" ....I was over talking to my local dealer chatting yesterday (listening to some $15K Marten's he was breaking in) and he said in the best lower priced integrated he had/would recommend for Arros was a simaudio moon i-5 ..."
IMO your dealer nailed it
SIMAUDIO and TOTEM are both in Montreal and used in voicing each other's kit
a modded SIMAUDIO was the base for TOTEM's own AMBER integrated amp
SIMAuDIO is athe preferred amplification for TOTEM at the shows |
NAD C272 is an excellent match with the arros. The Classe is to laid back for the silk dome tweeters IMO. Plinius sounds sweet on totem gear as always...but can get pricy of course |
I was over talking to my local dealer chatting yesterday (listening to some $15K Marten's he was breaking in) and he said in the best lower priced integrated he had/would recommend for Arros was a simaudio moon i-5 ...he only had Hawks/Forests when I was there so I couldn't audition them and I know Totems all are very unique.
I think after reading everyone's impressions I am going to try and hone in and look for Naim Nait, Plinius, and Unico options. |
They both go well but the 9100 is the better amp, IMO. |
I've heard that the Plinius "100" series is far behind the "200" series. An owner of both told me he would rather have the 8200 than the 9100. I don't know what goes best with Totem. |
Then go for the Plinius 9100. Sexy and mates very well with Totem |
Thanks folks, the Naim Nait 5i-2 is on my radar now. I used to have a system with the Jolida 302b and Arro's in my office but I really am gonna have a rough time with an exposed tube amp in the living room. Its all hot/glowing/not the safest looking thing if/when people/friends with kids come over (which all our friends are having kids).
I know its silly but wife acceptance is a concern in the living room and if the wife see's vacuum tubes she just thinks absurdity. I had Totem sttaf's previously in a Den system (before "upgrading" to the Arros which I preferred) and used it with a Musical Fidelity X-150 which was decent.
I dont really know that I have a preference for or against tubes but I just feel I can get more for my money and something more appropriate for the living room with ~ $1000 integrated. Not sure if a Musical Fidelity (a3.5 or such) with higher wattage would be better than the Nait or some of the others. Peopler really seem to dig the Nait-Arro combo and also the Unison Unico-Arro combo so these are high on my radar. |
".... had a CAP-101 once. I'd call it underwhelming. You would do much better with a Plinius 8200, or others
Peter_nailed it ...../!
I've had ARROs and FORESTS. Sold them both off in the last 18 months.
All TOTEMS crave hi-current and watts...they are very power hungry in order to perform their best. They only started to perform their best after I bi-amped them.
Take a look at what TOTEM uses to showcase their speakers at the expos: inter alia high-powered AYRE, PLINIUS and SIM AUDIO ...lotsa grunt. |
A 3rd for tubes. PERFECT for your music tastes and low-level apartment listening. |
I had a CAP-101 once. I'd call it underwhelming. You would do much better with a Plinius 8200, or others... |
the Naim Nait 5i-2 matches well with the Arros, especially with the music you list. |
I second Ethanh's notion that tubes sound best with the Arro's. For the price, i have been happiest with the Jolida 302b. It's a great match. I'm sure the Rogue also sounds wonderful with the Arro's, but I haven't heard the combination together.
Michael |
I wasn't going to make a recommendation but since Ethanh brought it up. The Unison Unico, or one of their similar models might work for you. I am using a Unico right now and hope to keep it for a while. It's only 80 watts but it drives my Meadowlark Kestrels very well.
Simple, clean and nice sound and at used prices, well within your budget. Also not as old as the Classe. |
Thanks, I'm actually looking at selling my panorama sound bar andmadding some funds to get a nice small 2.0 system since I listen to music 90% there and watch tv 5% and movies 5%.
The sound bar is ok but I miss a 2.0 system after selling the powered reference monitors in my office so I want a nice small 2.0 system in the center of my living room.
The Arros are my favorite speakers - I listen to a lot of acoustic guitar based music and the sound like butter to my ears.
I have a decent expendable income at the moment but might have a kid in a year or two so I figure this is my last chance to get a decent 2.0 system again before parking my hifi spending for a little while.
My dream integrated would me a McIntosh MA6300. I also have owned musical fidelity stuff that sounded good enough. I don't want to do tubes in this system to keep the Maintnance down. Just a decent bood looking stereo receiver. Ideally something in the $500-$1000 range to power the totems. |
I owned the CAP-151 a few years ago. It was one of those pieces that I wasn't sorry I sold. It was ok but I can sum my impression up with one word, meh. Not a word but it gets the point across.
In the used market there are a lot better IMO. |
I owned the Arros for a few years and am confident that the Classe would provide sufficient power. While I've never heard the Classe, 100 watts should be good for your stated needs. In my experience the Arros sounded better with tubes than solid state, so perhaps you could look into a Unison Unico or Vincent Audio integrated as "clean looking" solid state/tube hybrid options (as for solid state, I've heard that Plinius and Simaudio integrateds both work well with Arros). I really liked the the sound of EL34s with the Arros, so consider a Jolida 302RC, Rogue Cronus, or VTL IT-85 as well. |
