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October 5, 2009 - 10:19pm
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Hi-fi headphone user attempting to build a 2.0/2.1 setup
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If possible I'd listen to the PSB Imagine T tower loudspeakers ($2000/pair) with a NAD C375BEE (refurbished with full factory warranty for $979 at Spearit Sound). The same company owns PSB and NAD and the equipment from each matches well. There are dealers that handle both PSB speakers and NAD electronics all over California.
http://www.psbspeakers.com/reviews/Stereophile-Imagine-T-Review
http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/psb_imagine/
http://nadelectronics.com/reviews/C375BEE-Best-Buy-Award
Where exactly are you in California?
Stockton.
And by the way, those look gorgeous! I'll be sure to give them a whirl. Thanks!
Another thing: I'm sure to miss something as far as cables are concerned. Assume I know nothing (which is close to true). Let's say that, theoretically, I got the pair of PSB Imagine Ts and the NAD C375BEE. Would the speakers come with the appropriate cables? If not, what sort of cables do I need? Secondly, how do I connect the amp to my TV? Thanks again.
It looks like there are 8 PSB loudspeaker dealers within 50 miles of Stockton, CA and three of those also carry NAD electronics.
You will need interconnect cables to connect your sources to the amplifier and speaker cable to connect the speakers to the amplifier. RCA audio cables are the most commonly used. Blue Jeans RCA cables are well regarded. http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm
TVs usually have RCA audio outputs so you can connect it to an AUX input on the amplifier.
Good quality speaker wire would be warranted and there are many sources for that. You would have to make sure what kind of speaker wire terminals your speaker have to you can get cable in the correct configuration. Blue Jeans has good speaker cable as well.
what is your course of study?
been seriously thinking about getting PhD in music but it would be only slightly less worthless than the music degree(voc performance) I already have.
Thanks for the tips. I did find a pair rated 10/10 on AudiogoN for $1200 so I am inquiring about that now. I'd rather take a chance on that because the worst case scenario is maybe a $100 loss on the turnaround. I figure I am not discerning enough to notice if the amp is not to my liking so I will likely keep that no matter what.
I am studying School Psychology. A PhD is always useful if you don't mind being a professor.
OK, I was lucky enough to find good deals on both of these products and seeing as how auditioning will be incredibly difficult for me I went ahead and bought them (both well under MSRP) so that if for some reason I don't like them I can turn them around on AudiogoN for a small loss.
As for the cables, should I go for a balanced setup? Do both the speakers and amp support this? How do I know which connector to buy -- I'm assuming it uses a standard binding post so I can use either banana plugs or spade connectors. When I check Blue Jean Cables these don't seem to be options for the balanced setup. I guess that requires an entirely different connector? The cables in the regular "speaker cable" section do mention banana plugs and spade connectors so I'm assuming I should just go that route.
My source in this case will be my PS3. . . . What interconnect should I use there? NAD does not list the connections on the back of the amp and the only clue I have is a really low-res shot of the back where you can't make out anything.
The speaker cable you buy will depend on the connectors on the speakers, which I believe are binding posts which accept banana plugs. Your speaker cables probably can be banana on one end and spade lugs on the other.
You do not need balanced interconnects, as a matter of fact you will be limited to the Sony proprietary AV MULTI OUT cable. I believe the one that comes with the unit is a component video cable with Y PB/CB PR/CR connectors and right and left RCA audio connectors. You only need the AV connector http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Accessories/SCPH-10500
To use your PS3 for a CD/SACD source you will need the Sony proprietary AV MULTI OUT connector above with a single video jack and two channel audio RCA jacks and then set the unit for two channel analog audio output (Settings> Sound settings> Audio output settings> Audio Input Connector/SCART/AV MULTI). The right and left RCA audio jacks can then be attached to either a CD or AUX input on the NAD amplifier.
Would you recommend a banana/spade lug cable over a banana/banana cable? I will not use the PS3 as a CD/SACD source -- I am only using it as a media extender for my computer (files are encoded in FLAC). Do your cable recommendations for the PS3 still apply?
I don't believe the NAD will accept banana plugs, only bare wire, so the banana plug (into the PSB Imagine Ts) and spade lug (onto the NAD amp) wire will work.
The Sony AV Cable will still be the one you want.
I can't thank you enough for all your help. I'd be totally lost without all this help.
Now I just have to wait for everything to arrive. Tick, tock . . .
EDIT: The PS3 actually came with an RCA cable -- should I still shell out for the one to which you linked?
You can use the cable that came with the PS3 unit, which I believe is a 5-plug component video cable. So one end has the Sony proprietary AV MULTI plug and the other 5 RCA plugs (Y Pb and Pr for video and right and left audio). You would only use the right and left audio plugs that usually have red and white markings, respectively.
Let me know how things work out as I feel kinda responsible for steering you in this direction. I hope you like it as there are many other possibilities as you probably have already surmised.
I am the one purchasing the stuff, so don't feel responsible (I know how you feel though, having been on the other end of it in the headphone arena). It actually came with regular old RCA cables (one yellow for video, one white and red for each audio channel), believe it or not (probably since pretty much everyone purchasing a PS3 can at least use composite; I would venture to guess a large enough proportion of people who buy a PS3 do not have a component-ready TV that it's not worth the headache to Sony to not supply a composite cable, and if you're going to upgrade you might as well do HDMI).
Since my junky current "HDTV" does not have an HDMI port, I am watching Blu-Ray movies in glorious 480i. At least my mom thinks they look great.
Anyway, once I get my new TV, I should be able to hook up HDMI from the PS3 to the TV (though with the TV on mute, thereby using the HDMI purely for video) and the RCA audio cables from the PS3 to the amp (with the video cable swingin' free).
From what I gather that composite cable is pretty much a "Radio Shack special" so you might want to get the better cable shown on the Sony website (the link I provided above). It has gold plated connectors and is supposedly Oxygen-free. You can get one for $10 at Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5651641&sourceid=12175720111740453557
You are correct in your assumption for future HDMI-video and Sony AV cable-audio hook up for your system.
Hey, I knew something!
I'm a cable skeptic, but I will at least shell out for a cable that is going to degrade more slowly and have a more stable connection. Cheers. 
Just an FYI, this amp does not accept standard spades from BJC. In the future, just recommend locking bananas on both ends. It's no big deal, just $10 and change and they will still come before my speakers. I'm just mentioning it for future reference.
Sorry about that! See, one does learn something new everyday!
And I did as well. I learned how to remove spades, strip wire, and connect locking bananas.
OK, so everything is hooked up, and it sounds great! I would be happy with it right now even though I know the diaphragms need some time to break in so it should get even better. More than enough bass for my needs -- I even had to insert those little plugs in the back to rein it in a little (they are only 2 feet from the wall -- best I could do). Thanks for all the help!