Best Speaker to use with Arcam AVR300?

There are a few of variables at stake here - price range, intended use, size constraints, environment. I own an AVR200. I bought it for primary use in a 2-channel system, but with the thought of building an HT-system some day. I originally used B&W 602 S3's for fronts, with the matching sub (and some old JVC mini-system monitors as rears). They were very effective monitors, especially in combination with the sub. I now have Meadowlark Ospreys that are still in the break-in stage. Though not fully seasoned, I can tell that they are more natural sounding than the B&W's with a taller soundstage, if that makes any sense. I purchased them based on the warmth of the Arcam. I am really looking forward to the combo when the Ospreys start to show their true colors.

Something to keep in mind on the Arcam is the power management is superb. My 200 is rated at 85 wpc, but that is very deceptive. It will push hard without straining and so is well suited to speakers that might generally be thought of as "hungry." I expect the same is even more true on the 300 at 120/100 wpc.

The importer, Audiophile Systems, as well as some distributors that I have spoken to, will tell you that as a British component it is best suited to British speakers, a la B&W. I don't buy it having heard how it's working with my Ospreys and having also listened to some JM Labs monitors (whose sound I generally find bright and sterile). But if you're thinking ht/multi-channel, some speaker makers, such as B&W, offer a wide enough range to select speakers that are well matched with each other. Had I kept the 602's I intended to either make them rears and add 603's for fronts, or add 601's for rears.

Plenty of listening should make the decision (difficult) for you. Please post back; I'm real interested to know what you select.

Interestingly, and perhaps oddly, I'm using Merlin VSM-MMs with my Arcam AVR 300. I biamp them by taking the 6th and 7th channels and sending that power to the fronts.

All I can say is, I'm happy with the results! I have no room in my rack for separates, and I wanted "the world's greatest [audiophile] receiver". Please take the bracketed word in context...the Arcam is a lot cheaper than the Pioneer Jumbo or the Denon Humungous (or whatever those mass market brands are called), but I really think the AVR300 far surpasses those behemoths in the areas of subtlety and nuance.

And the Merlin's benefit greatly from that. Maybe not the ultimate Merlin experience, exactly, compared to $10k of amplification, but I really enjoy the synergy.

I guess I should add a few specs here. I want to keep the cost of the speakers at or below $1500.00. My system will be about 50/50 music and movies/tv. I presently have Paradigm Ref. Studio 20's for mains and Ref. CC for Center Channel, with a small pair of Tannoys for surround. I want to upgrade the Ref 20's first, as one person said in an earlier thread, they are starting to bore me. My room is aprox. 14'x18'x8' and with furniture it doesn't leave alot of room for speakers that have to sit "out" in a room to sound good.

I do not want to sound like I am pushing B&W, but they now have a series of on-wall speakers that may save you some space as rears. $1500 for a whole system is doable, with some strategzing. The 602's show up used from time to time here, and, depending on where you live, retailers will often arrange a substantial discount if you're buying a whole package. Again, unless you're trying to go used, the key is to do some listening.

I'm a big fan of Arcam recievers, actually all their products, and mine sounds great with my Maggie 1.6s. The Maggies have a reputation of demanding quite a bit of power, but I've heard them sound great on Arcam's 40 watt A-65+. And the AVR300 is definitely a stepup from that. We have similar tastes, with Stevie Ray being my favorite. The Maggies are very open, and will give you a wide and deep soundstage. But they do need to be pulled out about 3 feet from the back wall with a little space from the sidewall to breathe.

If you want more of a box sound I'd recommend ProAc Studio 125s. It was a very close call for me between them and the Maggies. They will give you more kick than the Maggies and sound great for rock music. If you want to stay with stand-mounted speakers, the ProAc Reference 8s for around $1100 new and ProAc Reference 8 sigs, for around $1800 new (the sigs were Hi-Fi+ product of the year for 2004) offer exceptional value. Very natural voices with plenty of air between instruments. I don't know how else to put it, but they just sound right.

My last recommendation would be Wharfedale Evo 30s. They just had a bump up in price to around $999 I think. They present a nice soundstage and definitely will boogie for rock. Good luck.