B&W Blues

The Sabrina was specifically designed to be driven by almost anything. The Yamaha will be just fine with them. Not quite as sure about the Yvettes.

 

His source is a ~£1,500 CDP! This thread is bonkers.

 

I wish. More like £2300!

 

Yeah, I'm learning not to. Maybe I should've got that more expensive McIntosh with the same power rating!

 

Are you a physician?

 

No - hence my inability to pay for the overpriced stuff.

 

Having owned the Yamaha A-S3000 and several ATC speakers, I highly recommend the ATC SCM40 V2 as a Brest pairing for your amplifier.

Anyone who says the Yamaha A-S3000 or A-S2100 aren't high-end or capable needs to really sit down and listen to one. I think you would be asking a lot of the A-S2100 to drive the SCM50 well with around 100 watts.

Though I'm currently thinking of trying separates in the form of a Rogue ST100 and a McIntosh C52 with my SCM40 V2's, I'm also considering going back to the A-S3000 which is simply gorgeous aurally and visually. The previous ATC's--up to the SCM19-- paired well with the previous Yamaha models (A-S2000 etc) and the new Yamahas pair very well with the new easier to drive more forgiving SCM's including the 40's.

 

You have to hear it before you can pass judgement. It isn't friendly if it is only informed by assumption. The Yamaha A-S3000 is everything every serious reviewer has said it is and the A-S2100 has been said by owners to have a bit more grunt than the A-S3000.

 

The current passive ATC lineup are no where near as difficult to drive as the last series of ATC passives.

I tried the ATC SCM40 V2 with an MA7900 and the McIntosh model of limited damping factor doesn't work with the SCM40 V2.

Mcintosh does however pair fabulously with B&Ws in my experience and as seemingly scores of dealers showrooms will attests.

 

Thank you for your vote of confidence - it's disappointing to see the criticism levelled against this new line of Yamaha components by those who have never heard them.
I have yet to audition the ATC SCM40 but will be doing so soon (or possibly the SCM19). The SCM50 has been scratched from my list as I understand it is a speaker that requires some muscle to drive.
My latest obsession, though? The Rockport Technologies Atria....

 

Inarguable. Still, the B&W's and Wilsons you are considering are certainly bold-looking speakers - I kinda like them. A departure from the traditional monkey-coffin...

D.D.

 

Update: Just got my repaired driver back for the old 802 Matrix and I have music again! Much thanks to Cathy, Wayne and everyone at The Speaker Exchange in Tampa, FL. My thoughts are with you guys - be safe!

 

Think I found the cure-

 

Darth Speaker!

 

That is a beast. What is it?

 

Wowsers...now that is a speaker!

 

Give yourself to the Dark Side...

(it's a Rockport Atria II)

 

Another pic, even more Vader-like:

 

Sweet

 

Woa! Just looked up the price! Bless you.....and it's their "entry level" model

 

39 Shiit Freya’s

 

So lonelysea I was reading this thread in earnest and really enjoyed hearing about your journey. Would you mind sharing some more about the Rockports, how they compared to some of the other speakers you auditioned, and how your purchase decision was finally made?

 

Sure thing. I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to see the pics before I removed them.
I only ever heard the Rockports once; they were Atrias at a high end dealership Taipei, Taiwan, and I listened to them before I was on an earnest search for something to replace my B&Ws. The dealer was an audio über-nerd who also had huge MBL omni-directional speakers powered by even huger MBL mono blocks as well as large (Alexx?) Wilsons and D'Agostino gear. The Rockports just sounded very natural and organic to me at the time. Fast forward to my quest for new speakers and nothing impressed me as much as my memory of those speakers. The closest contenders were probably the Vandersteen Quatro Wood CTs I auditioned. In a nutshell, the latest generation B&Ws sounded too forward and analytical for my tastes and the Wilsons seemed kind of "boosted" in the bottom end. Keep in mind I'm nitpicking here, and just describing qualities that I felt wouldn't compliment the kind of music I typically play (acoustic, singer/songwriter, indie). The Rockports have a lively and elastic bottom end. The mids and highs are seamless and never too pronounced - very lifelike and realistic. The entire presentation is also quite relaxed and effortless. All of these are qualities that make my music listening experience more enjoyable, simple as that.
If you're in New England you should definitely make it a point to arrange for a listening session at Andy Payor's facility in Rockport, Maine.

 

You saved me a lot of money! I have the McIntosh MA6900 and was close to buy the ATC SCM40 V2...