As far as I am concerned, I have a friend who owns the same speaker you're planing on buying. From his experience, the M1's are a very fussy speaker and needs a good amp to drive them properly before sounding good. These speakers are not very efficient to begin with. NAD is not a bad amp....but it will NOT do justice to these speakers. As per Totem's recommendations, you should look at the Totem ARRO sprakers. I think there's a pair somewhere on Audiogon. They are small floorstanding speakerswhich have captured many hearts at any CES shows. Totem says that they will mate easily with any budget amp. Trust me, they sound really good.
Totem Model 1 w/ NAD c340 amp?
I am thinking about getting some used Totem Model 1 speakers (the original model), but I am wondering whether my NAD c340 integrated amplifier will be up to the task of driving them. The need for sufficient power to do justice to the Totems seems to be a fairly consistent refrain in people's comments on them, and the NAD is only rated at 50 watts per channel. But on the other hand I understand that NAD's ratings are usually very conservative, so that leaves me hoping. Am I being naive in even considering this combination? My room is just 20x22x8, and I have no desire to listen at levels that will rock the house or make my ears ring. It is important to me, however, that bass be tight and controlled.
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