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Speaker for NAD C320BEE

Dear Audiogoners,
I have recently come to the hobby. My setup now is,

NAD C320BEE integrated amp (50 wpc)
NAD C521BEE CD player
Acoustic Energy Aegis 1 monitor speakers
Velodyne powered sub (80 watts?--it was $300 at the mall in 2000)

I'm looking to spend no more than $600 (new or used) to upgrade speakers. I would like a good all-around speaker--jazz, folk, rock, classical. The Aegis 1s are very good for some things (folk-rock, jazz), but not so kind to thicker music (e.g., Soundgarden). I am just starting to look around. So far have considering PSB (new, maybe Alpha T) or maybe Totem (used Rainmaker). Any suggestions greatly appreciated. In particular,
-Can I get new for $600 better than what I have now?
-monitor versus floorstanding given budget and amp?
-Is my sub worthy of pairing with good (c. $1,000 new) monitors?

Thanks!
abarnett
rrsands's avatar
rrsands
8 posts
 
If you're looking new, agree on the PSB recs.

I use JM Reynaud Twins with my bee and a Sony 9000es sacd/dvd player in my second system. Very, very pleased with this setup, does everything very well. Used should be well within your budget, but you'd need 28" stands. Don't think you'd be disappointed, and if you upgraded the amp, say to a tube int, the Twins sure won't embarass themselves. Used them for four years with a Rogue Tempest int.
the_kid's avatar
the_kid
465 posts
 
I put together a bedroom system for a friend using the same NAD gear and paired it with a pair of the newer little EPOS.. What a great match. The system sounds better than that it has a right to at the cost.. Good luck..

Chris
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
The best setup I heard with your NAD was with Klipsch Herresey vintage speaker. They're sold used for arround $400. With sub you'll have sub-state of the art setup I assume.
dave123456a1b3
17 posts
 

The JMR Twins would also be another consideration. Iv'e read tons of good stuff about them and would love to hear them myself. If you get a chance to audition these please do and post your findings.
abarnett OP
18 posts
 
Thank you all very much for your comments! It will take me some time to run down all these suggestions, but it should be fun. Bob, in response to your last post, I run the speaker wires to the subwoofer, then from the sub out to the monitors. There is a single crossover dial on the back of the sub, which I have been setting to about 80Hz. So the monitors are not trying to produce bass, unless the sub is off. But I am intrigued by your suggestion--to scoop out the bass before the signal even gets to the amp section of the integrated--and I plan to try it this weekend. I notice now that the sub has RCA in and out jacks; the out jacks are labeled "80Hz high-pass output." So I guess Velodyne thought of this too. Thanks again for your very thorough comments--Alex
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