Amp & speakers advice please

[Outofmydepth]

currently listening to CDs, vinyl and FLACs through a pair of Audioengine A5 actives. this setup has “done a job” for a few years but following a recent house move, I am keen to move up a step or two.
my plan is to replace the actives with an amp and some new stand mount speakers but in all honesty, I am feeling totally overwhelmed by the numbers of options/choices. Have read so many articles etc that I am going round in circles now.
My absolute top budget would be £1k and I m OK with used/ex demo kit in principle.
I don’t have very sophisticated requirements - I just want to be able to listen to my music and it bring a smile to my face rather than it just sounding OK (apologies if that sounds a bit corny).
I’ve been looking at - but not listened to - integrated amps from Audiolab (M-One) and Quad (Vena II).
is it possible for anyone to give an opinion as to whether these would be good places to start or can that not be answered without knowing more about what I listen to, room size, etc??
if either of these two amps were to be on my short list, might any of the following speakers be suitable;
B&W 606/607
Mission QX1/QX2
Quad S1 (these may come packaged with the Quad Vena) or S2
The new Monitor Audio 50??

I appreciate that the most likely reply may be to get down to a local Hi Fi dealer and audition but that is something I have never done before and isn’t particularly practical where I live.

Thanks for any thought or comments.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

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Edit: Mods, appears we have a spammer - reported. Please feel free to delete my post

 

[Dom]

Go on DougK. You tell em.

 

[SteveH72]

£1000 for an amp and speakers, used or new, and the world is your oyster. Questions would be: sources? Room size and set up? What features do you need on the amp?
I would also consider how you split the budget: I would recommend at least 60/40 in favour of the speakers.

 

[Outofmydepth]

£1000 for an amp and speakers, used or new, and the world is your oyster. Questions would be: sources? Room size and set up? What features do you need on the amp?
I would also consider how you split the budget: I would recommend at least 60/40 in favour of the speakers.

Thanks.
Room size around 4*3.5m.
Sources are; CD player, TT (but I have a REGA phono pre amp) but most importantly, FLAC files which are currently on my Samsung S9.
So, if I have a DAC in the amp, I can dispense with my Dragonfly. If no DAC in the amp, then short term, continue with the dragonfly into RCA inputs.
Hope this makes sense.

 

[rainsoothe]

The components you're considering are all a very good selection, only thing left is for you to audition and let your ears decide. Preferably, you can get a home dem.

I, for one, am not usually a fan of ribbon tweeters, but I love the Quad S2. All speakers you're considering should go on stands (or ministands) and be at least 30cm away from back wall.

Other amps to consider are Rega Brio and Naim 5si or 5i, whatever you find on the sh market to fit your budget.

 

[SteveH72]

It seems you're after standmounts. As I said, the world is your oyster..... The Rega Brio is a lovely sounding amp: very dynamic and great with vocals but it is analogue only. Very good phono stage but no digital inputs or DAC. An alternative might be a used Audiolab 6000A. Brilliant amp: lovely wide sound stage, complete with phono stage, digital inputs and an internal DAC straight from the MDAC. You can get these nearly new for £400-450. That leaves you £500-550 for some speakers. The B & W 606's would be a very good match.
Just a starting suggestion.

 

[Dom]

How about some Naim components, I believe it should bring smiles to faces? Only listened for a while and it seemed good?

 

[gasolin]

Mision QX-2 are vary bass heavy and can handle 100 clean watt without any problems, they can be used in quiet large rooms because of the bass, good sensitivity and power handling, edm is a suprise experince with a powerful amp

 

[SteveH72]

Mision QX-2 are vary bass heavy and can handle 100 clean watt without any problems, they can be used in quiet large rooms because of the bass, good sensitivity and power handling, edm is a suprise experince with a powerful amp

Mission QX2 are good speakers but can be bought new for close to £250 nowadays. If I were putting together a £1000 system, I’d be aiming to allocate more of my budget than that.

 

[gasolin]

there nothing wrong with the speakers despite not costing £600

Dynaudio Emit M10 + a 2x100 watt amp in 8 ohm (speakers are 4 ohm) like a yamaha amp could just be around £1000

 

[SteveH72]

there nothing wrong with the speakers despite not costing £600

Dynaudio Emit M10 + a 2x100 watt amp in 8 ohm (speakers are 4 ohm) like a yamaha amp could just be around £1000

Didn’t say there was anything wrong with them. Just that there are better. If people believe they are the best speaker they’ve heard, good for them.

 

[rainsoothe]

In my limited experience, even when matched properly, a great amp with mediocre speakers will sound better than the other way around. A good speaker will only reveal poor amplification, whilst a good amp will make any speaker sing.

 

[Jimboo]

I dunno the amp , amps the source it is disputable I suppose as to how much an amp can do, a good source and speakers come first. I don't think the amp is the key component.

 

[SteveH72]

I would agree that all speakers need good amplification and there isn’t a rule about how much should be spent comparatively between the two. But I would argue speakers, along with listening environment, are the biggest factors in shaping the sound of a system.
Think I’ve dragged this away from the original question, though, so better get back on track.