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In Reply to: Re: Looking for Speaker Recommendations for a Classe CAP-101 posted by cambiocorsa on July 28, 2002 at 23:13:15:
Thanks Phil,I'll add the Grand Piano and the Vienna Mozart to my list. Can you explain a bit about the problems with B&W? They seem to generate alot of controversy and I haven't figured it out.
Carl
Follow Ups:
Carl,Not to take anything away from the B&Ws, they are good speakers in the right system. The reason I don't recommend the B&W with the Classe is that the nautilus tweeter has a tendency to be spitty... pair that with some of the treble grain the Classe has and you potentially have a mismatch.
The Classe is not a neutral amplifier, it definitely has a tubey coloration going on, which I happen to like. I think it's preferable to look for a more neutral speaker, or a speaker with a flatter frequency response... and then let your amp perform the coloration of sound that you desire. Hence, why I like the original SF Grand Piano. I also like Dunlavys... have heard good things about Meadowlark but haven't heard them and don't care much for their cosmetics anyway. Your system is more tweakable to your preferences with this method, in my opinion.
You may find that the overall balance of the Classe may mate okay with a B&W. We had good results pairing the Classe with NHT 2.5i, a speaker with a hard sounding tweeter. But better results with the SF. You should get some demos and check out the combination to see what you like best!
Happy listening!
-phil-
Thanks again,I see your point, the only problem with the Classe is the treble, a bit prominent and not so integrated with the rest of the audio spectrum. Do you think the B&W's 804's would be a problem? I remmeber liking the NHT's long ago, but think that the sweet spot is smallish.
Yes the NHT 2.5i has a very narrow sweet spot. I do think the 804 would be a problem... you've got to get up the scale before you avoid this problem... Of course, you should always audition if you get the chance. And, this is only because the treble is especially more prominent in B&Ws. The slight grain of that Classe piece is hardly, if at all noticeable in most configurations.On a side note, in my opinion the bang for the buck in B&Ws line up stops at the Nautilus 805. Do you have to have B&Ws?
Not at all, it's just that the Classe/B&W combo is said elsewhere on this site to be a good match. You've been greatly helpful. That JM Reynaud Evolution closeout seems to have had good reviews, but I don't think I want to buy just now, until I get a good feel for the sound in the price range.
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