Speakers to pair with NAD 7140?

Tak

New Member
Hey AK!

Hoping to get some advice here. I recently picked up a NAD 7140 and am looking to get some suggestions for speakers that would pair well with it. Is there anything of that era or older that I should be snooping around CL etc for?

Room: 15x12 living
Budget: Sub $100
Music Styles: Runs the gamut (jazz, pop, edm, r&b)

Thanks in advance for your help! The forum has been a great resource already.
 
Welcome to AK!

I'm a fan of Marantz Imperial 6 speakers. They do just about everything right, with non fatiguing treble and very solid bass. I like they way they handle rock and jazz, and I can see them providing great bass for EDM.
 
Just for kicks, I looked in craigslist Minneapolis and looked for a pair of speakers for $100. If I limited myself to what's available, I would choose these

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/ele/d/vintage-polk-audio-model-s6/6280027452.html

I've never heard these speakers, but I would imagine that they would sound just fine. But I would listen to them before purchase. You could bring your 7140 with you to audition the speakers that you might find in your area.

Oh and the Marantz Imperial 6 Speakers where available as well
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ele/d/vintage-marantz-imperial-6/6257958694.html
 
If there weren't hundreds of different speakers available, the question would be easy. But if $100 is the price limit, it would make sense to focus on something really popular when new. Since so many were sold, EPI 100's should be relatively plentiful. For my taste, that inverted dome tweeter is tough to beat in a cheap speaker. Pretty easy to live with too - sound and size wise. Don't know if many Canadian speakers show up where you are but Energy 2.1's & 3.1's are pretty good.
 
I have a NAD 7140 and it's done a good job with the following speakers that I've bought for $100CAD or less, B&W CDM 1NT, Paradigm 7se MkII, Paradigm 9se MkIII, Paradigm Titan V1, Energy C6, Sound Dynamics R616 and Sound Dynamics SD20s... of course most of those speakers at that price are below market value but you can get similar deals on quality well regarded speakers if you are on the hunt.

I have no clue where you live but keep a close eye on local classifieds and run a google search on model names as soon as you see the advertisement.
If you see a lot of positive results about them on websites like Audio Karma or some of the other large audio websites odds are that they may be worth a look.
Feel free to ask the people of this forum for opinions on speakers that you run across while looking around.

The NAD 7140 is what I am currently using on my ADS L1290 speakers right now and while they could make use of a lot more power that NAD is quite good at moderate to louder volumes with the attenuator around 12 o'clock.
 
I have the 7240, which I believe is pretty much the exact same thing as the 7140 except the display is red instead of green. It sounds really nice with a pair of B&W DM310's that I bought for $100. Also look for Celestion DL8 or KEF K140, all of these are British two-ways with an 8-inch woofer and a similar smoothness.
 
I bought a 7140 new many years ago, along with a pair of Klipsch Heresy II. Sounded great in a mid-size room of 20' x 14'. An audio buddy who hated Klipsch speakers stopped by and was amazed, saying he'd never heard any Klipsch speaker sound so smooth. Doubtless, I'd stumbled upon good placement in the right room. Like mcyuke, above, I later had a pair of Paradigm 7se II that also sounded great with the receiver. It was the best-sounding receiver I ever owned.

You should be able to find similar Paradigm speakers within that modest budget, with a bit of patience. Recap them if you find some - it is cheap and easy to do.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Been snooping around CL for some of those speakers. Man, prices have gone up I imagine in recent years. Heresys are running like 300-400 a pair depending on version. Paradigms are pretty hard to come by and expensive as well.
 
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Sorry to bump this again but I saw a pair of B&W 620i speakers on CL for $100. Sensitivity is 90db.. do you think these could be driven adequately by my 7140? Seems like the speakers are pretty well regarded.
 
I used to have the integrated version of the 7140, the 3140. A great little amp. I used it on my big AR90's, ADS L570's, and various Infinity's. Mainly Infinitesimal 0.3's. The NAD 3140 had no issues with driving any of those speakers. Now, at 40 watts, it might not drive you out of a large room, but with it's current capability, you'll get very decent sound, out of pretty much any reasonably priced speaker you'd want to try. And at a 90dB efficiency, those B&W 620i's won't be a problem for your 7140.

Good luck!
 
The reason the speakers sound that good, its the NAD watts. 3DB headroom. The NAD replaced a Marantz even driving CV R-10 speakers, it sounded that much better. Tak, welcome to AK.
 
I used to have the integrated version of the 7140, the 3140. A great little amp. I used it on my big AR90's, ADS L570's, and various Infinity's. Mainly Infinitesimal 0.3's. The NAD 3140 had no issues with driving any of those speakers. Now, at 40 watts, it might not drive you out of a large room, but with it's current capability, you'll get very decent sound, out of pretty much any reasonably priced speaker you'd want to try. And at a 90dB efficiency, those B&W 620i's won't be a problem for your 7140.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for weighing in on the amp and those B&Ws. Reached out to the seller, see what happens!

The reason the speakers sound that good, its the NAD watts. 3DB headroom. The NAD replaced a Marantz even driving CV R-10 speakers, it sounded that much better. Tak, welcome to AK.

So my current setup is a Yamaha RS-500BL paired to those ubiquitous Pioneer SB-22LR bookshelfs. Listening to them back to back on both receivers it is incredible how much more detailed, alive, and punchy the sound is on the NAD. I'm floored..every single time. Can't wait to get an even better set of speakers connected to it!
 
NAD put the quality in the design of the units. To make a better sounding unit for the money. Going to recap my 3140. Using upgrades to replace some of the small Ecaps with films where there is room. Had the unit since new. Now have Mission 737R. Check out leesonics 3020 rebuilding threads.
 
I lost my 3140 about 13 years ago. It was during a move. I was loading stuff out of one door, and someone broke in, through a security door, and stole a stack of my gear while I was outside. They got the 3140, and my NAD CD player. I can't remember the model number of the player, but the whole drive mechanism ejected (like a Pioneer Stable Platter drive), and you placed the disc upside down on the center spindle. A nice little player. :eek::mad:
 
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If the 620i is anything like the DM330 that preceded it, it'll have some pretty pronounced midbass, but should be nice and - importantly, for you - versatile. If anything, I would expect you might have to back them off a little bit if you're one of those who lives with the bass knob on the plus side of zero.
 
NAD put the quality in the design of the units. To make a better sounding unit for the money. Going to recap my 3140. Using upgrades to replace some of the small Ecaps with films where there is room. Had the unit since new. Now have Mission 737R. Check out leesonics 3020 rebuilding threads.

I'll check that thread out! Funnily I just moved from York PA to New Hampshire about 6 weeks ago. Used to get up to Carlisle every once and awhile! Need to troubleshoot a finnicky issue where the right channel won't kick on unless you push balance over to it and up the volume a tad. Probably a good cleaning will help (I hope!)

I lost my 3140 about 13 years ago. It was during a move. I was loading stuff out of one door, and someone broke in, through a security door, and stole a stack of my gear while I was outside. They got the 3140, and my NAD CD player. I can't remember the model number of the player, but the whole drive mechanism ejected (like a Pioneer Stable Platter drive), and you placed the disc upside down on the center spindle. A nice little player. :eek::mad:

I want that CD player for the mechanism alone!

If the 620i is anything like the DM330 that preceded it, it'll have some pretty pronounced midbass, but should be nice and - importantly, for you - versatile. If anything, I would expect you might have to back them off a little bit if you're one of those who lives with the bass knob on the plus side of zero.

Unfortunately those were sold. :/ The hunt is still on!
 
Time to DeOxit the switches and pots. The instruction on using it is on the "general audio discussion forum" if you need them. Also check the soldering on the PCBs. Possible bad connection to the boards.
 
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