I'm hoping to buy a budget system of separates for classical music in the coming year. By classical I mean the whole spectrum - from plainsong (Tallis/Palestrina), solo instrumental music (Bach's unaccompanied piano, cello works), orchestral (the might of Bruckner), and opera (Mozart/Wagner).
I thought I would ask about different amps/CD players regarding brightness/warmth, etc. I am looking to spend around £500-600 on amp/CD player.
My present system is a Denon microsystem M-38 but I'd be happy to try a new 'sound': I've been reading up on NAD amps (316/326BEE) and CD players (516BEE), and the Marantz PM6005/CD6005. I've heard that Yamaha are quite bright sounding, so even tho' the Yamaha AS500 is a bargain, perhaps I should steer clear of this?
As for speakers, I have just bought a pair of Dali Zensor 1s and will use these initially but may upgrade these to Zensor 3s or something in a higher price range: Q Acoustics 2050i, Focal Aria 906, but that's a long way off.
At present, I would just like some advice about the sound of integrated amplifiers and CD players with classical music on a budget of £500-600.
I should add that, aside of CDs, some music will come via a Fiio X3, which has an in-built DAC and can handle hi-res audio files, so an amp with a coaxial input would be useful, too.
Any food for thought appreciated.
I thought I would ask about different amps/CD players regarding brightness/warmth, etc. I am looking to spend around £500-600 on amp/CD player.
My present system is a Denon microsystem M-38 but I'd be happy to try a new 'sound': I've been reading up on NAD amps (316/326BEE) and CD players (516BEE), and the Marantz PM6005/CD6005. I've heard that Yamaha are quite bright sounding, so even tho' the Yamaha AS500 is a bargain, perhaps I should steer clear of this?
As for speakers, I have just bought a pair of Dali Zensor 1s and will use these initially but may upgrade these to Zensor 3s or something in a higher price range: Q Acoustics 2050i, Focal Aria 906, but that's a long way off.
At present, I would just like some advice about the sound of integrated amplifiers and CD players with classical music on a budget of £500-600.
I should add that, aside of CDs, some music will come via a Fiio X3, which has an in-built DAC and can handle hi-res audio files, so an amp with a coaxial input would be useful, too.
Any food for thought appreciated.