I’ve noticed he prefers (or tries to) the more budget options and I do kinda respect that… that said the 03’s are really really nice… couldn’t be happier with them
I’m thinking on buying these for my livingroom, but I don’t have any other equipment yet (I just moved in). Can you recommend any dac/amp that would go well with these?
What’s your budget?
About 200. Maybe I can spend some more by saving up if it’s needed / worth it
I had a Yamaha rs202 that I think would pair nicely but I dont believe it has a dac (or phono input if you need those)
Denon PMA-600NE is highly regarded here if that’ll fit your budget
I will check them out. Thanks!
Would the BR03s be too big for a small room/desktop setup using an SMSL AD18 amo? Or would the BR02s be a better fit? Haven’t seen anyone else review the BR02s apart from Zeos. Torn between the two and which to get.
Br03s are pretty big tbh but they’re front ported so that’s a bonus… kinda depends how much room you have
It’s a small enough room and I would like to use them with a pc setup as well. Leaning towards the BR02. The BR03s seem to be suited for living room use and your primary setup.
tl;dr—can BR02 shine on the desktop??
I’m in this same boat. NBT (Next Best Thing, I forget his name) said he recommends the Alpha P5 for desktop (extreme nearfield) audio, but as a speaker in general the Borea are his favorite speaker for tonality under $2k. I don’t wanna settle for “safe” when the BR02 and P5 are $50 difference, you know?? Especially since I have like nearly a $1k feeding it, just feels wrong to cheap out on the actual speaker haha
In Sean’s review of the P5–which was a year ago—he said it was his favorite desktop speaker. In his recent review of the BR03, he briefly said the BR02 may be a better desktop speaker over the 3. I assume at his level of experience, he wouldn’t say something like that if he fundamentally disagreed with desktop placement in the same way NBT seems to??? …audiophile research can be so miserable…especially for those of us without a lot of room to stretch.
MY BR02s are ordered and on there way so I will find out soon enough what they are like in my room.
I’m eager to know your impressions on your desk!!
Did anyone ever try the Br03 or Br02’s nearfield, I have the Br03’s on order and not sure if I would be better off going for something else.
Could potentially stretch the budget to LS50 which I read are very well suited to nearfield (PC setup with stands).
I bought the BR02s for my computer desk after one of my Yamaha HS50Ms died. I’ve had them 2 days. The imaging isn’t as magical as it sounded in Z’s demo, but maybe in a living room environment it would. I haven’t tried. EDIT: I’m confusing these with Z’s demo of the BR03. BR02 don’t have that kind of imaging, at least not near field.
They sound good though. The bass goes lower than the Yamahas. The detail and clarity is just as good. Rock, jazz and classical are all enjoyable. I have no complaints. Someday I will try them next to my TV instead of my Martin Logan LX16s for a while.
Can anyone recommend a banana plug that fits in the Borea binding posts? The ones I have on-hand (Monoprice Affinity) don’t fit.
I should have clarified - the plug is a little long for the terminal.
So, you’re saying that the banana plugs seat fine, but stick out a little bit? That’s not really a problem, unless the aesthetic bugs you. You could try adding some heatshrink to cover the gap, or (and I’m not sure because I don’t have any Affinity plugs on hand), is it possible to tighten/loosen the outer ‘body’ cylinder of the plugs to change insertion depth? Some banana plug terminations allow for this.
Edit: If you’re talking about clearance from the rear (i.e. the cables stick out too far for where you want to place the speakers), there are plenty of 90-degree banana terminations out there.
I had the BR03 nearfield and loved them but they destroyed my brain even at low volume. I found them a bit too bright (it could be the class D Yamaha amp I used also). I loved the actual sound and imaging on them, gaming was amazing. I am thinking of going to BR02 though basically based on the Z review video.
Interested on what you feel you like more for nearfield or in general between your Martin Logan and the Triangle. I have the ML 35XTI but I find them a bit to big now with a new amp I got that has a lot of power on tap. I would think a smaller speaker on the desk is probably a bit better, plus I am moving to a smaller room soon.