Classe CA-M 600 vs Electrocompaniet NEMO


Hello everybody. My current system at the moment is all top of the line Electrocompaniet EMC-1UP/4.8/NEMO driving a pair of B&W 800 Diamonds (the latest ones, not D).While the system sounds impressive it doesn't sound as effortless as it should (keep in mind that I don't have dedicated lines yet and most of the living room seems to sit on one line!). I know that NEMO's eat tons of current so that could be the problem. I can't help but wonder if switching to all Classe set up (CP 800/CA-M 600) would be a good idea. The Classe/B&W set ups I heard at the dealers all sounded like the amps and the speakers were literally made for each other.
antonkk
Hi A KK - A total guess? The Nemo has effortless levels of power, current and everything else...so if the 800s do not sound as effortless, it might be:

a. your system is being choked by your power supply...maybe. it has an internal sensing circuit not to pull too much power from the wall, so they've thought of this to some degree

b. the reviews say that this largely Class A amp can on occassion ruthlessly reveal any hardness in the chain. I wonder if perhaps the 800 (able to the same) might seem more 'at ease' with the Classe amps which do tend to sound a touch warm. Plus, you're right...they are manufactured by the same parent company...so presumably some joint voicing is done

Try it...you may like it. Alternatively, throw a turntable or a very warm source behind your Nemos just to see what happens.
I am an Electro dealer and I have a lot of experience with their products.

Nemo's are effortless, and very, very good sounding.

The question remains on how specifically is your system set up.

Do you use power conditioning, good cables, power cables? All of these make a considerable difference also do you have dedicated lines? Are you running balanced lines?

You can get far superior results by changing other elements of the system the Electro CD player is not up to snuff compared to other digital front ends, I would also consider a preamp swap as well.
I haven't tried the Classe but I am running Nemos and have had the chance to put a Plinius SA Reference from my second system.

The rest of the gear:
Audio Research Reference 5SE (Silversmith XLR to power amps)
EMM Labs XDS1 (ASI Liveline XLR)
Speaker cables (ASI Liveline speaker cables)
Thiel CS3.7s

The Nemo has amazing control of the bass but the Plinius is even more controlled. But the gain is pretty high on the Plinius so I found I couldn't dial the ARC to as high a level that I feel is optimum for the ARC.
Antonkk, I recall that you are in Russia, and so I assume you have 240 volt electrical service.

Before jumping on the revolving gear bandwagon, I'd start with running good quality 10 gauge electrical wire hooked up to 30 amp circuit breakers, with a separate feed for each Nemo monoblock. I am in the U.S. where standard voltage is 120V, but I am currently feeding my Symphonic Line Kraft 250 monos with 240 volts via a Furutech duplex Schuko outlet connected with 10 gauge wire to 30 amp breakers.

Oh, and Doggie, you have some interesting gear - it's time for you to put it up on a virtual system page! And speaking of Plinius, I just replaced my Plinius SB-301 power amp and Plinius M8 pre with the SL Krafts and SL tubed pre, but I can say that the SB-301 is a GREAT amp for the money.
It's amazing to watch people spend thousands on gear yet fear the few hundred it takes to install solid VAC.

Actually, you want to use one VAC line. It simply needs to be beefy enough to do the job. A 20 amp breaker off the proper leg of your panel (or a separate small panel) feeding uninterrupted (no junction boxes) 10 gauge solid copper within metal clad conduit out to four 20 amp isolated ground receptacles (metal boxes) in the wall made a huge improvement to my system and one less questionable issue.

Take advantage of the Sanders in home trial offer on the Magtech amplifier.
Audiooracle,

I don't have dedicated lines yet. Could be the source of the problem. The whole living room (studio type) including the kitchen seems to sit on one line - when I plug out the fridge, the microwave etc the dynamics and tonal colours improve big time. I'm sure that NEMOs are not to blame yet I still wonder if Classe would be a better solution once I fix the electricity.