Amplifier hell!

[matthewpiano]

How do I begin? You all know what is coming so I might as well just tell it straight.

I have parted company with the Denon PMA-510AE and exchanged it for another amplifier. I was listening to some orchestral discs today and it was all a big mess, much as our fellow forum member ear found when he tried the PMA-500AE. Tweaking cables, speaker positioning and even trying some of my other speakers didn't make it any better, and trying solo piano music made the instrument sound as though the piano had been chopped into 2 or 3 seperate parts. Just total confusion with barely even the outline of the music in view - very reminiscent of WHFS&V's review of the PMA-500AE.

So I've been back to Richers, very embarrassed indeed at my inability to settle on something and, to their credit again, they didn't bat an eyelid.

I've now tried so many budget amps that there really is nowhere new to go. I had a good long think about the times when I have most enjoyed the music, and my mind kept returning to NAD. OK, they aren't perfect, but it is the closest I am going to get for anything like sensible money. Consequently I now have on my rack, alongside my C545BEE CD player, another C326BEE. Contrary to what the sales guy said when I took the Denon home, it IS worth the extra over the PMA510AE and, in fact, I'd say it would be worth a lot more. It ENJOYS playing music with gusto and life and it organises everything well at the same time. It might add a little at the bass end but I've decided that is far preferable to something which sounds muddled and/or harsh at the top end - neither of which the NAD is ever guilty of.

I need to glue this one down. This is my 4th NAD. I've had two C325BEEs and this is my second C326BEE. Every time I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to them and then been made to feel restless by some daft notion that 'This is so good, I wonder if it could so even better'. Without spending a lot more money, it can't. I've set it up single-wired with the little Diamond 9.1s for now and I'm enjoying a Chopin Piano Concerto as we speak. At some point I'll try my other speakers but I have a feeling this is an ideal match for my needs.

jaxwired might actually be right about me. I think there is probably more to this than just 'hi-fi'.

 

[John Duncan]

matthewpiano:jaxwired might actually be right about me. I think there is probably more to this than just 'hi-fi'.

OCD?

 

[MattSPL]

Always loved Nad gear. Even the look of it.
My first new amp was a Nad 310.

 

[SonofSun]

Sounds to me like you don't really want budget equipment. If this one
doesn't work out, perhaps it is time to go for something "used"?
In
the meantime, good luck with the Nad.

 

[ear]

I think you shoulf try a Yamaha ax-397.with its bass , treble and loundess variation control(wich really tunes the mids) you can get an amazing sound.Ive heard lots of amps of many brands, certainly the budget ones...and I can say the Yamaha is the one that amazes me most.The hk3390 i have is also powerfull, but I think I prefer the Yamaha sound.I dont recall you having had HK or Yamaha before.Give it a try at a shop first , and be sure you fiddle with the loudness knob.You'll soon find this amp is very detailed,doesnt get confused, and can be tuned for mostly any system.

 

[nads]

Matthew sorry got to have a laugh here.

 

[matthewpiano]

Hi ear. Had a Yamaha A-S700. Very good but a bit flat sounding.

I'm sticking with NAD now mate, but I really appreciate your suggestions.

 

[ear]

actually i also dont liek the s500 s700 or s1000.

the 397 has the bite I Look for.the others sound a bit dull.

not logical i know.

 

[plastic penguin]

matthewpiano:Hi ear. Had a Yamaha A-S700. Very good but a bit flat sounding. I'm sticking with NAD now mate, but I really appreciate your suggestions.

Just have to except, Matthew, that the perfect system does NOT exist.

 

[crusaderlord]

heck im lost - i thought matthewpiano was back singing the praises of Cambridge Audio

what happened ?

 

[d_a_n1979]

I think you've done the right thing MP; the NAD's do gel very well indeed and to me, the NAD C326BEE and C545BEE CDP arent really 'entry level' seperates!

 

[matthewpiano]

crusaderlord:heck im lost - i thought matthewpiano was back singing the praises of Cambridge Audio

what happened ?

Poor quality volume pots that don't give good channel balance is what happened with the Cambridge stuff. Otherwise I might have stuck with it.

Actually, re-listening to some music on the NAD tonight that I was listening to on the Denon earlier, I'm convinced even the Denon's channel balance wasn't quite right at lower volumes. The NAD is much better.

 

[Sizzers]

Well as I posted elsewhere, this has to be the best (outlandish?) review I've ever read recommending a budget amp!

The first part is a serious dig at the NAD 3020 which I used to own in a previous life, but stick with it. And just to think Matthew recommended me the Denon! lol

Anyway, putting my cans on now........

http://hometheaterreview.com/nad-c315bee-stereo-integrated-amplifier-reviewed/

 

[matthewpiano]

Yeah, sorry Sizzers. Don't buy the Denon unless you can audition it first. I think I was trying hard to convince myself it was good.

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting reading and I hope you enjoy your new Nad system. What happened to your Mezzo 2's you had once before? Do you have any other speakers hidden away that are better than the 9.1's? What do the 751's sound like with the Nad's? Have you tried Dali?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Matt

You already have what i still believe to be a stunning amplifier - the Pioneer A-400. I would suggest that you look at unlocking the A-400's performance potential.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[plastic penguin]

MUSICRAFT:

Hi Matt

You already have what i still believe to be a stunning amplifier - the Pioneer A-400. I would suggest that you look at unlocking the A-400's performance potential.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Hi Rick

Could you suggest the best partners to unlock the Pioneer A-400? It's possible that Matthew is missing a trick here.

 

[matthewpiano]

Thanks for the input Rick. I'm quite sure you are absolutely right about the A400, but I'm not in the position to spend the appropriate kind of money. I really have to avoid getting caught up in a project like that right now.

I am looking at my future career options at present and need to focus on that for the time being, with the hi-fi providing an enjoyable listening experience when I get home of an evening.

Thanks.

 

[ear]

You have to stop analysing so much.you have a few good items at home.just stick with one, use tone levels a bit.be a day or 2 without hearing anything..a few days later put it on , and you will enjoy what you hear.

 

[Anonymous]

You may be trying too hard. I know that to get a better amp that I have now will mean that I have to pay through the proverbial so guess what? I'm not even thinking about changing it!!!

'Course, there are areas I am looking to improve - specifically through the purchase of a DAC to use in conjunction with the WDTV unit.

 

[the record spot]

I think you've just gone into obsessive/compulsive mode with this exercise. It's a mind-boggling roulette wheel of different combinations of kit except that at least with roulette, you have a 37/1 chance of getting the right number (boom, boom)!

I have no idea what to recommend, except to suggest that you will probably have to compromise - the recordings you listen to won't be uniformly excellent, some will have better sonics than others and you will undoubtedly have your preferences in terms of the kind of sound you like to hear.

When I was looking for my amp, I had already tried a few modern ones, found that they didn't really meet my needs soundwise and went vintage, hence the Sansui. What I couldn't do, was splash the cash on a Leema Pulse (my end goal) as it's £1200. So, I got a high end amp from the 1970s and it's worked a treat.

I think you probably need to stop, take a step back, reappraise your current position and wipe the slate clean but with a nod to what you know just now. Maybe you have to accept you won't get what you want from this level of amp (at this price level I mean) and you either need to look to a higher end used amp to meet your budget requirements, or you save up and audition a select bunch of shortlisted new amps.

It does seem you're hitting a near frantic rate in your search this past week or two though and I'm not sure that that's a good thing. It does seem to be taking up a lot from your life.

 

[matthewpiano]

the record spot:
It does seem you're hitting a near frantic rate in your search this past week or two though and I'm not sure that that's a good thing. It does seem to be taking up a lot from your life.

You are absolutely right. I've had a few days off this week which has given me the time to try the Cambridge and then the Denon properly and to realise the need to go back to what I'm comfortable with - NAD.

However, it has dominated my free time for far too long and I'm sat here quite bemused at the wasted effort of selling my original C326BEE and then ending up with another, identical amplifier after a couple of weeks of switching around.

I think I've been looking to the hi-fi to solve completely un-related concerns I have (which I won't go into here) and you are indeed right that I need to take a step back and reappraise things.

 

[ear]

I find Nad's bass tyring.

 

[Anonymous]

MP - how many items of kit do you have that aren't being used? It sounds like you have about 6 items lying around - wouldn't it be better selling the lot and investing in only 3 items you really want?

 

[plastic penguin]

matthewpiano:the record spot: It does seem you're hitting a near frantic rate in your search this past week or two though and I'm not sure that that's a good thing. It does seem to be taking up a lot from your life. You are absolutely right. I've had a few days off this week which has given me the time to try the Cambridge and then the Denon properly and to realise the need to go back to what I'm comfortable with - NAD. However, it has dominated my free time for far too long and I'm sat here quite bemused at the wasted effort of selling my original C326BEE and then ending up with another, identical amplifier after a couple of weeks of switching around. I think I've been looking to the hi-fi to solve completely un-related concerns I have (which I won't go into here) and you are indeed right that I need to take a step back and reappraise things.

Don't reappraise the situation - just sit back and enjoy the Nad. The only people you're making happy is the retailers, while causing yourself more misery....