Budget amp upgrade

[admin_exported]

I'm planning on upgrading my amp soon with a new budget model. Can anyone recommend a good one that might go with my CA 340C and the Dali's? The Denon is slightly lacking in power but i can't grumble as it's pretty good. I'm not sure I want a CA amp as I think as a whole the system could be too bright. Any ideas? What about the NAD C326BEE? Has anyone tried this amp with a CA CD player? Are there many NAD C326BEE owners out there that can recommend this amp or are there better models for a similar price?

Thanks for any help

 

[plastic penguin]

Your guess about it being too bright is correct imo. The Dalis need a gutsy amp and this also help to counteract the slightly flirty sound to the Cambridge. The problem is the 340 is (or was) the entry-level model. Although you desire more power (I think) it's the CDP that could be the achilles heel to the system.

The Nad is a really good amp, however, I would be tempted to go s/hand and buy something like Arcam. If you look at something like A65 Plus or Alpha 8 that would add texture to your sound and you'll probably have money to replace the Cambridge at a later date.

 

[johnnyblue]

I've recently changed from partnering my ca640c with a nad 314 amp to the 640a.My speakers are acoustic energy evo 3 floorstanders. The sound is definitely more detailed with the 640a - I'm hearing instruments at the top end cymbals,tambourines, guitars etc, that i've never heard before.Unfortunately, it is also brighter than the nad with some cds, mostly stuff from the Sixties/early seventies, which have been remastered too brightly.These cds are all okay at 'normal' volumes but very bright at high volume. However, the difference is that on the same cds the nad was harsher at high volumes.Personally, now that I've got used to the different sound I do prefer the ca for its clarity and detail and i've realised that the vast majority of my cds do sound better with it.In it's defence the Nad was 13 years old and the ca technology is only about 5 years old.

 

[drummerman]

Inter 84:
I'm planning on upgrading my amp soon with a new budget model. Can anyone recommend a good one that might go with my CA 340C and the Dali's? The Denon is slightly lacking in power but i can't grumble as it's pretty good. I'm not sure I want a CA amp as I think as a whole the system could be too bright. Any ideas? What about the NAD C326BEE? Has anyone tried this amp with a CA CD player? Are there many NAD C326BEE owners out there that can recommend this amp or are there better models for a similar price?

Thanks for any help

Try a few different ones before committing but if you like Denon's 'house sound' I'd suggest a PMA355UK. Sound wise it's better than Arcams A28 and only a smidgen off the 38 with better rythm/timing but slightly less resolution at the top. Keeping it sensible only Naims XS will make me change mine which I got purely by accident as a stop gap which worked out semi-permanent by now. Of all the other amplifiers I tried none are better by a margin significant enough to justify the huge price differences.

 

[plastic penguin]

drummerman:Inter 84:

I'm planning on upgrading my amp soon with a new budget model. Can anyone recommend a good one that might go with my CA 340C and the Dali's? The Denon is slightly lacking in power but i can't grumble as it's pretty good. I'm not sure I want a CA amp as I think as a whole the system could be too bright. Any ideas? What about the NAD C326BEE? Has anyone tried this amp with a CA CD player? Are there many NAD C326BEE owners out there that can recommend this amp or are there better models for a similar price?

Thanks for any help

Try a few different ones before committing but if you like Denon's 'house sound' I'd suggest a PMA355UK. Sound wise it's better than Arcams A28 and only a smidgen off the 38 with better rythm/timing but slightly less resolution at the top. Keeping it sensible only Naims XS will make me change mine which I got purely by accident as a stop gap which worked out semi-permanent by now. Of all the other amplifiers I tried none are better by a margin significant enough to justify the huge price differences.

The Arcams are excellent if like long listening sessions. I have mine on for more than 10 hours most days. For an instant fix then, yeah, go for another brand.

 

[johnnyblue]

"The Arcams are excellent if like long listening sessions. I have mine on for more than 10 hours most days. For an instant fix then, yeah, go for another brand."

I play music for 7 or 8 hours a day pretty much every day. I've owned denon,nad and ca amps and i can't say that i ever felt any of them were only good for a "quick fix". Can't say I've ever heard an Arcam thoug. Don't posters on here reckon they're very relaxed - like trousers with elasticated waistbands?

 

[matthewpiano]

Arcam amps are excellent but they can lack a little life at times. I've had an A65+ (very good) and an A70 (not as good), and I've also had an Alpha 8. I wouldn't swap my current NAD C326BEE for any of them because it combines the organic nature of the Arcam sound with that extra bit of punch and rhythmic articulation.

More to the point I have tried my Cambridge 340C with the NAD and it sounds pretty decent, but it is a long long way behind the NAD C545BEE CD player that I use now. I've also tried using the 340C as a transport with my MF V-DAC through the C326BEE and this sounded much closer, but still not quite on a par with the NAD CD player.

In short, the NAD deserves a better source than the 340C and I think you would find yourself wanting to either add an external DAC to the Cambridge or upgrade to the C545BEE to match the amp.

Incidentally, the NAD amp will work very well with your Dali speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies! I may possibly search for a Denon 355UK as I should't think they would be too much money. I'd also been considering the NAD C352 but there are not many about these days. Would the C352 be far to powerfull for my speakers?

I'm also interested to try the NAD C326 and maybe I could get a DAC for my CA340C, such as the MF (with new power supply) or DacMagic. I'm reluctant to change the cd player yet as I have 5 year warranty for it.

I'm thinking I may have to spend quite a bit to get a decent Arcam as they still go for fairly high price second hand.

 

[plastic penguin]

Inter 84:

Thanks for the replies! I may possibly search for a Denon 355UK as I should't think they would be too much money. I'd also been considering the NAD C352 but there are not many about these days. Would the C352 be far to powerfull for my speakers?

I'm also interested to try the NAD C326 and maybe I could get a DAC for my CA340C, such as the MF (with new power supply) or DacMagic. I'm reluctant to change the cd player yet as I have 5 year warranty for it.

I'm thinking I may have to spend quite a bit to get a decent Arcam as they still go for fairly high price second hand.

No, the Nad 352 is 80 watts per channel, if memory serves me right, and the Dalis are 100 watts. The 352, incidentally, is a brilliant amp. I tested one when auditioning for a new amp and, like Matthew says, the Nad punch was deeper than my Arcam and the treble was a little stronger. I settled for the Arcam because, to my ears, sounded slightly more balanced and had smoother mid-range*.

*I tested the 352 alongside Rotel RA-02 and Arcam A65 with my old Wharfedale speakers and not Monitor Audio.

 

[Anonymous]

here is a reasonably good setup on ebay ... A modified Tom Evans Pioneer A300R amp, with the modified Tom Evans Pioneer PD-S505 cd player and a pair of speakers with stands

The seller has mis-spelt the title (he has Pinoneer instead of Pioneer) ... so he may not get many views on ebay

I recently bought a 300R precision which I have given to my youngest son and can say that it is very good ... this one is the stage 1 mod ... Tom Evans will still upgrade these to the stage 4 mod ... not many of these around and I waited a long time for one

The cdp is also very good .... not sure about the speakers though ...

seller has a buy it now of £599.99 ... but is open to offers ... could be worth investigating further, and could be a bargain at approx £400-£450 .... comes with interconnect and speaker cables

If I were on the market, I would offer £400, then try settle the deal at approx £450-£470 ... but would not use the 'make an offer' function, I would contact the seller via the message function ... would be good to audition this setup ...

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Dim_spam for the idea. At the moment I'm not keen on the idea of swapping everything over, just my amp. Anyway, the max I would offer for that system would be about £200 not £600. Maybe the speakers are better than I give them credit for? For second hand equipment it would have to be pretty impressive for that amount and there is no warranty so could break tomorrow.

Anyway, I've thought of another possible condidate. What about thePM Marantz 7003? Would that suit the Dali's?

 

[Anonymous]

no probs Inter 84 .... good luck with your quest and keep us updated!