Totem Arro efficient enough for NAD C315BEE?

clo, if your nad has a preamp out you could use that for the sub. depending on the connection options of the sub you select you might be able to your speaker cables to the sub and then another set from teh sub to the monitors, but I would advise against this as it tends to degrade sound quality.

my $0.02 - keep the vr-1s in the mix. for teh $$ they are an outstanding performer.

Thanks Wrtickle. The C315BEE doesn't have preamp out also (now I regret not getting the C326BEE which has both preamp out and sub out)

I did a quick check on Von Schweikert VRS/1 subwoofer and it seems it has speakers in/out. But I am not sure how it will sound if the main speakers are connected to subwoofer's speaker out. Did anyone try this before?

Thanks.

Hi Clo, to connect a sub to your system you would leave the system as-is and then run a separate pair of speaker cables from the amplifier to the subwoofer - to do this you need a subwoofer that has what looks like speaker terminals on it. You will not be able to eliminate low frequency information going to your monitors in such a setup, but I think you would still find substantial improvement in the areas that concern you. I have had Arros for a few years and agree with the other posters; for HT use your best bet is probably to keep your monitors and add a sub.

As far as the Arro's efficiency is concerned, the speaker may be physically small but in my experience it requires quite a bit of current to maximize its dynamics, which are inherently compromised due to the speaker's design. It's a great speaker, but in my experience if you are looking for big dynamics and bass energy you should look elsewhere. Your mileage may vary, as always.

I've had the Arro's in the past for dual 2Ch/HT use and they actually work reasonably well -- as long as you have a sub. As previously mentioned, most subs will be able to operate off both the speaker outputs as well as preouts.

The Arro's image like no other speaker. Their high-mids are fantastic. A little short on the bass (but not nearly as much as the VR-1's, which are anemic on the bass). A lot of things depend on your budget, but I would consider the Totem Hawks to be a nice compromise for HT and jazz/vocal/orchestra use.

And to answer your question, I imagine the NAD should drive the Arro's just fine. I've found that the Arro's work great with at least 50wpc. They're not overly inefficient, but need enough power to sound their best. In my experience, that translates into >= 50wpc.

Michael