Need Speaker Set Recommendations for Newbie

Per your recommendations, I've researched a bit on the NAD762 and it seems like a very good receiver for the price. Seems to have comparable features to my HK which I like.

Any suggestions on where to get the receiver?
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I called a local distributor for the NAD and he said the 762 is discontinued. He also said that I wouldn't see any performance difference with the Spicas and ANY integrated amp because the Spica's need too much power. He said I need to go with separate components with the Spica's.

The guy was an ass, so I take everything he says with a grain of salt, but what do you guys think? Am I really going to see that much of a performance difference with a more powerful integrated amp? The Spica's definitely sing when I crank up my HK almost to the top of its abilities... does a more powerful amp allow the speakers to sound better at lower volumes? Or will I always need to turn them up to make them sound good?

Once again, I'm not a super audiophile... just trying to get a little more punch out of my Spica / Kinergetic setup without breaking the bank.

Thanks!
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Well, yes a seperate amp is going to be the best. The NAD is double the power of your receiver but if I recall correctly for every 3db volume increase twice the power is needed. So going to 100 watts is going to give you 3b and 200 watts 6db and so forth over what you have.

Many people are using receivers for a pre-amp because they like the verstility of a receiver over a pre-amp. Can you get an amp on loan to try with your receiver(if yours has pre-outs) and give it a try?

And the NAD T763 is now out but it shouldn't be hard to find a new T762 and maybe get a good price since it is discontinued.

The HK does have pre-amp (I'm using the sub pre-amp to go to the Kinergetics amp). Unfortunately, I really don't know any audiophiles in my area who might bring their amp over for me to try out.

I'm definitely more interested in the features and versatility of the receiver than achieving perfect sound, so I think getting a more powerful intergrated amp makes more sense for me IF it is going to improve the performance of the system.

The Spica's are 4 Ohm speakers and the HK I think says it has a 8 Ohm output. The NAD I believe said it was able to handle 4 Ohm speakers. Can anyone explain what all this means?! Will a 4 Ohm receiver be able to drive the Spica's better at lower volumes?

And I can't find any NAD T762's out there! Getting a NAD 762 would be my best bet since it is discontinued (and a bit cheaper). Anyone know where I can get one?!!

Thanks!
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(I can't edit my posts after they are posted...)

I started a new thread about what the Ohm ratings mean in tech talk so if you want to help me understand that, please use that thread (I'm notoriously bad at getting multiple threads started on the same subject).

I did find a couple NAD T762 online but mostly at full price or damaged carton. Anyone know where I can find a good deal on a T762?!

Is the T763 actually released yet? I can't find too much on that receiver either.
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