Need speaker suggestions for my Arcam A-49 amp.

hilroy48

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Well it looks like i have sold my B&W CM-10 speakers, and will be looking for a set of stand mounts for the replacement. So this amp is known to be dry and lack character by some reviews i have read. So i am asking is there anyone else out in the audio world, with this amp, and if so what are you running for speakers. I am going to be purchasing a parasound zdac v2 as well. This setup is in my basement, i use it for listening when i am down there building my model railroad layout. so this is a well padded room, full carpet, insulated walls and t-bar ceiling.

I was entertaining the idea of a set of Dynaudio Evoke 20 speakers.
 
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I think that all suggestions will be wrong. It would sound disastrous and the only right thing to do would be to sell it to me 👍

Who want's an A39, when the OP realises the impending sound disaster? 😂
 
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I think that all suggestions will be wrong. It would sound disastrous and the only right thing to do would be to sell it to me 👍

Who want's an A39, when the OP realises the impending sound disaster? 😂
Being serious though, if you are a member of hifi wigwam a good person to ask this question to would be TheFlash who has had one of these (and many others!) for a long time and has tried many speakers with it.
 

hilroy48

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So you’re selling the Arcam, but you want new speakers to pair with it? Can you explain a bit further?
Sorry the guy had mentioned he wanted an Arcam A49? I said its for sale. If i sell the amp before i make a speaker purchase, then i move the NAD amp to the basement. If not them i Keep the Arcam Amp for the rest of my life.
 
Sorry the guy had mentioned he wanted an Arcam A49? I said its for sale. If i sell the amp before i make a speaker purchase, then i move the NAD amp to the basement. If not them i Keep the Arcam Amp for the rest of my life.
Ok, thanks for the clarification. I think it would be worth keeping the Arcam unless you need the funds, because then you’re not limited in your choice of speaker. The challenge may be in ‘overcoming’ the room.

It might be that DSP would be useful, but I’ve not used this myself other than in Linn’s specific Sound Optimisation configuration, which only requires measurement of the room, openings, materials etc.
However, if it’s more that you want background listening superior to a radio, then something from Neat might work, like the Iota Alpha.
 
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hilroy48

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Ok, thanks for the clarification. I think it would be worth keeping the Arcam unless you need the funds, because then you’re not limited in your choice of speaker. The challenge may be in ‘overcoming’ the room.

It might be that DSP would be useful, but I’ve not used this myself other than in Linn’s specific Sound Optimisation configuration, which only requires measurement of the room, openings, materials etc.
However, if it’s more that you want background listening superior to a radio, then something from Neat might work, like the Iota Alpha.
Thank you for the reply, i will be doing some research.
 

hilroy48

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I know that what sounds good in someone else's space etc isn't going to sound the same to me or in my space. i am really just wanting to know what guys have paired with the Arcam amps and what they are happy with. it will at least give me a direction to look in.
 
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I admit not your amp. But i have heard some proarc's on some arcam gear and sound really good to me . And as they will be in the basement maybe look at the little tablett 10s and go from there
 

hilroy48

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I should have the Special 40's by the end of this week i hope. In the mean time, i am running an old pair of Ovale Speakers, they are rated at 100 w. I had them on the Nad amp which sold this week, now running them on the Arcam a-49 till the Dyns get here.
 

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hilroy48

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Well i met Tyler today and picked up all my new gear. The finish on the Special 40 is fantastic, and they are a very pretty speaker.
You can tell the sound is different, but not in a bad way. They are an amazing speaker, the Contour 20i is better. I am going to play them upstairs for a few days. They have a nice full rich sound and great bass response etc. They are not fatiguing to listen too at all. I dont have them in the best position, as i have my contour20i in the right spot for the room and didnt want to disturb them. So they sound fantastic with my upstairs system, i wanted to compare them on the same system with the contour 20i before moving them to the Arcam in the basement. I have a new DAC, and interconnect and speaker cables for the basement system. I didnt cheap out down there either.
 

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hilroy48

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So after another day of listening, i moved the S40's to the basement where i had wanted them in the first place. It's not that i was trying to do a Dynaudio comparison, i was more doing a system comparison. I wanted to see what they would sound like on different amps with different Dac's.

Well they are now set up in the basement, on the Arcam A-49 with a Parasound ZDAC . I am really enjoying them in the basement, they have a nice warm full sound to them, very clean and bright, and easy to take for hours. They can only get better from here once they get broken in. They really enjoy Leonard Cohen thats for sure, and Nora Jones.
 

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