Arcam AVR300 w/Legacy Focus 20/20's?

I have a set of Focus 20/20s, and I have been all over the map with power amps. At the high point I was at 1200 watts/channel, and the low was 350 watts/channel. Actually I tried a tube amp rated at 40 watts too without much success.

The Focus are efficient which means they don't need a lot of watts. Case in point, the 350 watt McIntosh sounded WAY better than the 1200 watt Legacy Monoblocs in my system.

What the Focus does thrive on is current. Make sure your power amp/receiver can handle 4 ohm and lower loads. The more current you throw at it the better.

If you decide to get a set of Focus, rest easy in that you will have plenty of room to upgrade elsewhere in your system (electronics, cables, room...) and actually hear a difference.

Good Luck -

Thanks for the response.

I'm now actually thinking the Sig III's are the way to go. Also, I could bi-amp the Sig III's with the AVR300's two extra channels (multi-zone). My room is 21' D x 16' W with 12' ceilings. The Arcam can drive 4 ohm loads just fine.

My setup is about 60% music/40% HT. Will the Sig III's have enough bass response for occassional HT duty or will a sub definitely be needed for adequate bass response in my room?

IMO, the Sig IIIs will have plenty of low-end juice for your neeeds. I think you are making the right choice by scaling back a bit from the Focus in your sized room... The Focus really need a larger room to shine, while I believe the Sig IIIs will sound great in your room.

---Dave

I own Legacy 20/20s which have become my rears now that I have Whispers. IMO you will be underbuying with the Sig IIIs - their bass and performance, while decent, doesn't touch the 20/20s. The Focus will also be a much better speaker to "grow into" and "build around" as your other components, cables, etc improve over time. For the price difference, IMO its a no-brainer.

As far as room size is concerned, mine is 20x20 with a sloping ceiling from 12' to 7' and the Focus sound excellent in it. The key, as a prior poster has stated, is to make sure you have enough current going to the speakers. If by some chance the Arcam doesn't get it done, there are probably several hundred other amps that will drive the Focus wonderfully and aren't very expensive used. When I was using the Focus as front speakers, I was driving them with a Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature amp (800w x5) and the speakers just sang. Currently using a McCormack DNA-500 on the Whispers, bi-wired and the sound is magnificent.

Good luck and hope this helps.