£1600. Amp. Speakers. Turntable.

[letsavit2]

i would spend £1000 off that budget on speakers and acoustics, panels etc if required. IMHO these will have the most impact on sound quality. Then may be rega rp1 and marantz amp?

 

[VeloChap]

Panels? In the lounge? With a wife in the house? No, no. I don't think that would reach the approval stage.

Spoke to my HiFi store yesterday, they were very helpful and I'm setting up a demo:

A19 and Brio-R,

RP3/Elys2 and Project Debut Carbon,

Monitor Audio Silver RX1s, B&W 685s, and some ex-demo Dynaudio DM2/7s (ugly but interesting)

Arcam iRDAC

 

[floyd droid]

Where are you based ?.

 

[richardw42]

Have I missed a post ? What's the DAC for ?

looking at streaming ?

 

[VeloChap]

South Oxfordshire. DAC is for iPods, iPhones etc.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

South Oxfordshire. DAC is for iPods, iPhones etc.

Yes he knows for what is for!

He was saying that you didn't mention that you'll be needing one...

 

[floyd droid]

and some ex-demo Dynaudio DM2/7s (ugly but interesting)

That'll be Audio T then ?. Pah hifi supermarket ,lol.

 

[BigH]

If I were you I would be looking at spending some more on speakers. Have you considered ex-demo or nearly new used gear, for example I saw a 2 week old Arcam A19 go for £409 from a hifi dealer on ebay, OK thats a very good deal but I think its worth having a look round, also seen a few Brio Rs going for about £400 as slightly used ex-demos, check with your dealer to see what he has on offer. If you need more power from an amp,. you could consider the Roksan Kandy K2 which are about £650 new.

 

[plastic penguin]

If you're looking for an amp with phono stage and a built-in dac then Rotel RA-10 may just be the answer, as long as you can live without a remote. Partner that with 685 and any of the TT suggestions and you should have a fabulous set-up.

As always, an audition is a must.

 

[p_m_brown]

My suggestion would be to demo the comblinations recommended here but do try out the Arcam A19 with a set of Kef R100s and a Project Debut Carbon. Great set up with warmth, detail and soundstage to rival a far more expensive set up!

 

[matthewpiano]

If you're looking for an amp with phono stage and a built-in dac then Rotel RA-10 may just be the answer, as long as you can live without a remote. Partner that with 685 and any of the TT suggestions and you should have a fabulous set-up.

As always, an audition is a must.

The RA10 is analogue only. You have to go up to the RA-11 at £499 to get the DAC.

 

[VeloChap]

Audition was on Saturday at Audio-T in Oxford. Lovely couple of hours spent listening to Led Zep, The Who, Daft Punk, Miles Davis and Radiohead on vinyl. Tested the Arcam A19 and Brio-R amps, and despite being the 'lesser' amp I actually preferred the sound of the Brio-R - somehow seemed 'smoother'. Between the two turntables, the Debut Carbon and RP3, the Debut was good, but seperation between instruments and detail was clearly bettter on the RP3 so that was a no-brainer. Then I tested the Monitor Audio RX2, which, whilst a good sound, didn't have enough oomph I was after, then I gave the Dynaudio's a go and while clearly a better sound, the wife would not have appreciated the asthetic. Then I gave a pair of beautiful sounding Monitor Audio RX6' a go. Very wife-friendly in natural oak, it was just lucky these RX6' were on ex-demo offer and so I got I got them for a very reasonable price. Can't wait to get this lot home!

Also picked up a Dragonfly DAC and some Ruark MR1's for the office - Just a quick listen to Foo Fighters 'These Days' was all it took - really nicely produced album. The improvement over the old Apple HiFi thing I've been using is unreal.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

 

[stevebrock]

You demoed, you liked and you bought - nice enjoy it