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Help with system overhaul What would you do....

Frustrated with hodge podge set up.
I presently have b&w htm2 center 602's l/r, marantz sr5004, paradigm seismic 110 sub, oppo bdp83.
My plan was to get b&w 805's l/r and rid of the 602s then upgrade avr to rotel 1560 and live happily ever after. well all that came to a screaching halt when I went to a totem dealer and heard the forest and the sig ones for the first time. I was never happy with the sound that my eclectic components made, so I read and read lots of reviews and threads here on audiogon about favorite speakers ect...
I really liked the Totems so now I just have to pick the right speaker for me, simple? its not.
The other speaker that stood out in the reviews as a worthy contender for the Totem, was the Merlins tsm mmi according to some of you but unfortunatly I never heard the Merlins..see what I mean.
The good thing is that my earlier frustrations gave way to total confusion, is that good? now I'm really frustrated.
At the dealer, The Totem forest were hooked up to an Arcam avr400(90w per)sounded great, the bass out of the speaker was tight and precise, I was very impressed with the Arcam's power the only attribute I have to judge sounds is that I'm a musician that loves and recognize great sound.
My plan is to get an Arcam avr500/600.
I love the totem signature one but dont mind spending more so that I dont have to upgrade again and again, I was interested in getting the Totem "The one" which had great reviews by some of you. I also want to upgrade my sub to possibly an REL R528 the dealer said that if hooked up to main speakers it will enhance the speaker's mid range (the sub was my idea so not sure).
My family room is almost square 20x19 12-14 feet ceiling (slanted)I have an open floor plan.
As you can see I need help.
I will get rid of all my present equipment except for the oppo.
What would you do.
Thank you
Roger
tesseract86
james63
501 posts
 
I agree with Mceljo, the receiver will always hold you back. IMO it is almost not worth upgrading speakers if you are just going to use a receiver. It is a fine way to get started but if you really want to upgrade your system move on. Buy new speakers first if you want but keep some money around for a new front-end too.

You should look into getting a good (but stay in budget) two channel preamp and amp. You can just bypass the receiver to the preamp for home theater (works very well for me). The preamp does not even need to have a bypass, you can use any analog input and just set the volume at 12:00 on the preamp etc.

For what it is worth I currently own a Marantz SR5005 that replace my broken Rotel 1056 about a month ago... They both sound terrible with music and are very similar in sound quality. I bypass them to my two channel equipment and only use them for home theater. The loss in detail and bass extension, is so great (compared to my two channel preamp) I am thinking about dumping the receiver all together and running a blu ray player straight to my amps.

I bought my first pair of decent speakers in college (B&W 703) and ran them of a $800 Onkyo receiver for a little while. When I moved onto a moderately price set of separates the 703s sounded like a different pair of speakers. Much more bass, detail and soundstage.
unsound
6,115 posts
 
What's your budget?
tesseract86 OP
133 posts
 
Thank you so much for your responses, the concensus from you guys is definitly weighing towards separates which I can understand, but thats why I picked the Arcam avr600 which is 120w per channel of real power not fudged and as I understand it has very good components that made it an alternative choice to separates(maybe not?)
Yes you're all right about my present avr being outclassed by the b&w, so I will take your advice and try a new avr with my existing speakers before I decide on other makes.
OK, so my budget is about 10k or so for three front, surround sub and amp also will use proceed from sale of my present components and I'm flexible on budget but not looking to spend alot more, I'm retiring (63) and just want a good system to enjoy movies and music in that order.
I'm finding it hard to say "avr" you guys gave me a complex lol.
so what separates should I consider for my room size (20x19 approx open floor plan)? If I was to go that route.
Thank you so much to all for your advice what do you think about the Totems, Merlins vs b&w?
Roger
missioncoonery
732 posts
 
IMO,always start with speakers and then build system around that..not what is suggested..Secondly, having a bro in law that was an ex Arcam dealer who dropped the line because of too many returns,there are alot of building issues with their integ amps so I would be leary of Arcam power.
meiwan
399 posts
 
Typically it makes sense to go with speakers first - agreed.

However, depending on your situation (ie., when your amp is already outclassed), might make sense to deviate from the rule, especially if you are not planning on starting over from scratch.

In my view no HT receiver is satisfactory for serious 2 channel listening, however your $10k budget will likely not cover a quality pre/pro/power combo (new at least), never mind new speakers on top of that. Anything from Cary/Bryston/Anthem runs $10-12K, and forget the lower priced separates. It's cheaper to go for a decent HT receiver (I suggest NAD), and add a good 2 channel integrated with HT bypass for half the price.

Don't know the Merlins but have heard good things. Totems are OK (the Mani 2's are very nice), not a big B&W fan these days. Speakers are a personal preference - you have to listen to them and decide for yourself.
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