Hi
First time post in the forum although have been doing a lot of background reading as I embark on a major overhaul of my current set-up after 15 years (Marantz PM66SE and Mordaunt Short 812). I know nothing is going to replace an audition so really just looking for a few friendly pointers to know where I'm best directing myself from here.The plan is to ideally not spend more than £2k which needs to cover an amp, bookshelf speakers and cables. I have my music collection in FLAC and currently use Squeezebox to stream. Music is contemporary (pop, rock and dance) rather than classical or jazz. The listening space is 5m X 4m with tall ceilings.Looking at amps I'm quite keen on on the Arcam A29 or the Audiolab 8300A, partly because my furniture needs shallow dimensions. For the Audiolab I can also get a decent discount that would free up cash for speakers. So here a few initial questions I wondered if the forum could offer any wisdom on:Are these amps likely to deliver a significantly different musical presentation, and is either more suited to what I listen to?What bookshelf speakers are typically a good match for these amps? I read the KEF LS50 for Arcam but very little advice out there for Audiolab.For true hifi should I consider a different streamer or keep the Squeezebox but factor in the cost of a better DAC? Phew, long post. Hope someone out there made it to the end.Thanks
First time post in the forum although have been doing a lot of background reading as I embark on a major overhaul of my current set-up after 15 years (Marantz PM66SE and Mordaunt Short 812). I know nothing is going to replace an audition so really just looking for a few friendly pointers to know where I'm best directing myself from here.The plan is to ideally not spend more than £2k which needs to cover an amp, bookshelf speakers and cables. I have my music collection in FLAC and currently use Squeezebox to stream. Music is contemporary (pop, rock and dance) rather than classical or jazz. The listening space is 5m X 4m with tall ceilings.Looking at amps I'm quite keen on on the Arcam A29 or the Audiolab 8300A, partly because my furniture needs shallow dimensions. For the Audiolab I can also get a decent discount that would free up cash for speakers. So here a few initial questions I wondered if the forum could offer any wisdom on:Are these amps likely to deliver a significantly different musical presentation, and is either more suited to what I listen to?What bookshelf speakers are typically a good match for these amps? I read the KEF LS50 for Arcam but very little advice out there for Audiolab.For true hifi should I consider a different streamer or keep the Squeezebox but factor in the cost of a better DAC? Phew, long post. Hope someone out there made it to the end.Thanks