Does your Cary have 4 ohm taps? With my Primaluna, going from the 8 ohm to the 4 ohm taps for my 805s was a massive difference.
It has a toggle switch to go between 4 ohm and 8 ohm. I tried it on the 803s, I thought it made it worse but frankly I didn't listen very long because it lowered the volume and I didn't want to turn it up and overdrive the amp. Driving the 803s versus the 805s has got to be a big difference I would think. Do you power your 805 with the Primaluna primarily?
I love the B&W sound and right now I am back to listening to my CDM-1NT speakers (because they don't piss me off like the Duettos). They are ca. 2001, the same era as the original Nautilus line and have the Nautilus speaker. They disappear and image great with the Cary. They just lack the high end resolution of the 800 series. If i end up chasing my tail for too long I will probably just get some 805's and call it a day.
Yeah I have the Dialogue Premium HP integrated. It is something like 70 WPC and really cranks with the 805s.
Meh maybe but I think we could all use a little more objectivity in our lives. Some of us audiophile guys are absolute loons.
Brother I'd argue this very thread is a non-glowing review of the Duettos. But to be fair I've seen a thread on here of a guy who struggled with a pair of Cornwall IVs for a few weeks before returning them. It was actually the first thread I ever found on SHF and the reason I created an account. To put in my 2 cents.
Sure I didn't end up liking them but that wasn't my point. Telling me "what was I thinking buying THAT brand" when they came recommended, were less than half MSRP and every review was glowing. They also look great. Perhaps that doesn't make sense to you, but it did to me at the time. Glad you found some speakers that you like. However, it's not hard to find people who don't like the Klipsch sound. Klipsch is a brand I need to hear for myself. Even just hearing them might not answer my question as to whether those speakers will be the ones I want long term. Every time I put the Duettos back in to my system I absolutely loved them. Then my ears would get fatigued or play an album poorly. So even if I had auditioned them at a store I might well have purchased them being blown away by the initial impressions. I've learned a lot in the last month and will sell what I don't like and move on with my new knowledge. Our 2 Ekornes Stressless chairs were delivered today and I'm now sitting about a foot closer to the speakers (and a foot further from the back wall obviously) and the depth and soundstage is better. I feel more involved in the music. I might be able to use this listening position and then move the chair back when concluded on a regular basis. Based on today's change I wondered why I haven't paid more attention to where I was sitting. When the matching couch arrives in 3 months I may lose this flexibility.
Excellent sounding speakers. I have the CDM-1SE (since 98) and wanted to get the 805N with the Nautilus tweeter back then but didnt want to spend the extra 1k+. Ive grown to not really like the metal dome tweeter of the 1-SE (kinda harsh sounding) and will only run them with 4 amps that help "tame" it (Luxman M120A though currently needs fixed, Kyocera A-710 or A-910, or Counterpoint NPS-100A). I heard the CDM-1NT about 5 years ago and really like them. Love the Nautilus tweeter, very natural, smooth (and therefore unfatiguing)sound. I would love to hear your 803s in my room (16'x28').
I can relate to this for sure. I literally had to rearrange my entire living space to get my speakers further apart and get the most out of them. I also spent the first week or so thinking I'd made a mistake. Then I found the right placement. And again when I changed the room layout.
Picked up a pair of KLH 5's new edition in Hollywood (up to no good) this weekend. My ears are torched from the Reggae fest so I can't give a good review yet although I did listen to them about 8 hours last night. They were used for about 150 hours according to the previous owner so they are probably fully broken in. They are the opposite of the Duettos. So far I'm trying the Cary amp but will try them with the Parasound A-21 soon. I suspect the A21 will be a better pairing as the bass is sloowwwwww with the Cary. But I'm not going to lie, I'm having a lot of fun listening to the KLH. They are not audiophile speakers.
Yes I'm quite sure I will buy the special 40's. Hell I buy everything else lol. Do you own them? My only real concern with them is if the bass is too boomy. Most reviews comment on the prodigious bass. I only heard them for a few minutes but the imaging really stood out in a positive way.
Here's the current setup. Went back to the Line 2 preamp and A-21 for the KLH. Much better. These speakers rock! Crankin' some Van Halen right now and it just sounds so right. Tightened up the bass. Brought the speakers to life. Rock and roll bros. Man they remind me so much of my old vintage original Advent speakers I had back in college. So true to the KLH heritage only with modern improvements. Better everything. But still kinda has that 70's Henry Kloss sound.
Honestly I've only heard them with a good amp for 3 Van Halen albums so I'm not endorsing them yet. I have to hear them with The Mighty Priest first.
It's not KLH's fault if you listen to "1984" and can't hear any bass. My copy of that album is probably the most anemic record I have. Shame!
Mine sounded great. I don't think I've heard a Van Halen record that didn't sound at least pretty good. I think they were a well recorded and mastered band. Well before 1993 at least, like most bands.
Cool. I was just trying to poke fun. A good friend of mine was mentioning the lack of bass on "1984" and how disappointed he was when it was released because of that. I bought a vinyl copy recently and was amused by how much of a bass vacuum there seemed to be. To each their own! I'm looking forward to see what you have to say about those KLH 5's too. An appealing speaker for sure.
Well I did describe them as being bougie about pressings earlier in the thread. They do make audiophile recordings sound wonderful.
I had a pair of S40's in my small room. About 13x11. Gave them as much room as I could. They have very full bass, lots of weight, more than my other speakers, but it wasn't too much for the room at all.
I don't own them but have heard them a few times in different venues/rooms. I really like what I've heard, although the bass can be a bit much if care isn't taken to set up properly. I'm always interested to see what some folks around here think of equipment I want. If/when I move on from the Metas, Special 40 is probably the next stop!
