Speakers to go with Rega RP3 and NAD 3020i, or possibly a new amp too?

[adrock]

Hi,

I recently got a Rega RP3 TT to replace the numark ttx i'd bodged into my AV receiver over it's spdif coax output (yes, i know).

I'm currently running it with my veteran NAD 3020i and a pair of Gale Gold monitors. I've also got some smaller bookshelf speakers in other systems i'm going to swap to it and test, but as they're budget options (AE Compact 1, CA S30) I thought maybe i'd look at upgrading.

I've been looking at B&W 685s, AE 301s and Rega RS-1s (which i listened to with a Rega Brio when i auditioned the TT). As these are all a bit higher end than what I've got, i'm considering upgrading the amp too. I love the NAD, it's certainly not going anywhere, and i particularly like the phono stage in comparison with the others i've used (admittedly one in an onkyo av receiver and the one in the marantz pm5004), but it's only 30W per channel and reading up one some of the speakers they may appreciate more. My other consideration for the speakers is that they'll either be stood on the top shelf of my TV unit (which is ear height when i'm sat on the sofa), or I can wall mount them to the brick rear wall, I don't have room for floortsanders or anything with stands.

Amp wise I've been looking at the Rotel RA-10, Rega Brio R, and the Marantz PM6004 (or 6005 i suppose).

Would anyone rule out any of what I've suggested for my surroundings, and do any of those amps pair well with any of the speakers, other than the Regas, which sounded great (in the hifi store's listening room) and are at the upper end of my budget. Would my NAD drive those speakers okay, or am I right in looking at upgrading the amp?

 

[matthewpiano]

I'd suggest dropping the 685s from your list. They are very good (if a bit tiring over long listening sessions) but they really won't thank you for being placed on top of the TV cabinet. Most 'standmount' speakers sound best on good heavy stands, but the 685s are particularly fussy about this.

The speakers which shout at as being ideal are the Neat Iotas but unfortunately these are above your budget. However, they are so good that I am almost tempted to suggest holding off on the amp upgrade so that you can buy the Neats. They should work pretty well with the NAD for the time being - dont' forget that although the continuous power rating of NAD amps isn't always so high, they are designed such that they have ample current to support transients and dynamic surges and so often perform much better in this respect than higher rated amps from other brands.

If you don't like the Neat idea and decide to change speakers and amp I'd suggest looking at speakers which aren't prone to booming and which have a good tight sound to get over the less than ideal placement. I'd be looking at the AE 301s you mention, but also Dali Lektor 2s if you can find a pair or their Zensor 1s (the Zensor 3s would probably be too large for your intended position but if you are OK witht he size also look at those). Don't necessarily think that you have to spend £400+. Choose the right speakers and you can do very well for less. You might also be wise to try the Q Acoustics Concept 20s. Although these definitely sound their best on the dedicated QA stands, the gelcore cabinet construction might help them to work better than most in the position you will use them in. A home demo would really be ideal. If you buy from Richers they will exchange within 14 days if you don't get on with what you buy - something I've found useful on a couple of occasions.

Amp-wise there are plenty of options with varying levels of connectivity. If you fancy the Marantz 6004/6005 you should consider what connectivity you want/need - if you are only going to use the analogue connections seek a bargain on a 6004 as the biggest changes on the 6005 are the (somewhat limited) digital inputs. However, it would also be worth considering the Denon PMA720AE which is excellent and a bargain at the £200 offer price some dealers have been advertising. The WHFS&V review of the Denon doesn't really capture it for me - I've found it more than capable of immense subtlety when paired with the right speakers and source.

The phono stages of the Denon and Marantz models are good, but if you want to prioritise this without getting too expensive it would be worth looking at the Rotel RA10. The Rotel is a very engaging amp and it's phono stage is a cut above those on the D&M amps. Even better, and an upgrade in every other respect too, the Rega Brio-R has a fabulous phono stage which will really get the best out of the RP3. Overall, the Rega has a more open, detailed and more 'liquid' sound quality over the cheaper amps and would get the best out of the speakers mentioned above.

If you want or need digital connectivity built into your amp, then look at the Rotel RA-11 (RA-10 with 2 optical inputs and 2 coaxial inputs) or NAD's new D3020 amp. I haven't heard the NAD yet but I intend to audition it sooner rather than later. It has already had a very good review from hifi.nl and looks like a very interesting design. Its compact size might also suit your set-up and it does have the advantage over the Rotel of having a proper asynchronous USB input for connectivity to a computer. You would need to add an external phono stage to plug into the analogue input on the NAD and I'd suggest looking at the Rega Fono for this.

Finally, don't forget to explore active speakers. I'm not really an expert on these designs but there are plenty of people on the forum who can help if you wish to look into it further.

 

[adrock]

Hi matthew,

thanks for the tips, i was thinking the 685s might be a bit big and saw various comments about them needing solid stands. For what it's worth, they'd either be wall mounted to brickwork, or they'd be on the top of my TV unit either side of the TV. The unit is large, pretty heavy, and will shortly be mass dampened with some nice thick granite/marble slabs, a pair of which would be availabel to stand the speakers on. But I get your point. I'd looked at the AE 301s specifically because reviews said they coped well in limited space, partly due to beign front ported. The RS-1s were very impressive when i heard the TT in the store, but they are the very upper limit of my budget. The Iotas look pretty smart but I think they're out of my price range for now, I'll see if I can give them a listen though along with the DALIs which appear a bit more reasonable.

At this stage I'm only using this system for vinyl. I've toyed with the idea of getting a nice DAC at some point to allow me to connect in the nearby HTPC as an alternative for music to the Sony AV receiver and CA S70/50/30s I use for for TV and movies). That's by no means a priority though, I have a much better PC hooked up to a Fiio E7+E9 / EMU-0404USB with a PM5004 and the AE Compact 1s for near-field listening on the other side of the room. As such, the only input I'm currently using is the phono input on the NAD. I'll try and have a look at the Denon, but given your comment about the Rotel's phono stage that may be the one to go for (again, after auditioning).

So far I'm leaning towards either the ra10 with the 301s, or just going with the 301s or the DALIs and maybe the new NAD some way down the line which would cover me for a DAC. I'd be keen to hear what any reviews say about the NADs phono stage.

I'll have to try and listen to some of these at the weekend Going to hear the Rega RP3 vs the RP1 was my first time auditioning anything and it was a great experience.

If I went active speakers, I'm assuming I'd feed use the NAD or another amp as the phono stage/pre-amp? It's not something I've ever looked at before, mostly out of a desire to be able to swap around amplifiers/speakers to find what matches.

 

[Cypher]

After reading the review on hifi.nl I would try the NAD D3020 amp. It seems rather special but of course it's only one review

 

[adrock]

I am very curious about it, but with only a solitary review it's difficult to find a consensus If I do have a chance to listen to one I will but most of my local hifi places don't seem to stock much NAD kit.

edit: reading the review on hifi.nl just now, it doesn't have a phono stage, so I'd need to buy one, theoretically better than my current 3020 OR I could use the existing amp as a pre-amp for it's phono stage and have dual 3020s seperated by 30 years of design. Tempting, but then I'd be buying the new one purely to be a power amplifier for the speakers.