speaker suggestions for modest arcam alpha system

Hi Tom,
my experience is limited (paradigm monitor 7v2 and v3 and a pair of dynaudio floorstanders $4000ish of a good freind of mine that lives 1000 miles away..no way to compare, but i was very impressed with what i heard)

based on what i am hearing with my monitor7v2s, i would say i am most interested in having better definition in the bass/mid-bass frequencies (doesn't have to go as low, just be more accurately defined)...if the rest of the speaker sounded like my paradigms, i'd be pretty satisfied.

i prefer a warm sound...given my affinity towards rock and roll, i have always like the sound of equipment sounding "tube-like" :)...i do suffer some fatigue from overly forward high frequencies, so a little dark and laid back (hence the arcam and NAD gear...i thought NAD was a little too dark and slightly muddy, though)

i want a speaker that does imaging well (but i tend to believe alot of the imaging thing is room/speaker/setup stuff...a whole different part of the fun)...

I am sure my current speakers are overloading my room with bass frequencies and have crossover settings that prohibit details and nuances in the music to come through...i'd like to hear some of those details!...

dead on accuracy is not high on my list and most recordings i listen to are not top notch productions...(thus my fear with thiels).....

i don't want my music tastes to change because certain genres of music sound better on my equipment (i think jazz did that to my buddy with the dynaudios :)...he says it's just maturing musical tastes :) (i will admit that jazz did sound excellent and life-like on his system)...mark

Mark:

You hit the nail on the head with Paradigm's, especially the Monitor series. A bit muddy in the bass to mid-bass, a bit indistinct in the upper mids, but pretty fair for the money, otherwise. In truth, I much prefer the smaller Paradigm's to the larger. I have not heard Dynaudios in a long time, so they are not too fresh in my mind, but I recall them as being very pleasant speakers.

From what you are describing, with Arcam electronics, I am guessing that ProAc is going to be the way to go. This, of course, is the route that I am taking. I found the ProAc's to be both warm and very detailed, which are usually two characteristics that are somewhat at odds. If you went Thiel, the SCS3's I recall as being a bit more full sounding, and might be your best bet.

I also think that monitors are really going to do a better job for you. In general, monitors will give you a better soundstage and image (not much box vibration to muck things up). I may be able to pick up my ProAc's and Arcam FMJ A22 this weekend. Once I get them set up, I will let you know how they sound.

Tom.

I use B&W n805's with my Arcam alpha 8 integrated and alpha 7 CD and am very pleased with the match. I loved the Signature 805's in the shop but they were too expensive for my budget and I found I really couldn't appreciate the improvement over the standard n805 with my current setup.

Mark - I usually avoid recommending specific components/speakers in this forum because there are so many variables to consider and people have different tastes, etc. However, I did want to touch on the comments made above regarding the Hales. Keep in mind the T5's (Trancendence 5) floorstanding model by Hales was near the top of their line and retailed for about $6k new. Waaay above the price point you are looking at, even used. Hales' lower-priced line was the Revelation series, the smallest of which was the Revelation One, original retail $995. Hard to find used, but they occasionally come up on the 'gon for around $500/pair. Huge value! Hales are not as well-known as many of the speakers mentioned above due to their minimum of advertising and relatively few dealers (only about 50 nationwide at their peak). Hales Design Group is no longer in business :( but since you are looking at used that should not matter as much.

I own a pair of these bought new four years ago and LOVE them. I have them supported on Sanus's "ultimate foundations" with the fountainhead base. The Rev 1's are a ported 2-way, 8-ohm nominal impedance, 87dB sensitivity, 6.5" woofer, 1" tweeter, Cardas binding posts and internal wiring, proprietary crossover.. these boxes are QUALITY inside and out. (The shipping box states "Handmade in the USA"!, Huntington Beach, CA to be exact!).

They just play whatever you can throw at 'em. Like any speaker, they are not perfect, but they do very little wrong. These little guys will "play large" like very few monitors can, and set up properly on good stands will not require a subwoofer for most music. I am not exaggerating. They can convey a "depth" and "power" on music that exceeds many other manufacturer's small-to-medium floorstanders.

Although Hales have a reputation as requiring a lot of power, the Rev One's should play as loud as you would require in your room using the Arcam. That's a nice little amp. The only drawback I can see in your system is this speaker is not bi-wireable, so you could not bi-amp them down the road with the Arcam. You could, however, put more power behind them by using your Arcam as a preamp and buy a more powerful amp (McCormack DNA series, anyone?) and the Rev Ones would eat it up.

Truth be told, I have not conducted a double-blind face-off with the Pro-Ac, et al, mentioned above and cannot compare the virtues/vices of each. However, I did compare them extensively to other speakers the shop carried where I bought my Hales a few years ago (B&W 805's, Canton Ergos, Snell) at similar and even higher price points and I preferred the Hales' sound by a WIDE margin. They are much more refined than their price would suggest. Professional reviews of the Hales Revelation line routinely had to look to much higher-priced speakers from other brands for comparison. I may be biased towards my Hales but I can't help it. All I can say is I have no desire to upgrade!

I got to hear my ProAc's with the FMJ A22 over the weekend, and let me say, it was big smiles all around! Those ProAcs really image like crazy, and while not in the league of my Thiel CS3.6's, the bass out of those mini's was just unbelievable! I am very, very happy with this combination, but I am not looking for different speaker cables. I was going to use a pair of MIT AVt3's (spade to spade), but after hearing bi-wired MIT AVt1's, the difference was very noticeable. However, seeing as how this system is for my office, I don't want the big MIT boxes hanging off the back of the speaker, so I'm on a bit of a quest for a visually unobtrusive, fairly flexible, bi-wireable speaker cable that performs in the league of the MIT AVt1.

But back to the question at hand, I can confirm that Arcam and ProAc is a very nice combination.

Tom.