10/14/2023 0 Comments Amarra review stereophile![]() ![]() This sound signature obviously appeals to many audiophiles. Based upon reviews I've read, audiophile friends I've spoken with and my own limited experience with NAD components along the years, my impression is that a flat, accurate response seems to be one of their hallmarks. However, compared to a Marantz I eventually purchased, neither one of them, even the one that was, as I recall, around $150 more than the Marantz, were nearly as musical. I auditioned 2 of their higher end players and thought they were very flat, which is to say relatively accurate. I don't have a lot of recent up close & personal experience with NAD equipment beyond some critical listening I did seven years ago when I was shopping for a CD player. My ears thought the Aria 936 were much better in this regard. I'm guessing this could be a factor of the bottom port design. However, you really had to be in critical listening mode to pick that up. Comparatively, the Focal were just a little muddier down there less tight, less accurate. On the flip side, however, both my friend and I agreed the MA were a little tighter and more accurate in low bass response. As I recall, I also thought they maybe might have been just a smidge better at handling brushes on cymbals and drums. I thought they were very nice and every bit as competent as both the MA, from upper bass on up to the higher frequencies. A friend I was with, at that time, thought the Focal were a bit forward for his tastes but I didn't. At the time, I was A/B'ing your Focal with a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 500 and, then, a pair of the Silver 300. I've spent a fair amount of time with the Focal Aria 926, powered by that monster Classe Delta stack I mentioned earlier a lot more power & juice than the MAC MC152. If your NAD pre-amp doesn't get in the way, the MC152 will give your Focal everything they are designed to handle and then some. In my opinion and experience, speakers are the business end of any sound system. The tweeters in your Focal will have a lot to do with this. I have no doubt a MAC amp will provide all the "open", accurate and undistorted "top end" you can handle. Humans generally can't hear anything above 20 kHz and this gradually becomes more compromised as some people age. When you talk about "open top end", I'm assuming you mean the higher frequency ranges (e.g. They are also very good but I preferred the smoother character of the Focals. I did compare them to B&W's which tweeters are brighter and more up front. What is lacking on these speakers is a low end punch until the speakers break in. Playing Boston More than a feeling or John Mellencamp Little Pink Houses also sounds great. Wynton Marsalis has a album called In Gabriel's Garden and it was truly stunning with great sound stage and depth from front to back. I was even more impressed with the speakers playing classical music. The quality of the speakers are really nice and they look great. The lows are pleasant sounding and are balanced with the mids and lows. The mids bring forth vocals and electric guitars very nicely. The speakers are very comfortable for long listening periods. Most YouTube videos will say Focal has smooth high frequencies and they are right. I am extremely pleased with the results I am getting. I recently purchased the Focal Aria 926 speakers which are currently being powered by a Adcam 555 amp. ![]()
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