Anyone tried this?

[admin_exported]

Was wondering what (if any) benefits i would get out of adding a power amp to my setup and using the A85 i have now as a pre-amp. Adding a power amp to bi-amp an arcam setup seems to be widely considered as a good upgrade but i can't seem to find any opinions on using them as a pre/power combo.

Has anyone tried this? Reason being, my speakers aren't bi-wireable but like the the idea of improving my sound without changing my amp completely.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Dan Turner]

On the assumption that you are thinking of getting a matching P85, I would say that it will probably be better, but not by much, probably not enough to be worth it, although that depends on how much you spend and how big you feel the improvement is.

The power amp section of the P85 is identical to that in the A85, so all you will have done is separate it physically from the pre-amp and introduce dedicated power supplies for each. Bound to have benefits, but as I say, you are still fundamentally using the same pre amp and the same power amp.

Of course you could always go for a bigger, better power amp and see a greater benefit. But then if you generally feel that you need an upgrade in the amp dept, you might be best off saving up and getting a better integrated, or matched pre/power combo. Of course depends on your source and speakers too