jimdabomb, what did you end up going with for heavier genres like metal? How is it working out?
I'm brand new to AK and the whole audiophile scene but have been dreaming of diving in for years. I've been gathering steam for a few months now but haven't committed to anything yet. My local shop in Montreal is recommending the Brio-R with Harbeth P3s, along with either the RP1 or RP3 TT. I listened to some blues and acoustic singer/songwriter stuff on vinyl on that setup at the shop and it sounds great. Those are the other two main musical genres I listen to, and in fact I listen to that the most now that I live with my girlfriend. I suspect the majority of vinyl I will buy will be in those two categories. Also my listening space is not a big room, but has high ceilings (old Montreal apartment)
However, I have a LOT of metal on CD, and would like to add a CD player to the system in the not-to-distant future, and am wondering how the amp/speaker combo will hold up. I don't really have the opportunity to blast music in my place, so it would be at a reasonable volume. It's more about capturing the full dynamic range in metal, with a lot of subtleties in busy music to pull out. I don't plan to add a sub anytime soon with this system, if ever. I would probably only get more melodic/atmospheric metal on vinyl such as Opeth or Katatonia. Heavier, faster stuff on CD.
Are there any threads out there anyone knows of for heavy metal fans?
Also, thanks Art for all the insight in this thread. I've read this entire thread and probably learned as much as a Newbie could ask for from one source. Any feedback from you would also be much appreciated. Cheers.