New to this forum, so I'm just gonna jump right into things. I'm currently thinking about upgrading my stereo a bit, as my old Infinity speakers are ready to live in retirement with my old man. My setup is a Rotel something preamp (will get the exact details on this ASAP) with an absolute magnificent NAD c272. First of all, Is that still considered sacrilege - mixing manufacturers together in favor of a one-brand setup?
Anyways, I've been looking around, and right now I can't really see any major drawbacks with the B&W 683's. I'm gonna go get a demo of them with my amps, but I'm currently abroad and was wondering what ye olde interwebs thought of this combination first. Anyone have any experience with the 683s?
Is the 683 the tower speaker? If so, a lot of people love them. I can't stand them. They sound very disconnected to my ears. Maybe un-cohesive is a better description. It seems like the highs, mids, and lows are coming from distinct drivers and not from one speaker. I haven't heard that to that extent from any other speaker. I've heard them in several rooms and with a bunch of different gear behind them. The same result every time.
Again, a lot of people love them. Maybe I'm expecting too much or just too sensitive to that sort of thing.
I'm not a fan of mixing NAD and Rotel either. There's nothing wrong with either brand, nor is there anything wrong with mixing brands. I've heard NAD and Rotel together in the past several times, and there's zero synergy in sound to my ears. A lot here would agree. Sorry if I'm bashing your gear. I like each piece individually, just not together.
There are a lot of very good $1500 speakers out there. A pair that immediately comes to mind are the Revel Concerta towers. They'll sound excellent if you've got enough room. Not the most articulate and detailed speaker, but they've got great dynamics, bass, and mids.
Are you looking into towers or monitors? How big is the room?
The Concerta is a great full size nearly full range speaker. Rotel and NAD only go together occasionally. My wife has my old modded Rotel CD player with her NAD integrated and it sounds very good. Generally I don't like them together. You may want to consider adding te NAD pre amp as it would likely improve the setup.
I would also suggest auditioning a more synergistic system. Replacing individual components without knowing what goal you are looking to accomplish is barking up the wrong tree and is setting yourself up for lots of moths coming out of the wallet in the not so distant future.
By this I mean that you will replace your speakers, and then still be stuck with your NAD/Rotel mismatch. A few months go by, and then you replace the CD player with a Cambridge without having an idea how it sounds in your system.
I am not trying to be offensive... we ALL have been there! I just want you to take time and think about what you are trying to accomplish here. When first getting started in audio, it isn't a bad idea to have the amp and CD player from the same MFR. That way, you know they play nice together. Then you only have to worry about finding speakers that work well with said gear.
Also, go listen to live, unamplified music . Be sure to have an actual reference and not just another stereo to compare it to.
I second the not in favor of the 683's. They are quite plain, unexciting (coming from rotel and BA) and a bit boomy to my ears, and I listened to them in multiple rooms. The 684' IMO are a better speaker, and so are the CM 1 or 5 even though they are a stand mount. If you are looking for bass, B&W has a nice little sub in the 600 series that my dealer raves about and have heard once shortly, or a REL can be had in the price range.
Many here will say the NAD/ monitor audio combination is great. But the Rotel/MA to be a bit bright. If you can find a dealer, like many have said, go to it. Especially if they carry all the brands you are looking into. Call ahead, some will let you bring in your gear (pre and amp) then you can use your pre amp with rotel amplification and vice versa on a series of different speakers. If you find that there is a setup you like work towards it. I am currently in that process. All I can say is that I rushed into somethings a few years back and am now, not regretting it because I learned a lot, but have realized I was off the mark with my goals. Take your time, find a dealer or two and enjoy the process.
My preamp is the RC 850 model, just so that's out of the way (I'm in Uganda at the moment, so I had to double check the model with the ones at home!) ;)
Stu - I see your point about mixing manufacturers, and I generally agree - my previous preamp (nad 911 distribution preamp) sadly kicked the bucket, so the Rotel was brought in temporarily. And, like all good guests, it didn't want to leave... you know the drill. So I will certainly upgrade to another nad pre to further cleanse my system, but right now that's a bit beyond my budget, so I think it'll have to do for now. What I found surprising was that the old speakers (Infinity Reference 31i MK2, if you're interested) got a bit more neutral soundstage with the Rotel - but that might be just coincidence. That said, I'm leaning more towards a nad preamp than a Rotel power amp anyway.
I'll definitely check out the Concertas, though, there seems to be a bit limited imports of proper hifi equipment to Norway regardless of manufacturer. My dealer has a pair of 683s that were ordered but never collected, and I could get them for 1300$. Originally they're a bit out of my budget, but with this discount and some serious weekend-working I'll manage it. That's the main reason I'm considering them, otherwise I'd be pretty certain to buy the 684s.
So, in short, long-term buy, to achieve a general upgrade of my total system (in addition to a preamp which will arrive as soon as affordable).
Once again thanks for the feedback - it's appreciated.