play at staggeringly loud levels without breaking up.
In my Santa Fe listening room -- and indeed in most rooms
-- the N802 is a much more practical speaker. In your room, I suspect you'll need to add
some bass traps (which should help cure that 50Hz hump as well). You can purchase good
ones from ASC (the Tube Trap people) or you can go the home-brew route -- between various
DIY sites on the Internet and F. Alton Everest's superb book on acoustics, the information
is out there.
About that foam on the first reflection point along your
side walls Foam is less effective than most people think, especially in the lower
frequencies. If you're using less than 2" depths, it's probably not doing as much as
you think or behaving as uniformly as you'd like. I prefer diffraction/abfusion at that
point and use the age-old bookcase/record-shelf form of treatment (books do furnish a
room), but there are excellent products available from RPG and other firms that will also
do the job (and, again, there's always the Internet as a reference if you want to do it
yourself).
Will you have to do some work to get the N802s to sound as
good as you want them to in your room? Sure, but you've found a speaker that moves you and
excites you -- the rest is the fun part. Good luck Greg, and write back with a progress
report, OK?
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