Recommended Main Speakers for Yamaha AV amp

[dom_kam]

I'm a begineer, is there any recommended main speakers to match my Yamaha RX-V2400 AV amp. I'm looking for speakers which produce nice & warm human voice and good definition/sensitivity for classical/Pop music. Strong bass is not my first priority. Is B&W CM4 / DM603 a good choice? Is my amp capable of driving these speakers or I should go for bookshelf size speakers? My budget shall be around 1000-1500.

[Bryan]

Are you talking $1,500 for just the mains or for five speakers and a sub? What you will want to do is take a few cds with you and do some auditioning. See what sound you enjoy for there are many brands to choose from. You have anything from B&W, Dynaudio, NHT, and Klipsch to Odyssey Audio, ACI, Magnepan, and Onix (also makes Rocket speakers), and the list goes on. For the factory direct manufacturers, ask around and see if someone in your area has those speakers and would be willing to let you audition them. Audioenvy.com can be a good source for this. I would describe the Rocket RS550s, which I own, as being more neutral sounding than anything else. They attempt to get out of the way of the music but are more geared toward HT. The RS750s are more geared toward music and probably closer to what you are searching for. However, the new ones go for $1,499 plus shipping which puts them slightly beyond your budget. The B-stock ones go for $880 plus shipping and would be well within your reach though those come and go all the time.

[topspeed]

I'm a begineer, is there any recommended main speakers to match my Yamaha RX-V2400 AV amp. I'm looking for speakers which produce nice & warm human voice and good definition/sensitivity for classical/Pop music. Strong bass is not my first priority. Is B&W CM4 / DM603 a good choice? Is my amp capable of driving these speakers or I should go for bookshelf size speakers? My budget shall be around 1000-1500.

80% of all classical music worldwide is mastered using B&W's, so draw your own conclusions for the 603's suitability for your music preferences. The 600's aren't as notoriously difficult to drive as their bigger brothers, the CDM/700's and Nauts, so your Yammie shouldn't have a problem. Of course, better amplification will yield better results, but that's true of any speaker. They are excellent speakers so I would definitely give them a listen.

Speakers are the most subjective of all components in an audio system and as Bryan noted, you need to go listen to everything you can. You may find planers/'stats to be an excellent option for your musical tastes so check out Magnepan and Martin Logan (make sure your amp is up to the loads tho, I'm not sure what the Maggies or ML's drop to). Also listen to acoustic suspension (sealed) designs vs. bass reflex (ported). There are a LOT of great speakers within your budget including the Paradigm Studio 20v3, Monitor Audio Gold, Energy Veritas 2.1, and JM Lab Chorus S. I have B&W's for my main rig but preferred the Von Schweikert VR1's over the 603's for my second system. They present a noteably different sound than the B&W house sound but, as they say at MickeyD's, change is good!

Good luck and buy what moves you.

http://www.magnepan.com/1-800-474-1646/index.html
http://martinlogan.com/
http://vonschweikert.com/vr1.html

[Woochifer]

Speakers are the most subjective of all components in an audio system and as Bryan noted, you need to go listen to everything you can. You may find planers/'stats to be an excellent option for your musical tastes so check out Magnepan and Martin Logan (make sure your amp is up to the loads tho, I'm not sure what the Maggies or ML's drop to).

Both the Maggies and MLs have a nominal impedance of 4 ohms and can drop further down than that at specific frequencies. The Maggie 1.6s that I auditioned a while ago audibly strained a 200 wpc Adcom amp at moderately high volume, and Martin Logans have a reputation for being difficult to drive. The Yamahas can drive low impedance speakers, but I know that my Yammie is supposed to handle only one pair of 4 ohm speakers at a time (the center and surround speakers have to have a higher impedance per their recommendations). For a 5.1 configuration, the Yamaha might not be up to the task (some other posters have used AV receivers with the Maggie MMGs in a multichannel setup and seem to be fine with it, so those smaller models might be more forgiving than the 1.6s were).

[Woochifer]

I'm a begineer, is there any recommended main speakers to match my Yamaha RX-V2400 AV amp. I'm looking for speakers which produce nice & warm human voice and good definition/sensitivity for classical/Pop music. Strong bass is not my first priority. Is B&W CM4 / DM603 a good choice? Is my amp capable of driving these speakers or I should go for bookshelf size speakers? My budget shall be around 1000-1500.

If bass is not your first priority, then you should most definitely look at bookshelf models as well. The B&W 600 series is an excellent all around performer, but with a budget of $1,000 to $1,500 you can move up to the B&W 700 series (their CM series is more designed around looks than performance for the money). But, if you plan to eventually add on and create a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup, then the 700 series might be more than the receiver can handle unless you add an outboard amplifer. The Yamaha should be able to easily handle the 600 and CM series in a multichannel setup.

B&W's generally a good choice, especially if a lot of your listening is acoustic music. Other speakers can and will do specific things better than the B&Ws, so go ahead and do a lot of listenings and see which set of speakers works best for your preferences. If you prefer a more punchy and aggressive sound, B&W may not work for you. But, if you like something that's balanced and won't audibly trip up over a lot of sources, then B&W definitely worth considering.

Keep in mind though that classical music has a low of low frequency information, so to get the full range you might want a subwoofer regardless of what main speaker you opt for. The Yamaha's adjustable crossover point will help a lot with integrating the subwoofer with the mains.

[RGA]

I'm a begineer, is there any recommended main speakers to match my Yamaha RX-V2400 AV amp. I'm looking for speakers which produce nice & warm human voice and good definition/sensitivity for classical/Pop music. Strong bass is not my first priority. Is B&W CM4 / DM603 a good choice? Is my amp capable of driving these speakers or I should go for bookshelf size speakers? My budget shall be around 1000-1500.

Firstly I'm presuming you want a surround sound system. B&W is a good place to start and possibly end. Yes B&W is used in recording studios - the speaker used is the Matrix series 805. PMC, JBL, Audio Note, and probably 50 other companies are used in recording and mastering studios - they have to use something after all - and none of that means they're better just because of that.

Anyway, The newer B&W's are not that hard to drive which is nice. And Yamaha's upper models have some brute force abilities. I would take the 600 line over the CM line though the latter has nicer finishes - not nicer sound IMO though.

The 600 series 3 will offer a fatter bigger more rotund sound than the CDM's but are less refined around the edges - presumably the 700 series is closer to the Nautilus line than the 600 line.

The 602S3 offers far superior bass response to the 602S2 series which was a little polite in the bass response - but it also required more power so light bass weight was more due to people running receivers rather than quality amplification - the series 3 has been designed more with receivers in mind. Do also check out the competition - JM Labs, Paradigm Studio, Energy C-series, Klipsch, Mission, etc. You may find you like their presentation better.

[BrandonCM]

I would personally take B&W, JM LAB, TOTEM, PARADIGM but would stay away from KLIPSCH cause their too bright for my ears. again, just my oppinion.

[topspeed]

Both the Maggies and MLs have a nominal impedance of 4 ohms and can drop further down than that at specific frequencies. The Maggie 1.6s that I auditioned a while ago audibly strained a 200 wpc Adcom amp at moderately high volume, and Martin Logans have a reputation for being difficult to drive. The Yamahas can drive low impedance speakers, but I know that my Yammie is supposed to handle only one pair of 4 ohm speakers at a time (the center and surround speakers have to have a higher impedance per their recommendations). For a 5.1 configuration, the Yamaha might not be up to the task (some other posters have used AV receivers with the Maggie MMGs in a multichannel setup and seem to be fine with it, so those smaller models might be more forgiving than the 1.6s were).

I was thinking the M16's or MMG's. The 1.6's are above the poster's budget. Taking a closer look at the specs, the 4 ohm rating and 86dB sensitivity certainly aren't receiver friendly, but they'd still be worth a listen. If the poster does intend to go multi-channel, I'd either pass on the Maggies and ML's or be ready to buy a multi-channel amp. There's just no way that Yammie or pretty much any receiver is going to handle the load.

presumably the 700 series is closer to the Nautilus line than the 600 line

It's the other way around. I heard the 705's and 704's and thought the voicing was skewed heavily toward the "round" sound you accurately describe the 600's as projecting. The TAS review of the 704 points out that they are still presenting tricky loads to amps so the 600's might be a better speaker with this Yammie.

[stevos2005]

I have the Yamaha receiver, and I got my B&W CDM 1NT's, and I'll say that kills anything I've ever heard personally! I mean, I heard the B&W 603's with a Rotel integrated amp in an A/V store, and the B&W CDM's with my Yamaha kicks the dust off of the 603's that I thought were excellent at the time. The only thing lacking in the 1NT's is deep bass, but I'm quite impressed with the bass of the CDM 1NT's.

For your price range, I'd highly recommend the B&W 700 series, the successor to the CDM series. I think the bookshelf model is the 705. My Yamaha has NO problem driving these, and I mean they are driven well without any imaging problems. I'm most impressed! These babies bring out so many details I never knew were there. I can easily understand why Lucasfilm uses B&Ws.

[topspeed]

Hey Steve,
Glad you love the 1NT's as they are terrific speakers.

You've mentioned a lack of bass a couple of times and while no standmount is going to shake the rafters loose, understand that once you drive them with a high current separate amp, you're going to be floored by the difference. The lack of bass is because of your Yammie, make no bones about it.