New Stereo setup

[sonosphere]

Thanks sonosphere, any idea where i can find norge in chennai?

Hi Cooltoad,
I auditioned Norge at Pune. No idea about Chennai. You can contact Mr. Bajaj of Norge for this. You can get contact details from Norge Audio. Mr. Bajaj is known for prompt reply on email-queries. There are instances mentioned in this forum where Mr. Bajaj arranged delivery of amps in cities, that don't have Norge dealers.

Regards,

 

[AMITNOIDA]

Thanks for the offer Murali, went for an audition at pro musicals for 9.1, (they didnt have 9.2)took a few of my rock pop cds. Prior to this my reference to good audio was through my pc/cplay/sound card/grado headphone. As soon as i started playing Dreamer deceiver by Judas Priest, i felt something was wrong. The demo guy (he was nice and polite) agreed that the amp was a local one and hence underpowered the speakers, I continued to play some more nos with less interest ,as the quality was below par and disappointing and low-fi. Whenever i play comortably numb thro my headphone, i've been fooled many a times into believing instinctively that someone was knocking at my door. But Airsupply sounded somewhat better.

Wharfdale 9.1 didnt offer the details.punch and that engulfing feeling i've been used to through my grados. May be will try another audition with a better amp. Maybe 9.1 is not the right one for me(like listening to soft rock/rock among other things. but dont prefer that headache causing bassiness) . will also try 9.2 later with a better amp.

Looking forward to more suggestions.

It is sometimes difficult to satisfy the ears, which are used to listen through quality headphones, by speakers + amp combo. In stereo setup, the room acoustics, amp selecction etc, plays big role, which is not a factor in case of headphones. If you are listener of grado headphone, then you will not perhaps be able to appreciate laid back warm sound of Wharf 9.1. As far as I know grado is revealing headphone not like warm sound of Sennheiser.
You may try MA BR2

 

[vaibhav]

Thanks for the offer Murali, went for an audition at pro musicals for 9.1, (they didnt have 9.2)......

Wharfdale 9.1 didnt offer the details.punch and that engulfing feeling i've been used to through my grados. May be will try another audition with a better amp. Maybe 9.1 is not the right one for me(like listening to soft rock/rock among other things. but dont prefer that headache causing bassiness) . will also try 9.2 later with a better amp.

Looking forward to more suggestions.

Hi Cooltoad,
Here's my $0.02 as to why you found the wharfies below par. It has to do with your frame of reference being the headphones. The headphone (not to mention the fact that you have a stellar brand - grado) is a complete different way of listening to music compared to listening to any speaker. True headphone afficianados will tell you that the only thing outside the headphone that sounds as nice is a concert hall itself (again, enclosed). OTOH, I think that the headphone is closer to a great car stereo experience rather than a stage concert. On stage (and in a 2 channel set up), the music is presented in front of you vs a car stereo or headphone where the sound is all enveloping. Plus, grado / any good headphone is a very revealing piece of equipment.
It has to do with the way our ears perceive sound. Here's an article that explains the headphone vs speaker point somewhat:
Head to head - headphones versus speakers
Overall, IMHO, you will have to accept the fact that even with much more expensive speakers (better, tighter bass + sweeter midrange, etc), it still wont sound anything like the headphone till placement, room damping etc are all taken care of. (maybe a 2+2 - front and back channels may be needed to mimic this exactly)
Happy hunting and cheers!
Vaibhav

 

[Jith77]

i have been using goldring dr150 (similar to grado?) for some years before i did my first audition....reading reviews and forum preferences i thought laid back sound (and the wharfe) would be something very desirable..... but ended up finding wharfes a real bore...so i ended up going up for mordaunt short 902i...the other easy on wallet speaker at that time....

so why not audition a more forward speakers?...or anything other than wharfes

 

[cooltoad]

Thanks Amith, Vaibhav and Jith for all your feedback and suggestions. Agreed, it is hard to match the headphones, but my aim is to preserve my ears and please them with good sound without burning a hole in my pocket, so my search is on and will appreciate more suggestions. Besides, it is very enriching as i learn a lot in the process with the valuable feedbacks of the forumites.

 

[cooltoad]

Hi folks,

will a 2x30w -8ohms(Marantz PM4001) be able to drive comfortably wharfdale 9.2(25-100w@6ohms). Pl help

 

[marsilians]

Hi folks,

will a 2x30w -8ohms(Marantz PM4001) be able to drive comfortably wharfdale 9.2(25-100w@6ohms). Pl help

Its underpowered for the wharfs

 

[cooltoad]

Dear all,
After months of searching and waiting, i finally have a system in place. As is usually the case, did overshoot my budget somewhat. I owe enormous amount of thanks to all friends who have contributed in this thread.The list is long so thanks everyone.

My setup

Nad c320bee(used).Thanks to Pshycho and Blasto for their inputs

Wharfedale 9.2 - thanks esp to Sri and Murali for their opinions which made an impression. Although wished i could go Psycho's way in search of the perfect speaker, didn't have his perseverance, so though this speaker was a safe bet.

Source:Laptop with creative xfi and foobar mainly; Sony DVP(looking to replace with cdp)

Cable: DAC 14AWG
IC: Profigold

AV rack and speaker stands: custom made from a guy who does interiors for sony showrooms. Cost 5k. Although he made a mess somewhat of the rack(didnt do it to my specs), guess i can live with it for now.
- Thanks to Flanker for his inputs on this, although coudnt make it to audiophile standards.

As i am no audiophile, cant give a big review, but will post my impressions soon( after getting cdp). As for now, i am happy with the purchase and enjoying my music.

Regards.

 

[gobble]

Cooltoad

Please do not suffer profigold ICs. I used them with 325bee+9.2 for two months. They are slow and sluggish sounding. I use solid silver now. But you can try the highly recommended CA Azur range ICs and see if they suit the setup better. Can't recall the exact name of the IC..

Cheers

 

[cooltoad]

Gobble, How much you got them for?BTW, Doesn't the sound depend on a whole lot of things including the speaker cable?. So not sure, if a better IC could make any diff to an already decent one. Anyways will take your advice on it.

Also, in that case would want an IC which could improve the midrange and smoothen the treble with less emphasis on bass. If the silver IC could do that, will give it a try.

Regards

 

[gobble]

Gobble, How much you got them for?BTW, Doesn't the sound depend on a whole lot of things including the speaker cable?. So not sure, if a better IC could make any diff to an already decent one. Anyways will take your advice on it.

Also, in that case would want an IC which could improve the midrange and smoothen the treble with less emphasis on bass. If the silver IC could do that, will give it a try.

Regards

I use solid silver IC made by Mr. Murthy in Bangalore. It complements the system very well. You may want to try CA Azur Reference 0.75M Interconnect.

Most people are against silver as it sounds bright and "tinny" so maybe not all silver cables will do the trick. I would recommend stranded copper in general as I've heard two solid copper cables and it was not to my liking. This particular solid silver IC "works" on my setup. It cost me 3.6K for 18inch. CA Azur will be cheaper and better I feel.

Cheers