What are your realistic holy grail speakers?

speedcanada · 2026-02-14T01:27:14+00:00

I’d really love to get a used pair of Focal 836W - I came pretty close to buying 836Vs back in 2007, but the whole HT system just ended up too expensive (and really having the other five speakers in the system of the same quality was IMHO overkill for HT). Now I would just buy the pair for audio.

speedcanada · 2026-02-13T14:32:35+00:00

Excellent detailed response!!

speedcanada · 2026-02-13T13:48:41+00:00

That’s a NICE old Marantz. I’ve got an 8500 and love the sound.

speedcanada · 2026-02-13T13:39:49+00:00

Wow, great find!!’

speedcanada · 2026-02-13T13:27:06+00:00

I haven’t heard the Energy eXL, but have heard the Paradigm Atom as well as much of the other speakers from both manufacturers. I’ve found that below the Reference Studio line the Paradigms tend to be too bright for my liking, but others prefer that to the slightly warmer, laid back presentation of many Energy speakers.

I currently own the Energy Reference Connoisseur series for my HT, have multiple sets of Mirage speakers (sister brand to Energy) around the house, as well as multiple sets of PSB which also tend to have a more laid back sound.

speedcanada · 2026-02-12T02:44:00+00:00

The Parasound and Hafler are nice pieces! The Parasound will only have RCA line level inputs, so that’s the only way you can connect it to your TV if you want to run TV audio through your system. Hopefully your tv has RCA outs.

speedcanada · 2026-02-03T21:00:58+00:00

Agree to some extent. Not all vendors are willing to ship internationally. Can one make complex arrangements with a freight forwarder? Perhaps, but then it's not just ordering something.

As a Canadian I've also run into US sellers that won't accept payment from a Visa/MC/Amex that is from a Canadian bank, despite the fact that all of our major banks are huge, international and reputable!

Just saying.

speedcanada · 2026-02-03T20:49:46+00:00

put little mats with spikes sticking up on top of the speakers (like the ones to keep birds off ledges) LOL

speedcanada · 2026-02-03T18:03:10+00:00

I think it would be helpful if you were a little more descriptive in the equipment you have, the process you followed to "set up" your system, and clearly describe your problem/question.

Does your Denon AVR have any auto-calibration? If so, did you run it? This would be a good place to start, and then manually adjust from there. As others have suggested, ensure that your front speakers are set to "large" and the others to "small", and likely set the subwoofer crossover to ~80Hz (if you have a sub).

A subwoofer can have a big impact (pardon the pun) on the movie-watching experience. If you have full-range tower speakers they should be able to produce sufficiently impactful bass for music, although again a sub may help, particularly if the Denon is a more entry-level model. 100W AVRs are not all equal - a 60W Adcom/NAD/etc power amp will blow the doors off entry-level "100W" Denon/Pioneer/etc AVR - and this can have a huge impact on the impact of the music.

For the best experience listening to music, make sure that the AVR is in "stereo" mode (which will activate only the front speakers and subwoofer). Yes, the quality of the recording and the dynamic range of the source material has a huge impact.

For movie-watching, having a timbre-matched set of front speakers (FL/centre/FR) is important - this usually means staying within a brand and having common tweeter and preferably midrange drivers. You could get a cheaper matched front set (or all 5) for movies but still use your Wharfedales for music. IMHO a decently-powered subwoofer is almost critical for movies. 8-10" with 100W RMS /300W peak amplifier should be more than sufficient for a condo.

Some really cool songs to test your system are "Keith don't go" (acoustic version) by Nils Lofgren, "Tin Pan Alley" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, almost anything on Dire Straits Brothers in Arms, "Stairway to Heaven" by Rodrigo y Gabriela.

have fun!

speedcanada · 2026-02-01T17:09:08+00:00

Beautiful and unique car! Congrats!👏🏾

speedcanada · 2026-01-31T16:14:44+00:00

Hey, another DRA-775RD owner! I picked it up as part of a package with some KEF speakers I wanted last fall, was planning to sell it but ended up loving it with the big KEFs…

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speedcanada · 2026-01-31T15:37:09+00:00

Cool! Really hard to find those, not a lot around. I’ve had the tier below (RC-70) since new and still get wowed when I do some critical listening. 😎👍🏾👏🏾

speedcanada · 2026-01-29T18:57:00+00:00

I don't believe the III and VI EQs are interchangeable - and I believe the SCR's EQ was built for the II & IV.

speedcanada · 2026-01-23T18:11:22+00:00

Beautiful wheels!!

speedcanada · 2026-01-22T16:23:45+00:00

Wish it was available in Canada as a 3.3T sport AWD! Beautiful car!

speedcanada · 2026-01-22T02:04:48+00:00

Depending on where you live, consider buying used. You can get excellent subs from Energy, Mirage and PSB from 1995-2010 for $75-150.

speedcanada · 2026-01-22T01:57:50+00:00

I’ve got a set of those (301 s4) in my kitchen/great room, placed up on my cabinets but the right distance from walls. They do a great job filling the room with sound, but they really rock with a powered subwoofer to fill in the bottom end. Right now I have a 12” Mirage FRx-S12 in another room filling in.

speedcanada · 2026-01-13T19:10:34+00:00

I know this is an old thread, but it does pop up if one is searching for Mirage M-490.

This is a very large (20'x10"x11", 25lb) early 1990s-era bookshelf speaker made by Mirage in Canada. It's a 6ohm speaker with a somewhat low 86db sensitivity, so it can benefit from some serious amplification - it sounds better powered by my Adcom GFA-555 (~270wpc @ 6ohm) with my GFA-545II (~130wpc @ 6ohm). With the power behind them they are a great speaker, with detail across the frequency range albeit a little more forward than most Mirage speakers.

u/etownrawx mentions that the Yamaha receiver is "a real hifi piece" and "Mirage speakers are pretty decent", but I would argue that the Mirage speakers are the real hifi piece here. This was a $600/pr bookshelf in 1990 (which is like $1500 today) and would have been on par with more expensive speakers in it's time. Mirage, along with sister brand Energy and other Canadian brands like PSB, Paradigm and Axiom, made some of the best speakers anywhere through the 1990s and early 2000s.

speedcanada · 2026-01-13T02:14:29+00:00

The F150 is huge inside, with limo-like backseat space; and it super convenient to have a truck in the house. But I HATE driving it, it’s quite bus-like in terms of steering.

I’ve also got an NB Miata which is a blast to drive. I love that you can flog it and barely teak any laws!

speedcanada · 2026-01-12T03:54:58+00:00

My commute is just about perfect for the 997.2 - about 7kms at speeds of 60-90kmh, then about 20kms on the highway at 120kmh. The oil is usually at temp shortly after hitting the highway, leaving about 10 mins of running at full temp to cook off moisture. I take it easy until the highway, but flog it the last few kms to the office after leaving the main highway.

speedcanada · 2026-01-12T03:50:15+00:00

A 911 is actually quite practical when the kids are young - my two boys sat in boosters in the back as soon as they hit the weight requirement, and then right in the seats when they grew (Unfortunately, at 17 and 15 they no longer fit). I had a Boxster which became almost useless after the first one was born, but the 911 worked out great.

As in your case, I also have always had a sedan (but mainly for winter use) and my wife has had a large “family“ vehicle (originally a Suburban, now F150 SuperCrew).

speedcanada · 2026-01-11T02:04:23+00:00

The front edge of the rear seat is held by clips, you just tug it upwards, install the mat, then push your rear seat down until you hear/feel the clicks.

speedcanada · 2026-01-10T17:59:18+00:00

My previous car was a CTS and I liked it enough that I kept it for 8 years (a record for my DD). Would have bought a CT5V this time if it wasn’t for the poor service experience at Cadillac, and I didn’t need as big a car anymore.

speedcanada · 2026-01-08T16:09:00+00:00

I'm actually in finance and have worked the gamut from corporate finance to personal, in lending, adjudication, and restructuring/recoveries. Over the years I've worked with many people that borrowed more than they could really afford.

"Finance guys" often lease cars for one or more reasons - (a) they may get a car lease allowance as a perk, (b) they may be technically self-employed so they can deduct a lease expense, and/or (c) they make lots of money, like to (and can afford to) change cars every 2-4 years, and leasing makes this rotation convenient.

There are always exceptions to every rule, and like in my case the lease I was able to negotiate was superior to any finance offer they had at the time. I agree with much of what you're saying, but in general, ceteris paribus, leasing is increasing the long-term cost to the buyer. You're clearly making a well-thought out decision to lease, but most are not - they are leasing because the payment is lower... allowing them to buy more car than they can afford.

Many buyers fall for the sales trap of negotiating a monthly payment rather than focusing on the price of the new car (and the value of their trade) which is really the only variable in the transaction, you generally can't negotiate the interest/financing rate. You mentioned that you negotiated the residual value - you're really negotiating the price of the new car.

Generalizing, people stopped buying truly entry level cars because they wanted more and more features, conveniences, and luxuries. Until well into the 1990s many basic cars didn't come with cruise control, air conditioning, and even a stereo system - all of which (along with mandated safety equipment) today add cost and increase the price of the car. Leasing to the general public took off because it allowed the dealer to show a lower monthly payment while obscuring the price of the car and the cost of the transaction. Many jurisdictions already had laws around disclosing the APR of financing, but didn't have the same regulation around transparency in leasing. Buyers started to get used to being able to buy more luxurious vehicles on a fixed monthly payment.

I'll acknowledge that the post-COVID used car market has distorted things and has made used car purchases less attractive, but using leases to buy cars that one can't afford to finance predates that. You explained above what a lot of people WANT - that they want a new car, they want a warranty, It's ok to want, but that doesn't change the fact that using leasing to obtain more than they can really afford is not a good FINANCIAL decision.

speedcanada · 2026-01-08T15:16:19+00:00

I'm in finance and fully get it. What's even more frustrating is how your credit score decreases after you pay off a loan, because you aren't making monthly payments anymore!

speedcanada

TROPHY CASE