Audio Refinement Complete owners: please advise


I would like to hear from other ARC owners RE: what speakers they are driving w/ this amp. I have received very conflicting suggestions and am not sure how to proceed. Can ARC handle large floor-standers such as Paradigm Ref. Studio 100V2, or am I confined to monitors with thsi integrated? My room is 17x28 w/ 15 ft. ceilings. I listen to acoustic Jazz, 60's/70/s rock, singer- songwriters (Hiatt, Thompson, Prine, etc.), some folk and country. Like some volume but not ear-bleed levels. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
stuartk

Showing 2 responses by bignerd100

Thought the Complete is rated at only 50W it is beefy with a steep slope to the volume pot.
I use one on 6 ohm 86db efficient floorstanding speakers. At very high volume levels it starts to compress the music a little but sounds wonderful at normal volume levels.
The physical size of a speaker will not dictate teh type of amplifier you can use. The efficiency, however, can limit the choice of amplifier. An 86db efficient speaker should not logicaly work all that well with a 50W amplifier. In this case it does though.
Room size, seating distance from speakers, and location of speakers within a room are also big factors.

The Complete sounds very good with a number of speakers. Audition, audition, audition.

Good luck!
NHT 2.5i's, Von Schweikert VR-1, VR-2, Spendor anything, and a whole host of other mid-fi speakers. I have even heard it on Klipsch K-horns.

If you have teh ability to bring potential conteders home for audition it is worth the effort. Otherwise take your amp to the store and insist on demoing with it.

IMO it is best to find your speaker before the amp and then get what you need to power the speaker. If you like the Paradigm Ref. Studio 100V2 then get that speaker and worry about finding the appropriate amplifier later. in the meantime use the Complete as the "A" in A&B comparrisons. You may find (as have I) that the little Complete can best some more $$$ and brutish amplifiers.

Good luck!