I just picked up a C352 and was surprised how forward it sounds when paried with KEF Q30's. Ouch - I just leave the system turned off it's so annoying. Yes, the KEF Q30 is old tech and a bit forward anyway so it's time to move on...
Budget ~ 1,200 tops. I have been looking at PSB T55 Paradigm M7 or M9 Monitor RS6 (most recent)
The PSB and Monitor RS6 were demo'ed using a Marantz. Both sounded good to me. The RS6 seemed a bit more musical with better imagaing and more midrange detail while the PSB was a very close second but had more punch (not just sensitivity), IMO.
Anyway, I have no idea how these speakers will match with NAD and given my KEF experiance would greatly appriciate some comments, shared experinace on NAD speaker combo's. I'm not stuck on PSB, Paradigm, or monitor either.
Bill, I've got the Monitor RS6, and I love them, but I can tell you that they are very forward and bright. I have mine paired with Cambridge Audio, which is more laid back than the NAD. I know some folks who have had some bad pairings with the Monitor, similar to what you described with the KEF. Paired with the wrong amp, they can be harsh. If I were you, I'd go for for the PSB.
Does anyone know how Marantz compares to NAD (more laid back, or about the same) ?
The PSB T55 / Marantz combo did sound great with the standard aluminum dome tweeter (is that soft, like soft metal ?) and if not where do you buy soft dome tweeters and what types of material are they made of....
I will definitly take the NAD out to the dealers and post some feedback on my experiment. I will also get the model number of the Marantz (if anything for the archive).
To me the NAD C352 sounds more similar to Marantz (PM7200) than to Cambridge Audio (640A Azur)
In fact I'm a bit puzzled by Joe's comment about Cambridge Audio's laid-back sound?! I found Cambridge Audio a lot more upfront and bright sounding than both NAD and Marantz.
You don't need the soft dome tweeters when pairing PSB with NAD. NAD's softness will counter balance the aluminum tweeter well in my experience and opinion.
I agree with Stu. With our NAD gear driving B&W602's with their alloy tweeters, the music is warm, yet detailed and certainly not too forward nor bright, and is non fatiging. Not having heard the PSB's, I can say that, as does Stu, they have been mentioned for a long time on this forum as a great combo with NAD.
Nout, that was my experience in testing, i.e. the CA being more laid back. Of course I think when you get into descriptions such as "warm" and "laid-back", there is certainly some subjective differences that come into play. Every ear is different, and also we may have been listening to different types of music and listening for different qualities...I personally thought the CA's "back-lay" (I just made that up...what would be the noun form of "laid-back"?) was most pronounced in the lower frequencies, such as in the bass lines of jazz recordings.
I own a pair of Monitor 7's (v.4), which are now driven by a C272. To me, this is a fantastic combination. The sound is very full and powerful sounding, without losing some of the nuances of the music like hearing a crisp hi-hat, or even the vocalist's breaths between vocal passages. So I would obviously recommend the Paradigms :-)