Amplifier and speaker advice re Yamaha a-s500

[dr_snippy]

Hey peeps ... Just purchased a project carbon debut, and would like to build a purpose system to complement it. I really like the look and the reviews of the Yamaha A s500, and the B&W Cm1s . My local hifi shop doesn't believe in Yamaha but not every body has 1000$ of bananas to spend on his gear. Though his cm1s sound good and look the part. So for my budget 1500.oo Aussie the Yamaha over here is 330 new and 1200 for the cm1s ..... Need to replace my akai from the 70s .... Man ......listen to classical through to nick cave to mr bungle , and the room size is 50 sqm . Thoughts ,or ideas welcome........bearing in mind I like the Yamaha, cheers dr. Snippy 8)

 

[BigH]

The Cm1s are not bad but not very sensitive so need some power to drive and your room is large. If I were you I would look at some more sensitive speakers.

 

[dr_snippy]

Cheers big h can you recommend any.... The good dr.

 

[BigH]

The Epos Epic 2s are sensitive, not sure if you can get them out there.

 

[dr_snippy]

Nice looking speakers but can't get em down under. What if I upgraded the amp to yam as700 ? Mor drive for the cm1 s ? ...... More $$$$$ though might have to look 2nd hand.... BoolBool

 

[BigH]

Also Monitor Audio Silver RX1

I don't know that amp but I would look at amps with a decent phono stage like Rega.

 

[BigH]

Having looked into that AS500 it does seem a good amp, you could try the B&W 685s which are more sensitiv ethan the CM1s although not so good looking.

 

[dr_snippy]

Cheers big h will look at those tomorrow they don't look too bad in the white and the get good reviews .

 

[gurjitsidhu]

Ive got the Yamaha AS500 and I think it sounds very good. nice and natural. Im powering the B&W 684 (floor standing) and although they are not as sensitive as my previous speakers (Q Acoustics 2050i), the AS500 can still power them to a decent volume. a 3db decrease in sensitity means that the amp has to work twice as hard to get the same volume out. I noticed my as500 was considerably hotter when it was powering the B&W over the Q Acoustics. Having just checked, your CM1 speakers are 84dB...thats not something I could live with since i like my music loud and I dont like going beyond 12 o clock position on the amp. Have you considered the 684's?

The AS500 is a pretty powerful amp so if you really want the CM1 speakers then AS500 would be a must since no other amp in the same price range can deliver that power. next step up is the likes of Rotel and Arcam but they are more expensive.

 

[dr_snippy]

How about running the cm5 with the yam 500 ? I heard the cm5s today and they sounded great off a yam as 700 .... They offered me a deal of a lifetime but just quietly still over my budget. But can afford the cm5s with the Yamaha as500..... Has anyone done this? Thoughts

 

[ID.]

I think the Yamaha should be powerful enough for the CM1s, although that might depend on the size of the room and how loud you like to listen.

$1200... Ouch. With the current strength of the Australian they retail in Japan for the equivalent of a bit over AU$700, maybe $900 when the exchange rate was worse.

I'd take a listen to B&W 685s too. I think they have superior bass and scale, although the CM1s are probably a bit better. If you have the opportunity, try auditioning some Australian speakers too. Something like the Krix Equinox

http://www.krix.com.au/Product/Detail.aspx?p=44&id=6

potentially provides great value for money.

 

[gasolin]

Mabye DALI IKON 2 MK2 in denmark where i live they are a bit cheaper then the cm 1's