Question Amp vote

suburbansky

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Still struggling to find the best amp for my upgrade... Too bad the forum doesn't have a vote functionality! But let's try it this way:

If you were me - 35sqm living room (376 sqf), Triangle Borea 09 speakers - which amp would you go for?

  • Rega Brio (retails at the equivalent of £876 here in Switzerland)
  • Audiolab 6000A (equivalent of £737, so cheaper)
  • Rega Elex-R (equivalent of £1367, so naturally more expensive)
  • Marantz PM-6007 (equivalent of £483, so a lot cheaper)
  • other, in the £500 to £1200 price range
 
Still struggling to find the best amp for my upgrade... Too bad the forum doesn't have a vote functionality! But let's try it this way:

If you were me - 35sqm living room (376 sqf), Triangle Borea 09 speakers - which amp would you go for?

  • Rega Brio (retails at the equivalent of £876 here in Switzerland)
  • Audiolab 6000A (equivalent of £737, so cheaper)
  • Rega Elex-R (equivalent of £1367, so naturally more expensive)
  • Marantz PM-6007 (equivalent of £483, so a lot cheaper)
  • other, in the £500 to £1200 price range
What are your sources going to be?
I would add Denon to the list, 800NE or 1600NE, also Rotel A14 mk2 towards the top end of your budget.
 
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suburbansky

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Question for you.
Don't you have any "home grown" brands that might be cheaper to buy in your country?

Yes, but they are significantly more expensive (Rowen, SwissHD, Talis)... Others aren't strictly Swiss anymore (and even more expensive) (e.g. Revox), while some still consider NAD as kind of Swiss, since it had considerable Swiss investment and expertise in it in its early years.

Apparently, the cases for the Rega amps are produced in Switzerland, so that's a start! 😁

[This one is pretty great - but at c. £1900 a touch too expensive, for now: https://www.swisshd.ch/verstaerker.php ]
 
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Yes, but they are significantly more expensive (Rowen, SwissHD, Talis)... Others aren't strictly Swiss anymore (and even more expensive) (e.g. Revox), while some still consider NAD as kind of Swiss, since it had considerable Swiss investment and expertise in it in its early years.

Apparently, the cases for the Rega amps are produced in Switzerland, so that's a start! 😁

[This one is pretty great - but at c. £1900 a touch too expensive, for now: https://www.swisshd.ch/verstaerker.php ]
point noted.
be aware most NAD Amps do not have an inbuilt phono stage that you need.
 
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suburbansky

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What are your sources going to be?
I would add Denon to the list, 800NE or 1600NE, also Rotel A14 mk2 towards the top end of your budget.

The Denon PMA-1600NE is available at a whooping 30% discount at the moment... Would you consider it superior to the ones I've mentioned?
 
Have you heard the Denon at low volumes? I've read that "room volume" wasn't its forte... (Okay, one guy said that - but still?)
I haven't as I never really use low volume listening however I don't play loud either.
I have no reason to believe but would be any worse than any other amp at low volume.
Play at low volume and the quality is more determined by the nature of your speakers rather than the quality of the amplifier.
 
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nads

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NAD and blue sound are the same company and some NAD amps come with it built in.
My sources: Marantz CD-6006; Thorens turntable (vintage, with Ortofon Red); Bluesound Node

I'll check out your suggestions, thanks!
Well it is Blue-Os or sum such which I think is the same core.

fir your budget you could get a NAD with it built in and sell/use in another room the Bluesound……..
 
From your original list I’d choose between the expensive Rega Elex and the bargain Marantz 6007 PLUS a Blue stylus upgrade for my Ortofon 2M.

But, if the Denon 1600 is on offer then that’s an easy winner for me. Especially if you can still upgrade the cartridge!

More here…

 
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suburbansky

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NAD and blue sound are the same company and some NAD amps come with it built in.

Well it is Blue-Os or sum such which I think is the same core.

fir your budget you could get a NAD with it built in and sell/use in another room the Bluesound……..

Originally (before buying the Node), I was thinking about an "all inclusive" NAD as well, e.g. the C368. The dealer, after some hesitation, recommended against this, though, favouring a "separate parts" approach, even though the C368 would have earned him more than the Node and the possibilty of me stopping by at a later point to get an amp.

My current "amp" (actually an AV Receiver from Onkyo) is an "all in one" as well - after about 9 years, most of the in-built streaming options have lost their functionality.
 

jonathanRD

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Accepting the standard advice (where you can) to get a listen to the amps, and ideally in your own home.

I had the old Rega Brio and home demoed the Elex-r which is a significant improvement over the Brio (to my ears in any case).
From your list I would choose the Elex-r, but that Denon is even better if you can get it at a good price.

In summary, my advice would be to get the best you can afford, and it's better maybe to wait and save a few more pennies, and then get something that in the longer run, you are less likely to want to upgrade.
 
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rainsoothe

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Originally (before buying the Node), I was thinking about an "all inclusive" NAD as well, e.g. the C368. The dealer, after some hesitation, recommended against this, though, favouring a "separate parts" approach, even though the C368 would have earned him more than the Node and the possibilty of me stopping by at a later point to get an amp.

My current "amp" (actually an AV Receiver from Onkyo) is an "all in one" as well - after about 9 years, most of the in-built streaming options have lost their functionality.
If you don't mind having more boxes, your dealer was right to recommend this. Digital technology changes so very fast, and if you wanna be up to date, it just costs more to replace the whole thing. Yes, all-in-ones can sound great and are certainly neat, but having separates is better. IMO, at least.
 

G-man

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If you can afford the Elex-R that would probably be the best bet. Otherwise you would be buying something that is much less than you could have so are unlikely to ever be satisfied by it. Unless you are going to do listening tests yourself then you should assume that price and quality are related.

(Of course price and cost are not always directly related but the only way of finding out in this case is to listen to them all.)
 

suburbansky

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Thanks for all your inputs... Somehow, the Denon doesn't stir anything in me (without having heard it, that is, admittedly). Maybe it's because of some truly mediocre owner's reviews I've come across or because of the fact that our audio/video gear at work (I'm a teacher) is all Denon. Maybe I'll give it a second chance, as I ~may~ have the opportunity to listen to it next to a Rega.

Meanwhile, I've become seriously tempted by the Rotel A14(MKII) - any thoughts?
 
Thanks for all your inputs... Somehow, the Denon doesn't stir anything in me (without having heard it, that is, admittedly). Maybe it's because of some truly mediocre owner's reviews I've come across or because of the fact that our audio/video gear at work (I'm a teacher) is all Denon. Maybe I'll give it a second chance, as I ~may~ have the opportunity to listen to it next to a Rega.

Meanwhile, I've become seriously tempted by the Rotel A14(MKII) - any thoughts?
It's a very good amp which is why I mentioned it, try to audition it alongside the Denon though.
 
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robdmarsh

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The Denon PMA-1600NE is available at a whooping 30% discount at the moment... Would you consider it superior to the ones I've mentioned?
Second yes. This amp is in another league to the ones you've mentioned though I haven't heard the Rega Brio.
30% discount?! What's it going for in Euros?

It doesn't stir anything in you, you say? I think it looks great, old school looking, but beautiful in silver!
 
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suburbansky

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Second yes. This amp is in another league to the ones you've mentioned though I haven't heard the Rega Brio.
30% discount?! What's it going for in Euros?

It doesn't stir anything in you, you say? I think it looks great, old school looking, but beautiful in silver!

I think the discount is merely a reflection of the recent massive loss of value of the Euro vis-a-vis the Swiss Franc (no Euros in Switzerland) - which is a nice touch, as most companies (audio or other) cannot be bothered to adjust their prices, resulting in an even higher number of people ordering stuff from Germany (or going there for actual shopping in bricks-and-mortar stores, as most Swiss population centres aren't far from the German border anyway), resulting in an accelerated dry-bleeding of the Swiss high streets. So thumbs up for Denon!

And as for your question: The discounted PMA-1600 costs the equivalent of £1200; it used to cost £1700.
 

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