I've recently posted about being amazed by a naim system ( naitxs, dac, used with losless music and sonnos, and b&w cm9's) So much so i was ready to sell my rotels, rsp1066 pre/rmb1075 power amp combo to help fund new system. My current speakers were left for dust by spendor a6 / and b&w cm9 at recent demo so i will be getting new speakers that is for sure. But another user has recently expressed virtually the same ' upgrade' question and the answers were that even a naim nac152xs pre / and naim nap 155xs power amp wouldn't show massive improvement's over the rotels. (They cost about the same at the time of re-lease). Is that right? I know the rotels were highly rated back in the day (reason i got them), So would they hold there own for pure stereo against the naim pre/power combo using proven quality speakers in the £1500 - £2000 bracket? Love the naim dac, so will get that for ease of use with sonnos, would that go well with rotels?? Rick @ musicraft, david @ frankharvey, and anyone else who can maybe save me a few quid!! your help would be much appreciated. jc.
UPGRADE CONFUSION!! expert help needed
- Thread starter jc1972
- Start date
jaxwired
Well-known member
My advice would be to keep the Rotel gear for now. Buy the CM9s or A6s first. Speakers are the biggest change you can make to your HiFi. New speakers will likely transform your system.
start with looking at upgrading the speakers, but see if your dealer will let you test other speakers in your home on your existing equipment
Cheers for advice, seems i won't get massive improvement in 2ch stereo if i switch to the naim's,
I could take my rotels to the dealer and have a ' sound off' although that would be massive hassle ( un-plugging a lot of cables!).
Also depending on what speakers i get, i will need to get the corresponding surround ones too, Was thinking of having a naim nait xs to drive the front 2 channels, then just use that for stereo listening. But seems there isn't much point,
Decisions decisions!!
I could take my rotels to the dealer and have a ' sound off' although that would be massive hassle ( un-plugging a lot of cables!).
Also depending on what speakers i get, i will need to get the corresponding surround ones too, Was thinking of having a naim nait xs to drive the front 2 channels, then just use that for stereo listening. But seems there isn't much point,
Decisions decisions!!
My Uncle luckily has the CM9's (in gloss black which are gorgeous) partnered with his MF A5 amp and CDP and their sound is sublime
B&W and Rotel have alkways gone very well together as well so my advice would be aim for the CM9's and get them demo'd as much as you can.
They need some good room to breathe but boy, when they do, it's a treat
B&W and Rotel have alkways gone very well together as well so my advice would be aim for the CM9's and get them demo'd as much as you can.
They need some good room to breathe but boy, when they do, it's a treat
d_a_n1979:My Uncle luckily has the CM9's (in gloss black which are gorgeous) partnered with his MF A5 amp and CDP and their sound is sublime
B&W and Rotel have alkways gone very well together as well so my advice would be aim for the CM9's and get them demo'd as much as you can.They need some good room to breathe but boy, when they do, it's a treat
Yes, they sounded superb, the thing about them needing room could be a prob, might have to go for cm7's my rooms is just over 3 meters by 5 meters.( maybe too small for cm9's)
I think i'll have to lug the rotels down to my dealer and have a real test, hook up the naim dac to it, cdx2 etc and see what happens, The improvent in pure stereo will have to be massive to compensate the fact i can use the rotels for great cinema sound too.
And could save me nearly two grand !!
Yes, they sounded superb, the thing about them needing room could be a prob, might have to go for cm7's my rooms is just over 3 meters by 5 meters.( maybe too small for cm9's)
I think i'll have to lug the rotels down to my dealer and have a real test, hook up the naim dac to it, cdx2 etc and see what happens, The improvent in pure stereo will have to be massive to compensate the fact i can use the rotels for great cinema sound too.
And could save me nearly two grand !!
I agree that the CM9's may be a bit too much for your room.
The CM7's would do very well but have you also considered standmount speakers for that size room?
The B&W CM5's or the Monitor Audio RX2's or GS10's would do very well indeed and will also work well with your Rotel gear
The CM7's would do very well but have you also considered standmount speakers for that size room?
The B&W CM5's or the Monitor Audio RX2's or GS10's would do very well indeed and will also work well with your Rotel gear
I'm open to any suggestions on speakers, Not too keen on standmounts as maybe moving in bit and don't want to upgrade for years!! ( If i get bigger room) But i was thinking of the b&w 805s, But they have stopped making the standard one now, The new diamond ones are around the 3k mark!! A small floorstander around the £1500 - £2000 that wouldn't over power the room, But with great detail/clarity, would be ideal, Also a make that does rears and a center to keep the same tonal balance for cinema.
Speakers alone do not make the biggest change to any system. Simply buy a CD player with a different tonal characteristic to your existing one and the difference can be as wide. I changed all three components this past year; different amp, different speakers, different CDP. They all made a big change. The Audio Analogue Paganini CD player introduced a depth plumbing bass over the Marantz, which is far leaner, but the Marantz is the more musical, the speakers I have now brought out a bigger soundstage, but the predecessors were good for a tighter focused delivery.
So, ca' canny with that "speakers make the biggest difference" line, in my experience it just ain't so.
So, ca' canny with that "speakers make the biggest difference" line, in my experience it just ain't so.
Yes, i can see that all components will make a difference, but to replace my pre/power amp with another for 2 grand, and to find out it isn't a massive improvement in stereo would be disappointing to say the least.
I've identified my speakers are totally outclassed, so they will be changed, what with the naime dac ( with cyrus 6se and sonnos going into it ) I'm hoping my rotel gear will not be outclassed by the naim nac152xs and nap155xs with the same sources.
I'll have to take my gear in to compare, spose it's the only way! might do a blind test to make it more interesting.
I've identified my speakers are totally outclassed, so they will be changed, what with the naime dac ( with cyrus 6se and sonnos going into it ) I'm hoping my rotel gear will not be outclassed by the naim nac152xs and nap155xs with the same sources.
I'll have to take my gear in to compare, spose it's the only way! might do a blind test to make it more interesting.
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