budget separates any improvement on my current system>?

[audioaddict]

just wondered if a budget amp/cd player would be much of an improvement over my current set up.....hankering for more power if i,m honest though still love the sound.....i thought maybe a yamaha as 500/cd 300 or a nad pairing which can be had for 500 odd.........any ideas guys ?

 

[ID.]

The CM1s are rather power hungry. I've not heard the Yamaha amp as it wasn't released in Japan, but it is reputed to be rather powerful, so I'd imagine it should get more from the CM1s. Reputed to be a little bright.

 

[matthewpiano]

NAD C356BEE would be a good buy, or a similar amp used. Plenty of meat for those CM1s.

 

[plastic penguin]

You can get more powerful amps than the Marantz 603, but as they are reputed to power PMC GB1is I'm not how much better they'll be. And, of course, you won't obv have the flexibility.

 

[Al ears]

By budget seperates I assumed you meant new equipment. I feel you'd be a lot better off going second-hand.

If so I would consider an Arcam pairing with those speakers (Arcam FMJ-A18 + a CD player)

This should give a significant improvement and certainly one worth spending +/- £500 on (plus it has a phono stage so you could sell on your Project one).

Note this is my opinion only and only you, in reality, can determine if it is a £500 improvement.

 

[ID.]

You can get more powerful amps than the Marantz 603, but as they are reputed to power PMC GB1is I'm not how much better they'll be. And, of course, you won't obv have the flexibility.

Having played around with the CM1s and a few budget amps, including the 603, higher specced amps will get a bit more power out of them. I thought the CM1s worked well with the 603, but for a relatively small room. Not really for blasting. They sounded a good deal more potent at higher volumes when I tested them with the PM8003 and my own RZ-1, as well as a cheaper amp I was considering at the time. In the end they are small speakers and are limited by the size of the box and drivers. For example, when I was first setting up my system I was deciding between the 685s and CM1s and in the end went with the 685s for the additional power and scale, even though the CM1s were a bit more sophisticated.

There's always the option of adding an active sub to make it a 2.1 system. It can be used subtly to add body to the music, plus it can work to take a bit of strain off 603 by not having it do the heavy lifting with lower bass frequencies.

 

[Vladimir]

The biggest improvement I got with my CM1s was not a bigger amp but buying their matching stands B&W FS-700/CM. I screwed them tightly to the stands, filled the stands with sand, put them on spikes, added half a packaging of fluffed up cotton split between both speakers to reduce the midbass hump.

I have a Roksan Kandy K2 BT to drive them.

 

[audioaddict]

thanks guys something to think about....i.m not sure more power was the best word to use. i mean my last system were 125 watt monoblocs which drove my cm1s all day long but the sound on a long term basis just drove me nuts............like i said the sound i have now is lovely and can listen all day, which i guess in a sense is more important than more power................maybe i meant a broader deeper soundstage with a tad more bite rather than power

 

[audioaddict]

talking of second hand...........is the arcam alpha 10 still a good buy ?

 

[chebby]

thanks guys something to think about....i.m not sure more power was the best word to use. i mean my last system were 125 watt monoblocs which drove my cm1s all day long but the sound on a long term basis just drove me nuts............like i said the sound i have now is lovely and can listen all day, which i guess in a sense is more important than more power................maybe i meant a broader deeper soundstage with a tad more bite rather than power

That's where I still am after three & and a half years with my M-CR603. It's all just right . That contentment is not something i've experienced since my 1996 - 2007 system.

I won't be bothering with another upgrade until I can afford something significantly better. Whatever that will be, I envisage having to spend at least £2K to make it a genuine upgrade rather than a 'tweak' or sideways change just for the sake of buying something a bit different.

 

[rainsoothe]

hi

Prior to my current system (Naim Dac V1, Supernait 2 and Martin Logan Motion 40) I used to run Rotel RA1520 into B&W CM5. I was supposed to sell them a while ago, but out of lazyness I never got to put them on the bay, so they were still sitting in their boxes where they have been for most of this year. Now: my girlfriend is out of town, and because I'm in sort of a financial crysis and want to get a turntable setup + some acoustic treatment at the same time, I've been wondering if I could get away with selling the more expensive system, and just keep the Dac and run it as a preamp into the Rotel + B&W. So I'm doing all the combinations (I won't give a detailed review, but just a brief impression). Also, I haven't listened to the SN2 before this for almost a week now, since I blasted some Opeth through my headphones - not necessarily neighbour friendly to do this with Naim.

1. First I Replaced the SN with the Rotel. The Martin Logans are 4 ohm, but they are 92db sensitivity so they're pretty easy to drive. The sound was musical and enjoyable, but 2 important things were lost imo: one was low end texture (and some control, maybe because of the impedance, I don't know) and the second was that the soundstage lost almost all it's depth at the beginning. After keeping the amp running for 1 night, it became a bit better, but only by a small margin. Also, at times, the highs were a bit too crisp. Not necessarily harsh, but they were grabbing my attention too much at times.

2. I placed the B&W CM5 instead of the Martin Logans. Now this might be weird, but in my small 4x4m room, these actually sounded better with the Rotel. The bass was a bit fuller (and yes, I know it's a trick the B&Ws do), the highs were smoother and the overall sound was a bit more balanced, even though it lost some of it's openness - the music is like an organised solid block of sound. I knew Rotel + B&W was a combo that just worked, but now I got to check it patiently in my own space in my own time.

3. Now I'm at the B&W CM5 + Supernait 2 step. From the first few notes, the smile reappeared on my face. I know some people think Naim and B&W make bad partners, but I'm not going to be one of them. Maybe other models, but these two - nuh-uh. Now don't get me wrong, the Rotel is ok I guess for it's price (i liked it a lot), but boy what a difference the SN makes (and it should, at 3.5 times the price). The low end is controlled and sounds like instruments instead of just notes (in some circumstances) again. And... well basically it just brings magic to the table. The sound is smooth and warm but detailed. Actually this might benefit a slightly less warm speaker cable then my Audioquest Type 4, but it's not bothersome at all. With the music I tested it, there was almost never a moment I felt like something was missing. Yes, of course the soundstage will be smaller then a 3way floorstander, but for my room and music and tastes, the current setup just sounds like... well, MUSIC!

Now. Obviously the SN2 isn't what you're looking for (budget-wise), but my point was to confirm what I read recently about B&W speakers (forget who it was that said it, sorry): B&W speakers like current. I'm not tech savvy, but people who are say Naim amps have a lot of current, so I guess that's what's driving my CM5 soo good. So maybe test a Naim 5si if it fits your budget - or look at secondhand market if you audition the combo at a dealer and you like it.

 

[audioaddict]

i think i agree with chebby because we both seem in the same place............ie content until a major worthwhile upgrade is possible rather than a sidestepping tweak..........i.d still like a naim uniti or maybe higher end ( if spending anymore is worth it) so maybe i will stay contented right now and not worry about another all power all numbers system........thanks chebby for putting that into perspective and thanks guys for all the input

 

[rainsoothe]

if it's not baroque, don't fix it!

 

[nopiano]

if it's not baroque, don't fix it!

. A classic quote. You rock!

 

[Al ears]

if it's not baroque, don't fix it!

And if it is baroque swiftly change the channel.

 

[rainsoothe]

if it's not baroque, don't fix it!

. A classic quote. You rock!

*blushes* - thank you