Amp recommendations

[stevebrock]

Black sabbath - that Yamaha system you have with the Dalis must be quite nice - I think the Yamaha is a lot of amp for the money imo especially at the discounted rate you procured one for

did you demo many speakers before going for the Dali

sorry to hijack PP

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Black sabbath - that Yamaha system you have with the Dalis must be quite nice - I think the Yamaha is a lot of amp for the money imo especially at the discounted rate you procured one for

did you demo many speakers before going for the Dali

sorry to hijack PP

it was the case of finding the right amplifier to be honest to find a sonic match that went well with the Dali opticon 8s that would push the very best sound out of them .

i went though 3 amplifiers in a short space of time before coming across the Yamaha A-S 2100 it's not just about UVs it's about matching the amplifier with the speakers .

i started with Zensor 3s stand mounted speakers which I had mine on the wall on speaker brackets which sounded pretty good and was using a marantz Pm6005 , cd6005 as my little one was small then so did not want her to touch things so I had everything up high then the bug hit me .

i then brought a marantz Pm8005 , cd8005 which was a step up from the 6005 and then I brought the Dali opticon 6s which are so good that I felt they needed a better amplifier to push the 6s which then I brought the abrahamsen 2up and 2up cdplayer then my thinking was right about pushing the speakers I had they sounded even better then with the previous amplifiers .

then a deal came up at richer sounds for the opticon 8s I went for the deal I lost no money and it was a good choice to make because I knew the opticon 6s sounded good so will the 8s .

i was still thinking I could do better and get more sonic matching done buy changing the abrahamsen for the Yamaha A-S2100 and boy I was right I found a perfect match with the Dali's and it stopped the bug hunt for the next amplifier .

so I worked with my speakers to get the very best out of them

 

[grimharry]

If you like what you have why change. With the law of diminishing returns when the costs outweigh the benefits?

 

[CnoEvil]

IMV. Unless the new amp is substantially better in every aspect....to the point that you would miss it every day that you didn't own it.....then keep what you have.

I still hold to the view, that (all things being equal), you have to pay at least double the cost of an existing component (new), to get a worthwhile improvement. In your case, that would be in the region of 2.5k - 3k.

Personally, I think the Tucana should be high on your list.

 

[SemiChronic]

A second hand Cambridge 8 series combo would be a massive upgrade for relatively small money.

 

[Vladimir]

A second hand Cambridge 8 series combo would be a massive upgrade for relatively small money.

It's a significant downgrade from the Leema.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Based on your review id keep the leema.

Possibly the tucana 2 could be an option but cant see the tucana 2 beating the yamaha so maybe dont worry about upgrade now or look at other design style amps like naim.

Personally i dont think its worth to change

 

[Blacksabbath25]

A second hand Cambridge 8 series combo would be a massive upgrade for relatively small money.

It's a significant downgrade from the Leema.

I think PP will be better off with pure A class amplifier

 

[Vladimir]

A second hand Cambridge 8 series combo would be a massive upgrade for relatively small money.

It's a significant downgrade from the Leema.

I think PP will be better off with pure A class amplifier

It's a significant downgrade from the Leema.

 

[plastic penguin]

The only Class A amp i would consider is a entry-level Luxman. I have actually heard one (few years ago) when my old manager had one with Wilson Benesch Discovery speakers. Both, for the timebeing, is out of my league. They rarely come up second hand.

Heard the Cambridge 851 MKII amp around Gerrardasnails house (he used to be regular on here). Sounded way too clinical for my ears.

 

[plastic penguin]

Based on your review id keep the leema.

...cant see the tucana 2 beating the yamaha so maybe dont worry about upgrade now

Personally i dont think its worth to change

Based on what evidence do you think the Tucana won't beat the Yamaha?

 

[SemiChronic]

Sorry you didn't like the 8series, my suggestion was based on you being in favour of the clarity from the Leema.

I love mine, always discovering new sounds in tracks

 

[Andrewjvt]

Based on your review id keep the leema.

...cant see the tucana 2 beating the yamaha so maybe dont worry about upgrade now

Personally i dont think its worth to change

Based on what evidence do you think the Tucana won't beat the Yamaha?

But at what cost? For tiny performance gains?

 

[Andrewjvt]

Based on your review id keep the leema.

...cant see the tucana 2 beating the yamaha so maybe dont worry about upgrade now

Personally i dont think its worth to change

Based on what evidence do you think the Tucana won't beat the Yamaha?

But at what cost? For tiny performance gains?

 

[Vladimir]

Based on your review id keep the leema.

...cant see the tucana 2 beating the yamaha so maybe dont worry about upgrade now

Personally i dont think its worth to change

Based on what evidence do you think the Tucana won't beat the Yamaha?

But at what cost? For tiny performance gains?

I think the key ingredient is PRAT. More of it for 2K.
Naim is full on Class B.
Class A is not known for good PRAT.

 

[drummerman]

Why not a receiver, DM? Quite simply they are BIG. It's true the Yam is bigger than the Pulse, as is the Tucana but these new receivers are very high.

I suppose I could dem one of the newer Cyrus. Again, I heard the newer 8 at SSAV, but had nothing to compare it to as my amp was at home.

What are the pros and cons of the Cyrus outboard power source?

I reply tonight as have to some work

Sorry, busy day.

Did you like the cyrus? - If not, the addition of the PSX-R probably won't make much difference.

Lower noise floor, better soundstage thus more focus/clarity. It doesn't add power but gives an otherwise slightly 'boisterous' amplifier maturity and composure. Personally I'd say its an essential add-on. Gromit over at PFM did run an 8series plus supply. PM him for his oppinion. Pretty level headed and not a fanboy of anything.

I do think however that you now MUST hear a Tucana to get some perspective.

Never heard anything bad about it.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Based on your review id keep the leema.

...cant see the tucana 2 beating the yamaha so maybe dont worry about upgrade now

Personally i dont think its worth to change

Based on what evidence do you think the Tucana won't beat the Yamaha?

But at what cost? For tiny performance gains?

I think the key ingredient is PRAT. More of it for 2K.
Naim is full on Class B.
Class A is not known for good PRAT.

Naim v leema

 

[bigfish786]

still following this thread with interest, i agree the Leema Pulse is a really good amp, i've had mine a few years now, and i'm very happy with it.

i'm not sure what it would take to beat this amp? to comfortably outperform it ? possibly several thousand quid.

i think you should be happy with what you have PP.

there's nothing wrong with trying new gear, but sometimes you just need to scratch the itch.

for me, the pulse has everything i need. power, control, and a very good phono stage.

it is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

/

 

[plastic penguin]

@Drummerman

I've had the Cyrus 8VS2 on home dem and it sounded good, but I don't think it matched those old MA RS6s. The metal domed tweeter and lively presentation just knocked the whole thing off kilter.

I have heard newer Cyruses at the dealers (MA Gold speakers and B&W PM1s) and that sounded better... but it was in the showroom and had nothing to compare it with.

 

[drummerman]

@Drummerman

I've had the Cyrus 8VS2 on home dem and it sounded good, but I don't think it matched those old MA RS6s. The metal domed tweeter and lively presentation just knocked the whole thing off kilter.

I have heard newer Cyruses at the dealers (MA Gold speakers and B&W PM1s) and that sounded better... but it was in the showroom and had nothing to compare it with.

... and I have unfortunately never heard your Leema so can't compare.

 

[grimharry]

If you change your mind about trying creek I can tell you there customer service is amazing

 

[plastic penguin]

Big fan of Creek, but as with the Yamaha I'm not sure it'll give me a big enough upgrade.

If I can find an ex-dem or s/hand Tucana MKII from a dealers that should be the answer. At least a dealer will give some sort of warranty.

 

[Al ears]

Big fan of Creek, but as with the Yamaha I'm not sure it'll give me a big enough upgrade.

If I can find an ex-dem or s/hand Tucana MKII from a dealers that should be the answer. At least a dealer will give some sort of warranty.

Fanthorpes might give you a decent trade-in against a new Tucana, just a thought.

 

[drummerman]

Just read about the anniversary edition. 5 grand!

A few upgrades plus a chromed leema batch. They certainly know how to cash in .

Of course they're not the only ones.

Me thinks original Tucana is now best value for money s/h.

I'd also still look at the Perraux I linked to earlier. 2 grand off now.

 

[Andrewjvt]

2nd hand amps the best value
I mean buy a 2nd hand, save thousands and just spend a few hundreds on service/repair at leema or whoever then amos good as new