My hifi experiences in Chennai

Disclaimer: These are my views only. It is quite likely that you may have different views since your music preferences are likely to differ from mine. These views are only put out for the benefit of other forum members.

I checked out the Bose showroom on the Nungambakkam high road near the Taj hotel. I auditioned the 301 bookshelf speakers on the music played for me. I don't have my own CDs here The timbre of the 301 put me off immediately but I went through 4 audio tracks nevertheless to ensure that the problem didn't arise in just one song. I found the tonality shrill in Shania Twain. It actually hurt my ears. I noticed clipping at loud volumes. The salesman realized it too and asked his colleague to lower the volume. What surprises me is that Bose retails these speakers for just Rs 21,281. I wonder if Bose actually makes them?

I found the Bose 3.2.1 retailing at Rs 74,203 to be much nicer. This combination of two satellites and a subwoofer was decent in the small showroom environment. It was artificial of course like most mass market systems. But certainly better than the 301. Price wise, of course it would not compete against Mission and Nad combination etc.

I also checked out the Bose Lifestyle 48 which retails for around Rs 2.5 lakhs. Its dynamics and impact was great. The salesman said it could handle a 600 sq. ft room. But it was demonstrated in a room of only around 80 sq. ft. I wonder about the truth? This would have been a good buy, except for the price and unsuitability for music. I found the tonality artificial compared to the Magnepans I checked out in Mumbai.

I also visited the Premier superstore at Spencers Plaza. Checked out this combination:
Jamo D590 flrs Rs 86,000
Marantz PMA7500 int amp Rs 35,000
Marantz CD player CD-5400 Rs 20,000

I enjoyed the sound from this system demonstrated in a 150 sq ft room. The sound was pleasing and detailed. There was adequate bass without bass boom (room treatments may have helped here). I would recommend this system to those in search of good audiophile sound.

I also heard some cheaper flrs at Premier which somehow didn't gel with me.

Please post reviews on these products if you have heard them.

Yesterday, I checked out G.N. Chetty road at T Nagar. First visited the Sony World. They have an interesting home theater system consisting of 5 rather large horn speakers. This is the first time I have seen horn tweeters in a Sony product. In the short listening demo in Tamil I didn't find them really special. Maybe their power output is higher? Has anyone else heard these speakers?

I then visited the Audio People with the purpose of checking out a sub + bookshelfs for music. Checked out the REL Quake sub for Rs 29,000. Didn't impress me greatly with its sound though it had a host of controls. I regret listening to the silly salesman. I should have checked out one of the larger models on display.

But I struck gold with the Energy bookshelfs C3 : Rs 28,000
Denon 2910 SACD Player : Rs 40,000
Denon AVR 1804 : Rs 24,000
I listened to Norah Jones - Come Away With Me on this combination and it was truly ethereal. Extremely impressive. The Energy bookshelfs are really worth it for mids and highs. Since I listened to them with the REL sub, I don't know their low bass capabilities. And the electronics combo must have complemented them as well. The demo room was heavily damped with treated corners.

I later listened to the Energy XL 250 flrs : Rs 35,000
They too sounded good but their sound was slightly marred by either poor placement or the poorer electronics (Yamaha player + speaker).

Can the Canadian Energy take the crown of the best bookshelves under 30,000. Tell me your views.