Replaced my Nautilus 803 speakers with the 803 Diamond version. I was not at all sure when I read about these that the change from an aluminum to a diamond tweeter was all that big of a deal. So much for reading...
Then, I listened to them. There is so much more definition than with the old speakers. They are so much clearer, providing more detail and transparency.
Also, B&W upgraded the woofer array. Whereas the 803 had two 7" woofers, the 803D has three of those babies. Without being overpowering or overly dominant, I have a real and palpable sense of authority in the bass, and a low of air is getting moved around the room.
Still, I need to upgrade these speaker cables. Immediately. Today. Right now. In fact, I'm going to stop writing...
June 2007. This amplifier replaces the Adcom GFA-565 monoblocks that I had had in my system for quite a while. This made a huge, huge difference. I think that if I had known how bad those Adcoms were, I would have done this a long time ago!
Ayre Acoustics L-5Xe Power Filter
June 2007
Ayre Acoustics Signature Series
Interconnnect
B&W Nautilus 803 D
August 2005.
Conrad Johnson Premier 17 Line Stage
September 2004
Kimber Kable Monocle XL
October 2005. I replaced a pair of Kimber Bifocal XL cables with two pair of Kimber Monocle XL cables. The Bifocal XL uses 36 strands (24 for the low frequencies, 12 for the high frequencies). Each Monocle XL cables uses 24 strands, so in the pair, there is a great improvement in high frequency reproduction.
System edited: Finally yanked out the old Monster Cable. This was, if not an oxymoron, pretty good Monster Cable. Their then top of the line m1000i series. Not bad stuff. But, it had to go. I'm just listening, now, and I'll have to post a further update after I've had a chance to enjoy these for a few days!
System edited: Hey! How come nobody told me how bad my Adcoms were? I really, really, really needed to get those out of my system. This Ayre V-5Xe is just a wonderful piece. There is so much more detail, precision, articulation, clarity, and above all, musicality. This changes everything. It's not just electronics anymore. It's music! So how come nobody told me this?
System edited: Replaced the pair of Kimber Bifocal XL speaker cables with two pairs of Monocle XL. The difference here is that the Bifocal uses 36 strands, 24 low and 12 high. With the Monocle XL, I have 48 strands, 24 low and 24 high. The difference was predictable!
System edited: Just replaced the Nautilus 803 speakers with the 803D version. I wasn't sure how much of an effect the diamond tweeters would have from reading about them. So much for reading... Then, I listened to the things. They are simply awesome. The clarity and the transparency in the upper frequency is just astounding. It is another layer of grunge that has been removed from the sound. Also, B&W added a third 7" woofer. This adds substantially to the bass presentation. Without being overly dominant, the lower frequencies now seem more authoritative, and even palpable. You really feel that a lot of air is getting pushed around the room. And, of course, the 6" midrange has always been a Nautilus strength, appearing in everything from the 805 up to the 800. I've had the 805's, the 804's, the 803's, and now these wondrous things. I'm looking forward to another year of great listening.
If you're enjoying vinyl now, and you enjoy listening to jazz, then I would say (and again, this can be a touchy subject, so just MHO) ditch the B&O. It serves a purpose, but only up until a point. I think you're correct in saying that the Pro-Ject 1.2 isn't much better. Thenagain it's an extremely entry level piece of equipment (I think needledoctor is clearing out old stock for like 300$) which will only give you a hint of what vinyl can really sound like. I used to own both a B&0 TX and TX2, and they were fun tables that provided acceptable sound quality. They're are, however, highly limited by the proprietary cartridge system (B & 0 cartridges are definitely lacking) and another of other reasons (construction, etc). I moved up to a Music Hall MMF-7 and realized how much I was missing before (a variety of catridges from the stock eroica to a dynavector and grado reference). I'm intending to move soon to a VPI Aries 2 or Scoutmaster (recommendations anyone?) and while I won't say that I listen to exclusively vinyl now (I'm also the proud owner of a sony scd-1) it's changed my software priorities and listening tastes for the better. You have a lovely setup, but if you're intersted in vinyl your system deserves a better rig.
System edited: Just added the Conrad-Johnson Premier 17LS preamplifier. Boy, is this really a sweet sounding piece! Listening to Duane Allman and Dicky Betts on Eat A Peach just brought tears to my eyes. Just so melodic and sweet sounding. Actually, kind of like guitars, I guess! I think this opens the door for some more stuff from these great people.
System edited: I have replaced my speakers with B&W Nautilus 803's. I will probably want to comment more after a break in period, and after I have listened to them for a bit, but I just wanted to note how quickly I stopped trying to listen to the speakers and started listening to the music. I really got lost in Diana Krall's Love Scenes. This Sony SCD-1 is really such a monster. Please don't tell Elvis about the Diana Krall thing...
If you want to see another informed opinion on components, get a subscription and back issues of the Audio Critic, editied by Peter Aczel. His opinion it that electronics with nearly identical spec's will sound nearly identical, and that double blind tests confirm that over and over again. The moral of his story is to put your money where your speakers are, so to speak. So, how do you like your speakers? I had a pair of 805's and then 804's in my living room. Downstairs is home theater with Paradigm Studio Reference all around and Compact 7ES2's in the bedroom system.
System edited: Replaced Bang & Olufsen RX-2, radial tracking turntable with Bang & Olufsen TX, tangential tracking turntable. Replaced Bang & Olufsen MMC-3 with Bang & Olufsen MMC-1.
System edited: Replaced MMC-3 cartridge with MMC-2 cartridge. Listened extensively to Project 1.2 Turntable with Sumiko Blue Point Special. I liked this ancient Bang & Olufsen stuff better!
An interesting approach would be a pair of used Avantgarde Solos, which achieve 2 goals, upgrade of speakers and amps, since the Solos are self powered.
System edited: Replaced Bose 901's with Nautilus 805's. Still in the process of positioning them correctly, experimenting with different wiring types and set-ups, and debating the $600.00 stand issue!
No amount of equalization can overcome the cheap components and fundamentally bad sound of the 901. The whole concept of the speaker is flawed. It's like expecting a Yugo to run with a Honda S2000 by using better spark plugs and wires in the Yugo. It just isn't going to happen -- and it's certainly not worth the effort or expense. -- Ron
If you like the Bose speaker a first step might be a high quality duplication of the 901 equalizer unit with mil spec components. After that a quality preamp; adcom does not qualify. Bose 901 speakers can sound quite nice with a custom equalizer AND correct setup. The correct setup is the hard part; just as bad as setting up a pair of Klipschorns..maybe harder..you need three solid surfaces to reflect the speakers from. Any glass does not count..curtains, too, bad, bad, bad.....
But, with a quality EQ and correct setup they have a nice sound. Still prefer Spendor, Audio Note, Harbeth, and so on.
I think the reason why Sony has never been viewed as a higher end product is not only that they are marketing the brand to mass consumers, but, also, their higher end products tend to be pricy without valued justifications.
I had the opportunity to audition some of Sony's top models 10 yrs back. Their amps and cd players were pretty good. The CDPXA7ES is a classic. The amp, I think it's the N90ES, is also killer. But, at $3000 a piece, one has better alternatives. I don't have a very high opinion of the ES speaker line though.
Viggen, Yes this is a mid-80's amp. It operates solely in Class A all the way up to 175 watts into 8 ohms. Very low distortion (20-20,000 Hz - THD 0.002%), huge capacitance. Maybe it's similar to the situation now with Sony. They're certainly not know for high end stuff, but they're apparently sellling (not making, though) some pretty some speakers. Nrchy (above) refers to the SS M7 and SS M9 as being pretty good quality. So maybe in the early 80's, Yamaha dabbled in the art and tried to make a good sounding piece instead of a profitable piece. You know, they used to make really nice pianos...
I think I understand what you're saying about the amp, but it wouldn't cost that much to do better by buying something from an amp manufacturer. The difference between your Yamaha and say an, Aragon for instance would be night and day. I'm sure you would find the 8008st to be a huge improvement, for not a lot of money.
For speakers I would suggest a pair of the Sony SS M7 or if you can the SS M9. They can be absolutely stolen for $500-1500 respectively. They are American designed and made. If they had any other label on them they would sell from twice to three times what they do now.
Everyone who responds will have different suggestions. Yours, grasshopper is the responsibility of taking all the abuse and suggestions and doing something good with them.
You might consider auditioning some of the Paradigm speakers, specifically the Paradigm Reference series. The Studio 60s or 100s represent great values, but you'd have to ditch the amp, too. Something like a Classe or Audio Research would be a nice step up.
Down the road, you'll want to get a better preamp, too. Again, ARC or Classe offer some nice units for the money -- especially if you buy them used. But there's lots of good equipment out there. Just take your time, listen to lots of stuff and buy something that will have a market when you want to upgrade again. At this point, the worst thing you could do is buy something right away because anything decent is going to make you painfully aware of what you've been missing.
I somewhat expected a series of answers that recommended replacement of the 901's. I have enjoyed them for what they are, but I am very well aware, too of their many shortcomings. I auditioned a pair of B+W Nautilus 805's yesterday and wanted to take them home with me right away. However, I thought I might wait and do some more listening. I also wanted to ask the saleswoman to marry me, but that's another issue. Yesterday, we played "Take Five" for beginners, which was a real eye-opener. Guess that's ear-opener. I was hearing for example, the vibrations of the reed on Paul Desmond's saxophone. Up until that moment, I had thought he was playing a flutophone. I was hearing the strings of Eugene Wright's bass slapping against the fingerboard. The 901's create some kind of boomy and murky low sounding muddle instead of individually plucked notes. At any rate, these things are pretty close to getting here. Actually, I think that the only reason I am not buying them is to give myself an excuse to go back to the store. Any ideas what else in the price range ($2000) I should be listening to? I was surprised, however, that some(all) of you thought that the amp had to go, too. I am wondering (respectfully) if you really do know this amp, or is it a brand name prejudice sort of thing? I recognize that Yamaha is right now putting a lot of junk on the market to be sold throught Circuit City and Best Buy, but I honestly felt that this was a decent piece. It's class A operation, providing 170 watts continuous power into 8 ohms.
I would suggest upgrading your speakers and amplification simultaneously. It is best if they are planned together- even if they can not be purchased together due to budgetary reasons. Once those are acquired, you probably would enjoy your vinyl (and CDs) much more and would finally look for a better preamp. Best Regards, Aaron
