Best match amp for Dali Menuet SE

[skinnypuppy71]

Thank you for your help!!!I am very close now to choose Neat for my next speakers.Can you tell me which of the following amps you think its best for these speakers or if you have a better choice under 1100 euro.Rega brio mk7 and Arcam A5.

Used Naim Nait xs2 or Supernait 2 if you can find one in budget....Naim and Neat go together like G+T...Naim kit is in different league to the Arcam gear so I wouldn't bother...never used a rega amp myself, Roksan Caspian m.2 would be a good shout also...and I'm deliberately veering you in the direction of pre loved Amplifiers as you get so much more bang for your buck, they tend to be very reliable and built robustly at this price point.......and the Neats deserve/need a good quality Amplifier in front of them.....My recent Electrocompaniet Eci 6mkii is a 6k amp and the Neats are lapping it up.....so if you are going for them, please give them the amp they deserve, by that, I mean a quality unit that had a original rrp of 2k or above, Rega Brio ain't good enough to get the best from them, Exposure 2510, Naim Nait xs 2 -3 would be the minimum I'd use with the Petite classics.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

A British Audiophile gives a good review here and explains a bit about system matching.

View: https://youtu.be/Qz9urOOkxME?si=yvur7NgheT__hMN-

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I had very difficult task to do because in the last 20 years i use studio monitors for music listening. So i was between hifi and studio monitors and this is because as you know its difficult to find hifi speakers that i find now that is suitable for so close listening 1,5 meters. Many times i said ok i end up in this and then i change my mind again when i read and see something better. And ok many says studio monitors are not for casual listening but some reviews from audiophile magazines on specific studio monitors says great things. Many times you read to prase a hifi speakers that has studio monitor sound. So in the end all is in the paper or what you read. Only someone who put together for example 5 pair of studio monitors side by side with 5 pairs of hifi speakers can hear the real difference. Most of hifi world "hate" pro speakers and most of pros hate hifi speakers!!!

Try a pair of Devialet's full range Phantom Ultimate 98 dB. Within your budget, even out if the box at factory default settings the presentation strikes a superb balance between studio and hi-fi qualities and the audio parameters are still comprehensively adjustable via the App.

 

[Harris ARP]

Used Naim Nait xs2 or Supernait 2 if you can find one in budget....Naim and Neat go together like G+T...Naim kit is in different league to the Arcam gear so I wouldn't bother...never used a rega amp myself, Roksan Caspian m.2 would be a good shout also...and I'm deliberately veering you in the direction of pre loved Amplifiers as you get so much more bang for your buck, they tend to be very reliable and built robustly at this price point.......and the Neats deserve/need a good quality Amplifier in front of them.....My recent Electrocompaniet Eci 6mkii is a 6k amp and the Neats are lapping it up.....so if you are going for them, please give them the amp they deserve, by that, I mean a quality unit that had a original rrp of 2k or above, Rega Brio ain't good enough to get the best from them, Exposure 2510, Naim Nait xs 2 -3 would be the minimum I'd use with the Petite classics.

Unfortunately all these amps are out of my budget.For a start i will buy a budget amp and then i will buy a more expensive unit!!Right now i cant spend for both expensive amp and speakers so either less price speakers or less price amp.For me more than 3400 euro is way too much maybe for others is a redicilous amount.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Unfortunately all these amps are out of my budget.For a start i will buy a budget amp and then i will buy a more expensive unit!!Right now i cant spend for both expensive amp and speakers so either less price speakers or less price amp.For me more than 3400 euro is way too much maybe for others is a redicilous amount.

Where are you based Harris?....speaking in Euros,so...assuming you are not in the UK

 

[Harris ARP]

No matter what anyone says even a 30wpc amp would drive those well. I have Dali Optical 1 mk 2 speakers. I used a Rotel A8 amp for a while. It seemed a bit bright and thin. I bought and connected an Onkyo Integra amp. My wife loved it. So the Rotel was sold. We have a Yamaha R-S300 that sounds very good with those speakers. Denon is very pleasant. We also listened to one of the new Marantz models. That was very warm and mellow. Cambridge Audio is a good candidate. You dot say anything about streaming or a dac, or bluetooth. If you want to do that the Denon PMA-900NE or the Marantz Stereo 70s are good choices. There are many overpriced amps in the market. The brands I mention are well known. Have been around for a long time. Have had many, many happy customers.

Hi!!I am sorry can you help in somethings else since as from what I understand, you were many year the owner of the hifi store and i am new to hifi.I am thinking also the Neat petite classics for nearfield listening in my small 12m2 room and i have in my mind 2 amps Arcam A5 ,Rega brio mk7 and the two ones that you recommend me before for the Dali.Can you help which you think will be best for the Neat speakers?Thank you!!!

 

[Harris ARP]

Where are you based Harris?....speaking in Euros,so...assuming you are not in the UK

Yes i am not in UK i live in Athens/Greece.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Yes i am not in UK i live in Athens/Greece.

Harris, absolutely nothing wrong with the Dali menuets you were interested in, I was just making you aware of other options and if you're not ready for that level yet, don't worry about it, I own both the Dali Menuet se's and the Neat Petite classics in different systems and the Dali's are the speakers I use in the Near field to great effect, the Neats are much more suited to a slightly larger space.....so if the Dali's would let you achieve a bigger slice of the budget for a amplifier, that's what I'd do, getting the right amplifier is very important and that's what I'd build the rest of the system around......no dac, no streaming smarts, just a good 2 channel dumb amp.

 

[JoelSim]

You should also look at the Sonus Faber Lumina I, II and II Amator, as well as the next range up the Sonetto I.

 

[Harris ARP]

Harris, absolutely nothing wrong with the Dali menuets you were interested in, I was just making you aware of other options and if you're not ready for that level yet, don't worry about it, I own both the Dali Menuet se's and the Neat Petite classics in different systems and the Dali's are the speakers I use in the Near field to great effect, the Neats are much more suited to a slightly larger space.....so if the Dali's would let you achieve a bigger slice of the budget for a amplifier, that's what I'd do, getting the right amplifier is very important and that's what I'd build the rest of the system around......no dac, no streaming smarts, just a good 2 channel dumb amp.

If Neat as you said is suited for larger spaces then maybe i have to stick to Menuet SE and i good amp like Rega Elex mk4 or Atoll IN200 evo.Do you know if also Menuet SE are better for my listening distance 1,5 meters than Neat?

 

[Harris ARP]

You should also look at the Sonus Faber Lumina I, II and II Amator, as well as the next range up the Sonetto I.

Also a great speakers but to tell you the truth i read in a forum from two guys that owns them that they have slight harsh tweeter.Do you know if this is a fact because maybe those guys match them with wrongs amps!!!

 

[skinnypuppy71]

If Neat as you said is suited for larger spaces then maybe i have to stick to Menuet SE and i good amp like Rega Elex mk4 or Atoll IN200 evo.Do you know if also Menuet SE are better for my listening distance 1,5 meters than Neat?

What's the room size?......and.......please I hope it's not a tiled terracotta floor or your in for a world of hurt.....

 

[JoelSim]

Also a great speakers but to tell you the truth i read in a forum from two guys that owns them that they have slight harsh tweeter.Do you know if this is a fact because maybe those guys match them with wrongs amps!!!

I have Lumina I and Sonetto 2 and the tweeter isn't harsh at all.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

I'd say that the gear we listen to today is unlikely to be the problem for any harshness and bright sq...products from totally different price perspectives or the room folks are listening in is the most likely suspect.