A treat for my NAD 3225 PE : options?

[RJVB]

We just got a new system at my partner's place, an Onkyo TX-SR308 driving a pair of RB-51s. Given the size of the living room and the levels at which we listen, that's enough, and I'm mighty pleased even after about 10h of breaking in only.

Pleased enough to be convinced that I'm going to replace the *old* Philips speakers I have on my own NAD amp with a pair of Klipsch, and plan a bit ahead at the same time.

The NAD is a 2x25W *continuous* amp ... and my own studio is about 26m2 (with very little in terms of across-floors sound isolation). I've seen the RB-51s advertised with 2x25W RMC amps, so I'm pretty certain my NAD won't have any issues driving them. I wouldn't trust them on stands, though, so I'd have to wall-mount them, and that doesn't seem overly evident.

First questions:

- Does anyone know if the Vogels VLB-200 mounts can be used with the RB-51s? It seems the bass reflex event might be masked by the mount.

- what other mounting options would be suitable if one doesn't want to use the mount installed on the speakers themselves?

The planning ahead has to do with us moving in with each other.

Getting the RBs, I'd preserve my NAD system as an additional, small-scale set-up, while the Onkyo system could evolve with a pair of floor-standers.

The alternative would be that I get a pair of column speakers for my NAD, and that the amps would switch speakers when we move in together.

Third question:

- What result to expect when pairing a pair of RF-52 MkII with my NAD amp?

Thanks in advance,

René

[willland]

Rene',

Welcome to the forum.

Pleased enough to be convinced that I'm going to replace the *old* Philips speakers I have on my own NAD amp with a pair of Klipsch, and plan a bit ahead at the same time. The NAD is a 2x25W *continuous* amp ... and my own studio is about 26m2 (with very little in terms of across-floors sound isolation). I've seen the RB-51s advertised with 2x25W RMC amps, so I'm pretty certain my NAD won't have any issues driving them.

I don't think your NAD will have trouble at all driving a good majority of Klipsch Speakers. As you probably know, NAD amps are conservatively power rated and usually test a bit higher than the specs indicate. I really like NAD with Klipsch. Great match.

What result to expect when pairing a pair of RF-52 MkII with my NAD amp?

I think that would be a good match. With only 25w/channel, you won't have a lot of headroom but at medium volumes, you should be just fine. One good thing is that your NAD 3225PE has preouts so you can add an outboard amp if you desire.

Bill

[RJVB]

Heh, did I mention I have neighbours? ^^

In fact, part of my 2nd question concerned the surroundings: we're talking about a room of about 26m2. Does it make sense to put a pair of speakers the size of the RF-52s in there ... and also, how do they perform at the listening levels I can manage? Am I wrong in assuming that it's like with instruments - a big instrument played softly isn't the same at all as a small instrument played loudly (at the same sound level)?

[RJVB]

Update: I received the RB51s and hooked them up yesterday. They've been playing since this morning, and I must say I'm happy. I'm amazed to see I have to open the amp even less than with the old pair of Philips speakers I had (which max out at 40W...

The left speaker is sitting on the 'shelf' of a "buffet breton" (resembling this below though sitting further from the left wall) so that one gives a pretty substantial bass too...

PS: more on the set-up and possible mounting