B&W CM6 S2 Loudspeaker and Integrated Amplifier Pairing: HELP NEEDED!!

EMRandone

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Dear All,

I'm going to buy the B&W CM6 S2 loudspeakers.

I've heard them paired to a Naim Nait XS 2, and they sounded really good.

My question is: do you have any suggestion for a better stereo amplifier pairing for these loudspeakers?

In Italy the NAIT XS 2 costs 2700 EUR, so this is the upper limit for my new amplifier budget! :)

Thanks!
 

ErwinC

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Perhaps you should try the new Rotel RA-1592 amplifier. B&W and Rotel are considered to be a good match. The Rotel also has a good DAC section and is within your budget.
 

ErwinC

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Perhaps you should try the new Rotel RA-1592 amplifier. B&W and Rotel are considered to be a good match. The Rotel also has a good DAC section and is within your budget.
 

Cally85

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Hi Trev,

im new here and not sure where to post or who to ask?

I'm looking for some advice on matching the right amp for my Tannoy Ardens 15" Dual Concentric monsters! I have replaced the crossovers with a £500 crossover packed with jantzen audio superior z caps. ( caps are like Coke cans ;)

was thinking either roksan Caspian power and pre combo. The pre being the £4000 dual mono pre amp.

Or..... Something like valves. Any help would be loved, or if you can point me into the right direction I would be forever greatful. Thank you
 

rainsoothe

Well-known member
TrevC said:
There are no matching considerations when it comes to amplifier and speaker combinations. Any appropriately powered amplifier will do the same job.

OP: Please ignore TrevC's advice on this matter, he's either going deaf or hasn't auditioned a lot of amps.

As for useful advice, get a used Naim Supernait 1 - the XS2 can sound harsh, and the B&W can also be a bit bright, so in the long term it might get tiresome, unless you're really into that kind of sound. Reading around for Rotel RA1592 suggest that it also has a very open sound, so do try them together, but try to figure if it can get tiresome.

So Supernait 1 or even first gen Nait XS should be good. As for new amps, Arcam A39, Exposure 3010s2 Hegel H160, and maybe Musical Fidelity m6si or Parasound Halo 21 (i think that's what it's called). In my opinion, not many amps come close to Naim's sense of musical flow, but you should definately audition before buying. And, while you're at it, also try ATC SCM11, Revel Concerta 2 M16, Harbeth P3esr and Neat speakers.
 

TrevC

Well-known member
rainsoothe said:
TrevC said:
There are no matching considerations when it comes to amplifier and speaker combinations. Any appropriately powered amplifier will do the same job.

OP: Please ignore TrevC's advice on this matter, he's either going deaf or hasn't auditioned a lot of amps.

As for useful advice, get a used Naim Supernait 1 - the XS2 can sound harsh, and the B&W can also be a bit bright, so in the long term it might get tiresome, unless you're really into that kind of sound. Reading around for Rotel RA1592 suggest that it also has a very open sound, so do try them together, but try to figure if it can get tiresome.

So Supernait 1 or even first gen Nait XS should be good. As for new amps, Arcam A39, Exposure 3010s2 Hegel H160, and maybe Musical Fidelity m6si or Parasound Halo 21 (i think that's what it's called). In my opinion, not many amps come close to Naim's sense of musical flow, but you should definately audition before buying. And, while you're at it, also try ATC SCM11, Revel Concerta 2 M16, Harbeth P3esr and Neat speakers.

Please ignore Rainsoothe, he's very gullible and easily influenced by the opinion of others, especially hifi reviewers who talk similar nonsense to him. My comment is perfectly correct. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get demos of course.
 

NSA_watch_my_toilet

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TrevC already give you a near as good advice. Consider your speakers to be engines, and your amplifier as a fuel injection device. Depending on the speaker, you need a differently big fuel capable injection device. After that, amplifiers are a thing that we see and that we touch, so a certain feeling of sexyness should be there. But I'm talking a little bit too esoteric there.

I know the chinese b&w floorstanders, but not their paper specs, what is a pity because they are lots of questions about them on the forum. In critical listening sessions, Mc Intosh, Roksan amplifiers, Audia, Accuphase and Rotel performed all good on them.
 

rainsoothe

Well-known member
TrevC said:
rainsoothe said:
TrevC said:
There are no matching considerations when it comes to amplifier and speaker combinations. Any appropriately powered amplifier will do the same job.

OP: Please ignore TrevC's advice on this matter, he's either going deaf or hasn't auditioned a lot of amps.

As for useful advice, get a used Naim Supernait 1 - the XS2 can sound harsh, and the B&W can also be a bit bright, so in the long term it might get tiresome, unless you're really into that kind of sound. Reading around for Rotel RA1592 suggest that it also has a very open sound, so do try them together, but try to figure if it can get tiresome.

So Supernait 1 or even first gen Nait XS should be good. As for new amps, Arcam A39, Exposure 3010s2 Hegel H160, and maybe Musical Fidelity m6si or Parasound Halo 21 (i think that's what it's called). In my opinion, not many amps come close to Naim's sense of musical flow, but you should definately audition before buying. And, while you're at it, also try ATC SCM11, Revel Concerta 2 M16, Harbeth P3esr and Neat speakers.

Please ignore Rainsoothe, he's very gullible and easily influenced by the opinion of others, especially hifi reviewers who talk similar nonsense to him. My comment is perfectly correct. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get demos of course.

Off the mark again - I just listen to the amps, and if you say a Sugden sounds the same as a Naim or a Marantz, you are either deaf or, as you yourself admitted in a post a while ago, you just don't listen to other amps, because you think in axioms.

EDIT: I went to audition stuff I read about, and ended up geting something I wasn't even considering because I just loved the sound. That's how gullible I am. As for the "deaf" comment, I'm not trying to insult you (with that one at least). I really think you are deaf. Not Beethoven deaf, but deaf nevertheless.
 

NSA_watch_my_toilet

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rainsoothe said:
Off the mark again - I just listen to the amps, and if you say a Sugden sounds the same as a Naim or a Marantz, you are either deaf or, as you yourself admitted in a post a while ago, you just don't listen to other amps, because you think in axioms.

EDIT: I went to audition stuff I read about, and ended up geting something I wasn't even considering because I just loved the sound. That's how gullible I am. As for the "deaf" comment, I'm not trying to insult you (with that one at least). I really think you are deaf. Not Beethoven deaf, but deaf nevertheless.

1) You should stop to insult peoples that don't share your visions of things. This is not an adult behavior and it's a disgrace for this forum.
2) You forgot to name and analize one of the main influencing component in your test. -> the speakers. I already seeing, at least, one very problematic amplifier in the example you gave, with very low power and massive distorsion, even at low volume, that will be a problem with many newer speakers.
 

TrevC

Well-known member
rainsoothe said:
TrevC said:
rainsoothe said:
TrevC said:
There are no matching considerations when it comes to amplifier and speaker combinations. Any appropriately powered amplifier will do the same job.

OP: Please ignore TrevC's advice on this matter, he's either going deaf or hasn't auditioned a lot of amps.

As for useful advice, get a used Naim Supernait 1 - the XS2 can sound harsh, and the B&W can also be a bit bright, so in the long term it might get tiresome, unless you're really into that kind of sound. Reading around for Rotel RA1592 suggest that it also has a very open sound, so do try them together, but try to figure if it can get tiresome.

So Supernait 1 or even first gen Nait XS should be good. As for new amps, Arcam A39, Exposure 3010s2 Hegel H160, and maybe Musical Fidelity m6si or Parasound Halo 21 (i think that's what it's called). In my opinion, not many amps come close to Naim's sense of musical flow, but you should definately audition before buying. And, while you're at it, also try ATC SCM11, Revel Concerta 2 M16, Harbeth P3esr and Neat speakers.

Please ignore Rainsoothe, he's very gullible and easily influenced by the opinion of others, especially hifi reviewers who talk similar nonsense to him. My comment is perfectly correct. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get demos of course.

Off the mark again - I just listen to the amps, and if you say a Sugden sounds the same as a Naim or a Marantz, you are either deaf or, as you yourself admitted in a post a while ago, you just don't listen to other amps, because you think in axioms.

EDIT: I went to audition stuff I read about, and ended up geting something I wasn't even considering because I just loved the sound. That's how gullible I am. As for the "deaf" comment, I'm not trying to insult you (with that one at least). I really think you are deaf. Not Beethoven deaf, but deaf nevertheless.

Nobody can reliably hear differences in similar SS amplifiers that have high power capabilities, ultra low distortion and a ruler flat frequency response. You would need instant switching for your ears to detect even large differences. You liked what you saw and read about and bought on that basis, that is all. I've spent a lifetime connecting amplifiers that I have repaired to different speakers. Thankfully I no longer have to try and repair the unserviceable junk that passes for consumer electronics these days.

What is "musical flow", is it like verbal diahorrea?
 

rainsoothe

Well-known member
NSA_watch_my_toilet said:
rainsoothe said:
Off the mark again - I just listen to the amps, and if you say a Sugden sounds the same as a Naim or a Marantz, you are either deaf or, as you yourself admitted in a post a while ago, you just don't listen to other amps, because you think in axioms.

EDIT: I went to audition stuff I read about, and ended up geting something I wasn't even considering because I just loved the sound. That's how gullible I am. As for the "deaf" comment, I'm not trying to insult you (with that one at least). I really think you are deaf. Not Beethoven deaf, but deaf nevertheless.

1) You should stop to insult peoples that don't share your visions of things. This is not an adult behavior and it's a disgrace for this forum.2) You forgot to name and analize one of the main influencing component in your test. -> the speakers. I already seeing, at least, one very problematic amplifier in the example you gave, with very low power and massive distorsion, even at low volume, that will be a problem with many newer speakers.

Calling someone gullible is an insult. Calling one deaf is not, it concerns a medical condition. Also, TrevC still can't seem to understand that i did exactly the opposite of buying based on reviews (btw, the amp that switched me to Naim was the SN mk1, which got a 4-star review - a review I checked afterwards. There was no review involved, Naim was never on my list until I heard it. I don't know in how many more ways I can put this in order for him to get passed his preconcieved notions that everyone that's not an engineer or that says amps DO sound different is a smurf who should be ignored.

As for the test, true, not the same speakers were used in my given example, but, for example, Arcam A19 vs Creek 50A sounded very different through Focal Aria 906 (and whaddaya know, I went there to audition the Creek + Epos speakers, which I wanted to like, again based on all the impressions and reviews, and I ended up leaving with Arcam + Focal. I knew Arcam prior to the audition, but I hated it because I was a Rotel fanboy and everyone was recommending me Arcam against Rotel a while back, so I hated Arcam for that reason without ever hearing one of their amps. The only thing I knew about Focal before hearing the Arias was that the Electra standmounts sounded great with Jadis, but horrible with Naim Uniti2. That's it. No reviews read. So excuse me for not missing the irony of TrevC accusing people of bias and ignorance. He deserves all the salt he's getting on these forums, imo.

And last but not least, his very first advice was get any with propper specs, since all amps sound the same. Mine (besides suggesting specific amps) was to go and audition. He, of course, later switched to the "go audition" camp. Seriously, what's the point if specs say all?
 

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