Bowers & Wilkins Home Speakers

See I could recommend this cheap $750.00 80 watt in 8 ohms integrated amp
https://www.musicdirect.com/integrated-amp/NAD-C-338-Integrated-Amplifier
or this Pass labs A$$ kicking 60 watt in 8 ohms integrated amp for 9k
https://www.passlabs.com/products/int-60/
Budget and goals really matter. Both units I absolutely would run it’s just goals and what you want out of the system.
When I put a system together it's NEVER a matched system. All components are different name brands.
 
I got burned by NAD decades ago and forever prevented me from buying another. Granted they were new to the market back then.
I bought their first (I believe) high current amplifier, known for its ability to create enough current to almost power a welder (Stereo Review Magazine) into 2 ohms (or 4)... 60 AMP peak current
All was great until one of the 2 channels stopped working after just a year or two, bought a trouble free Onkyo amp instead.
Going back in time and reading this review, I wish I kept it.

 
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When I put a system together it's NEVER a matched system. All components are different name brands.
I never posted a matched system at all only two completely different integrated amps. my personal home rig is not matched at all only the amp&preamp are from same mfg only because they have Synergy together.
 
I got burned by NAD decades ago and forever prevented me from buying another. Granted they were new to the market back then.
I bought their first (I believe) high current amplifier, known for its ability to create enough current to almost power a welder (Stereo Review Magazine) into 2 ohms (or 4)... 60 AMP peak current
All was great until one of the 2 channels stopped working after just a year or two, bought a trouble free Onkyo amp instead.
Going back in time and reading this review, I wish I kept it.

Nah, It didnt sound that good, grey cast and noisy. I bought two after having one, ran them bridged. Worse sounding still.

Around that time, The APt Holman Amplifier 1 was a nice high current DC amp - I didnt like the sound of the preamp at all.
A Musical concepts Modified Hafler DH200 is a great, punchy sweet sounding amp as well.
Then The Giant killer Class A Pioneer M22 statement piece. Got one NOS in the mid 80's for under 500 bucks!
I never owned one but a Sumo the Nine was outstanding too.

It's hard to get a good sounding preamp under 2K$. If you don't need phono pre- I would just get a transformer volume control.
Padding down the signal between buffer stage and driver to adjust volume is the biggest mistake in audio design.
It collapses the current field, then dynamic shading, PRaT and bass punch are lost.

pioneer m-22
pioneer m22.jpg


Sumo The Nine
SUMO_The_Nine_Class_A_power.jpg


Apt Holman Power Amplifier 1
apt amp 1.jpg
 
Overpowering is rarely ever an issue. It's underpowering that often damages speakers. People turn up weak amps in search of higher volume, but what they get is distortion that kills speakers.

Yes, a good amp with tons of headroom and low THD ceiling, considerably out-rating the RMS capacity of the speaker, is very unlikely to blow a driver. On the other hand, a cheap amp with half the rated power can easily do so with distortion.
 
Audiomart has a seller with a set of DM602's for $450 (including centre channel):

There are also these DM110's for $150, the cabinets are a bit scratched up but the drivers look good:

For a fair bit more coin, there are also they Tyler Taylo reference monitors for $1,100:

For a pre, the options in Lousianna seem a bit slim. There's this Emotiva XSP-1 for $900:

There's also a Hafler, but it needs work apparently.

For amps, this GAS unit is probably about the most reasonably priced one in your area at $600.00:

There's also a Motif MS-100 for $1,295:

And a McIntosh MC2105 that's apparently a bit quirky for $1,550:
 
For whatever reason Canada has a bunch of really nice speaker manufacturers. I’ve had a set of Axioms in my 5.1 home theatre (my sub is an SVS) for about twelve years and have absolutely no complaints.


B&W does generally built really nice stuff too.
 
For whatever reason Canada has a bunch of really nice speaker manufacturers. I’ve had a set of Axioms in my 5.1 home theatre (my sub is an SVS) for about twelve years and have absolutely no complaints.


B&W does generally built really nice stuff too.
The United States have some really nice speaker manufacturers.
 
For whatever reason Canada has a bunch of really nice speaker manufacturers. I’ve had a set of Axioms in my 5.1 home theatre (my sub is an SVS) for about twelve years and have absolutely no complaints.


B&W does generally built really nice stuff too.
Axiom and Bryston have merged BTW, looks like most of the manufacturing is moving out of Peterborough up to a facility 3x the size in Lake of Bays. Axiom manufactured Bryston's speakers (Model T, Middle T, Model A....etc) so the merger seems pretty logical.

Sounds like Bryston service will remain in Peterborough.
 
I don't go anywhere NEAR farcebook. BITOG is it.

I am aware of Audiogon for used equipment. but prefer local if possible. Lot of
Junkyard stuff being sold used.

Now you piqued my curiosity, Can you browse if you don't have an account?
Unfortunately it's basically replaced Craigslist now for a classifieds market. Especially for cars. IMO it's generally worse than how CL used to be in every manner, but it is what it is.
 
Bowers and Wilkins, also known as B&W, many consider them as an audiophile speaker. I own a pair of the 705 S2. They retail for $3,000. I do not regret buying them. Many of the Bose speakers utilise foam surrounds that may deteriorate over time, and require re-coning. I don't buy anything with foam surrounds. While Bose is quite popular, audiophiles usually don't consider them. It's a subjective thing. At a much lower price point, Elac, and some Pioneer speakers designed by Andrew Jones are worthy of a good look. Emotiva has their Airmotiv B1+ speakers with a sweet ribbon tweeter. Availability is sketchy as they do at times sell out. If you audition something that blows your socks off, you may wind up with buyers remorse. Listen for a smooth, but revealing sound. An amp is not an amp, and a speaker is not a speaker. A reputable retailer might be able to help you match both to give you what you are looking for.
 
The little quad stand mounts de haute qualité fabriqué en Chine, but seem to be worth a listen, regardless.

Drunken Brit blokes aren't all that great at putting things together. I have Seen a few woofers with reversed polarity in
reference studio monitors in the seventies. I would of course gravitate towards manufacture in country of design origin.

A nice pair of used Mission 770 or Freedom 770 or similar should serve BlueOvalFitter well.

View attachment 79227
I had a pair of Mission 770 Freedom's years ago. I really enjoyed them. The Freedom's had a stepped baffle as they were time aligned, and the tweeter was horn loaded. They utilized Vifa drivers.
 
For whatever reason Canada has a bunch of really nice speaker manufacturers. I’ve had a set of Axioms in my 5.1 home theatre (my sub is an SVS) for about twelve years and have absolutely no complaints.


B&W does generally built really nice stuff too.

When I was in the market back in the late 80s and early 90s, I went to a shop where the sales guy said that Canada had some sort of center for speaker design that led to quite a few of those companies going into business. There was Mirage, Image, Energy, Paradigm, and PSB. I know some went out of business, but that was certainly a lot of the market for affordable home speakers in the 90s, along with some more expensive equipment. They had the cache of being relatively small companies compared to the American behemoths like JBL and Infinity that were comparable.
 
When I was in the market back in the late 80s and early 90s, I went to a shop where the sales guy said that Canada had some sort of center for speaker design that led to quite a few of those companies going into business.
Yes, some Canadian speaker designers leveraged the facilities of the NRC to design and test their speakers. Paul Barton from PSB was one of them.


 
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