amp/dac to pair with MA Silver 8

[Pistatok]

Hello all

I use an Arcam A19 and listen to all sorts of music from digital sources (flac, spotify, cd) through an Arcam irDAC.and have recently changed a pair of LS50s for the Silver 8s because I needed a bigger sound for our new apartment. They are indeed very capable of filling a large room with a nice, musical and open sound, however I do miss that extra bit of precision and detail of the LS50s. The Silver 8s musicality got me in the demo room but back home I found them too warm and laid back and they are not as engaging to listen to for longer periods as the Kefs were (in this current set up at least).

What to do you think I should change if I want the Silver 8s to sound more forward?

 

[CnoEvil]

You could try Creek or Rega...what is your budget?

 

[wilro15]

For a more "forward" sound, maybe a NAD? They have plenty of power and umph.

 

[steve_1979]

If the speakers don't sound right it makes more sense to change the speakers not the amplifier.

Maybe some LS50 with a subwoofer?

 

[CnoEvil]

If the speakers don't sound right it makes more sense to change the speakers not the amplifier.

Maybe some LS50 with a subwoofer?

The problem may well be getting some floorstanders, that can match the qualities of the LS50s but for Silver 8 money. It's worth trying a different amp first. If that doesn't work, I'm afraid you will be right.....probably R500s.

 

[Pistatok]

Firstly, thanks everyone for the useful tips!

It's only been two months since I shelled out 1400 for the silver 8s so there's no way I would get rid of them. And I do like their overall musicality and the big, open sound (preferred them to the r500 and 683 s2 when I had demod them) but I think they could do more. I still have the LS50s but in our new flat the living room is one open space with the kitchen, it's a done-up old mill and they just did not sound right, they were thin even with extreme toe in. The MAs are much more able to cope with the extreme dimensions of the room and after some "fine tuning" I think I could be a happy man. I just remember listening to Before your very eyes by Thom Yorke on the Kefs and hear that synth buzz float in front of me or hearing Laura Marling's lips seperate when she starts singing New romantic... I miss that extra detail.

Budget is around 1500-2000 but which component is more crucial in terms of forwardness? I read good things about the Elicit R and everyone seems to say it has some inherent brightness that I think could improve my setup but equally Chord dacs are held in high regard in terms of detail and precision.

I hope you get my point, I have not long been a hifi enthusiast and appreciate all the help.

Cheers, Istvan

 

[CnoEvil]

Suggestions:

Creek Evo 100A (can incude Ruby DAC module)

Bel Canto C5i (includes DAC)

Arcam A39

Rega Elicit R

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Istavan

Also consider Hegel's H80 amp/DAC and H160 amp/DAC. Fwiw, and funnily enough I returned from London (Can ary Wharf area) a few hours ago having done a delivery and install of a H80/Silver 8 combination in a beautiful open space apartment in a tall building high up (great view btw). Anyway the system looked and sounded great regardless of the genre music being played (Sonos - optical into the H80) with a deep, punchy, powerful, rich and clear sound which (as with another Hegel/Monitor Audio pairing earlier in the week) the clients also loved

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[wilro15]

Can you elaborate on "forward" a bit more? Do you mean more bass / mid / treble?

 

[drummerman]

Reads like Cyrus could also be a reasonable choice for you

 

[Andrewjvt]

Reads like Cyrus could also be a reasonable choice for you

I was thinking

 

[rainsoothe]

+1 for Cyrus, Hegel H80 and Naim Nait XS2 - you have a great budget there.

 

[davedotco]

I'm going to throw you a curve ball here.

The MAs are big speakers and will interact with the room in the way that the small Kefs will not. They well drive room modes which will emphasise the bass and, subjectively, reduce mid band clarity and precision. This may well be your problem.

The solution is to replace the irDac with the Antimode Dual Core dac/room equaliser ( from BK, the subwoofer people) which will remove the room modes, tighten the bass and improve clarity, it can do other things too but first things first.

It costs £680, but you can recoup some of that by moving on your irDac. Since the Antimode is also a pre-amp, you could upgrade your A19 to a serious power amp, all within budget.

 

[Pistatok]

Hi all

Thanks again for all your suggestions. Sorry for the late reply but I got quite busy recently. I will have a listen to a few amps in the next coming weeks out of curiosity, fortunately I found a very kind and informative dealer in Manchester. Davedotco (thanks a lot mate!) really got me thinking though, about the room modes... When I put on Nude by Radiohead there is a note or two in the bass that just "disappear" from the music. As I said before, the room is quite big, around 7x4x3 meters (long x wide x high) with two largely untreated parallel walls. The speakers are 50cms away from the curtained windows at the back and two meters apart, two meters from my listening position.

Now, this dealer told me to go and demo the Linn Majik DMS that has room optimization built in and apparently makes a huge difference to the sound. Has anyone got any experience with DSPs or this particular Linn product?

Cheers, Istvan

 

[CnoEvil]

Now, this dealer told me to go and demo the Linn Majik DMS that has room optimization built in and apparently makes a huge difference to the sound. Has anyone got any experience with DSPs or this particular Linn product?

Cheers, Istvan

I'm pretty familiar with the MDSM. I think it is a terrific sounding, versatile product, though I haven't heard it with MA.

My dealer also says that the room optimization makes a worthwhile improvement, but I haven't personally witnessed it.

 

[Pistatok]

Hi there, I thought I leave a note for anyone who might read this thread.

I finally took davedotco's advice and got the dspeaker antimode and wow... the thing is amazing. The bass has much more definition, the timing is better and the overall clarity and detail is incomparable to what it's been like before. This is exactly what I wanted to achieve when I said I would like a more forward sound. Thank you very much for the advice.

You got me thinking about demoing some power amps as well. Any suggestions to go with this system?

Cheers, Istvan

 

[rainsoothe]

stuff from Naim and Bryston