Rate my system/advise


Edit for spelling advice, advise.

Hey, I am new to hi-fi. I have been building a system, and I have not set it up yet to listen. I demo’d the speakers before purchasing, but with different equipment. I was curious of opinions on my purchases, and what room there is for improvement. I had bought the amp’s early, which are old, and hoped to make up for it with the preamp.

McIntosh MB100 Media Bridge

Audio Research Reference 6 Preamp

2 NAD 218 THX’s (each in bridged mono)

B&W 803 D3

Nordost Tyr 2 IC (MB100 to ARC REF 6)

Ansuz Diamond Signalz IC (ARC REF 6 to NAD 218 THX)

Nordost Heimdall 2 Speaker cables

Nordost Heimdall 2 Power cables

Nordost Reference jumpers

 

I am about to purchase:

Butcher block acoustics audio rack and amp stands w/

IsoAcoustics Orea Isolators

Rebel Sky Acoustics Diffusers

Auralex Deep6 Low-frequency absorbers

zpatenaude37

Those NAD amps are your bottleneck. That would be the first thing I’d address.

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mattmiller and tubebuffer, yes, I figured the NAD is somewhat of a bottleneck. I spent more than I wanted on the ARC REF 6, hoping that a good enough preamp would be enough to overcome this. I was looking at Pass Labs and Parasound monoblocks for the future, but I figured I should first prioritize audio racks and room treatment for now. I honestly have a low paying job and have no right buying this equipment, but I have been working crazy overtime to be able to buy this. I hope the NAD's will suffice for now, since those amps are quite expensive. 

rocray, I have not set this system up. I have no idea how this combination will sound. I was looking for some advice on how people will think the ARC, NAD and B&W will pair as far a power goes. That is not all I am looking for, but part of it, including room treatment and isolators. I have degrees in physics, which helps when I read the specs about this equipment, but I am still far from grasping all of it. I can understand basics, but I have years ahead of me as far as understanding how to optimize all of these components and how they all work together. 

tomic, thanks, I was pretty excited about purchasing the REF 6. I can't wait to set it up.

I am now looking at Franc audio racks. Although I will spend twice the money, it seems like this will be superior to the Butcher Block/Isoacoustics combination. 

 

LOL McIntosh….there are a number of brands better than NAD or McIntosh. Buy what sounds good to you not what some people here say you should buy.

btw I have a McIntosh amp in my hunting camp. Use it 4 times a year. Good place for it.