I mean this in the nicest possible way, but if you don't hear the difference between the Tag and Meridian and certainly Naim, why bother spend all that money??.....Horrible nasty sounding tat imho.....But, we are all different and some people adore it....You know Naim kit is harsh when the sales rep turns it down slightly 3 times during a demo of their top of the range set up because the audience are all gritting their teeth and frowning with pain because of how sharp it is.
A slight misunderstanding I think - I'm actually not sure about the differences between TMA+B&W and Meridian but I'm in no way comparing them to NAIM - that should have perhaps been a separate comment for clarity.
With regards to my brief experiences with NAIM I just thought it was "noisy" i.e. in-your-face, or perhaps a good analogy (IMHO) would be that their signature sound is a further addition to the "volume wars" of compression that is all too prevalent these days. I really don't understand why people keep talking about NAIM & pace / rhythm - surely they actually just mean "loud" as the kit should reproduce the music at the same speed (pace) and without changing the sound (rhythm ?) compared to what's on the CD / source at all ?!
A good system will egg you on to get louder and louder and louder and it is only when you step out of the room and realise just how loud it is do you run back in and crank it down 20db. I can play the Meridian at 0db and my wife says nothing, all my other systems have had her giving me 'that look' at around -10db!
To the detriment of my poor neighbours, I agree completely ! And at the demo this week my dealer had a few amusing comments to make about the levels myself & the distributor were "testing" at !
1. DSP7200 L/R and DSP7200HC Center
2. DSP8000 L/R and no center.
3. Keep the passives
I would put the B&W order on hold until further notice.
I would rather take two DSP8000 fronts than three DSP7200/DSP7200HC for music. Just something to consider if you are changing the game to DSP's.
The DSP8000's are not really an option because of space & cost. And both my dealer & the distributor both said that they're happy to take my money (!) but not happy to sell me the speakers - because they're inappropriately large for my current situation.
Likewise the 5500HC & the 7200HC - I've just measured them in comparison to my current HTM2D and they're much bigger - so that's probably no longer an option either ! Also, the 7200HC is too much money. I don't have a specific budget - just sensible limits.... Oh, and the B&W "upgrade" is already bought-and-paid-for too, but that's not a problem at all as there's such a waiting list for the new models they'll get sold-on immediately without a doubt.
I think the 8Ks would be far too much speaker for his room considering its size and that the speakers will be tucked in the corners. Even with the boundary setting set to "corner" and bass tone control set to -5.0, he will have substantially more bass than mids and highs without acoustical treatment and room correction.
Absolutely - the 8000's are simply too big physically as well as financially ! Also, the L&R can't be moved "inboard" because they'll be in front of the screen when it's lowered and they can't be moved along the length of the room (out of the corners) either because the L speaker would then block the doorway into the kitchen. I was quite pleased to note that the 7200's were about 15cm less deep than my 802D's - it would make getting through that corner door so much less risky !
....I think it would be a no brainer to go with a 7200HC vs 5500HC for a center. All speaker link, all cutting edge, all matching electronics, all matching colors etc. You can always add a sub later....Only reason why you might is you may need the felxibility to move the bass around with a sub, not really to add more bass.
Hmm, noting comments above I think the 7200HC & 5500HC are now possibly off the agenda - and the comments about the sub are noted. How would the voicing be with a 5200HC ?
....would the 5200HC be a better bet than the 5500HC? it's speakerlink, it's from the nice new series, rather then the 5500, which isn't a current product anymore. and it's smaller too. It's not going to be a bass-monster, but you can define it as small and redirect bass to the 7200's....
Yep - good points - am now leaning in that direction....if it's not a bad choice for any reason.
....However, it depends how important films are really?....however I have always wanted the next level for music, and finding I am preferring stereo over trifield for music, so for me the mains are the most important.I just don't like mixing different brands of speaker front and rear, the difference when you match and go seemlessly from front to back can not be emphasised enough imho....
Films & TV aren't the major usage, but I'd prefer a centre to "take the load" when necessary - so would the 5200HC be man enough ? Another, potentially related question is now whether a sub in conjunction with a 5500HC gives a good balance & overall system match for movies (and TV) ?
The "seamless" front-to-rear matching, which I'd call voicing, is of course important & noticeable, but I'm again currently hampered by the room & furnishings - the rear & side surrounds must be wall-mounted & high because there are bookcases on both sides of the room, another doorway in the back corner & the rear wall's covered almost from floor to ceiling with a CD rack ! If I do go down the DSP route then I'd like everything to match - but once again it's a question of being sensible / funds - and the in-wall DSP's (which I'd have to wall-mount on brackets anyway) aren't particularly cheap either ! An upgrade for another day....
Phew !
Thanks everyone for all the comments - please don't stop - my options are now a little clearer but I guess the main question still remains & is whether I go down the DSP route or not. As you'll see from a separate note, I now have the offer of a home demo from the Distributor - which I think I'll gladly take up ! Maybe that'll tip the balance....
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