Two Channel Setup

Aaron New member Username: Ehrawn Post Number: 2 Registered: Mar-08	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 04:40 GMT I am putting together my first home audio system. After some valuable help from the folks on this forum, I decided that a two channel setup is the best fit for my needs. However, I am having a lot of trouble figuring out which speakers to go with. A little background: the gear will mostly be used for music and TV, with occasional movie watching. I listen to a wide range of music (from hip-hop to jazz and everything in between). My budget is about $2K, but any money saved here will be applied to a new HDTV. A also have some space restrictions because of the room layout: all of the AV equipment will be placed a 5' W x 3.5' D x 8' H cubby in the middle of the long wall of a 14' x 20' room. I am leaning toward an integrated amp for their general quality to price ratio, but am still considering stereo receivers. After some online research, I picked out the NAD C325BEE. It seems to have consistently solid reviews, and the right price for my budget. With that in mind, I went to a couple dealers to check out some speakers. So far, I've looked at a few combinations from B&W, Klipsch, DefTech, Arcam, and Totem. The Totem Arros are the clear front runner for my listening tastes. Plus, the cabinets are gorgeous: beautifully crafted, but small enough to disappear in the room (large floor speakers would overpower the room). There are a couple of concerns I have about the Arro. 1) The dealer recommended a larger amp to drive them (Cambridge Audio Azur 740A), which totally blows my budget. 2) The price is too much for me to afford a sub. While the Arro would be fine for most of my music collection, I'm afraid they would lack the punch for something like the Roots. I am looking for recommendations on speakers that would allow me to enjoy a wide range of music, but meet my budget and placement restrictions? Bookshelf, satellite, and tower speakers are all on the table. There isn't a good variety of authorized dealers in my area, so I'm willing to consider direct-to-consumer companies like Axiom and AV123. Do I need to rethink my amp choice (the Outlaw RR2150 is intriguing)?Any help you guys can offer is much appreciated.
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 9922 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 11:03 GMT Aaron, you might want to look into Psb speakers, the B25 will not require a sub for the way you describe your listening.
Art Gold Member Username: Artk Albany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6592 Registered: Feb-05	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 11:06 GMT Rega Brio and Rega R3's.
Chris H Silver Member Username: Hawkbilly Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 183 Registered: Jul-07	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 11:38 GMT What are your listening habits ? Do you listen to music quite loud ? Or at low-moderate levels ? The Totems aren't all that tough to drive, although if you either listen at high levels (which I don't think is the Arros forte)or try to fill a large room (also not the Arros forte) I could see the NAD running out of juice. Will the dealer let you try the combination you like in your home to see how it works ? If you've found something you really like, don't bail out on it just yet. It might actually work just fine. The sales guy might be giving you honest advice, or just upselling you. I can tell you with some confidence that the amp will drive those speakers. The only question is, will they drive them sufficiently for how you will use them.
Gavin Gold Member Username: Gavdawg Albany, New York Post Number: 1086 Registered: Nov-06	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 12:56 GMT there was a post in here about that exact same subject (do a little forum searching in this section), and it was generally agreed upon that while NAD can drive Totem, the sound isn't really pretty.
Aaron New member Username: Ehrawn Post Number: 3 Registered: Mar-08	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 15:40 GMT Nuck, there is a PSB dealer here. I will check out the B25. Chris, I listen at low to moderate levels, but, as Gavin mentioned, the previous posts about the NAD/ Totem combo has me a little nervous.
Frank Abela Gold Member Username: Frank_abela Berkshire UK Post Number: 2803 Registered: Sep-04	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 15:56 GMT Aaron, Forget the Arros if you're set on the C325BEE. It simply doesn't have enough drive for them. Your dealer was quite correct about them needing a more capable amplifier. If you need speakers which are easier to drive to work with the C325BEE, have a look at Focal's 714V. They're similar in height but not as slim as the Arros. Of course, they're not Arros either... Regards, Frank.
Stu Pitt Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt Irvington, New York USA Post Number: 2581 Registered: May-05	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 16:20 GMT Aaron, Forget you ever heard the Arros if you're intent on a 325BEE. Frank is right on the money here. If you want the Arros, be prepared to spend at least $1200 dollars for an acceptable integrated amp and CD player. If you can swing that, Arcam's US distributer sells discontinued gear on their website. I owned a 320BEE and paired them up with PSBs. They have a very good synergy together and give a lot for the money. The B25s are an excellent speaker, but if you need more bass, look into the T45 or T55. I ran mine with T55s. Also, make sure you have a good CD player or you're wasting your time. NADs CD players obviously match up very well, and are very good for the money in any of their price points. The best price to performance CD player in this range may be the 525BEE, although you'll definitely hear improvements with the 542. One other thing, keep in mind that this system will show differences in cables. I'm not saying to go crazy with them, but inexpensive and good quality cables should be factored in as well. Audioquest's entry level and maybe or two up interconnect will work well. Canare speaker cables work well too IMO. Just stay away from Monster.
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 9932 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 17:11 GMT Or consider DIY cables if you like to tinker for cheap
Aaron New member Username: Ehrawn Post Number: 4 Registered: Mar-08	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 21:14 GMT Frank and Stu, I'm not dead set on NAD- I just wanted to know if I needed to look elsewhere if I decided to go with the Arros. Any suggestions in the same price ballpark? BTW thanks for the suggestion on cables- as you can guess, I'm new to this and am looking for all the info I can get.
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 9939 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 21:19 GMT Keep asking, Aaron, you will get lots of info!
Stu Pitt Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt Irvington, New York USA Post Number: 2587 Registered: May-05	Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 - 00:44 GMT The cheapest I'd go with the Arros is the Arcam A65+ and CD73T. The A65+ is discontinued, but still available from Arcam's US distributer for $520. They also sell the CD73T for $525. If you've heard the Arros with Arcam, this will be very similar to what you've heard, but not quite as good. Then again, there's a pretty big price difference. I'm not the biggest fan of the A65+, but its sounds very good with the Arro IMO. I think its sounds a lot better than it should. http://www.audiophilesales.com/prod/main.asp?cat=62&n=0&np=5 http://www.audiophilesales.com/prod/main.asp?cat=81&n=0&np=5 I'm not sure what cables to use with this setup, but you can still find and use pretty inexpensive stuff that'll sound very good. Kimber comes to mind.

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