[02GF74]

Hello

My sytem is mostly audiolab (the old black boxes), cdm, dac,Q and four Ms to bi-amp a set of monitor audio studio 50. It has been assembled over a few years, source s/h otherwise I;d probably get a heart attack if I add up the new cost.

I use cdH the first/second interconnects and nordost speaker cables.

I listen to a variety of musical e.g. The Prodigy and vocal e.g. Nick Cave/Leonard Cohen.


I find my system is a bit too bright hence I am toying with buying Wilson Benesch Curve (private) hence not listened to in my system) and wondering on opinions.

Any other suggestions welcome.

[karkus30]

Originally Posted by 02GF74

Hello

My sytem is mostly audiolab (the old black boxes), cdm, dac,Q and four Ms to bi-amp a set of monitor audio studio 50. It has been assembled over a few years, source s/h otherwise I;d probably get a heart attack if I add up the new cost.

I use cdH the first/second interconnects and nordost speaker cables.

I listen to a variety of musical e.g. The Prodigy and vocal e.g. Nick Cave/Leonard Cohen.


I find my system is a bit too bright hence I am toying with buying Wilson Benesch Curve (private) hence not listened to in my system) and wondering on opinions.

Any other suggestions welcome.

Not a big fan of WB and if your system is bright then the WB s will probably just make things worse. They are a supremely hifi sounding speaker which you would think was a good thing, but I find them tiring and they do require seriously good electronics or the sound can be less than pleasant.

Big rock......try a pair of Ultimatum 7s from Neat acoustics (well over 5K but you might talk them into a deal on a pair of demo speakers, or something which has minor cosmetic flaws).

I'm going to recommend them because I use them and would probably never change them in my lifetime unless some new technology appeared. Bass (measured) runs as low as 20Hz and although beginning a roll off it still makes your stomach quiver They are also more tolerant of less expensive electronics and can live with an average monoblock such as naim 135s.

Dynaudio do some good kit as well and I would recommend Totem.

[Dave964]

I'd be very wary of buying any speakers without hearing them in your system first - certainly any that are similar price to the Curves.

I demo'd WB Curves in store (using almost identical kit as I had at home) and absolutely loved them. I then had a home demo, and they didn't work at all. Everything I'd loved in the shop demo seemed to be missing at home.

I was 99% sure I'd love them and buy them before I got them home. If I hadn't tried them at home, I'd now have a set of £5k speakers sitting in a cupboard while I continued to listen to my old ones!

[Jimholt]

Yes Dave964 has it in a nutshell. I too listened to more expensive speakers and ended up with some Aurousals at 3 and 4 times cheaper. I wanted some speakers that had a smooth top end, and these could help with your system.

As Dave964 said try at home first though as they may not be your cup of tea.

[02GF74]

Originally Posted by Dave964

I was 99% sure I'd love them and buy them before I got them home. If I hadn't tried them at home, I'd now have a set of £5k speakers sitting in a cupboard while I continued to listen to my old ones!

ah, so you did buy them in the end? (I was searching for WBC hence saw your post). thinking of selling?

[Dave964]

Originally Posted by 02GF74

ah, so you did buy them in the end? (I was searching for WBC hence saw your post). thinking of selling?

No. After the home demo, it was obvious they weren't for me.

I had a couple of other demo's and ended up with the KEFs in my signature.

[JonnyBingham]

Wow you have a Chord QB76 DAC - not that this dac is anything 'superior' to the rest of what looks like an amazing (and pricey!) system.

Have you compared the QB76 to the DAC 64? What were the differences?
Cheers

[Dave964]

Originally Posted by JonnyBingham

Wow you have a Chord QB76 DAC - not that this dac is anything 'superior' to the rest of what looks like an amazing (and pricey!) system.

Have you compared the QB76 to the DAC 64? What were the differences?
Cheers

No - to be honest, I intended to buy a DAC64. The QBD was an accident.

I'd been thinking of a DAC64 for some time (a few months), and there was one second hand (but a bit over-priced). I thought it was safer to try from a dealer - perhaps they had old stock. So I went to my local Audio-T and asked if they had one - but they said no, and they probably couldn't get one since Reading branch dealt with all the Chord stuff.

So I went up to Reading, just to see. They didn't have a DAC64 but said they had the QBD76 if I wanted to hear it. I had no intention of buying one - and hadn't even considered one before, since they were way too expensive - but I had the afternoon free, so said : why not?

They demo'd it there in the shop and it blew me away. I walked out with it under my arm!