Amp and speakers to pair with stream magic 6?

[Dukkha11]

Hi,

I would really appreciate some advice: I have recently purchased the Cambridge audio stream magic 6 and I would like to upgrade my amp and speakers (budget rotel amp and mission 701's) to let it really "sing". I am retiring my cd player.

1) my budget is around £800 to £1000 total. The amp needs to come with a remote and I am interested in floor standing speakers.

2) should I use the preamp in the stream magic 6 and just get a power amp or would I get a better sound from a separate integrated unit?

3) any ideas on what I should audition?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer!

Cam.

 

[John Duncan]

I'm a sucker for things looking the same, so I'd be considering the 651A if I were you. It also then gives you the option to either use the preamp volume or to hook a small cable between the two and have the iPad/Android app control volume via the StreamMagic to the amp, which is what I do.

As for speakers, if you must have floorstanders (I personally think you get better value from standmounts <£1k) then perhaps the Q Acoustics 2050i would be good, they're certainly an awful lot of speaker for the money.

Alternatively, you may wish to look at some pro audio actives, since the SM6 has XLR outs and a volume control so remote volume for the speakers would not be required. Not really up on suitable models though...

 

[Overdose]

The potential problem with pro audio monitors is how they look. If you don't see their style as a problem, then something like the Dynaudio BM5A MkIIs would sound great.

Other monitors to consider are:

Neumann KH 120 (great things being said about these)

Acoustic Energy AE22

There are plenty more available, but these three are universally well regarded.

 

[Frank Harvey]

2) should I use the preamp in the stream magic 6 and just get a power amp or would I get a better sound from a separate integrated unit?

If a source component has an integral pre-amplifier, I would always recommend looking to add a power amplifier instead of an integrated amplifier. But, it all depends on how good that integral pre-amp is, as not all of them are of particularly high quality, as some are added for flexibility rather than sound quality.

 

[steve_1979]

It would be worth looking out for a pair of second hand AVI ADM9's too.

 

[steve_1979]

The Adam Artist 6 speakers may be worth a look. They have amplifiers built into them so they will connect straight to your Stream Magic 6.

http://www.adam-audio.com/en/multimedia/products/artist-6/description

 

[BigH]

It would be worth looking out for a pair of second hand AVI ADM9's too.

So would I.

 

[Dukkha11]

Thanks for all of your replies: plenty of food for thought - turns out I'm not so keen on the options thus far.

If I use the SM6 as a pre-amp then my volume control is limited to step-wise increments which I think I would find really annoying!

My first system was a Naim CD3, Nait 3 and EPOS ES11 and I loved that sound.

Having considered the various options I now find myself leaning towards a second hand Naim Nait 5i for around £500 and a pair of second hand Epos/Linn floor standing speakers for around the same amount.

I think this would give me a very musical system for my money - what do you think?

Cheers,

Cam.

 

[Singslinger]

Thanks for all of your replies: plenty of food for thought - turns out I'm not so keen on the options thus far.

If I use the SM6 as a pre-amp then my volume control is limited to step-wise increments which I think I would find really annoying!

My first system was a Naim CD3, Nait 3 and EPOS ES11 and I loved that sound.

Having considered the various options I now find myself leaning towards a second hand Naim Nait 5i for around £500 and a pair of second hand Epos/Linn floor standing speakers for around the same amount.

I think this would give me a very musical system for my money - what do you think?

Cheers,

Cam.

Hello Cam

I'm also a SM6 user and am not a fan of its built-in preamp. I think your proposed system is an excellent solution - Naim and Epos work well together and since you were once happy with the sound that similar components produced, I think you won't go wrong. Good luck!