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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
tesseract86 OP
133 posts
 
Allchemie,
Thanks for your feedback, I was starting to think that no one uses AVR's anymore.
The avr600 uses class G amps.
Arcam did report that an upgrade to hdmi 1.4 (3D) will be available this year.
I was so impressed with the sound of the Totem Forest being driven by the Arcam avr400(90w) wether it was bass, mids great sound, I feel that Arcam avr600 will be way sufficient to drive most speakers, I will probably go with "Totem The ones" will have to hear them first there not cheap ($3,500)for the center I think the best they have is the signature one.
Article from Arcam website
http://www.arcam.co.uk/news,arcam-announces-3d-upgrade-strategy_65.htm
Thank you
Roger
audiodude1aol
18 posts
 
For me the order of priorities goes like this. Room acoustics, followed by speakers, and proper amplification. The system can't be expected to sound good until the room does. Once you can hear the speakers at their best, it's quite a bit easier to get the proper amplification. Separates or receiver won't make nearly as much difference as room acoustics and speakers.
tesseract86 OP
133 posts
 
Audiodude1aol,
I totally agree with you, a friend of mine (sound expert) is coming friday to assess my family room because I have issues like the wall on my left is all glass its a decent size room in an open floor plan so I'm not sure that the room would be better off with towers or monitors. I will not do anything till he checks it out.
I just want to clarify that I am not comparing avr and separates there's no comparison obviously, I'm merely suggesting that a humble set up like mine may be fine with the Arcam.
As all of you have made it clear regarding receiver sound, I too agree that most AVR's played in two channel(stereo) sound pretty bad, but for my simple system I dont think that I would be loosing quality with my avr pick.
The arcam avr400 that I heard and liked has a big brother avr600 that has a very impressive review, it makes for a very interesting read to say the least.
Thanks
http://www.arcam.co.uk/_ugc/file/avr600wsr-web.pdf
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
10k will get you top of the line movie and music performance

Legacy Focus 20/20's $3200 shipped
Legacy Silver Screen $800 shipped
Legacy Classic $1600 shipped
Anthem avm 40 $1500 shipped
Anthem MCA 50 $1200 shipped
oppo blu ray $500 shipped
SVS Ultra 13 $1300 shipped

I believe the total is real close to $10k. Chances are you can beat this by a lot. Speacially if you score some local Focus 20/20's. I sold my 2 pair for just under 3k. I WISH I NEVER LET THEM GO. Nothing has comeclose to them IMO. This is a dream setup, believe me. If you can upgrade the MCA50 to a Bryston 9bsst you will really smile.
ricred1
1,412 posts
 
Let me preface my comments with the following: there are no absolutes with audio, one mans/women poison is medicine for someone else. I have done some serious upgrading over the past 2 years. I gone from Audio Physic Virgo IIIs to Wilson Sophia IIs and now own Sophia IIIs. I have changed every component in my system and everything makes a difference. I'm lucky to have a dealer that I've been buying from for 20 years. I trust him, because he will recommend products that he doesn't carry and he knows how to put a system together. I would start by purchasing speakers within your price range. Next I would by the best source that I could afford, then electronics and finally cables. I've listed the order that I feel had the most impact as I was upgrading. I recently added an Audio Research DAC-7 and it took my system to the next level. Take your time and enjoy the ride.
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