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New member Username: DemitryPost Number: 1 Registered: 02-2004 | I have decided to go with a NAD integrated amp (probably the C372) and also a NAD C542 CD-player. My first ideas about the speakers were the B&Ws: DM603 S3 or maybe the CM4. I know i should test listen as many configurations as possible, but i am afraid my possibilities are a bit limited, regarding the two manufacturers and local retailers. Can anyone give me some advice, I would appreciate it very much. Thanks! |
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Silver Member Username: HawkPost Number: 269 Registered: 12-2003 | Marvin: It is really unfortunate when you don't have the time or resources to do the shopping--I think it really helps to tailor your system to suit your individual tastes (we all hear these things differently). However, a C372 with B+W 603S3s is a wonderful combination, IMHO. Same is also true of the CM4s, which are even a bit better than the 603s (and which are being closed out, so you may find them at a very good price). However, I don't know what you want advice on--your post isn't clear on what you need. If you are just asking about the combo, hey, its a good one! |
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New member Username: DemitryPost Number: 2 Registered: 02-2004 | Thanks very much for your fast reply, Hawk! Basically, with the amp and the CD-player I am limited to two or maybe three manufacturers: NAD, DENON and SONY (maybe I could also get a deal on MARANTZ). As the speaker selection goes, I can go with B&W, JBL and also maybe TANNOY and DALI. The fact is that I have about $2500 to max. $3K to spend and probably around on half of it will be on the speakers. My room is about 18m2 (190sqft.), and my choice of music will be almost everything, except techno/rave. Lots of it will be classical music. When looking at my budget you also have to take into account, that the prices here in Eastern Europe are a bit higher than maybe in UK or the US. (NAD C372 - $800, NAD C542 - $460). The problem is that the dealers do not have much equipment on stock to test-listen! Any advice or further help is appreciated! |
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Silver Member Username: HawkPost Number: 272 Registered: 12-2003 | Marvin: Given the fact that you are looking for stereo (i.e., 2 channel), you can forget Denon, Sony, and even Marantz. I have sampled all of their two channel offerings and they are pretty bad. Most of these audio giants have blown off 2 channel gear and concentrated all of their efforts on HT gear. So, you are on the right track looking at NAD, which is still making good stereo gear. Now, I also think you may find the C352 has more than enough power for you and this can save you some money. It can certainly drive any of the speakers you have named with ease--the 352 has more power than it appears on the surface (rated at 80 wpc, it has dynamic headroom power of 115 wpc). Given the price differential between the two, you can save some money here and invest more into the speakers, if needed, to stay within your budget. As for speakers, I think either the B+Ws or the DALIs would be a good choice, although I do believe the B+Ws are the best choice for classical music. DALI has limited distribution here in the U.S., so I haven't heard many, but what I have heard sounds pretty good. Tannoy just showed up at one of my local dealers, so I really don't know. I just don't know enough about their product line to offer any help. I would not recommend JBLs--I just don't think they have the resolution of the other makes and would not be as satisfying. So, if it were me, I would get an NAD integrated amp and CD player with the B+Ws, either the 603S3s or the CM4s, whichever I could get or the one with the better price. Good luck! |
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Silver Member Username: GmanPost Number: 181 Registered: 12-2003 | If you live in the US and your room isn't too large, the best small speaker I have heard (I bought my sister 2 pairs) are the Ascend CBM-170's at about $330/pr. They are also returnable after 30 days if you are unhappy. They have the smoothest sound of any speaker under $1,000 I have heard. They have almost a ruler flat frequency response--these guys have definitely done their homework and used quality speakers and crossovers. But they don't don't have great bass response, so a subwoofer crossover at 80-100Hz would be ideal. I got my sister the new Outlaw Audio LFM-1 subwoofer at $579 (you can get two of these at $999) and she and her husband are in awe of the sound in their 14 x 18 foot room. Now the B&W 300 series goes deeper, but without a doubt has a few bumps in various frequencies. Of course, we are talking about fairly inexpensive speakers--so I am not saying the B&W's aren't worth every penny---they are very good. But if you live in the US the Ascends are certainly worth an audition with their 30 day mail-back policy and certainly give a true and accurate frequency response from 100 hz on up that is amazing. They have a good site to peruse too. But if I were in the UK I can definitely see wanting to get one of the very good British speakers from B&W, Monitor Audio, etc., as you can readily get help if a tweeter blows or some other mishap occurs. |
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Owen Unregistered guest | After auditioning a number of amps from Roksan, Arcam, Denon etc, I have just added an NAD C372 to my system which currently has a set of B&W 602 S3's. I went for the larger NAD integrated because it has a better sound than the C350 (Actually the C320BEE sounded better than the more expensive C350) and I had planned on replacing my speakers with something more upmarket shortly. After listening to this gear for a week I am in no rush to replace the B&W 602 S3's. They have come to life with the NAD and no doubt the 603's would be even more impressive. I do not think you can go wrong with NAD B&W combo although personally I would avoid the C350 in favour of either its smaller or larger brothers. |
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Santiago Unregistered guest | Hawk and other experts, I have been really learning a lot from you guys. Now, I wonder whether you can give me a hand on my specific issue. I already have a pair of Jamo speakers (E-630) that I bought 2y ago (thinking that were excelent), which I am about to complement with a new receiver. I wonder which one you think would be the BEST FIT for these speakers (in case they are actually worth it). I was considering either the HK-AVR325, HK-AVR525, NAD 742 or Marantz 7300, which I already know are well regarded here. Then, if I get your blessing on the Jamo E630, I will to complete the speaker-set with the Jamo surround, center and subwoofer (E6SUR, E6CEN and E6SUB) that according to the Jamo Corp. are designed to match the ones I have. http://www.jamo.com/consumer/products/ Please, also let me know if I should sell them and get something better. I will deeply appreciate your thoughts and advice. Cheers Santiago |