Nearfields for audiophile listening?

Well here's an interesting one just put out by Bryston... it's like a server and powered speakers all rolled into one.
http://www.bryston.com/products/speakers/BryFi.html
Estimate list price 1.5 or 1.6k

 

Looks more like a bluetooth speaker / Sonos competitor than a proper set of speakers. I feel like something should have to at least be capable of stereo imaging to be considered a nearfield monitor for audiophile listening.

 

Yes, Bryston breaking into the domestic wifi/bluetooth scene. First reaction: audiophile purist puritanical shock horror . Second reaction, I tell myself, Why the hell not? That kind of gear is with us to stay, and should be. So why shouldn't they make it? No reason why not.

As long as it isn't Bryston-priced for something the cheaper competition does just as well.

@take, indeed it could be a damn nice gadget for family and round the house listening. But no, not monitors.

 

There's quite a bit of more info in this thread: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=142807.0

 

Donald north designed a lot of the RIVA Bluetooth speakers... maybe next we'll see a Nelson pass or Kevin Gilmore Bluetooth speaker! Kevin Gilmore mini estat Bluetooth speaker kickstarter anyone?

 

Though interestingly, the Bryston doesn't have bluetooth.

 

Interesting. I reviewed the Mini A and really liked them.
http://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/speaker/bookshelf/bryston-mini-a-bookshelf-speakers-review/

Probably because it has higher aspirations. I don't get the persistence of lossy home/personal streaming when we have had are reliable lossless solutions such as AirPlay for over a decade now.

 

I would think for a "lifestyle" product that they would aim for the convenience, and bluetooth is ever present these days. If Bryston were aiming to widen their target audience, this seems like a misstep to me.

 

Received the Quested S7R's and while the Genelec 8040 was a decent monitor the Quested's put them to shame. They make the 8040 sound like a boombox with a nailgun for a tweeter and no mids....

You can tell they are handmade and the craftmanship is impeccable. And the silverwhite finnish goes nice with Yggdrasil, just need a Freya and i have a matching set!

Sound wise these are really about mids, soundstaging and imaging, the sound just envelops you and sucks you in. Been listening for a couple of hours now but i could tell after 30sec that these are not going back. So much detail i swear i'm hearing stuff i don't hear on HD800/650. But it's never in your face about it, can and want to listen all day to these. No hype anywhere just musical neutrality.

If you get a chance to hear some Quested's go for it....

 

Do you have the Quested's on your desk? I was considering them, but they are rather deep speakers - I believe about 30cm? There wouldn't be too much room left on my desk.

 

Yeah they are 30cm deep, i use them on stands in the living room though. I think putting these on a desk won't do them justice. Unless it's a very sturdy desk, they are cool about being close to a wall though.

 

@Riotvan which version do you have? MKIII?

I'm starting to do a bit of research of more mid-nearfield stuff as I'll be moving back to my old condo in awhile and it's a long skinny open-concept setup, so the distance between the walls is only ~3.5m and won't be able to have thundering bass or a subwoofer. Lots of good options here.

 

I'm really curious how the Quested fare vs the ATC's (particularly the smaller sealed varieties).

p.s. if anyone's interested, I'm selling my Genelecs in the sale forum. Gotta pay for all this other gear piling up...

 

I think the Questeds are a good option then, they specify them up to 4m with 3m or less being optimal. My long walls are also 3,5m apart and have them along the long wall as well. I do have some absorption behind the seating to combat comb filtering.

And yes i have the MK3.

@Armaegis i considered the Atc's but did not hear them, maybe try asking on Geartslutz.

 

My current setup with my speakers in the basement actually has a long skinny room that opens into the main floor area (so it's an L-shape essentially). Putting the speakers into the back of the room didn't sound the greatest, but what I did was put the speakers at the opening. Unconvensional, but sounds much better.

I wonder if some of the Bryston speakers might not be too bad; they have a different design approach to do away with the "sweet spot" and aim for a more general room filling sound. I just mention it since there are a couple cheap used options at Studio Economik.

 

Any of you guys have any experience with the Kii Three active speakers?
I was originally considering going with speakers like the Joseph Audio Pulsar, but the all in one / minimal fuss aspect of the Kii Three is extremely alluring.

 

@murphythecat I see on CAM you're selling your Harbeths! I thought those were your favourite of the bunch?

 

I haven't heard any Quested so I can't comment on that, but ime small ATCs are great for nearfield listening. The SCM7 is a wonderful little speaker, well-balanced and have really good dynamic for its size. It's also not that fussy about placement, a solid stand is all it needs. It lacks deep bass though, and its clean sound may not appeal to everyone, as one may feel a bit "sterile" and "uninvolving".

 

Hi all, interesting thread!

I've been a high quality "near field" desk based system user for a long time, but only in the last year or so using active monitors. And I do think its a worthwhile jump (not least in order to get rid of passive crossovers, always a good thing in my opinion!).

Passive speakers I've had on my desk include PMC, Harbeth and ATC, but also some nice own made Jordan Eikona single driver speakers (using some nice late 70's case aluminium cabinets). Used full range (no crossover) from my ICEpower class D amps they sounded great.

But moving on to Active, I tried a few different makes and models (Adam, KRK, Tannoy) and a year ago settled on some Focal CMS 50's, due to their decent enclosure, class AB amps, nice drive units and very natural but interesting sound quality. Quite a few monitors to me sounded very nice, even detail but a bit boring.

I would like to try the Quested's as they seem interesting (hi Dennis, nice to see you here!) especially as they are another option from my home country and likely to be a good deal. I have also listened to the Unity Audio Rock, and would use a pair of them if I had the desk space, they're fabulous. Great enclosures, drive units and electronics from one of the world's great designers Tim de Paravicini.

Regards to all,

Jonathan

 

Unity Audio's Rock/Super Rock/Boulder are definitely on my wishlist, and if I were to just throw money around I'd like to hear Barefoot stuff as well.

Hrodulf also posted up some Equator Q12's in the sale forum that are intriguing.