Love the system. How do the Mac's sound with the 803Ds? I demoed the B&W's when I was getting my speakers and did not like them paired with a Bryston amp. Have since heard them at a friend's place and they sounded great.
System edited: Over the summer I upgraded from a two channel amplifier to monoblock amps. That change trigger a re-configuration of my set up racks and 14 other small positioning tweaks including mounting display to the wall.
Diamonds are a guys best friend. Wonderful system. One can see how you could go back too two channel audio with such fine stereo componets. Happy listening.
System edited: Traded C220 for the new C2300. Big upgrade. I'm very pleased. Also added Sound Anchors for the B&W speakers. Well worth the resonable cost.
This is a nicely balance system. Rotel and B&W compliment each other well. The Marantz and Tara Labs are smooth and not hard. Wouldn't change a thing, or you might open a can of worms ad start going backwards.
All you need to upgrade is your picture reproduction. Samsung 30" HDTV, Samsung 46" DLP, or Panasonic 42" Plasma EDTV are great values.
The room is 11' x 16' with an opening to the kitchen on one side, and the ceiling is sloped right to left between 7' to 10'. The sub blends with the speakers perfectly, I would have never wanted a B&W sub before this model came out (and the version in black is absolutely beautiful, but there are no good pictures of the PV1 in that color on the B&W website). Right now I have the EQ set to I, and the gain is set at the half way mark. The sub isn't lacking compared with the related equipment. Even with the sub level on the Rotel processor set to -3, I still have a bump in room frequency response of +8 db in the 50Hz to 80 Hz range.
Nice system. I think you're underrating it a bit; this is true hi fidelity audio equipment! You'd have to spend a fortune to improve on it significantly.
Hey Ed, I have a similar setup to yours and is also in the slow process of upgrading as budget allows. I have a pair of 704s instead of 703s and also have the PV1 sub. My questions are mostly related to the PV1. How big is your room and do you find the PV1 lacking anything at all, with movies? Also, which EQ setting do you have it set on, and how about the gain setting? THanks
I actually got the speaker cables used, and for a great price ($600). I know I'll also get the upgrade bug and replace the electronics as my income allows. The cables are an attempt to stay ahead of the curve.
Sounds like a very nice system. I've got B&W DM640s for left and right channels, powered by a 2 channel Carver amp rated at 225 watts per channel. That may be overkill for home theater, but I sure love the way it sounds in stereo when I feel like cranking it - pure, clean, loud, and always the feel of plenty of headroom.
I have a different home theater system using smaller B&Ws and a B&W CC6 powered at 100 watts/ch, and I agree - its worth stepping up a notch or two for the center channel.