I am thinking of setting up a HT using the 2 setups below. I tend to put in more emphasis for music since I do that 70% of the time as compared to movies etc.
B&W:
703 with 602 S3 for surround and HTM7 for center and ASW675 sub.
Paradigm:
Studio 60 with studio 40 surround and CC 570 center and servo 15 sub.
The above setup are to be driven by either the Arcam avr 300 or the Rotel RSP1068/RMB1075.
Any suggestions to which would be the choice/better setup or other alternatives?
I'll disagree with Chris, with Rotel power, B&W's sound better.
I would go with the Rotel Separates and the B&W speakers, but I would get a different sub. the ASW675 isn't worth the money it costs...you'd be better off with a HSU or SVS for half the price!
Rotel and B&W sound good together but so does Rotel and Paradigm it's a combination that I had for years before switching to NAD. I prefer the Paradigms for their balance and neutrality. Pardigms are neutral without sounding dead and they allow the midrange detail to come to life. The Servo 15 is a great sub if you can afford it, the B&W sub is IMO very bad. I had the B&W ASW 750 in my home a couple of weeks ago for an audition and after a few days I determined that it was awful. I do however think that the CC470 is a better match than the CC570 unless you were putting the 100's upfront. Also why spend $400 more on more box for the 60's, the 40's have the same driver's. Buy stands for another set of 40's and spend the $300 you saved on movies and music. Good luck.
Thanks for the opinions. I have only auditioned the B&W and the Paradigm in stereo mode. To me music must sound good. As for the surrounds buying the 602's are not the best option since it does not match the timbre of the 703s but to save cost the dealers have recommended this mix. I don't listen much to multichannel audio so that could be a contributing factor why the dealer proposed the 602s. As for the Paradigm I am still tossing between getting the studio 20 as opposed to studio 40 to save some $$$. I have yet to audition the full setup but rite now I feel the paradigm gives better value for money. As for the separates I am thinking of getting the NAD 163/973 combo instead of the rotel but not sure how much more money I have to fork out above the rotel 1068/1075 combo. I have heard that paradigm in general is not suited for bright environments. The room that I am placing the speakers are fairly bright with full height windows and hard walls.
capww8
Unregistered guest
Posted on
try anthem and paradigm if you have a chance.
tlp-1 + MCA20 sounds fantastic with a pair of studio 20's.