£1400 to upgrade with - where do I start?

[admin_exported]

Okay, I have a Rega p3-24, a Cambridge Audio 540c playing through an old Audiolab 8000A into a pair of B&W 601 speakers. I only got the turntable last year and love the way it sounds. I have about £1400 to improve the rest of my system and would like to do do something to make listening to CDs as engaging as listening to my Rega.

I listen to mainly classical and have recently had a demo of an all Rega system (Apollo/Brio 3/RS3) which left me a little cold. The Apollo was substituted for a Cyrus CD6 SE, which improved things, but I get a naggiing feeling that I could still do better for the money! Keen to have a detailed, musical sound, but one that can be listened to for long sessions without sounding too bright or aggressive.

Do I replace CD player, amp and speakers now, or spend my budget on one or two components and keep some of my current kit for a while longer? Any suggestions gratefully accepted!

 

[JoelSim]

With your music taste I would take a listen to a nice warm system.

Have a listen to some Arcam amps. Possibly a pre and power combo. Then upgrade speakers and then CDP.

 

[batonwielder]

As someone who listens mainly classical music, and also having heard the exact Rega system, I recommend that you allocate a bulk of your budget toward the speakers. Perhaps you can even put off changing the CD player as its replacement would not be as dramatic as the same money going to the speakers.

Proac Studio 110 and Primare I21 or Arcam A18 would be a great choice. I find that many amplifiers oft recommended in this forum don't perform their best in classical music. Think Sugden, Electrocompaniet, and Audio Analogue. They are mostly out of your price range, but do try and give them a listen as reference.

 

[JoelSim]

batonwielder:
As someone who listens mainly classical music, and also having heard the exact Rega system, I recommend that you allocate a bulk of your budget toward the speakers. Perhaps you can even put off changing the CD player as its replacement would not be as dramatic as the same money going to the speakers.

Proac Studio 110 and Primare I21 or Arcam A18 would be a great choice. I find that many amplifiers oft recommended in this forum don't perform their best in classical music. Think Sugden, Electrocompaniet, and Audio Analogue. They are mostly out of your price range, but do try and give them a listen as reference.

New they are out of the price range, but my Audio Analogue was only £750. But that's a chance you need to assess whether it's worth taking. To me I'll sell on in a year or two for little if any loss of capital.

But, something like that will highlight weaknesses in your CDP and speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm quite tempted to investigate the Proac speakers, as I have heard some of these a few years and remember being very impressed. My initial thoughts were to keep the Audiolab for a bit longer and change the CD player, which is probably the weakest area at the moment.

I seem to recall Arcam having a slightly dullish quality to the sound, although it's a long time since I heard any of their products. How do the latest models compare to the old Alpha range?

 

[JoelSim]

mikii1977:
I'm quite tempted to investigate the Proac speakers, as I have heard some of these a few years and remember being very impressed. My initial thoughts were to keep the Audiolab for a bit longer and change the CD player, which is probably the weakest area at the moment.

I seem to recall Arcam having a slightly dullish quality to the sound, although it's a long time since I heard any of their products. How do the latest models compare to the old Alpha range?

I had an A85/P85 combo which was not dull. I regularly had to drag myself off to bed at 2am.

The CDP change won't make a massive difference with your kit in my opinion, yes it will make some but to really appreciate it you will need a better amp and speakers.

 

[the record spot]

I think you definitely need to achieve a good balance - Marantz would fit your bill for the kind of sound you want, either my CDP, or, if you can find one, the SA15S1 is going for £700 in the Home Cinema Centre in Edinburgh just now (might be the last one).

Alternatively, there's the 8003 too, which is the descendant of the SA7001-KI. I can't rate the brand highly enough.

Keep the 8000A for now, see how you get on with the new source before changing again. The Audiolab was a good one in its day originally and it's not going to be rubbish overnight, but you can do better than the Cambridge CDP.

I wouldn't just go out and blow £1400 for the sake of it though. Some smart background reading and a few listens at home if you can might put you on the right track.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice everyone - I'll have a listen to some of the kit that you suggest before making my mind up.

A couple of other options that my local dealer carries are Quad and Spendor - how do these compare with the like of Arcam, Proac and Marantz?

 

[chebby]

How about spending the lot on a pair of Harbeth P3ESR speakers?

(Your Audiolab 8000a will be fine with them.)

Sell the B&W 601's and buy a DAC from the proceeds then plug the CA540 CD player into the DAC with an optical cable so you are just using it as a CD transport.

Selling your B&W's (if they are in good nick) should go a long way towards buying something like a CA DacMagic (or Beresford Caiman DAC) which will be enough to elevate the sound of your CD player AND give you the means to plug in your laptop/Mac.

You already have stands (presumably) from your B&W's so hopefully the Harbeths will fit on them ok.

(Harbeth optimise their speakers for use on everything from IKEA plant pot stands - worth £8 - to stands that look like they were made by Harland & Wolff !)

Given your musical tastes (long sessions with classical) I think the Harbeths could be ideal. They claim to make them easy to listen to for very long periods without any fatigue with a broad range of musical content.

 

[drummerman]

AVI's 9.1 plus sub or Dynaudio Focus actives. They don't sound the same but both represent good value considering what you get.

 

[batonwielder]

chebby:
Given your musical tastes (long sessions with classical) I think the Harbeths could be ideal. They claim to make them easy to listen to for very long periods without any fatigue with a broad range of musical content.

 

[Anonymous]

£800 will get you a good used Musical Fidelity A5 integrated amp ... £600 should get you an older pair of IMF TLS80 speakers on ebay ... however, the speakers are fairly large, so you will need a decent sized listening room

keep the cdp for now, with the intention of upgrading later

 

[Anonymous]

Lots of options to consider! I've checked what is available locally to hear, and Harbeth and Proac don't seem to be available.

However, I think that I would like the mini monitor approach, and my dealer has both Spendor S3/5R and SA1's (an ex demo pair at a good price). I'm presuming that these will be very similar to the Harbeth model mentioned. While investigating the AVI suggestion, I noticed the Neutron 5 - how would these compare, because they are a considerably cheaper option. Again though, a demo would be difficult to arrange.

Does anyone have any experience of these speakers?

 

[Anonymous]

Give the Spendors a try and see how you get on. Both flavours are very detailed, composed and image like you wouldn't believe. The Neutrons are also very good and offer better value for money and a possibly better match for the level of your amp and source.

The AVI ADM9.1 represent ridiculously good value for money but you might not like the slightly clinical sound they produce. They're bloody accurate and you'll soon forget their price. You could get a pair of these, flog your amp and speakers, and put the rest towards a nice phone stage. If you get the phono stage right for your tastes this mix might be storming. A good suggestion from the gent above.