Just a bit to bright

03-10-14: Jfmerk
I am still curious on one point... When considering amps and preamps, does one have more impact than the other on the sound we hear? Or are they equally responsible for the end result?

I feel that the preamp has more affect on the sound that we hear than the amplifier, but I'm sure others will disagree. You could always try a tube integrated amp in place of the NAD, in which case you could get the richer tube sound, as Atmasphere suggests, and not worry about the which component does what conundrum of preamp or amp.

One further thought. The speakers in this set up could be a difficult load. Any idea what the ohm rating is and if it dips lower at certain frequencies? It could be a tough load for a near entry level integrated amp. If that's the case, at higher volume levels it could produce a harsher sound.

A Tube integrated would certainly be warmer too.

try some solid core 12 gauge mains wire from
Home Depot for the speakers. And dump any
cheapo interconnects.

I am still curious on one point... When considering amps and preamps, does one have more impact than the other on the sound we hear? Or are they equally responsible for the end result?

I also believe that the preamp highly affects the color or timbre of the system.

BUT, as Runnin points out, it is the amp that drives the speakers. The first part of putting together a system is matching the amp to the speaker, and since your spkrs have a low impedance, you may need a more powerful amp.

The resistance curve found on the left side shows that impedance drops to 3 ohms at 100 Hz and approx. 4 ohms from 1K to 4khz.
http://speakerdesignworks.com/MiniStatements.html

The specs on your amp show:
- 2 x 50W Continuous Power into 4 ohms and 8 ohms
- 100W, 150W, 200W IHF Dynamic power into 8, 4 and 2 ohms, respectively

I am not familiar with the design of the NAD, but it looks like it may possibly be enough power, but borderline IMO.

What do the other NAD owners think?

You need to learn right away, to avoid bleeding money needlessly for your audio career, to fix the problem where it exists instead of using band-aids for flawed product. You can never solve the flaws in products with purchases of components that have their own severe colorations in the other directions. These are all distortions and they don't cancel out, they add up.

Not saying your speakers are way off neutral, but you need to know before you start building a mix and match system. Amateurs and experimenters will say that "it's all mix and match" but only to smaller degrees of you pick excellent products.

Borrow other speakers, just to see if indeed it is your speakers. Take yours to other places to plug them into other components to see if brightness follows you speakers or if it does not. Know exactly what you have before you start buying.

The above is coming from someone who has spent his life selling components to mostly audiophiles, and the occasional music lover (they are not the same), but hate taking money unless true improvements are the result. I've seen tons of money thrown out because folks have been attached to a flawed component. In the end, after spending tons of money, they then end up replacing the flawed component anyway!

Maybe your speakers are the problem. Maybe they are not. Find out what the problem is before buying anything.