• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Setup advice

T

Tdaut

New Member
Hey all,

Sorry for the general title. Just in need of some advice - feel free to be as brutally honest as you can haha

Had a Luxman LV-102 integrated amplifier. Gave it back to the guy who sold it to me a couple years ago, as i could never get it to work right.

Left his shop with an NAD 7155 in amazing condition a few weeks ago. Super clean on the inside and sounded really great in shop. The guy explained the different power settings this amp offers and how its more versatile in regards to speakers to pair it with.

Hooked it up at home and its functioning perfectly - honestly really happy with this purchase. I paid top dollar for this NAD but it really is in great shape (paid $290. ive seen these go for a ton less on ebay, etc. - still not at the point where i feel comfortable buying used on ebay).

I'm using the phono input for my Crosley C-10 (rebranded Project Debut III - purchased new 3 years ago) which was giving me motor noise as of a few months ago, but the aforementioned gentleman i bought the receiver from put a pretty good fix on it after a couple tries, so motor buzz gone for now! I'm definitely going to upgrade my turntable as soon as i build a proper table to set it on - table build is in the works and should be finished within the month (hopefully lol)

Also, plugged into the NAD is my playstation4 for streaming movies and TV and very little gaming (optical out from PS to audio converter into the CD-input). HATED the sound quality of the spotify app on the PS4, so then i bought a cheap $30 bluetooth receiver on Amazon, plugged it into the tape-1 input on the NAD for streaming spotify/tidal from my phone or laptop.

All of that is coming out of my Boston Acoustic A-60s which were purchased a couple years back. I really liked the way they sounded with my Luxman (the few times it I got it to work right), however i dont feel they're such a good match for the NAD. So, finally, here are my questions:

Are there any speaker recommendations you have that you know specifically work well with the NAD?

Is my (new to me) receiver potentially not as great as i felt in shop and is that why im not digging it with my A60's as much?

Also, I dont loath the sound coming out of the cheap $30 bluetooth device as much as i though i would - though i know i can be better. Is there a step up streamer setup recommended for Spotify or Tidal - to preferably work with the NAD? hahah.

Thank you in advance for putting up with such a specific-to-me-type thread. Any feedback or advice is much appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
coonmanx said:
Curious why you don't feel that the A-60s pair well with the NAD... Seems like that should be a good combination.
Click to expand...

Thanks for asking me to clarify!
I feel my system as a whole lacks clarity - which i think its fair to assume has to do with each individual piece of gear.

I guess thats more of what my question is: which upgrades are going to help me achieve more clarity and depth out of my music? I assumed the speakers are the first place to start but I may be totally mistaken.
 
So I thought that those A60's had dome tweeters but it appears maybe that they have cone tweeters instead. That could have something to do with it. I am a firm believer in dome tweeters and all my speakers that I own have domes. Maybe it is the speakers...

That NAD would probably pair quite well with quite a few speakers. ADS, Jensen System 200/A, maybe some EPIs... So many choices and it depends on what is available to you. Any suggestions from you on what you can find or are interested in...
 
coonmanx said:
So I thought that those A60's had dome tweeters but it appears maybe that they have cone tweeters instead. That could have something to do with it. I am a firm believer in dome tweeters and all my speakers that I own have domes. Maybe it is the speakers...
Click to expand...

Great advice, didnt even think to relate this back to the shape of the tweeter but now i feel dumb. Any specific speakers in mind? I think a future upgrade for me will be a pair of Dirty Weekends but definitely hard to come by and just a bit outside my price range.
 
I was recently lusting after some Philips 476 or 477 speakers.

This site is great for researching EPI and Genesis speakers...

http://www.humanspeakers.com

I also edited my previous comment to include a few recommendations. But there are tons of speakers out there. I almost bought some EPI 100's a bit ago. Genesis speakers can also be nice. Would be best if there was a way to audition some before buying if you can find something local to you.
 
coonmanx said:
I was recently lusting after some Philips 476 or 477 speakers.

This site is great for researching EPI and Genesis speakers...

http://www.humanspeakers.com

I also edited my previous comment to include a few recommendations. But there are tons of speakers out there. I almost bought some EPI 100's a bit ago. Genesis speakers can also be nice. Would be best if there was a way to audition some before buying if you can find something local to you.
Click to expand...

Will definitely circle back once i've reviewed those recs and found some options to demo close by. Thank you for all the help, man!

For now, i guess the only other thing i could ask for help on still would be the streamers question but potentially thats already answered too and i should just start with choosing different speakers...
 
Last edited:
coonmanx said:
So I thought that those A60's had dome tweeters but it appears maybe that they have cone tweeters instead. That could have something to do with it. I am a firm believer in dome tweeters and all my speakers that I own have domes. Maybe it is the speakers...

That NAD would probably pair quite well with quite a few speakers. ADS, Jensen System 200/A, maybe some EPIs... So many choices and it depends on what is available to you. Any suggestions from you on what you can find or are interested in...
Click to expand...

Agree on the NAD. I have a 7150 I liked so much, I ended up getting a second one in case I wanted to toy with bridging them someday. Power out of it is almost twice the rated numbers, IMO
 
Before you replace perfectly fine speakers, please describe how you have them positioned (pictures may help) in your space. Often I find that forum members are quick to rush into unnecessary "upgrades" when many times they just suffer from poor speaker placement (which can be the direct cause of your lack of clarity).

I'm not saying that's the case here, but we have no point of reference for how you've set up the speakers in question.
 
It's easy. Go out and audition other speakers. See if you can do that with your amp. Then you will know just how good or not good the old speakers are. And I'm betting you will upgrade. You could always recap the old ones but that is no guarantee that they will sound that good when done. But it might also be a good learning experience. Let your ears decide. No amount of positioning will change a "not great" speaker into a "great" one...
 
Even if you audition other speakers, you will be at the mercy of listening to them in a setup (speaker placement, acoustic treatments, room size, etc...) which is perfect for those speakers. You may not be able to replicate that in your home, so the speakers may not sound quite right in your environment.

The A60 is a good speaker, a different setup may help somewhat.
 
Last edited:
OP you indicated the nad sounded great in the shop where you bought the nad. What speakers was being driven by the NAD? Maybe you should look for those speakers.
 
Pictures of your setup would help ..

You mentioned that you preferred the sound with Luxman which isn't too surprising ..
The Luxman 102, 103, 105 series were MOSFET or hybrid MOSFET amps and definitely one of the best sounding integrated amps available at the time...
A definite cut above the NAD in all respects ..
Are you comparing the same sources, and speaker setup with only an amp change ??
or did you you change the sources also ??
 
Last edited:
Tdaut said:
Thanks for asking me to clarify!
I feel my system as a whole lacks clarity - which i think its fair to assume has to do with each individual piece of gear.

I guess thats more of what my question is: which upgrades are going to help me achieve more clarity and depth out of my music? I assumed the speakers are the first place to start but I may be totally mistaken.
Click to expand...

It's significant that you liked it with another amplifier and now you don't ..
All amps sound different one from another ..
The B-60 is a simple 8" 2-way with a reputation for clear honest sound ..
 
Nothing wrong with that NAD. I had a 7140 for a long time. So if the sound is not to your liking then the next logical thing to examine is speakers. And that is quite easy, especially if you can audition them with your own gear.

Audition and compare. So easy...
 
Also as far as streaming goes... make sure that you have a good bit rate and all that. Maybe a DAC. Others might be able to fill you in more on that because I don't really stream into my main audio system. I just watch YouTube videos for the most part on the computer and that plays through the computer speakers...
 
Akustic said:
Pictures of your setup would help ..

You mentioned that you preferred the sound with Luxman which isn't too surprising ..
The Luxman 102, 103, 105 series were MOSFET or hybrid MOSFET amps and definitely one of the best sounding integrated amps available at the time...
A definite cut above the NAD in all respects ..
Are you comparing the same sources, and speaker setup with only an amp change ??
or did you you change the sources also ??
Click to expand...

Thank you all so much for the help! So sorry for the late reply to this thread - been taking some time to research and mess with my equipment before reporting back.

As far as my speaker placement goes, I place them poorly to keep them out of the way when we're watching tv or when the system is off. When i'm listen to records or no one's home, i'll pull the speakers out significantly - definitely affects the sound. I'll post pictures of the two positions soon.

My source for reference between both amplifiers is my turntable which has not changed between the two amplifiers - same cart and stylus as well. I now use my PS4 and cheap bluetooth streamer with the NAD and did not have that setup with the Luxman.

Still looking for better clarity out of my system. Potentially I also hear other things i would want changed in my setup but dont have the knowledge to describe what those things are yet. Thank you for baring with me haha.

Pyoung asked what speakers i heard the NAD with when i bought it and the answer is several. The guy who sold it to me played 4 pairs of speakers through it, I really liked the sound of these strange looking vintage KEF speakers he had. I dont remember the model but they came with stands and he said id need a sub separately. I think he said for $600 i could do a sub and the KEF's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom