2. home-theater
  3. 1416453810

Thoughts on potential new system?

Just went to a Magnolia Design Center and did some looking and listening. My wife and I started with the Sonus Faber 2.5 and 3.0. 3.0 was a big step up from 2.5, but still not great. (For reference, our stereo system is Magnepan 20.1 with AR Reference 3 and Cary Monoblocks). Anyway, tried the B&W speakers and liked them but my wife's ears found the treble a bit harsh at times. I thought they were good, but a bit sterile and brighter in character. Eventually settled on Sonus Faber Olympia 3 as our favorite. Thinking of the Olympia 2 in a HT setup to save a few dollars. Here is their recommended system with the TV (75" Samsung 8550).

Sonus Faber Olympia 2 fronts, Olympia Center, and some in ceiling rears (necessitated by room, unfortunately).
McIntosh 5 channel amp, 200wpc
Marantz pre/pro
Oppo 105 player
REL S3 sub

Any thoughts? I am pretty confident on the front speakers and the Oppo as being a good versatile player. However, I have never owned McIntosh gear and close to $7k for an amp is not cheap. The Marantz is under $2k so is reasonable. I have a Rel Britannia B1 sub in our stereo system for30hz on down so am pretty happy with Rel tho not so confident on HT use. My main concern is the McIntosh and whether I could get similar or superior performance for fewer dollars.....

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.
luvwine

Showing 2 responses by runnin

runnin
397 posts
 
I"m not sure, Luvwine, if you've been able to come to a decision on the amp question, but from what I've heard, the Rotel might be on the bright side. I'd second the suggestion to look into Parasound Halo A51. 5 channels at 250 watts per.

Parasound Halo amps are designed by a well revered engineer, John Curl. I've got the 2 channel version in my music only system, and the tonal character is really something. Your dealer may not carry Parasound, but I'd at least give it an audition.

I suspect you'll be quite happy with the Marantz, the Audyssey room correction is generally considered superior to what Yamaha offers though there are fans of each.
runnin
397 posts
 
Db, Parasound states that the A21's(as well as all of the Halo amps) circuitry was designed by John Curl. I've read on line that his involvement in the A23 was minimal. Apparently he's been with them for a good while and had a hand in the development of their earlier generation amps well before any had a "JC" designation.

There is a lot of conflicting info out there on the net, as usual, so it's hard to be sure exactly what his involvement was in the Halos. Certainly the JC stuff is his signature stuff though. Either way, the Halo amps are quite good. I've owned Adcom, NAD, Harman Kardon, Emotiva and Outlaw amps, and to my ears the Halo is better than the lot.
More to discover