Krell to the rescue...

[jmcphillips1]

Well I just upgraded my stereo system and it sure sounds good. I decided listening to music through my home theater setup was not getting it, so I decided to put together a nice two channel setup. I got my first two components the other day. The Krell KAV-400xi along with the companion SACD STANDARD. Wow, these things rock. I have to now make the difficult decision on speakers. It has come down to two models for me. The Martin Logan VANTAGE and the Paradigm Signature S4. If anyone has an opinion on these choices or some new choices, just let me know. Anybody else own Krell? Give me a shout out. When my setup is complete I will post pics.
See ya

[jmcphillips1]

anyone?

[deutschmann59]

I don't know that much about them, but I've looked both of them up and the seem pretty decent. Maybe the best way is to go out and listen before you buy.

I've got a nice little setup...I've got 2 polk audio LSi9s in the front, 2 LSi7s in the back, cerwin vega 15" powered sub, and an LSiC center channel, all running through my kenwood receiver. I think it sounds great!

But go with what your instincts tell you if you can't actually listen to both...and more expensive doesn't always mean better. But then again, I can hear things with my polk bookshelves that I didn't even know were in a particular song...subtle details. Pretty cool!

[uofmtiger]

Never heard either speaker, but I think I would go with these if I were spending a couple thousand on speakers.

However, I do like the electrostat design of the VANTAGE speakers.

[CnoteMD]

I was just listening to some speakers during the holidays. I found a dealer that sold both Paradigm Signature's and also B&W (800 series). Until that day, I always thought that the Paradigm sounded great. The B&W speakers were on a completely different level. The highs were much clearer with the B&W's, but most impressive was the soundstage. I was using a jazz cd to test these speakers and I could literally point to where the different instruments were coming from (and this was from a 2 speaker stereo set up).

Either brand is an excellent choice, but I would highly recommend giving B&W a try. By the way, I have listened to Martin Logan speakers in the past and thought they were very nice, too. I still have a bit more research to do before I upgrade my system. I have had this Yamaha and Polk Audio system for almost 10 years now.

[db17k]

i'm not really familiar with Krell, it sounds good?

I haven't yet bought an SCAD to listen to although my home theater plays them.

i'm sport'n the kenwood fineline gaming system, looks a lot better than it actually sounds, though it doesn't sound bad. I'm only going with the oldskool wood enclosures from now on though. At the time this was the only system out that had the flexiblity of HDMI input/output, 3 component video inputs, and 3 assignable digital opticals that wasn't over $1,100

[mava330]

I'm a fan of B&W... I have the matching 600 series and have had it since 2000. Still one of the best sounding speakers IMHO. Going the 800 route? Those are AMAZING! Let your ear be your guide though.... Bring your favorite genre's of music and listen; even better if you find a place that has a return guarantee. Hence why I support my local brick and mortar store because of these policies. Bring them home and see how it sounds in the confines of your room/setup. Also you can play with the grill setup. I’ve noticed a slight brightening effect when I remove my grills. And no I'm not talking about the yellow kevlar woofers! Although seeing those brightens my room up quite nicely!

It'll match nicely with your amps because they generally want power... lots of clean power.

[IDENTITY_MOTORSPORTS]

Well, I worked in high-end home audio at one time. There is no sound like Martin Logan's. The thing about ML's is that their sound is omitted in a larger field then the paradigm s4's although also very very good speakers. The paradigm S4's sound field only extends slightly above the speaker. The ML's just makes you actually visualize the musicians in your head better if you close your eyes. You can actually visualize, the guitarist on the left, the drummer in the rear, the singer on the right. It's pretty crazy. it just really feels as if you are at the concert.Also, because it is a electrostatic speaker you NEED to be right in the sweet spot when listening.

[Dante]

I also worked at a high-end dealer and of all our speaker brands (mostly british) I prefer B&W (in all price ranges).

I have a complete B&W CDM NT 5.1 home cinema setup (center not shown in pictures) with denon electronics myself and I am most happy with it. Even for stereo purposes, due to bi-amping my main speakers.

I can highly recommend B&W 800 series speakers with krell amps, I heard this setup once at one of our customers.

[jmcphillips1]

Thank you all for your insight

[jmcphillips1]

I think I am going to go with the Martin Logan SUMMITS. Those should do the trick

[BMRu4ia]

Originally Posted by jmcphillips1

Well I just upgraded my stereo system and it sure sounds good. I decided listening to music through my home theater setup was not getting it, so I decided to put together a nice two channel setup. I got my first two components the other day. The Krell KAV-400xi along with the companion SACD STANDARD. Wow, these things rock. I have to now make the difficult decision on speakers. It has come down to two models for me. The Martin Logan VANTAGE and the Paradigm Signature S4. If anyone has an opinion on these choices or some new choices, just let me know. Anybody else own Krell? Give me a shout out. When my setup is complete I will post pics.
See ya

I have always been a martin logan fan the first day i saw and heard them. It was at a clients house in Hillsborough, he was the CEO of Pixar at the time. Anyway, they were tall electrostatic beauties.
I did audition the Paradigm a few months ago, but still prefer the warmness, spaciousness and transparency of the ML's. I found the Paradigm a little bright for my taste. But to each his/her own. Krell is a nice solid amp. Again I was drawn to the warmess af the Ml's paired with tube amplification,which I ran for a few years. I did however liked the tube like sound of the McIntosh and eventually went solid state for reliability and heat issues , but i still kept my tubes for 2 channel music. But you can't go wrong with a Krell or the Canadian born Paradigm. Good luck on your decision.

[mjh93sa]

woah, way out of my price league!

I would agree with mava330 though. When choosing my system I spent a couple of days at a local store going through combinations. Even though the total spend was half the cost of any one of your components they went out of their way to help.

In the end I got a Harman/Kardon Amp, Arcam CD Player, Monitor Audio front speakers and KEF satellites. It may not be the dog's danglies to some but I'm happy. I don't have the Logic7 stereo in the car, but I do at home!

[CnoteMD]

Originally Posted by Dante

I also worked at a high-end dealer and of all our speaker brands (mostly british) I prefer B&W (in all price ranges).

I have a complete B&W CDM NT 5.1 home cinema setup (center not shown in pictures) with denon electronics myself and I am most happy with it. Even for stereo purposes, due to bi-amping my main speakers.

I can highly recommend B&W 800 series speakers with krell amps, I heard this setup once at one of our customers.

I remember those pictures from that E90 cribs thread a while back. That picture inspired me to go and find a shop that had B&W speakers. I always heard good things about them, but never had a chance to audition a set.

I listened to the 800 series through a Rotel Pre-Amp/Processor and Amps. How does Rotel compare with Krell?

[Dante]

Originally Posted by CnoteMD

I remember those pictures from that E90 cribs thread a while back. That picture inspired me to go and find a shop that had B&W speakers. I always heard good things about them, but never had a chance to audition a set.

I listened to the 800 series through a Rotel Pre-Amp/Processor and Amps. How does Rotel compare with Krell?

Rotel and Krell are on a totally different level, regarding price, build and performance.

I am a fan of Rotel though, they offer the best value in their price range IMO. Engineered in Great Britain, build in far east.

And as one of very few manufacturers Rotel build their own power supplies with oversized transformers and some of the best available capacitors. Rotel amps are extremely powerful and have a nice, slightly warm sound.

B&W loudspeakers are developed with Rotel electronics.

And you should go for bi-amping with B&W speakers, it's incredible how the performance improves!

[remmib]

Originally Posted by jmcphillips1

Well I just upgraded my stereo system and it sure sounds good. I decided listening to music through my home theater setup was not getting it, so I decided to put together a nice two channel setup. I got my first two components the other day. The Krell KAV-400xi along with the companion SACD STANDARD. Wow, these things rock. I have to now make the difficult decision on speakers. It has come down to two models for me. The Martin Logan VANTAGE and the Paradigm Signature S4. If anyone has an opinion on these choices or some new choices, just let me know. Anybody else own Krell? Give me a shout out. When my setup is complete I will post pics.
See ya

Hey I got the same amp as you, I love it