hi I have just bought cheap a NAIM NA-CD3 and a pair of B&W DM603 speakers. At the moment I am running them through a NAD 3020 amplifier with a bodge job of a biwire but I dont think that I am doing the rest of the system justice with the amp.
i listen mostly to jazz acoustic and rock and the missus to pop but I dont think she would care what it soundede like so long as it makes sounds. volume is not important but I like my bass not loud and overblown but to have a presence. any help and advice would be appreciated.
You 'sound' British. If so, have a look at a second hand Naim Nait3 to complement your CD3 which should have come with a Naim DIN-to-DIN interconnect. The B&W 603 has a big bass by design (bit of a geezer speaker) so controlling that is going to be a bit of fun but so long as the speaker is away from the rear wall this should be OK. I know the Nait seems very low powered at 30 watts, but you'll be surprised how capable it is. There's a good 2nd hand market for Naim in the UK, so you should be able to pick up a Nait3 or Nait3R (which sounds better than the '3) for £300 or so. Just ensure you get Naim's own NACA5 speaker cable and DON'T biwire since Naim amps don't like that.
If you want to go a notch or two up from NAD you can try Musical Fidelity A3.2CR, Bryston 3B-ST, PS Audio HCA-2, Bel Canto EVO 200.2. All can be had for less than 1k US on the used market. All are sterophile class a recommended components.
born2die
Unregistered guest
Posted on
thanks for all the advice so far I will admit that the 603's are a geezer speaker but they were free so I cant argue. Its not annoying the neigbours thats a problem will have a look at the 3r and the musical fidelity
U might want to try the "Audio Analogue Puccini" I have had one for more than two years now ... i love every note it plays ... sounds exactly like the characteristics that you are looking for ... a match made in heaven ... huh !
I am not too sure if you are looking for a new or a used one ... A new Puccini should cost you around 1100 USD ... a "Remote" version a 100 odd dollars more ... I have once heard with the B & W DM602.5 ... and it sounded heavenly ...
Check it out... it just may be what you are looking for ...
i'd say you B&Ws are the weak link. the 600 series of B&Ws have only recieved lukewarm reviews overall. i don't remember any raves.
instead of $1000 for a new amp, i'd suggest $500 (USD) for a pair of magnepan MMGs which NAD can handle easily.
i preferred the sound of $1200 maggies with similarly priced equipment over $20,000 B&Ws with equally expensive gear!
the B&Ws imaged better, had deeper bass and more treble extension, but the lil' maggies walked all over them with their limitless speed and total top to bottom coherency. maggies kick butt with vocals.
the sound between one amp and another won't be as huge as the sound between one speaker and another.
go listen to some maggies if you can. hearing them totally changed my 20 year old priorities! i think i read that NINETY PERCENT of stereophile readers own maggies... hmm... what's that tell you?
p.s. i LIKED that maggies have less prominent bass and ESPECIALLY that what bass is there is so fast it's silly! you've never heard bass so undistorted in your life. for the dollar... i don't think you'll ever hear vocals as realistic either.
naim has ALWAYS gotten a favorable review from every one i've ever read.
the B&Ws are decent starter speakers, but i honestly prefer the tight super imaging sound of my acoustic suspension $200pr. NHT superzeros over larger $1000 B&Ws which again have much more bass and treble extension, but not the speed and midrange of my babies.
everyone's audio pririties are different. if you can... go somewhere and check maggies out to see if they rock your world like they did mine.
p.s. maggies are super light and easy to move and come in wife friendly interior matching ivory/oak or any 3 grille color vs. 3 frame color that you chose. women don't like bigger speakers, but maggies LOVE jazz.
MMG's sound like a small expense but by the time you buy a sub that can keep up with them and an amp that can make them sing you might just as well buy the $2500 floorstander you could've afforded for the comparable outlay. I speak from experience with these speakers. The MG12 is light years better than the MMG and still requires the above investment to be listenable.
I suggest an NAD C352 or C372 amp. If you can afford better look at a Musical Fidelity or Creek. Good luck.
i'm a bass hater. i LOVED the MG12s that i listened to. i like more polote bass and ESPECIALLY appreciate that the MG12s have lighning fast super detailed bass. if i found one working MG12 on the street... i'd use it as a SUBWOOFER in place of my bloated sluggish 12" that i only bought because MCM sold out of the 8' cabinets i wanted.
use the B&Ws as subs! get a $100 sony "home sub amp" and there's your extended bass.
there are many subs available for well under $500 and if you take the DIY route, you can build an even better sub (glad my box is at least sealed! LOL) for alot less. if you can do carpentry... you can do a sub for pocket change.
personally, i'd rather have smaller MMGs as smaller speakers image better, and they are rated for more treble extension than MG12s which i found a little too polite, especially in the company of B&Ws, but man do they have midrange to die for.
MANY of us could live with MG12s and NEVER need a sub. if they had as good a treble extension as MMGs, i'd want them, and would use them as an excuse to GET RID OF MY SUBWOOFER. i like speed and clarity much more than headache inducing gut massages personally.
besides... subwoofers and apartment living don't mix... that's why subs are often times called "lease breakers"
i only have a sub because my mains are NHT superzeros... THAT'S anemic sound for you. (-3dB @ 70Hz)
NuBie
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Hey out there,
i am very new at this, but I appreciate quality sound, and was wondering if anyone out there might recommed a quality tube amp that would sound great with my Pioneer HPM700 speakers, for around 1000 us, or so.... Thanks much!
actually... adire USED to sell 20 watt monoblocks that looked like they cost $1000 each for a sick price of only $250 each! the last time i visited their site, they were gone though.
reading in stereophile... there's an ad for upscale audio that sells "prima luna" tube amps that start at $995 and go up to $1500 depending on what output and tubes you want and whether the unit is integrated or power.
the $995 "prologue one" got this quote: "primaluna prologue one is now my 'affordable reference amplifier'. with apologies to various british and italian geniuses, this amplifier has - to my ears - no equals at it's retail price..." ken kessler hi-fi new (U.K.) July '04
you might be able to find the entire review right here at ecoustics' home page if you click on "editorial reviews"
there aren't that many tube amps available at $1000. the only others i can think of are from antique sound labs and jolida.
you could also find some kits in that range too if you look around. i think vellman has some tube amp kits. tube amps are really popular with the DIY crowd.
if you want better replies nubie... start your own thread titled something like "best tube amp for $1000" so people that are specifically interested in that field who know more about it can see.
i'm not really into tubes, but hopefully i've helped a little.