Made a number of significant changes over the past year, notably the Ayre CD player, Mac C500 pre-amp, and the Audience power conditioner. I also upgraded to Tara Labs power cords with PAD speaker cables and interconnects. I am very pleased with the sound of my current system - very detailed and open yet musical and engaging. However, one can't help but to wonder how a more capable pair of speakers would sound in this room...
It is true that the potential of the system is not fully tapped in the current room especially in the bass since the room is not dedicated. Hence, your plan of sticking with the speakers(and system) is sensible. I reckon the system will take on a whole new level if properly set up in a dedicated room(with couple of Real Traps treatment on the walls). The Nova Utopia Be's do look fantastic, more like a piece of art. Fabulous speakers. Enjoy~
Your system has certainly evolved. From the modest B&W 9NTs in 2007 to the Dynaudio S3.4s and now the classy French speakers. The Nova Utopia Be's are in a different league from the Contour series, hence I can understand why you are lost for words.
I particularly like your choice of electronics and speakers. I am familiar with B&W speakers and the CDM 9NT was once in my shortlist. It's good that you've paid more attention to the front end components in the BAT and Electrocompaniet. I also like your choice of using Bryston in driving your 9NT's. I can imagine your system having a transparent and dynamic sound without any harshness or listening fatigue.
