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In his review of the NAD M3 device, Mr. Fremer suggests using the NAD with a pair of $7,000 speakers. What are some good $7,000 speakers?

Forget the number of $$$ since that will not assure any satisfaction.

I heard the M3 with a pair of PSB M2 Platinums and it was a revelation. The bigger T6 and T8 PSBs might be even better.

Kal

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Is there a formula, guideline, or rule of thumb concerning the cost of speakers vs. equipment or even amongst the types of equipment(amplifiers vs. cd players)?

There are many but they are nonsense, imho. Obviously, the cheap and tawdry of either would not be a good match for a high quality example of the other. However, just because an amplifier is worthy of use with much more expensive speakers does not mean that you can shop by price or that less expensive speakers might not be a better choice in a given application.

Kal

Check out the Vandersteen 3A Signature speakers, at about half of $7K.

Checkout the Foccus from Legacy. www.legacyaudio.com Even StereoPhile liked them. a BARGAIN. They are superb

It isn't surprizing, AceMineral, that you're seeking a "guideline" for the relative cost of system components - one of those rules like 40%-50% of the total budget should go into speakers. Those guideline notions have been around for a while and make some kind of sense. They aren't however reliable answers to how to put together a great sounding system today to the extent they might have been 25 or 30 years ago. There are some very nice products available now - sources, electronics, and speakers - at a wide range of prices, and modestly priced stuff today includes some notable over-achievers no matter whose definition of "modestly priced" you might apply.

That gets us to Mikey. He lives in the stratosphere where equipment is concerned, and to him, a $7,000 pair of speakers is decidedly modest as would be a system with a total price tag of $15,000. That's not bad. Testing an affordable integrated amp using reference speakers will reveal the amp's shortcomings very effectively, as will comparing what that amp does with those speakers to reference level amplification. In the case of the NAD M3 he found very few shortcomings even applying such a severe comparison.

Concurrent with his evaluation of the NAD, it seems, at times as though he is making his case for the importance of speakers in a system budget - arguing that if speakers are good enough they will carry more "ordinary" electronics to far better sound than ordinary speakers can carry excellent electronics. In my opinion, that is a valid argument, but somewhat beside the point of the NAD review.

As for the $7,000 target point, forget it. As someone pointed out, Vandersteen speakers coupled with the NAD amp are likely to produce great sound for about half the $7K. The same might be said about lots of other offerings in the $3K-10K range from Triangle, Sonus Faber, Quad, Harbeth, etc. etc.

There's no single answer. Gotta take your own budget, your own favorite music and your own ears and go listen. How's that for fun? No rules, just fun!

In the meantime, if you're of a mind to sink about $3,000 into an integrated amp, Mikey and JA have provided some real good reasons to include the NAD in your short list.

I know someone that has some Bozak in the box new Symphony and Grands. He purchased at a wharehouse going out of business sale. Only a couple left. They don't make Bozak anymore and these aren't from the dusky dungeons. They are new in box. Walnut cabinets. Read up on them at Google and private email me.

I have just got around to reading the review in Decembers Magazine. Excellent stuff. A wonderfully worded and paced review. I look forward to more real world 'priced' componant reviews by Mikey. I am impressed.