Vista vs Vantage vs (SSShhhh B&W 803S)

[holmancv]

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading for a while and now after listening to the Vista I know I will be taking the plunge. To be honest I have also looked at B&W, specifically at the 803S. This is a lot of money for me and I really want to be sure. Is the placement as critical for the B&W as it is for the ML? I am wondering if I go with ML, which is my inclination will everyone in the room understand how wonderful they are or just the subset of the group lucky enough to be near the sweet spot? Would that be an issue with the 803's? Would it be a problem to mix speaker types? For example using the 803's as mains and using my ML Mosaics as sides and Vignettes for center and rear or should I keep to ML all around? I'm using an Outlaw 7555 for the surrounds/center and two 2200 monoblocks for the mains and using my Denon Reviever as the pre-amp (for now, probably go with the Outlaw 990)
Thanks and enjoy the holiday
Craig

 

[Robin]

B&W803S vs Vantage...

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading for a while and now after listening to the Vista I know I will be taking the plunge. To be honest I have also looked at B&W, specifically at the 803S. This is a lot of money for me and I really want to be sure. Is the placement as critical for the B&W as it is for the ML? I am wondering if I go with ML, which is my inclination will everyone in the room understand how wonderful they are or just the subset of the group lucky enough to be near the sweet spot? Would that be an issue with the 803's? Would it be a problem to mix speaker types? For example using the 803's as mains and using my ML Mosaics as sides and Vignettes for center and rear or should I keep to ML all around? I'm using an Outlaw 7555 for the surrounds/center and two 2200 monoblocks for the mains and using my Denon Reviever as the pre-amp (for now, probably go with the Outlaw 990)
Thanks and enjoy the holiday
Craig

Craig,

I really liked the sound of the B&W800D's I auditioned with the McIntosh MC275's and the MCD201 SACD/CD player. Very impressive for a direct firing floor speaker's power and clarity of sound timber and naturalness with the tubes. I just wish, I could have audition the B&W Nautilus speakers (none in the store at the time).

Personally, for my ears, I thought the ML Vantages sounded better because of the Dipole effect and the sound stage the sweetness of the ML speakers new Xstat panels and powered woofer bass, but that's just me. Ultimately you have to - 'trust your ears', in this case...

Good luck on your audio quest.

 

[jmschnur]

I have older B&W 801s and Vantages both in different rooms. The Vantages take more care in placement. Their sweet spot is fine for us-at least a 4 person couch wide 10' away but they do not sound great while one is standing. The Vantages have more punch in the bass and piano sounds more real (after a few comparisons at concerts this spring You can here the "fingerin" just like we could at the Keenedy Center. T
he B&Ws are very very smooth and they sound great everwhere in the room.


We use the Vatages for 7.1 (with an Outlaw 750 Amp couples with a Lexicon DC-1, Cinema Center, and it is great for HT and intimate jazz, vocals, etc.

We use the B&Ws with a Carver 1.5T amp and an older Amber preamp in our living room. After we got the Vantages we have decreased our music lisitening in the living room and moved to our Video room to listen to our ripped Cd collection as well watch DVDs and TV.

The B&W's play rock very well at loud levels (100db) for my daughter. The Vantages do not do well with very very loud music in our home according to my daughter. I do not listen that loud so I can not make that judgement. The B&W's do very well for music at parties.

The B&W's are sweeter and sound very good for opera. The Vantages are better for jazz (accoustic guitar, cymbals etc) and singers like Diana Krall, Irma Thomas etc)

Both are very good speakers and the B&Ws are far more forgiving in terms of placment.

Joel

 

[holmancv]

Do you see any problem in mixing the ML & B&W?

Currently I am using my ML Mosaics as mains, an ML Vignette as a center a pair of Def Tec Super Tower 7006's for left/right, a pair of def tech BP-2's for rears and a Def Tec SuperCube II for a sub. My thoughts would be to move the Mosaics to the sides and the pair of 7006 to the rear and replace the mains with either the Vista/Vantage or the 803's. Would there be a problem with mixing a conventionally driven speaker like the Def Tech with the quasi electrostatic of the ML? Thanks

 

[jmschnur]

For 5.1 HT the 803's should work fine as would the Vista. Both of these would do better with a good sub woofer. I do not know yours so I can not comment on compatbility.

It is important to match the center well with the mains and I do not know how the vignette would go with the Vista, Vantage, or the 803.

Can you demo these somewere?

Joel

 

[holmancv]

Demo

No, it would all be moot if I could. I love ML but I'm reluctant to spend five-grand without being able to do just that, a side by side. Used to be there just were not so many brands adding to that the number of models and the outlet's inability to stock them all it's kind of a crapshoot. I have def tec Supercube II that's pretty sweet. It just seems to me that the B&W would have more utility than the ML as far as working for both HT use and just having on when I had a few buddies over. The Vignette is wonderful, I may go up a notch but I may not. Thanks for your post

 

[boutrosa]

vista

I received my ML Vistas today and they are really unreal. I do not have a very large room only 250 sqr ft. I have them setup as my front speakers for my ht and so far i have just been playing differt types of music and nothing that I have ever owned sound as good as they do. They are replaceing BG corp planer ribbons and WHAY A DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!

Now I may have to change all my other speakers.


I hope that this will help you...