CA 351a v 640a

[swlivesley]

Hey all.

I was thinking of upgrading my system from the CA A5 amp to a 351a once some money comes through. However, I just found a CA 640a online for £110. What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ear]

Between those 2 I'd go for the CA 550 A

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi,

CA did a version 2 of the 640 series I think. Do you need a DAC as the 351a has one so might be worth it? The 640a has more power on paper but I would be tempted by a new 351a with warranty over a second hand 640a which might have issues. Another point to mention is if you like to listen at high volumes or you have speakers which are difficult to drive always try to go for a more powerful amp. The Cambridge Audio 3 series is very good according to the reviews. I would be happy with the 351a.

Alternatively try the Pioneer A30 - very good indeed, especially now as the price is low.

 

[Cypher]

Like Blackdawn said...........try the Pioneer A-30 amp. You can get it for a very nice price these days and in my humble opinion it is the best budget amp you can buy right now. It's such a balanced sound and the sound never gets boring.

 

[Leeps]

I'm not familiar with the 351a, but I used to have the 640a which was a giant-killer in my opinion. Very detailed, well-controlled, fast and tight bass. I bought it in 2004 and a friend bought it off me a year or so ago and it's still going strong. I still have the 640C CD player, which has also never missed a beat, although in terms of outright audio performance, I would say that the amp was stronger than the CD which can sound a little brittle with certain recordings. The other sources I used (Bluray, TV, DAB tuner) tended to sound a little better with the amp than the CD.

The 640A can shine with speakers costing much more than its original price would indicate, but depending on the source chosen, I would endeavour to partner slightly warmer sounding speakers with it to balance the system nicely. So the 640A could take a few upgrades to source components and speakers before it's out of its depth.

 

[swlivesley]

Ah nice one guys.

I have some CA S30's at the moment, which are quite nice, and will go well with the 351a. I may upgrade them to Q Acoustic 2020i's - what do you think about either speakers with the Pioneer amp? And the 351a? Honestly, the DAC in the 351a sounds good. And I love CA build quality.

 

[swlivesley]

What speakers would you recommend with the Pioneer?

 

[Blackdawn]

Dali Speakers - any models. My Boston Acoustics A26 also sound good with this amp. If you like Cambridge Audio and your speakers are then why not go for the CA amp? Can you go to Richersounds and listen to the 351a with some different speakers -see which one you prefer.

If you want to save money go for the Pioneer A30, Denon PMA720AE..

 

[radiorog]

The 351a is a brilliant amp. If I didn't have my rega, I would have either the 351a or the NAD 326.the ca was very impressive....lovely sound