John Warren Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 John, your friend is lucky to have a friend like you doing some advising. He is so clear about his and his wife's goals, combined with your obvious expertise, I'm sure he is going to end up with a dynamite system. Perhaps and thanks for the vote of confidence. I don't consider my speaker recommendations to be of value. How we hear and interpret sound reproduction is a personal thing. I can however suggest brands that are well designed and based on sound engineering methods and design concepts within the target price point. For example, Linn and Wilson use laminated phenolic sheet in the cabinet construction. There's many reasons why this material is vastly superior to MDF, Birch-ply or high density particle board. The cost however is well beyond the budget here. +++ I am not trying to sell any gear, and I really don't care which brand he ends up with, but you might want to know that Klipsch offers a 30-day trial on new purchases. http://www.klipsch.com/cart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) I can't recommend tubes, Klipschorns or vintage hardware. Edited March 22, 2015 by John Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Without some room details, it would be tough to make suggestions, but here is my best guess...... Speakers - Klipsch P-38F floor standing loudspeakers. $12,000 Amplifier - Yamaha A-S3000 $4000 Tuner - Yamaha - TS-500 $200 CD Player - Oppo BDP - 105D $1300 subwoofer - Hsu Technologies - VTF-15H - $1700 $19,200 Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I can't recommend tubes, Klipschorns or vintage hardware. John, What kind of room dimensions are we talking about here? I would want an Oppo BDP over the Pioneer. Also, if the guy and his wife have room, what about Klipsch Jubilees and a Klipsch KPT-1802 subwoofer, all with a real wood veneer body panel of their choosing?? Kevin Harmon has Jubilees with two KPT-684s in his man cave and he is a Dentist. I am sure an audition could be arranged if they are truly about the sound??? Roger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Roger-The room is large, can easy accommodate a large format rig. The expectation however is no refrigerator size speakers, small foot-print and can be moved without getting a hernia or popping a ********. The Oppo...yup, I thought about it and it's nice but I know I could not hear the difference between that and the Pioneer even if my life was hanging on the decision. I think the BDP is $1200 no? (almost 2X the Pioneer and I think that's expensive for a CD player). Good suggestions however. Edited March 22, 2015 by John Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Bryant-Your approach dedicates more of the budget dedicated to the speakers which is reasonable. In my list, I wanted to get a McIntosh piece into the mix primarily with the eye to upgrading the speakers (or adding more) in the future. The autoformer output and high power rating of the MA6600 gives the owner a lot of expansion capabilities. Also, the Yamaha will not have the same resale that the McIntosh will enjoy in 10 or 15 years from now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Get the Oppo BDP, speakers, Chorus or Pallidum if WAF is an issue. I would ask doctor what is his first objective, spend $20, 000 or get a great sounding system. They may not be the same. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 All these prices are full msrp. We all know those prices are just the starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Roger-The room is large, can easy accommodate a large format rig. The expectation however is no refrigerator size speakers, small foot-print and can be moved without getting a hernia or popping a ********. The Oppo...yup, I thought about it and it's nice but I know I could not hear the difference between that and the Pioneer even if my life was hanging on the decision. I think the BDP is $1200 no? (almost 2X the Pioneer and I think that's expensive for a CD player). Good suggestions however. Truth is...... if they are simply going to play redbook CDs, the Oppo may not be the most cost effective choice given you are paying for BD technology as well. Marantz, Denon and Yamaha all make CD players with a high quality DAC built in. I am an Oppo guy, so I don't really KNOW how well others sound and work, but I would assume finding a CD player with one of the better DACs and quality transport coupld be had for $600 or so. The Yamaha CD-N500 is both a network streamerr and CD player with a nice Burr-Brown 192khz/32 bit DAC. It costs $500, but I have never actually seen or heard one. I simply know Oppo products much better. Specs look great mind you, but specs can be deceiving. Would probably "look" great with the Yamaha amp though. ^___^ Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 My guess is that John's recommendations were constrained by a number of obstacles. I assume that the footprint and WAF were high on the list as well as a turnkey system using new and low-maintenance components (perhaps room placement also). As with most decisions, there are probably many, many other factors that were stated and that needed to be weighed. Yes sir, you're spot on. It's important that his wife sees this as a positive experience and not an exercise in self-indulgence. I guess I see an exercise in self-indulgence as being an integral part of a positive experience. For what it is worth, I used to recommend panel speakers (Martin Logan or Magenpans with the model determined by their budget and augmented by a sub-woofer). This actually can be a great recommendation, but in practice - not so simple. I would go over to their house several months later and see that the sub-woofer was cranked way up and the panel speakers were pushed back into the wall and corners in order to "get them out of the way". I no longer make recommendations ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Bryant-Your approach dedicates more of the budget dedicated to the speakers which is reasonable. In my list, I wanted to get a McIntosh piece into the mix primarily with the eye to upgrading the speakers (or adding more) in the future. The autoformer output and high power rating of the MA6600 gives the owner a lot of expansion capabilities. Also, the Yamaha will not have the same resale that the McIntosh will enjoy in 10 or 15 years from now. Actually, the $4000 is for a refurbished Accessories for Less Yamaha amplifier. Usually it goes for about $6500. As far as resale, you are absolutely correct though. Yamaha does not generate the buzz that the name McIntosh does other than a select few vintage pieces. It is merely a preference. I really like the higher-end Yamaha amplification like the old M65 . Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Bryant-Your approach dedicates more of the budget dedicated to the speakers which is reasonable. In my list, I wanted to get a McIntosh piece into the mix primarily with the eye to upgrading the speakers (or adding more) in the future. The autoformer output and high power rating of the MA6600 gives the owner a lot of expansion capabilities. Also, the Yamaha will not have the same resale that the McIntosh will enjoy in 10 or 15 years from now. Actually, the $4000 is for a refurbished Accessories for Less Yamaha amplifier. Usually it goes for about $6500. As far as resale, you are absolutely correct though. Yamaha does not generate the buzz that the name McIntosh does other than a select few vintage pieces. It is merely a preference. I really like the higher-end Yamaha amplification like the old M65 . Bryant I think that John is dealing with folks that want to buy new components. I have run into this before. There is a large population out there that will flip out at the idea of buying something that is not new and under warrantee etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBPK402 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Roger-The room is large, can easy accommodate a large format rig. The expectation however is no refrigerator size speakers, small foot-print and can be moved without getting a hernia or popping a ********. The Oppo...yup, I thought about it and it's nice but I know I could not hear the difference between that and the Pioneer even if my life was hanging on the decision. I think the BDP is $1200 no? (almost 2X the Pioneer and I think that's expensive for a CD player). Good suggestions however. The Oppo 103 is a bargain, and unless you want to use the player as a pre/processor there is no need to go with the 105d 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 RF-82 II's are on sale for $399 each. I wonder how they would stack up against the B&W 804's? 1/10th the price, good WAF, and I bet he would like the sound of them better. Plus he has $6,700 still in his pocket. I don't know anybody who said RF-82 II's suck. 98db vs 90db efficient, and it has better bass response than the P-39. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cradeldorf Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 After my purchase of a Pioneer elite blue ray player I wouldn't reccomend their products to my worst enemy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 My Pioneer BDP sounded good with music but, the thing was slow, some of the streaming options was very limited. Not the best bang for you bucks by a wide margin. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pite Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) RF-82 II's are on sale for $399 each. I wonder how they would stack up against the B&W 804's? 1/10th the price, good WAF, and I bet he would like the sound of them better. Plus he has $6,700 still in his pocket. I don't know anybody who said RF-82 II's suck. 98db vs 90db efficient, and it has better bass response than the P-39. "I don't know anybody who said RF-82 II's suck. 98db vs 90db efficient, and it has better bass response than the P-39." <---- Wow - that's really interesting !!! I can't even say that with RF-7 IIs or RF-83 when comparing to P-39F. The base is quite comparable between RF-7 II and P-39F up to given point of driving, but when it comes to midrange I've not heard anything in RF series (including RF-7 IIs) that can come close to Palladium P-39F. Also, one can drive Palladium P-39F up to 400w and that will blow RF-7II out as they max out at 250w. That said, while I've never auditioned myself, I've heard that mids from Heritage line is more detailed. I don't want to belittle RF-82 II (and will never say that they suck), but honestly speaking it wouldn't be fair to compare RF-82 (or newer RF-82 II) with RF-63, RF-83, RF-7 II and any of the Palladium series speakers as they're in different price range as well as the performance. Edited March 23, 2015 by pite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pite Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Speakers: B&W Diamond 804 $7500/pr. Total $16,700. How did I do? You did great, if this was the B&W discussion forum! I'm not a big fan of the B&W 804's, they are a little thin on top. How about a pair of Palladium P-37's for the L/R? That is $8,000 for the pair and it gives the good doctor really nice options if he wants to upgrade to a full home theater setup in the future. http://www.klipsch.com/p-37f-floorstanding-speaker/details Or perhaps Palladium P-38Fs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pite Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) Or probably a used pair of Palladium P-39F... Edited March 23, 2015 by pite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Klipsch kpt jubilee/535m - maybe 10k???? Vrd with upgrades - 4k'ish Aletheia cross overs - 1000-1500 Oppo 105 region free - 1500 Wyred dac2dsd se - 2500 Marantz 8802 - 3500 In the ball park for a starter system... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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