Pairing MA 5300 with Large Advents for 900 sq ft apartment?


After 30 years living in a house on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, I'm moving to a 1 BR apartment in Astoria NY. It's 900 sq ft, with a large living room (about 20 by 30) and I want to equip it with a good audio system.  

I have Large Advent speakers, Canton small Karat 30 speakers and McIntosh L320 speakers in my MD house.  

Wondering which to take?  

Thoughts?

Paul
paulinastoria
I've read here that Magnepan's work great in apartments as their bass is less likely to go through walls and floors...I would consider selling all three pairs and getting the Maggies that for you budget...just one way to go...I also have had great apartment success with small floor standers like Totem and Vienna
Interesting.. I like jazz so the Advent's have always been a standby because of the bass response.  I've never heard "Maggie's" so will see if I can find some to listen to...

Don't know Totem or Vienna.  

Know where is a good place to go listed to audio equipment in Manhattan, or Queens? 

Other opinions?  

Thanks,

PaulinAstoria
Favored audio out of Brooklyn could add local flair - highly efficient speakers. I like the Super Nines. 
Maggie’s are interesting speakers; different than my current Sonus Fabers and really quiet pleasing. They need power - I tend to play louder than the average person and that’s the only draw back with them in my view. Great value as well. 
I would try the large Advents and the Mac speakers and see which sounds better in that room, you may be surprised.  The Mac amp has plenty of power for either pair of speakers.
I'm starting to think about downsizing even though it's a ways off. Pretty much decided to keep my large Advents and just upgrade the passive crossover. Keeping my Sony V-fet integrated, but not sure of the rest. Hopefully I will have everything digitized by then. If not, all my best source equipment will somehow get squeezed in.
This is a great question for MAC Labs and, as a MAC owner myself (actually, the MAC owns me), I would recommend you email this question to them. In my experience, they have always been very helpful with just about any questions you might have about their equipment.

That being said, with the MAC MA5300, I would strongly recommend you stick with 8 ohm nominal load speakers. A 6 ohm nominal load might be as pleasing, as long as it's relatively efficient or sensitive. However, all things being equal, I think 8 ohms is the way to go with that amp. Your amp can, of course, drive speakers with more resistance but won't get everything out of speakers like that, that they are designed to deliver.
much will depend on the building,  and how thin the walls and floors are, not simply which speakers you like best, but which will be more "apartment friendly"...I know, it's hard enough to pick a system without wondering about your neighbors...
@jl35 

Do you know if having area rugs and curtains will help both the acoustics but also reduce the sound transmission to the neighbors? 
Rugs and curtains absolutely help noise transmission. In fact many buildings require you to have carpet/rugs 
@oldaudiophile   

The owners manual for the L340's (4 ohm) says that they are designed for optimal performance with any MC amp, even the least powerful.  

I guess I should do as you suggest and contact MAC Labs and ask.  Do you just call them, or send them an email?


Well, if you have Roon and know how to use the EQ you can fit much larger speakers into a small space. :)
Welcome to Astoria.  It's a great neighborhood.

So ... where do you live ... how old is the building?  Astoria is in an old neighborhood with many pre war (that's WWI, not necessarily WWII) buildings.  What floor do you live on?  A 20 X 30 living room is a nice size, must mean the bedroom is small.  

Try to place your speakers on the non-common wall.  When I lived on 35ST in Astoria (1st floor apartment), I kept both my main stereo (living room) and smaller bedroom systems on the wall that was shared with the lobby.  My building was a 100 year old apartment house, so it was a plaster affair not sheetrock.  There was some sound leakage, but not a lot.

I had my speakers ( EPOS 11s) on bookcases.  If you use stands, you can always place them on cork/ rubber anti vibration tiles.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/DiversiTech-MP-12E-E-V-A-Anti-Vibration-Pad-12-x-12-x-7-8

I would take the Advents and the MACs.  Or try something like the Zu Audio Dirty Weekenders.  

Rich (in Forest Hills)
Paulinastoria, you can email MAC. Just go to their site. You'll find the email address there.
Your paying to live there!
jam session- ON !!

   Lower volume when slumlord says something.
arcticdeth, I hope that's a joke because that's exactly the type of thinking embraced by all the maroons in all the apartment complexes I lived in before buying a house. 
So I decided to take the LS340 McIntosh speakers to pair with the MA 5300. But the cables I have are missing a couple of banana clips from the previous owner who had an older Mc integrated amp and some long 30ft cables.

Where can I get replacement banana clips?

Or should I get new speaker cables for the MA 5300 since the distance between the amp and the speakers will be much less in the apartment?

paulinastoria
Speaker cables are an endless debate…I would get new shorter cables. Anything from Mogami, Blue Jeans Cable, and on up depending on what you like and want to spend…
@jl35 Thanks. Wonder if they can be purchased in the NY area, or will I have to order them on-line?  
I think Blue Jeans is online only. But on Amazon they come with feee returns.