If you are living in Manhattan, you might not be turning up to 11, but those floor standers tend to like power. I would very much want to demo them being driven by a small power amp or integrated. That amp at $499 is a freakin' amazing deal. I am a big fan of the Musical Fidelity Amps. It would be better if you could get two and use them as mono-blocks.

Accessories4less has those Kefs for $599 and the Q900 is a darn nice speaker. Both Music Direct and Accessories4less have Focal Chorus's on deal.

One other thought, Infinity just introduced a new line of Reference Speakers that are heavily leveraging the technology that Harman is using in the Revel Performa line at a much lower price. The R263 is a $1000 a pair from Crutchfield, and get a 5 star rating at Home Theatre Review compared to to the Revel Performa 3 F206s. Might be worth a trip to the Harman store to take a listen which is really easy if you are in Manhattan. Look it up on line but it is at like 53rd and Madison. I bought my Revel's from them.

The Focal 826 speakers would be my first choice, or the Monitor Audio Silver series 6.

I think the Music Hall 15.3 amp would be a good choice; it should have enough power to drive any of those relatively sensitive speakers.

The Focal 826 speakers would be my first choice, or the Monitor Audio Silver series 6.

I also have a Musical Fidelity M3i amplifier that is like new, puts out around 90 watts per channel, and sounds fantastic. Since I sold one of my homes it is no longer needed, and for $900 it is yours. I am using the M6PRX amp with a preamp to drive the Vandersteens in my main system now.

Send me a message here if interested and we work out the details.

They speakers are sensitive and all say they can be driven by 60w. If you can demo them, see if you can demo them with a modestly powered integrated and if it delivers on the volume and sound you are looking for. If it does, move on and order. I think that musical fidelity gear is a great value.

I also agree with commsysman's on the Focal Chorus as the best speaker on your list. the monitor audio silvers are a great speaker, but I could not find a displaying dealer in Manhattan and had to listen to them in Connecticut. The Infinity's are a bit of a wild card but with the crossover in tech with Revel, I have high hopes that you will enjoy listening to them.

If you happen to fall into a PSB dealer, the Imagine x2t is similarly priced and is an excellent speaker worth giving a listen too. They are $649 each at crutchfield.

If you are unhappy with what 50 or 60w will deliver on those Focals, Infinity's or PSBs, then it will be worth digging deeper.

It would be hard to pass up on the MF offer and not buy two to use as mono blocks. That's a pretty good deal. I love Dynaudio speakers and don't have an opinion on the models you are looking at other than to say that your room size should handle floor speakers just fine.

If you aren't trying to reach head banging levels, 60 watts is fine.

Has changed most everything I used to believe about small integrated amps. Namely, if they aren't 1200+ and made by Arcam, they aren't very good. The reason is simple. All an amp is is a modulated power supply. The better (more expensive the power supply) ie: Arcam, Rotel on the mainstream side, Krell. MacIntosh on the High End side the better the amp.

When we found out we were baby bound, I immediately got rid of my tubes. I got a Cambridge Audio Azur 550 and it has been enlightening. It's really really good. And I haven't replaced a single capacitor and I'm using the stock power cable.

Now that said, the Arcam FMJ's (Diva line if you buy older and used) and the Musical Fidelity stuff is very good and just a little more than the Cambridge. But you should listen to the stuff with a really open mind.

hey

I mainly listen to the same type of music you do, so here's my experience: after many-a-internet-review-reading, I went into a shop wanting to audition a Sugden and a Simaudio Moon. After auditioning and leting my ears decide, I ended up buying a Naim. So I guess what I'm saying is 1. let your ears decide and 2. audition NAIM!

I will suggest 3 systems, all using Arcam irDac because for the money it's absolutely excellent - so assume each has the Arcam irDac in it.

1 - CHEAPEST: Exposure 2010 S + B&W 685 S2 (or XTZ 93.23 mkii - these are from an online company with very few dealers, i had the good fortune of finding one, but in the US you can get 60day home trial and XTZ pay for the postage, including return if you decide not to keep them - and you get to listen in your home!!!!!!). I know both speakers listed here are standmounts, but IMO they're good enough for your room.

2 - TRY BUDGETING AT LEAST FOR THIS: Naim Nait 5si + Q Acoustics 2050i or REGA RS3 floorstanders (or B&W 685 S2 standmounts, but these might be too bright with the 5si- but if you can audition, then you can decide for yourself)

3 - IF YOU FIND A GOOD DEAL ON EX-DEM OR USED UNITS: Naim Nait XS2 + Q Acoustics Concept 40 or Neat Motive SX2 floorstanders (or Harbeth P3ESR standmounts)

As for interconnects and speaker cable, try these (first option is cheapest):

- USB: Audioquest Forest, Wireworld Ultraviolet 5

- INTERCONNECT: (dac to amp) Atlas Element Integra, Atlas Equator mk3 (integra plugs)

- SPEAKER CABLE: Audioquest FLX-SLIP 14/4, Audioquest Type 4, and, only for the NAIMs, NAIM NAC A5.

Also keep in mind that if you want standmounts, you need to budget for speaker stands in order to get the best out of them, so basically the space they occupy will be the same, but bass will sound a bit more polite in comparison to floorstanders, but it should really be no problem in a room that size and with neighbours :) - Custom Design RS300 or the cheapest speaker stands from XTZ should be sufficient.

If you do wanna try the XTZ brand, which is remarkable quality for that price (thats why I even bothered sugesting their cheap speakers alongside the B&Ws, they're that good), mind you the price is per piece, so don't order 1 if you're going to do a hometrial :)

But for the music you listen to, try make an effort and audition Naim - trust me, once you go black, you never go back :D

Commsysman mentioned the Musical Fidelity M3si. That is a really nice unit and is available as a Demo from Music Direct for $1199 and obviously $300 cheaper from him. At 90w it should be plenty powerful for your space for any of these speakers and would keep you on your target budget. The only thing I don't like about that M1PWR is that it is not balanced. A high end cable should help, but I have never heard an unbalanced amp and preamp that will be as quiet as the M3si integrated.

One other options, AudioAdvisor has a demo of the Peachtree Nove125 for $899 with an internal DAC. That is a killer deal on a darn nice integrated.

Acessories4less has a Marantz mm7025 which is a balanced stereo power amp that sounds great for $549. The issue is I can't find a new, refurbed, or demo balanced preamp to go with it for under $1100 and $1650 would kill your budget. The Parasound Halo P5 with the Marantz would sound fabulous, but nobody has a deal on it, not even audioadvisor.

Good luck.

Not sure of your budget...but it seems like you might be in this ballpark...

You may want to look at Odyssey

http://www.odysseyaudio.com/

Call Klaus, the owner, & see what he might advise.
This stuff is all American made & majority sourced, designed by him & hand-assembled by him & is wife (both of whom I have met a few times), & has a 20 year warranty.

I highly recommend this brand for anyone entering or in the beginning of Hi-Fi equipment simply due to its value.
Avoid buyer's remorse, IMHO.

Best of luck in your search.

Bill - on the Hill
Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
- just an “ON” switch, Please –

Rev_Lemmy_Caution wrote:

I'm going to stop dithering and get the 826Vs.

Bierfeldt, regarding the M1PWR, I expect I'll upgrade to tubes in a couple of years, so should I be very concerned about getting a balanced amp now? Is the difference with a short throw and braided cables like the Kimbers going to be big enough for me to notice?

Well it makes sense you liked the combination, since MF are pretty warm and dull amps, and Focals are forward and bright. If you go for the Focals, then remember the Jadis Orchestra tube amp should be a good partner for Focals - I heard one with Focal Electra 1008 BE and it sounded just right, even though i find the Electras much too bright and harsh with more neutral amps.

But please, if you have a Naim dealer near you, do yourself a favour and audition one - you won't regret it. At the very least you'll hate them and be more happy and excited about going for Musical Fidelity.

In every unbalance preamp and processor I have listened too, you can hear a mild, slightly audible hum. It is not loud, but you can notice it. Every awful stereo I had always made that sound previously, so I assumed it was normal.

While I was waiting for my balanced cables to arrive, I had my Marants equipment hooked up with unbalanced cables and the hum was there. Got balanced cables and it went away. Now that I am aware of it, it annoys me in a big way.

I don't hear that hum with my Rega Integrated Amp. That is why I suggested the integrated over separates.

Rev_Lemmy_Caution wrote:

Rainsoothe, I just checked with a local dealer and the Nait 5si is $1900, which blows out my budget, and there aren't any on ebay at the moment. Your enthusiasm for the Naim certainly makes me want to listen to it, but it may have to be my next step.

:) Heh... Sorry to hear that, I was under the influence of the roughly 1100$ one that's on offer from my dealer in Bucharest ^^ Maybe some other time. But your idea with geting a tube amp in the future is not a bad one, and you could defenately go for an intermediate amp for now and upgrade some other time IF you feel the need. If you don't, even better - since your enjoyment is what matters the most in the end. Goodluck :)

I have many years experience with these. They are not "forward and bright". They are honest to the core. If they are forward they are telling you your amp/source may not be the quality you think it is.

I'm sorry to be a cremudeon, but sometimes people don't really WANT to hear what thier gazzillion dollar (or 100.00 for that matter) front end that they are very proud of is telling them, and they fault the speaker. Or they are using Monster or older AudioQuest cable that is tizzy on top and tubby in the bass and that's what their audio guru told them is good sound so they refuse to trust their musical intuition.

There is a "French house sound" if you will, and among them Triagle tend to be a bit bright, but not overtly so. There's a reason that from a 500.00 pair of Chorus bookshelves to the Grand Utopia you can put a pair of Focals with the finest electronics made and get great results. It's because they are showing off the difference in really good and also ran.

I never owned a "gazzillion dollar" system, nor the Electras. I heard them in a DAMPED auditioning room, and for my ears, partnered with a Uniti2 (granted, a forwardish amp) i felt the Electras were throwing nails at my eardrums. And I'm not alone in reporting this (the headbiting trebble, not the Naim partnership). As I said, only partnered with tube (which is smooth and warm) made them bareable for me (again, in very well damped hi-fi dealer auditioning room). ATC, ADAM (studio monitors) - these are honest for me - the Electras' piercing trebble - not for me, sorry.