Advice please

[Gekko]

Hi, I’ve just treated myself to some new speakers, Dali Spektor 2, they sound great and I’m well pleased with them. However, it’s now got me thinking about upgrading my 18 year old Onyko CDR 515 to something much better. To say the least I’m a complete novice in audio, hence my seeking advice from, you, more experienced audiophiles. My thinking thus far is either: Cambridge Audio AXR 85, paired with AXC 35 cd player; Marantz PM6007 paired with cd player CD6007 or Denon PMA600NE and cd player DCD 600NE.
I also have a circa 1975 NationalPanasonic SL-15 turntable, which I may well upgrade in the fullness of time, I also stream from Spotify and Prime, my music taste are generally, Jazz and Classical. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks William.

 

[Al ears]

Welcome to the forum.
Out of your list I would go for the Denon or Marantz pairing, in that order.
This based purely on synergy with your speakers. I don't stream so am not aware of the capabilities of these amps to do same.
Can you get to audition any of these?

 

[Gekko]

Welcome to the forum.
Out of your list I would go for the Denon or Marantz pairing, in that order.
This based purely on synergy with your speakers. I don't stream so am not aware of the capabilities of these amps to do same.
Can you get to audition any of these?

Probably in Richer Sounds where I purchased the Onyko many years ago. I don’t know of anywhere else. Thank you for replying.

 

[Integralista]

Hi, I’ve just treated myself to some new speakers, Dali Spektor 2, they sound great and I’m well pleased with them. However, it’s now got me thinking about upgrading my 18 year old Onyko CDR 515 to something much better. To say the least I’m a complete novice in audio, hence my seeking advice from, you, more experienced audiophiles. My thinking thus far is either: Cambridge Audio AXR 85, paired with AXC 35 cd player; Marantz PM6007 paired with cd player CD6007 or Denon PMA600NE and cd player DCD 600NE.
I also have a circa 1975 NationalPanasonic SL-15 turntable, which I may well upgrade in the fullness of time, I also stream from Spotify and Prime, my music taste are generally, Jazz and Classical. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks William.

Hi William,

your speakers are good but let's say basic. You do not in principle need amp with calibre like Marantz 6007 or Cambridge Audio AXR85 with 2x80Watt. Even small WiiM Amp with streaming will sound good on those speakers. But if you plan to upgrade speakers later (why not), than your combination of Cambridge Audio is really good. Marantz is also not bad, esp. amp 6007 is very good. New in 2024 is a combination of Arcam A5 and CD5. They are more expensive but better than all here mentioned. I recommend to invest a bit more into amp/cd now to save later. Anyway Dali is very good also when you decide to upgrade. Their Oberon line is a winner, very very good.

Best regards
Juraj

 

[My2Cents]

If you can get to a Richer Sounds you could take your speakers in and audition some stuff?
Another option would be replace the Onkyo with something similar like the Technics SA C600 (which also has a phono input).

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[Dom]

I would walk into a Hi Fi store and tell them your speaker make and model and hopefully they will advise you on an appropriate amplifier.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Hi, I’ve just treated myself to some new speakers, Dali Spektor 2, they sound great and I’m well pleased with them. However, it’s now got me thinking about upgrading my 18 year old Onyko CDR 515 to something much better. To say the least I’m a complete novice in audio, hence my seeking advice from, you, more experienced audiophiles. My thinking thus far is either: Cambridge Audio AXR 85, paired with AXC 35 cd player; Marantz PM6007 paired with cd player CD6007 or Denon PMA600NE and cd player DCD 600NE.
I also have a circa 1975 NationalPanasonic SL-15 turntable, which I may well upgrade in the fullness of time, I also stream from Spotify and Prime, my music taste are generally, Jazz and Classical. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks William.

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly, as others have said, arrange an audition (if you are buying from Richer Sounds join their VIP club or at least haggle them down to VIP prices), take your speakers along, or even better borrow the products to listen at home.

Of the the products you mention, I would always lean towards Marantz, and the PM6007 is a great amp. Something to consider, it will be four years old later this year. Its predecessors have often been replaced after four or five years. depending on your point of view this gives a few choices. Outgoing models are often heavily discounted if you get your timing right. From the other point of view, you may want to wait for the shiny new model, but this will certainly be more expensive. The 6007 was £500 when launched.

As a rule, you don't need the same brand of amp and CD player, you are often better mixing and matching, however, if you go for a Marantz amp I would go with the matching CD player.

 

[plastic penguin]

Book a demo at Richer Sounds and listen to various amps within your budget.

Dali speakers match well with a number of different brands, but it'll hinge on the OPs taste.

 

[matthewpianist]

Don't overlook the Denon CEOL (either the N10 I have or the new N12, which adds better speaker terminals, phono stage and DAB radio), or the Marantz MCR-612.

These are excellent and won't increase the footprint of your system by much. I owned the Onkyo system years ago, and it was very good at its price, but the systems above are a real step forward, and the built-in HEOS streaming platform is amongst the best out there.

 

[Gekko]

Thank you for your thoughts and advice, it’s really appreciated. I’ve been watching an awful lot of YouTube videos and they all speak highly of Cambridge Audio, particularly the AXC range. Yet no one on this thread has given CA a mention, which surprises me, am I missing something here. I am planning to visit Richer Sounds at the weekend, I’ll let you know what I go for. Thanks again.

William

 

[Al ears]

Thank you for your thoughts and advice, it’s really appreciated. I’ve been watching an awful lot of YouTube videos and they all speak highly of Cambridge Audio, particularly the AXC range. Yet no one on this thread has given CA a mention, which surprises me, am I missing something here. I am planning to visit Richer Sounds at the weekend, I’ll let you know what I go for. Thanks again.

William

Do you mean CXA range? The AXC are ancient and not sure they are still a current line, could be wrong.

 

[Al ears]

Do you mean CXA range?

Perhaps CA not mentioned because there are better available?
You are best listening for yourself.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Thank you for your thoughts and advice, it’s really appreciated. I’ve been watching an awful lot of YouTube videos and they all speak highly of Cambridge Audio, particularly the AXC range. Yet no one on this thread has given CA a mention, which surprises me, am I missing something here. I am planning to visit Richer Sounds at the weekend, I’ll let you know what I go for. Thanks again.

William

Nothing wrong with any of their products. At the entry level of their range I struggle to see beyond Marantz and NAD. When they push up a little in price there is a huge amount of competition.

 

[Gekko]

Do you mean CXA range? The AXC are ancient and not sure they are still a current line, could be wrong.

Apologies AXR, I’m mindful that the CX range is the more up to date, but as I was initially considering second hand, I was looking at some 30 year old Rotel s at one point it doesn’t really matter to me. I plan to listen to the Denon, Marantz and CA, as I want a CD also and I have a strict budget. It’s so easy to get carried away with this equipment.

 

[Al ears]

Apologies AXR, I’m mindful that the CX range is the more up to date, but as I was initially considering second hand, I was looking at some 30 year old Rotel s at one point it doesn’t really matter to me. I plan to listen to the Denon, Marantz and CA, as I want a CD also and I have a strict budget. It’s so easy to get carried away with this equipment.

Too true....

 

[matthewpianist]

Thank you for your thoughts and advice, it’s really appreciated. I’ve been watching an awful lot of YouTube videos and they all speak highly of Cambridge Audio, particularly the AXC range. Yet no one on this thread has given CA a mention, which surprises me, am I missing something here. I am planning to visit Richer Sounds at the weekend, I’ll let you know what I go for. Thanks again.

William

I had a AX-A25 briefly. It sounded very nice for the price and I could have enjoyed the music perfectly well, but it unfortunately had transformer hum that I could hear from my listening position even during quiet passages of music. For this reason I sent it back.

I've always liked certain things about CA kit but, apart from an Azur 740A (no longer made) nothing has blown me away, and I have experienced issues with hum and channel balance. They have got the latter sorted these days.