$1k speakers / Audio Refinement Complete


Help! I live in remote North Idaho and am hours from even a Circuit City! I've purchased an Audio Refinement Complete integrated and need speakers new or used. From Bach to Coltrane to Aretha to Emmylou, I love music. Cerebral cello, sizzling jazz cymbal, funk bass, Strad, flat pickin', Pavarotti, and Sarah Vaughn-I love it all. I can spend up to $1k on speakers-no more. I would be deeply indebted for any expert advice, especially regarding what I might find used online. Thanks in advance.
idaho

Showing 2 responses by figuy

I was using a pair of B&W CDM1's with my Audio Refinement integrated and CD player and I found the B&W's to be a good match, but I don't feel the CDM1's were doing the Audio Refinement gear its due justice. I disagree with the poster above who said the Audio Refinement Complete should not be paired with a speaker that uses a soft/silk dome tweeter. That's too broad of a statement, there are far too many factors in a system, not to mention taste, that can dictate the synergy between components like that. I moved away from the CDM1's because they aren't as smooth and musical through the treble as other speakers. Pairing the Audio Refinement with something like the Meadowlark Kestrals, the Vienna Acoustics Haydn's or Reynaud speakers would be ideal in my view. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a pair of JM Reynaud Twin MK II's, a $745 monitor speaker, today and could let you know how they mate with the Audio Refinement gear if you email me. www.jm-reynaud.com
> About the only definitive recommendations I'll venture > are that the ARC does indeed roll the top octave 1 dB > @10k, 3dB @ 20k, so a "dark" monitor may not be > synergistic I don't agree with this and never have. I do not feel the ARC rolls the top end at all in my view. I firmly believe that the ARC's top end is so well behaved, linear and natural that most people can't sense this because they are so used to electronics that are less accurate on top. Sorry, just my opinion.