Small room, "budget priced" speaker advice, please

Ok then.
I was thinking you were so enraptured in beautiful music, that you forgot to report back... I just made some changes to my system, so I'm also in new toy mode... Have fun with it!

Hi, Everybody,

I'm baaaaaaaack! ;-)

Well, I'm finally getting to listen to some music!

First of all, I sold the PS Audio Elite Plus amp to a very nice person on Audiogon who really wanted to replace her father's old Elite Plus that had breathed its last. Lucky break for both of us! That gave me several hundred dollars to throw at a new amp, and I picked up (get this) a Unison Unico, 80 w/ch tube/ss hybrid for $800, again on Audiogon. My first tubed gear, ever.
So now I have the Music Hall CD 25.2, the Unico, and some old Monster Cable interconnects and way-too-long Monster Cable Powerline 2 speaker cable (all cables from the 1980s).

I know that the system, especially the speakers, aren't anywhere near broken in (Totem recommends at least 100 hours of break in time for the Arro) but I can give you all some initial impressions.

The mids so far are just lovely... recorded vocals sound more like human voices than I've ever heard in my home. James Taylor is "in da house." ;-) Bass extension on the Arros is pretty astonishing, given that puny 4.5" driver. As has oft been reported elsewhere, the thump of the bass isn't going to loosen your fillings, but the NOTES are "there," and well defined. Bass guitar sounds like a stringed instrument, and nothing feels missing. Pretty amazing.

Soundstage and imaging... well, that's kind of a disappointment, so far, which is weird given that that's what these speakers are known to do particularly well. Vocals hang in the air between the speakers like they should, but there's not much action beyond the boundaries of the speakers themselves. Is it the crappy cable, room placement, newness of the speakers, or some combination of the three? Anyway, that's a work in progress, as I continue to tweak things. I'd LOVE advice on how to get the most out of these speakers, and how to dial them in for best imaging.

Analogue: still waiting to hear from SOTA about what repairs/upgrades to my old Sapphire they recommend.

Hi Rebbi,

I also have the Totem Arro. I use them with a 35 watt tube integrated and an Onix XCD88 player that, incidentally, is supposed to be internally identical to the Music Hall CD25. Imaging and soundstage are definitely the Arro's forte in my system, and the room placement is not optimal (I have them about two feet from a side wall and one foot out from the front wall, no toe-in). I also use crappy cables almost exclusively. Still, I do notice that the soundstage is enhanced at the expense of bass response if I move the speakers at least two feet into the room and away from side walls, so that may be something you should try out.

I bought mine used, so I can't give you any advice regarding break-in.

FWIW, I found that swapping out small signal tubes usually nets noticeable effects regarding soundstage and imaging, so this maybe something you should consider experimenting with.

Ethanh,

I'll try moving the speakers further out from the rear wall. The cabinet the components are in is about 19" deep, anway, so we're not talking about them being way out in the middle of the room at 2". I thought the Arro was supposed to be flexible regarding room placement, but I know that every room is different.

Rebbe,

Coincidentally, I heard a pair of Arros recently at a dealer. Had my reference CDs with me that enabled me to judge what I heard versus other systems I've heard recently.

Sound was similar to what you describe, the signature transparency and imaging accuracy was not happening. I think it was due to these also being placed too close to the wall. They were within a foot or two I'd say and the room was about 18 to 20 feet deep and even wider.

Move them out further away from the walls. Try different locations until imaging locks in accurately at your listening position

These are rear ported, right? If so, probably even more important to move away from the rear wall for best depth of sound stage.

Bass level may decrease, but most important to get speaker placement dialed in for imaging accuracy and transparency first.