Am I Crazy

Posted by: rubbersoul

Am I Crazy - 05/07/10 09:27 PM

Hello
Currently I own B&W speakers for my home theater. I love them. B&W's were my dream speakers.
At the end of any movie the wife and I sit back and love listening to the music as the movie credits roll by.
Lately I have been interested in a more serious way than in the pass...Classical music.
While I enjoy my B&W's I was considering purchasing a pair of bookshelf speakers simply to listen to classical and jazz.
The idea of having a pair of bookshelf speakers with just the highs and mid-range really appeal to my senses. I use to have a pair of Avance bookshelves which I GAVE to my brother-in-law. Stupid.
My wife thinks I am crazy. Am I?
I have the Outlaw 990/7700 combo. I believe I would need another amp or two monos to make this happen with the 990.
Any thoughts?
Am I being ridiculous?

Thanks
Hey if I am nuts...don't kick me to hard.
Posted by: KOYAAN

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/07/10 10:08 PM

In this hobby, It's a matter of what makes you happy.
B&W 804s are very fine speakers. The fact that they're full range doesn't diminish their ability to play classical and jazz music very well, and with the wealth of great Multi-channel classical and jazz SACDs available, you may find that your using the multi-channel rig a lot for pure music listening. To improve on the 804s, you'll need to be prepared to spend a good chunk of change on a pair of monitors, but there are many out there that would fill the bill.
Yes ,you'll have to power them with something, so a pair of monoblocks would be in order. As the 990 has both balanced and unbalanced outputs, feeding the additional amps wouldn't be a problem. You could set the second 12v trigger to turn one amp, or set of amps, on or off dependong on the input being used, but so far as I know, the second amp, or set of amps, would have to be turned on or off manually.
A lot of folks have seperate hometheater and 2 channel listening areas. I dont think I've ever seen multi-channel and seperate 2 channel set-up in the same system, but I can't hink of any reason why it shouldn't work well.
Posted by: XenonMan

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/08/10 09:20 AM

We are all crazy!! I think you would be on the higher end of the scale if you get other speakers before you really put the 804s to the test. Do you not like them for Jazz and Classical? They are some of the best speakers on the market for almost any use and I will bet they meet your needs. Pair them up with the Fathoms in a 2.2 arrangement. The 990 will get you there and you won't need more amps. Get some CDs or SACDs and go to it.
Posted by: rubbersoul

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/08/10 09:36 AM

Thanks Koyaan.
True in this hobby/big toys for big boys one can do most anything one wants to do with electronics as long as the wallet has the funds to do so.
As I said in my post I love my 804"s. Spending a substantial amount of money on another pair of speakers? I was thinking of the Dana 630 bookshelf loudspeakers reasonably priced at $439.00. I use to own the Avance bookehelf and thought that they were great for Jazz and think that they would be awesome with Classical. The Dana seems to be from the same company.
The nominal impedance of the Dana 630 bookshelf is 4 Ohms would that be a problem? What do you think of this speaker?
I do not want to throw money out the window....I do have several SACD's and enjoy them very much however I have been finding that I enjoy two channel Stereo even more.

Thanks again
Posted by: XenonMan

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/08/10 07:03 PM

I agree with your preference for two channel stereo. It is probably related to my age, but I think I get a lot more detail from the two channel setups I have than any of the multichannel alignments. Although I like having a center and sides for movies, when it comes to music I think my fronts have a huge advantage over the rest of the speakers in my systems. I have two Klipsch RF-82s in my main HT system which I use everyday in Florida. I also have a set of Large Advent speakers circa 1976 which are still sounding fabulous in my semi HT setup in NC. For music they are some of the best I have ever heard. I also have a setup in NC just for 2 channel music using the Magnepan 1.6 QRs. I plan to bolster them with a sub, but just to allow the amps power to go to their strength and let the sub do all the low end work. The Maggies really can put out substantial bass but they draw a lot of power doing it.

My wife would kill me if I set up another system but I would love to have the 804s as part of the system up north. I have enough gear and don't want to spend the $$$.
Posted by: rubbersoul

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/10/10 07:18 AM

Yes, nothing like two channel stereo.
My wife also would think that I am NUTS. I have been changing systems ever since I can remember...at least since the early 70's.
God Bless my better half.
This little venture in electronics is just a thought that I will consider seriously and cautiously before putting any more money on the debit side of the equation for this experiment.
I currently have the 990/7700 combo and I am very pleased with it's performance but still will be considering the 998 at it's debut.
Adding another pair of speakers and at least two mono amps is a big dip in the wallet especially if I decide two go with the 998.
I will definitely wait to hear the reviews before I lay my cards on the table for the 998.
Just how much better will the 998 be in my system? Won't know until we read the reviews and listen to other people's opinions.
So for right now I think I will pull back a little.

In July it might be a little different. BIG birthday coming up.
"I wonder what the wife is thinking"

Thanks
Posted by: XenonMan

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/10/10 11:33 PM

Without starting the old argument all over again, I find that the combination of the 990 with the OPPO BDP83 meets all of the requirements I need in any home theater I am likely to ever have. While many are more advanced in their hookups and decoding capabilities the 990 over DVI is still 1080P and the audio is decoded by the BDP83.

By the way, the newest version of the firmware for the BDP83 is on the street and is easy to update into your machine. Did it this morning in less than 15 minutes with zero issues. If you want to play the latest BluRays like Avatar, then you need to update the firmware. I am glad I spent the $$ on the Oppo since it has been so easy to use and update. It would appear we are going to have to update the firmware every so often whenever the studios exercise their DRM muscles on discs we paid for. They say it is for anti-piracy, but it only makes it difficult for the honest folks, who buy the disc, only to find out their machine won't play it and they don't have the tech savvy to update it.
Posted by: rubbersoul

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/11/10 07:24 AM

No arguments here XenonMan you bring up a good point that I exercised a while back on this forum about the 990.
Simply put...It does the job!!
Why fix something that is not broke.
I have no issues with the 990 ever since I bought it and the 7700 at one of the last Home Theater Shows in LA.
I might add that Outlaw Audio ALWAYS had the BEST demos' for there products moderated by P.T.

Gee I miss those shows. Alas, they are gone...probably forever.

My thoughts are to leave well enough alone.
Really I have the same thought process with my Infocus 7205. While there are better projectors out there more advanced in there video prowlness my intentions are to run the 7205 until it runs out of breath. Then and only then will I buy another projector. Also at that point I do not intend to jump onto the 3D band wagon. Until technology in 3D advances to the point where one does NOT have to wear glasses I am staying with the standard 2D.
Posted by: rubbersoul

Re: Am I Crazy - 05/11/10 07:30 AM

PS XenonMan,
My thoughts on purchasing amother pair of speakers and mono-blocks to listen to Classical and Jazz WERE crazy.
I recently borrowed two classical SACD's in Stereo and I was blown away listening to my 804's. SACD quality in a Stereo format.
Thanks for helping me take a minute to think other alternatives.

I just love this hobby.
Have a great day.