aan25 said:
also id like to know from people out there who have naim systems or rega.a dealer told me that naim and rega have like 50 to 60 watts which is ok for acoustic and jazz and classical music but it wont be enough for the kind of music i listen to.he told me i need an amp which is 100watts or more and high current and that will make the music more lively, punchy and the bass will be controlled.also he suggested i stay away from rega and neat speakers as they use paper cones and with a powerful high current amp like nad the paper cones may distort with music with heavy low end.
any thoughts guys.......with naim and rega owners will be appreciated.
What an absolute load of cobblers. Well maybe not entirely cobblers, but advice of a non-sequitor nature.
Is 50 to 60 watts enough? Depends on the speakers.
Get a pair of 100db efficient speakers and 50 watts into these is the equivalent of 1000 watts into 87db efficient speakers!!!
I don't get the bit about distortion and paper cones. On music with a lot of bass a small cone of any material, including exotic ones, will distort more than a large paper cone at generous volumes. For example, Bozak Concert Grands use four 12" doped paper bass cones. These speakers will sound better and less distorted in the bass than anything stocked by your Rega Naim dealer.
And as for demonstrations, if you really want to find the best sounding system you can for your NZ$ 10,000, the best thing to do is to hook up with some audiophiles who live near you and go and listen to their systems. If you want to end up with a system that sounds OK, but still sounds like a hi-fi system then go to dealers and buy the best sounding system from them. If you want to get a system that sounds like a live band playing in your room then get a properly blended system made up of a mixture of classic vintage and newish 2nd hand kit.
And don't forget Hoffman's Iron Law:
In speakers you can have bass extension, high efficiency, small size. Pick any 2.
The obvious 2 to pick in your situation is bass extension and high efficiency.
Your dealer was right in one thing that he said "stay away from Rega and Neat speakers". Not because of paper cones but because neither of them make speakers that are big enough to provide the sort of authorative sound that will fill your listening room.