Thanks guys for the response.
I just bought NAD 356BEE and Marantz CD 6005 paired with the M22s. My room is 9*18 and one side wall and front wall with openings. Right now I set the speakers with Cardas placement and it works fine. The bass is thin so a sub may be needed later on.
Give yourself some time to get used to the sound of the M22s as well. I loved their clarity when i first heard them. Compared to the boomy speakers i had before, it was an unusual adjustment.
Any suggestions to improve the set up? Is Cardas placement good for my room?
The "Cardas" setup is based on the golden ratio idea. I have used the golden ratio as a good starting point, but often many rooms don't have the easy dimensions to accommodate placement according to the calculations so one may need to resign themselves to a tradeoff.
I've found you have a great stereo image when you can close your eyes and the sound image comes from directly in front of you even though the two speakers are to the left and the right of your sitting location. Of course, to get a wide stereo sound (the width of the 'soundstage') takes tinkering and ultimately not every seat in the room may have the best stereo image.
Regarding AMP, I read an article to use AV receiver for surrounding and sub, but int-amp for front/main speakers. By doing so, you could enjoy the pure music while has the option to get home theater set. That could my my future path?
Avoid this nonsense.
An int-amp won't produce any better quality sound than an AVR.
Buy the unit appropriate to the features you want.
If you are looking to expand to surround channels in the future, you could consider selling the int-amp used (see Canuck AudioMart or Audiogon for example), and pickup an AVR at that time.
Or use the int-amp in another room, perhaps the garage, man cave or bedroom.
It gives you another excuse to buy another speaker setup!
