OK - I'll keep it as simple as possible, so as not to take up too much of your valuable time. But I am planning on buying a new set-up (no CD player just yet) for an odd-shaped solidly built - if a little bright - apartment. I want good mid-range, clarity of sound and minimal vibrational noise transferrence for my neighbours.
I will listen to all kinds of music, but mostly ballsy rock & roll at low and moderate volume - cranking up it to "full death" volume from time-to-time. I may buy new, I may buy secondhand.
My budget is around £400, but I could conceivably tack on an extra tonne if absolutely neccesary. I've done my research and had some great advice, but the time is nearing for auditioning a few combinations and I really need some help drawing up a shortlist, so...
My initial options are:
Amp - NAD C320BEE, NAD C352, Rotel RA-02, Marantz PM7200, MF X-80
Speakers - Quad 11L, EPOS M5, AE EVO1, B&W DM600
Stands: Nexus 6/7 or SE5/6
Cables: QED Silver Anniversary, Van Damme
So, my question is: which of these will combine best for the money? And have I missed any other outstanding options?
A thousand thank yous to anyone who can help drag me out of this quagmire.
And apologies for lying about it being an easy question.
hello, If it's any help I would like to say that I've had very good outcomes with the NAD-C320BEE, basically because its an all around amp. As im sure you know, it has many options of ohms (8,4,2) and is realitivly compact, it also can "get up there" when it comes to Decibels (Sound Level). But of course, i have never heard any of the other amps, so its just an opinion.
For the speakers, my friend has a pair of the EPOS-M5 (not sure the version), they sound really clear and they look great on bookshelfs and whatnot. Agian, Im not to sure on the other types you have listed, sorry.
Hope this helps, reply if you have any questions ^_^
It's not necessary, but the C352T is appreciably better than the C320BEE, surprisingly so in fact. If you can stretch to it then that would be a good thing.
The C320BEE/DM600 is a great combination which works really well. The EVO1 suffers by comparison due to a harsher treble. I haven't heard the EPOS M5, but I know the EPOS sound pretty well and I'd imagine that the M5 would suit the NAD sound very well.
The Nexus 6 is a good basic stand that'll do the job for all these speakers. A better option is the Partington Trophy or Super Dreadnought, both of which are more expensive (£130 and £170 respectively) but fully welded items with real performance. Cabling I would use would be Chord Co. Carnival Silver Plus since it's more neutral than QED. That said the QED is a good cable too. I haven't heard the Van Damme.
The Rotel amps are a good competitor to the NADs. A bit more refined, but a little less involving most of the time. The RA-01 is sonically identical to the RA-02, so all you're buying with the 02 is remote control.
Another amp worth hunting out if you don't need remote control would be the Rega Brio at £298. Excellent amplifier which would match with the speakers I chose above very well indeed.