Looking for advice on a new setup

Dinarius

Considering one of the following...........

Arcam Solo Music with either.........

B&W CM9 speakers

or........

SA (System Audio) Ranger Master speakers.

The room is big (about 10.5m x 3.5m) and I would like an all-in-one CD/Tuner/Amp.

I have listened to both speakers via the Arcam and I have a slight bias towareds the B&Ws.

Any altenatives to the Arcam?

Any other comments?

Thannks.

D.

The Ritz

@Dinarius,

I've given your query a threada of its own - the place you originally posted it is for a different purpose, you'll probably get more traffic this way.

Ritz.

Dinarius

Thanks!:)

D.

Idleater

Nice setup either way, though I'd have thought the Rangers were a bit higher in the food chain than the CM's. Open to correction on that though, perhaps you are getting a deal on the SA's bringing them in line price wise with the CM's.

THe SA's are a neater (narrower) speaker I think, and can of course be ordered in white.

Have you seen the new SA XP30 or Mantra 60? I have a pair of the xp's on order for use with my Rotel kit. I have always liked the sound from the System Audios, and think the sound range is better than my current XT2's.

Having said all that, I have no complaints about the B&W's - the sound is excellent and you will not be disappointed. I'd also be open to correction, but I'd think that the CM9's would be slightly more demanding power wise than the Ranger, but much of a muchness. That would be my only concern if you started to drive the speakers hard - the 50w/ch from the amp might be limiting. Thankfully there is a set of pre-outs so you can whack in a power amp if you desire.


edit: I stand corrected- I did a bit more reading on the specs and the Rangers recommend a minimum of 70w/ch and the cm9's are 50w/ch minimum. Bear this in mind that you may be putting a bit of strain on the amplifier in the Arcam, so a separate power amp or easier to drive speakers might be a worth a look.

viperirl

I've heard both of these speakers and I would say that that the Rangers are clearly head and shoulders above the CM9's. I choose a pair of B&W804's over the Rangers some years ago which I regretted but I've since upgraded to different speakers anyway.
The Rangers need some pretty decent amplification and an Arcam Solo is not going to be good enough I feel. The CM9's are probably a better partner for the Solo. To be honest with you, I think the CM9's need a proper standalone 2 channel amplifier for them to sound their best. Perhaps go the second hand route for the Cd player and Tuner. That way you'll be well set for upgrading components in the future.

Dinarius

Thanks guys.

A few comments............

Yes, I had noticed that SA recommend minimum 75w p/c for the Rangers.

Also, my gut reaction was that the Rangers had the edge over the CM9s, so (as a relative newbie) I'm glad you both confirmed this.

Here's the thing......my staple diet is CDs and BBC R3/R4. I would love to go the all-in-one route and the Arcam seems to be the only kid on the block - but, at 50w p/c there are issues.

Alternatively, I would consider a receiver/CD player combo. 3 seperates would be my last choice.

I take the point about adding a power amp, but that goes against my attempts to be reductive!

Well?

D.

Edited: Been doing some research and there's a lot of favourable comment out there on the Linn Classik vs. the Solo. At 75w p/c, it might be a better option. Who sells Linn in Dublin?

Idleater

linn are lovely, and take a look at naim too. I think cloney can get linn, and there is a naim chap in lusk direction.
Personally i think that a two box solution looks as nice as a one when they are matched from the same manufacturer/series.

Dinarius

nereid,

Today I bought a mag called Hi-Fi Choice. Never bought a hi-fi mag before and I've no idea what sort of reputation this one has.

At the back they have pages of recommendations for all components in various price bands.

Two observations:

1. System Audio do not get a single mention in any price category (the B&W CM9s do)

2. There is no category for all-in-one systems, so the Arcam Solo doesn't get a mention either - though individual Arcams units do.

Wonder what they've got against SA?

For what it's worth, here's they review of the CM9s>

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/hi-fi-and-av-speakers/b-and-w-cm9-605934/review

D.

viperirl

Dinarius wrote: »

Two observations:

1. System Audio do not get a single mention in any price category (the B&W CM9s do)

2. There is no category for all-in-one systems, so the Arcam Solo doesn't get a mention either - though individual Arcams units do.

Wonder what they've got against SA?

For what it's worth, here's they review of the CM9s>

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/hi-fi-and-av-speakers/b-and-w-cm9-605934/review

D.

Dont take everything that the hifi mags say as gospel. There are plenty of really top end brands that dont get mentioned in the hifi mags so I wouldnt say that they have anything against SA.

Idleater

system audio don't get mentioned in uk mags and forums because they do not have a large presence there. They are a very good danish manufacturer that have good renown across scandinavia and benelux as well as france and italy. They are more european if you catch my drift. .
Have you been out to cloney's to have a listen to the cm's and sa's?

Dinarius

nereid wrote: »

Have you been out to cloney's to have a listen to the cm's and sa's?

Yes. Liked both of them. But, through a system I can't remember, the SAs had the edge for what I was listening to - vocal orchestral.

I listened to the CM9s through the Arcam Solo. Don't think that 50w p/c is enough for either make of speaker. Adding the basic Arcam power amp would add another €900 to the cost.

Any advice on incorporating wi-fi radio into a sound system? It seems that none of the manufacturers have it inbuilt yet, so what add-ons are available?

Thanks.

D.

Idleater

Internet radio can be achieved via a number of sources. A Squeezebox classic or the new touch screen one can do it, as can a number of kitchen/table radios (I have 2 Tangents) and there are more and more manufacturers doing them. These would have line outs for connecting to a hifi.

As regards a separates system, I provided a link to the Tangent Net tuner which is DAB + fm + internet, but the Solo already has a built in tuner so perhaps a squeezebox (or roku soundbridge) might suffice. These can also stream from a NAS or computer which is good too.

Dinarius

nereid,

Thanks for the reply.

I want to put the system in a kitchen/living extension that I've just built. I had a multi-media (cat6/FM/TV) point and sockets placed on one side of the room. The intention is/was/mabye! to feed BBC radio to an Arcam or other tuner from this.

With the benefit of hindsight, I should have put this panel on the other side of the room. If I do change over, (I do have sockets on that side) then I'll have to go the wi-fi route for quality BBC Radio 3 - how I receive voice radio doesn't bother me. Hence my question.

I'm surprised that none of the high-end hi-fi manufacturers seem to have incorporated wi-fi into their systems.

D.

Edited: Just found this..............

http://www.naim-audio.com/products/naimuniti.html

Could be worth a look.

Dinarius

Apologies to Administrator for the additional reply, but the "Edit" option has disappeared from my posts on this thread.

I ordered a Naim Uniti today. Had a good listen to both CD and Wi-Fi (via an Eircom 3Mb connection) and was seriously impressed. Gorgeous piece of kit.

All I have to do now is choose a pair of speakers. Tough work!

D.

Idleater

Dinarius wrote: »

I ordered a Naim Uniti today.

All I have to do now is choose a pair of speakers. Tough work!

You Jammy Git!!! I am so jealous:mad: I so want one of them.

Did you go up to yer man up in Lusk? He is an absolute gent and very knowledgeable.

As regards speakers, you have quite a few options open to you. How is the budget fairing after going with the Naim?

I've a set of B&W XT2's (mentioned above) that I demo'd with the uniti, if you like?

Dinarius

Yup. Went to Lusk. Yes, he is a gent and really knows his stuff.

The XT2s are the wrong shape for my room. I'll need tall and narrow speakers. Would love to hear the CM9s in my room with the Uniti.

Ainm are getting in speakers in the next month which they're very bullish about - can't remember the name - and they've offered me an audition in my living room. So, I'll wait for that anyway.

D.

Idleater

Dinarius wrote: »

The XT2s are the wrong shape for my room. I'll need tall and narrow speakers. Would love to hear the CM9s in my room with the Uniti.

No prob, I remember him saying a couple of speakers that went well with Naim, but can't remember the name now. They looked lovely.

The SA XP30's are nice too in the tall slim form factor, as are the 17/15 50/30 models. The difference being that the newer (xp) ones are front ported the older (17/15) are rear ported so have to be 30cm away from the wall which means they are out for me, but they are beautiful slim speakers.

When is the Uniti being delivered? And on a vaguely related question, did you listen to the HDX setup? :eek:

Dinarius

Delivery is 2/3 weeks.

Didn't listen to anything else.

D.

Dinarius

In the end I went for a pair of ATC SCM 40s - http://www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/ - to go with the Naim Uniti.

I had a pair of demo SCM40s here for two days. Absolutely knockout.

Now on order - so, I'll have to buy a pair of headphones while I'm waiting!

The Uniti is a sensational piece of kit. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Any headphone recommendations?

Thanks.

D.

Idleater

Dinarius wrote: »

I had a pair of demo SCM40s here for two days. Absolutely knockout.

Beautiful! I think I listened to them in Lusk.

Still very tempted by this device, best of luck with it. Read your posts on AVForums with interest too.