I dropped my Bryston off at the dealer to get sent back for service. While there, I listened to the Arros.
They may be what I'm looking for. Anyone see serious problems driving them with the Bryston 2Bsst? The factory tested my unit and it clips at 140 on both channels.
I plan to keep this amp for a long time. I see myself experimenting with speakers, preamps and sources, but not power.
I doubt any of you will suggest to pass on the Arros. They seem to be what I'm looking for from speakers. I like a lot of precision and clarity. I don't need warmth or full ness of body, although the Arros come through with a great deal of depth. But I tested them with a 4Bsst, and I'm looking for input from the crowd vis a vis the 2B handling the difficult load the Arros cause.
Please jump in, especially if you actually have some experience with this pairing.
I emailed Totem with the same question, but I expect them to give the thumbs up.
Should be a nice match. Though the Arro's can use more power they don't need it to perform well. I really like Totem speakers and the Arro's are a particularly good value.
YOUR BRYSTOM AMP HAS CLIPPING INDICATORS - CORRECT???? WELL JUST TAKE YOUR AMP IN AND HOOK IT UP TO THE ARROS AND TURN THE VOLUME UP UNTIL THE CLIPPING INDICATORS FLASH YELLOW BRIEFLY ON THE PEAKS IN THE MUSIC. IF THAT LEVEL OF LOUDNESS AND MUSICAL SATISFACTION IS GOOD FOR YOU THEN THE ARROS ARE A GOOD MATCH FOR YOUR AMP. ANYWAYS I THINK YOUR AMP HAS ENOUGH POWER FOR THESE SPEAKERS - I MEAN A TWEETER AND SMALL WOOFER CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH CLEAN POWER AND YOUR BRYSTON HAS PLENTY OF CLEAN POWER.
the 2b is more than enough power to drive the Arro (if anything its on the verge of being too much)
to my understanding the 2b produces well over 100 watts in 4 ohms
the Arro has a sensitivity of 87.5 and only need a minimum of 15 watts (tube) or 30 watts (solid state) to operate
the Bryston would have no problems handling 4 ohm loads and is actually very stable down to 2 ohms
the 2b should prove to be a very nice compliment to the Arro
take care
TOTEM *****************
I think he may be over simplifying it to ensure a sale, but I don't think I have any worries in any event. I mean, yes, 30 watts will drive the speakers, but not the 30 watt panasonic mini system I have in my bedroom.
For goodness' sake do NOT follow t h's advice of running Arros until the clip meter comes in. The chances are that by then you'll have caught your drive units in your hands, or at least overdriven the speakers and damaged them. I regularly drive Totem Arros very successfully with just 50 good, solid state, watts of power. Your Bryston will bring extra grip and control to the party - very nice.
The Totem response sounds very much like Vince talking (he's the designer). You'll note he says the Bryston's power output is at the limit of what the Arros can take. What he says may be simple, but that's just the way Vince talks because most things are that simple to him!
Can you expand on "the limit of what the arros can take"?
Does this imply the whole 'catch-the-drive-units-in-my-hands' scenario? I'm not the type to run at ear piercing levels. It seems unlikely to me that a quality amp that could, in theory, destroy the speakers would actually do so. The limits of the Arros must surely be way beyond even uncomfortable sound levels. Yes?
So just an ounce of common sense and a little prudence should protect my investment from destruction...
Any other speakers that come to mind, if I like the arros (for their clarity) that I should seek out? I think your advice would be particularly relevant. Thanks
Hi Geoff I got Arros this winter and I also got NAD 743. Sounds like nothing next to your Bryston but I am very happy from the setup. Got totem wire as well. I can give you name of the manager from StereoPlus in Ottawa - that is where I got them. Should give you good deal. Pablo
It was Totem who said it was at the limit of what Arros can take, not me. I imagine they're saying that if you drove the amp at full volume, the speakers would only just be able to take that power (and be very loud in the process). The chances are that you would have to back off much earlier than that. The excursion on the drive units is very good, more so than many drive units, but even they have their limits. Once the drive units are driven to their end-stops you'd hear them 'pop' as the end-stops smack into the back of the drive unit. That's a sign to stop. The great thing about Arros is that they're really clean when fed good undistorted clean power so they don't distort until they reach their limit. Many speakers start distorting well before this.
As you're in Canada and I'm in the UK, it's difficult to recommend anything in price bands since I don't know the prices there, sorry.
