Speaker choices for CA 740A?

[admin_exported]

Hi there, need some advice on my setup. I currently have a CA 740A amplifier hooked onto a pair of Acoustic Energy Ae-109s. Souce is from a DVD/CD player through a CA DAC Magic. I am thinking of upgrading my speakers and my options are as follows:

1. Monitor Audio RX6

2. B&W 684 or 685s

3. Mordaunt Short Mezzo/Aviano 6s

4. Kef iQ70

which would work best with my setup as a replacement for my AEs, which i find to be lacking in bass?

I would also be getting a dedicated cd player in the proces, but with hopes of keeping my DAC. options have been the CA 340c or the marantz cd6003, which has been reviewed to be a great machine. i am leaning towards the marantz due to its musicality in itself, but will running this through my DAC magic ruin the overall setup?

thanks in advance for all you advice. cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd personally go with the Aviano (or the Mezzo if you have a smaller or well damped room). The iQ can be a tad bright, and might not work very well with the 740A.

The B&Ws might also work. It's always best to hear them together.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Stagea, thanks for your reply and advice. I decided to audition the following speakers today.

1. Mordaunt short Aviano 6, Mezzo 2, 6 and 8.

2. Kef IQ9, this pair was going for a very good price.

3. Dali Ikon 6.

I found the Aviano 6 to be quite good, especially with the bass reproduction, but the mids sounded a little muffled. These were only made available and being tested for a week, so it could have been due to insufficient run-in time. The Mezzos on the other hand, were great. I particularly liked the Mezzo 6s for its mids and highs, although it was a little lacking in bass.

The IQ9s were punchy, but way too bright with my amp. My wife had to leave the room after about 10minutes as her ears were hurting.

The Dalis were excellent in the detail but a little bass shy in my opinion. It was a great listen at the beginning but after listening to them for a while though, i found myself leaning towards the sound from the Mezzo 6s.

Went back to the MS dealer for a second try, and added the Aviano 7 subwoofer for a little more bass and it was spot on for me. I tried the Mezzo 8s for comparison, but found the separation of the 6s much better. Made my purchase right after.

For my cd player choice, i auditioned the marantz cd6003 and CA 350c channeled through my DAC Magic. I went in thinking the marantz would be my choice, but the 350c sounded better with a lot more depth excitement. The marantz to me, sounded good but thin. picked up the 350c as well and cant wait to try this with my new speakers which would arrive on Wednesday.

 

[ear]

if bass is what you want-> b&w

 

[jimdonnelly]

Sounds good. I hope the new system is everything you want it to be.

 

[batonwielder]

Sounds like an awesome system. Enjoy.

 

[vinod_david]

Congrats, you'll enjoy the synergy your equipments of same company is going to bring.

 

[Anonymous]

slight update, so my speakers arrived and I completed the 36 hour running in process, afterwhich the pair sounded better. unfortunately the dealer here ran out of the Aviano 7 subwoofer in black, and i have to wait for a month before it arrives.

now to the cd player - As stated above I got the CA 340c and had it playing for a while and the oddest thing occured. I noticed that the cd player suffered from signal 'loss' each time i switched on the lights in my house, or did any sort of other elecrtical switching. i noticed this especially when i switched on a fused florescent tube light and the flickering made the cd player seem like it was skipping, except it wasnt, there was just a loss of sound each time the lights come on and off. strange.

took the player back to the dealer and got a replacement set. same problem This only happened via the digital coax out though. no problems via the analogue output.

went back and this time opted to audition the NAD 515BEE, 550C and CD6003 again. the wife and i didnt like the NAD sound and was not going back to a CA (the dealer was asking me to take a 550c) I was tempted at first despite it being double the price of the 340c, then someone in the next sound room switched on the lights, and i saw the same 'loss' problem on the 550c. it was not as bad as the 340, but it was still there. Settled for the CD6003 with a heavy heart as i still felt it to be thin sounding.

came home, hooked it up and to my suprise, the 6003 really woke my system up - no 'thin' sound. i cant put a finger on what is different it just sounds fantastic through the DACmagic, 740a to the Mezzo 6s. the bass is still lacking, but cranking up the gain gave me a pleasently controlled tout bass, not like before on the 340c where it seemed all too much with gain. everything jsut seems to blend better.

my setup feels complete now. Thanks folks for all your advice and support

 

[Anonymous]

Congratulations with your new hifi setup.

Great gear choice. You can't go wrong with any of those items.