Need help on a new system...

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My NAD 7225PE receiver is getting on in age and at 25W/channel it won't be powerful enough to fill my living room when I move in two months. Going from a 13 feet x 15 feet living room to a 28 feet x 17 feet living room with 10 foot ceilings.

So I need to buy a new integrated amp & speakers for the new place with a modest budget. For amps, I'm interested in the new NAD C355bee (80W) or the Cambridge Audio 640A V2, Roksan Kandy (if I can find used).

The speakers I'm interested in are: Monitor Audio RS6, Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 6 or Avant 914i, Kef iQ7, Totem Arro, Epos M5 or M12.2 with a Rel Acoustics subwoofer.

I've already heard the Kef iQ7 and wasn't blown away (could have used a bit more bass - maybe I could add a sub?). I've also heard the Totem Staff and thought the mids were quite harsh (paired with NAD), so I'm not sure how the Arro will sound.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

If they're in your pricerange then I'd absolutely suggest the Mezzos or Totems. The Arro has imaging like nobodies business. And you could be my totem buddy on the forum!

If you thought the Sttaf harsh with a Nad then forget about Cambridge, it'll seem screeching to you.

 

[Anonymous]

Is that a characteristic of the Cambridge Audio amp? Or is it just the way it pairs with Totem? Also, will the Arro's fill a big room? I listen to a lot of hip-hop, soul, funk & jazz so bass extension is key (especially if we throw any parties).

 

[Anonymous]

Brock University????

Yeah it's just the Cambridge sound, they're very analytical.
I'll say this, my Rainmakers are rated to 42 Hz and they've got some impressive bass rolling out of them. The Arro should do it, but failing that the Mezzo is real punchy down low.

 

[Anonymous]

Not a Brock student...Brock Boogie is actually my DJ name (from Toronto). Are you Canadian?

I hear great things about the Rainmakers...I'll definitely give them a listen (might be able to add a REL sub to the mix and have the option of room-filling bass when I need it).

Have you heard the Mordaunt-Short Avants? Any idea how much the Mezzo retails for?

 

[Anonymous]

Yep you're the first other Canadian I've come across on here.

I believe the Mezzo is about 1600(max). Probably 1400.
Yeah the Rainmakers definetly hit their rating, Jazz is incredibly strong out of them. I don't listen to hip hop much but things like Kraftwerk and Radiohead are presented with excellent bass. Although you've gotta give them good stands, the Totem one is brilliant but too costly, I made mine.
Plus it's nice to buy Canadian speakers.

I know they're tough to find in Canada but Whafedale makes some very nice subs. Although if you go the Sub route you'd probably only use it for said parties (when it would be highly beneficial), the rest of the time it would probably throw off the musical experience of these kind of speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Never even seen the avants oddly.

 

[Anonymous]

I've always been impressed with REL subs & would probably buy a T-3 if I end up going that route. I'd only pop the sub into the mix for parties or loud listening...I agree, it will definitely not be ideal for 90% of my listening.

I think a decent pair of floorstanders is the way to go. I'd have the best of both worlds (they'd still present the music well at louder volumes).

I won't be able to audition the Mezzo with NAD though...limited to Cambridge Audio because the only dealer I know that sells Mordaunt-Short in Toronto is Kromer ( www.kromerradio.com ).

I only want to buy British or Canadian, so it'll be MA, MS, Epos, Totem, NAD, CA, etc, etc...

 

[Anonymous]

Unless you want to drive to the falls I don't know any better MS, MA Totem dealers. Actually it might be worth it...

What's your amp budget?
If you drive down to http://www.theelectronicdepot.ca/, they have all three speaker makes I listed, plus you can hear them on an arcam or naim! Which are admittedly the next rung up, but the arcam will offer a closer analogue to the warm sounds in Nad.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd love to add an Arcam or Naim to the mix, but my total budget can't go too much over $2000. I'd rather spend more on the speakers, so I might have to stick with NAD.

The C355bee looks like it could be quite nice & might not be too much of a step down from Arcam & Naim (at least I'm hoping that's the case).

I don't drive, so heading down to Niagra is pretty much out of the question.

 

[Anonymous]

Gotcha, as for your budget, I'm with you there. Speakers are key. I think maybe you should just get these Kroner people to give you an in-home demo. Do the same with your Nad dealer. If they're a proper HiFi shop this shouldn't be a big deal, you've just got to throw down the msrp as deposit, then take their demos home for a night. I really don't think you want to buy in this price range without a test. And it takes so long to break in that if you just buy new and hope for the best, by the time you know whether or not they're right it's too late to do anything about it.

 

[Anonymous]

Although I really think either the Mezzos or the Arros broken in on a broken in Nad would sound very, very nice indeed.

 

[Anonymous]

Would the Arros fill a massive 30' x 17' room? With 4.5" cones, I'm worried that the bass extension won't be good enough to fill the room.

The Mezzos should be fine, though.

What did you think of the MA RS6?

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't notice how huge the room was in the original post. Yeah they might be a little strained for that.

I found the RS6 superb, fantastic machine. I said this today in another post I think, but the Mezzo 6 is definetly better. It just comes down to how much better you think it is. You can get RS6s for a hair over a 1000, but I've never seen the Mezzo down that low. Have to do the return on investment calculation in your ears.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your help!

I'm going to try and listen to the RS6 & Mezzo 6 tomorrow (with a Cambridge Audio amp) & see how they sound. Is it safe to say that they'll both sound a little warmer & less harsh in the mids if the CA was replaced with a broken-in NAD?

 

[Anonymous]

One Hundred percent safe to say. That 8kHz and up area is really emphasized with Cambridge. I know the NAD would smooth things out. Glad I could help! Off to sleep.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll let you know how things go after I listen!

Cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm eager to hear the verdict!