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TSH Unregistered guest | I heard some MA Silver 6 speakers that sounded pretty nice. It was a brief listen, however. I have now done some reading and a concern folks seem to have is "fatigue" from the metal tweeter with these speakers. I am new to "mid-fi" so terms like bright and fatigue are unclear. I have never had quality equipment, but am now trying to listen to some stuff and make the right decision. In short, what integrated and CDP would be a good match with the MA silver 6 so that this "bright" and "fatigue" thing are not an issue??? Is NAD, Cambridge, Rotel or Arcam a good match. They all have integrated/cdp offerings in my price range, but it may not be possible to hear them with the Monitor Audio speakers in a store. Thanks for any thoughts... |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 282 Registered: Nov-04 | if you are concerned with "bright" or "fatigue" i think your choices will mellow the speakers out you can also add HK and Marantz to the list. terms like "bright" and "warm" are somewhat subjective. some people see "bright" as being "detailed" and "warm" as being "dull". also some people may be more sensitive in their hearing and consider everything but some equipment as "bright". best thing is to go to a store with the MAs on a "neutral" or "warm" reciever and see how they sound. That may give you some idea of how the speakers will sound. |
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TSH Unregistered guest | Thanks Christopher. So, to clarify - Marantz could be considered "Warm", how about NAD or CA or Arcam or Rotel...is there a general consensus about these? For example, I would be considering the Arcam A65 or NAD 352 or Cambridge 640 or Rotel 1062(?) integrated amps with a high probability of selecting the matching CDP from the amp manufacturer. |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 284 Registered: Nov-04 | yes, i am not familiar with CA or Arcam and by familiar i mean i have never read anything on them. i believe NAD and Rotel would also be considered atleast neutral. i know from what i have read that yamaha's recievers are known to be bright so stay away from them if the general consensus has been that the MAs are bright. i would personally look for electronics equipment first then look for speakers. some people will give you different takes which are also valid. i find it easier to switch out a pair of speakers than to switch out a reciever or integrated amp. again, i would try auditioning speakers and electronics. if you really like the MAs buy them then bring them to stores with the amps you are interested in and play some music that you are familiar with. for clarification, all that i say is stuff i have absorbed from this forum. this advice is most likely what other people would give you also. |
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Bronze Member Username: XsoundMyrtle Beach, SC United States Post Number: 69 Registered: Sep-04 | Marantz and HK would definitely be 2 to consider. I am pairing the MA silvers with a pioneer elite VSX-54tx, though it sounds like you are more interested in 2 channel than Home Theater. Pioneer does have an elite integrated amp, but it is only 45 watts. It is very affordable, and should sound good with MA, but most people are all about the power and wattage. Here is a link that may be interesting to you. http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/OnixA120MKIIp1.php The review is very positive, and it sounds like it could meet you needs. As always the best advice is go and listen for yourself. |
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Silver Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 625 Registered: Jan-05 | TSH, Also keep in mind that critiques by 'so called' experts can be completely wrong for 'your' listening tastes. Just because one anomyous reviewer says one thing about a specific speaker, doesnt mean that you'll agree with their conclusion. Best advice is to test the waters by listening to a variety of speakers, and buy what you like .........not what some 'talking head' reviewer says is good. Take whatever any reviewer says with a grain of salt because what they dont like about a particular product, you might find as a strength. You might find that warm speakers are boring and flat, and love ones that are brighter. Bright speakers might prove to be exactly what you seek. It's up to you to listen and decide for yourself which you prefer. |
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TSH Unregistered guest | Thanks all. Update: I have listened the NAD 352 and NAD 542 with the MA Silver 6 and Tannoy Sensys 2. Both sound good to my ears, but I am leaning to the MAs - they look better to me and they are going to be a bit cheaper. I was not overly impressed with the Cambridge Audio amp and CDP paired with the MA speakers. Not nearly as "full" sounding. I am also going to listen to Arcam A65 and CD73 with some Acoustic Energy speakers, which are supposed to be a good match. The Arcam/AE mix will be more expensive, so I am not sure it will be justified. Question - how much power does a 2 channel integrated need if driving relatively sensitive speakers. The Arcam dealer says that the 45wpc on the A65 is plenty, more than enough. And the NAD dealer says that the 80wpc on the 352 amp is plenty. Yet I have also heard that higher powered amps make speakers sound much better at low volumes, which is what I would mostly be listening at...any thoughts on this? |
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Bronze Member Username: BigfanPost Number: 91 Registered: Jan-04 | I have an NAD 773 w/MA S8 (S1 in rear) and the combo works great. I didn't try Marantz w/MA (local MA dealer doesn't have Marantz), but I compared Marantz and NAD head to head on some other speakers, and IMO it was no contest - the NAD sounded far better. The Marantz sounded fine at first, but then after A/B switching w/the NAD, the Marantz sounded much duller, the NAD a lot more lively and realistic. Just one opinion. |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 331 Registered: Nov-04 | TSH, its not the wattage that is important here. two things to consider is the speaker will be driven by the amp and the current capability of the amp. the more sensitive, the less power needed to get same spl. but the more important thing i think is the current capability of the amp. if you get something cheap like low end sony or yamaha you wont get very dynamic response due to poor power supply quality. even if they are rated like 70 wpc, disregarding fudged numbers for now, low head room gives poor sound quality. you get something pretty nice like a rotel and even with less power you will get a better response due to better current capability. in other words, i think that the more important number is not rms power but maximum power. could be wrong here but thats what i have concluded on my own. |