thanks Wayne. I was only trying to incorporate the 4 in-wall surrounds (2 high front, 2 high back) that are in the wall here from previous owners, but I do not need surround. I did 11.2.4 at last house and we mostly streamed stuff off Hulu/Prime so at best it wasn't the full surround decode anyhow. I had a brainwave two days ago and said to my wife - "Why am I trying to compromise on the brains of the system to accommodate 4 cheap in-wall surrounds when we don't even really use surround anyhow, instead of focusing on the $8500 towers?" (Duh! Not seeing the forest for the trees!)

Having the Zone 2 (or Speaker A+ was a priority though, because occasionally for sports or music I want to be able to have the sound identical inside and outside, as our living room is immediately adjacent to outdoor patio with outdoor fireplace etc. Previous owners have an in-wall volume knob for the patio that I was going to get rid of and control via apps/receiver etc if doing MusicCast or Zone 2, so if I go NAD I might keep that around. Anyhow, if I do a really nice 2 channel through these approaches, I can figure out something for the patio (NAD has it covered for Speaker , and then ignore the in-wall surrounds --they can be for the next homeowner! If I did the Anthem I would include them, but NAD or the tube route I would ignore them.

The only thing I haven't seen explained anywhere on forum or the C-388 manual: if engaging the A+B setting on the NAD C-388, I assume it still has enough power to still drive the A's / 'mains' / TRefs - people have said in reviews there is no separate volume or gain for the Speaker B connections, so if normally I just listen to the TRef through Speaker A and now I do A+B I guess it cuts it in half? (So if 150x2 channel normally, would be 75 x 4 with A+B engaged?)

the GE dealer carries NAD but not sure on the return policy but I will check. If they want my business instead of Crutchfield or Audiogon then maybe they can be flexible.

hot_rod: You really need a two zone product, not something with A and B speakers, where the zone 2 is controlled independently (source and volume) and uses a separate amplifier. I would not suggest ever engaging a speakers "B" at the same time if the "A" speakers are Tritons.

Interesting hot_rod,
I did not know you had decided for only 2 channel, so that makes a LOT more sense. I cannot actually answer your question on what the NAD does in running A+B speakers, it will depend on the efficiency and resistance of both sets of speakers as to exactly which speakers get how much of that 150 a pair. That is why it will not readily be spelled out so definitely, because it depends on the speakers in question.
Suffice it to say, you cannot play both sets of speakers totally LOUD at the same time, probably.
You will have to pay the piper somewhere.
BUT most music, most of the time only uses a few of those watts anyway, so I doubt you would notice unless you had a big, noisy party going on inside and outside.
Go for it!!! Course..... IF you want someone to cheer tube amps for you, I can do that too.
BUT for ease of use, streaming, inside the house and outside, having an included DAC, etc. I imagine the NAD or something like it will suit you and your wife very well.
God Bless,
Wayne
You don't have a dealer around that carries Vincent products do you? If you do, I can make some other suggestions, but they are not found a lot of places in the states.

@moderator thx for clearing up A+B and advising to stay away from that with the Tritons...I will figure out another option for the patio as a Zone 2 (too bad...as when I found the C-388 I thought - "isn't this perfect, with the A+B option could be the ideal setup for me who wants 2 speakers inside and occasionally 2 outside played together!) The hunt continues!
@Wayne - no Vincent dealer in my state.

I've been looking at the PS Audio Stellar for DAC/Pre and Stereo Amp too...would still need to sort out the streaming (maybe a Bluenode 2) and the patio. Lots of nice gear at this price point!

fbreynolds wrote: This is the output from Anthem Room Correction (ARC) on my Anthem MRX 1120 on the day the Reference speakers were installed. I don't understand the chart and I am not sure how well ARC measures frequencies below 20 Hz. However, it may give you a general idea of the response of a brand new Reference.

Make sure to set the maximum correction frequency to 500 Hz.

If you have a specific question about the graph I can probably answer - or you can contact Anthem., of course.

Mr. Moderator,

Why do you advise against using the "A" + "B" speaker capability with Triton speakers?

Thanks,

Art