Can you suggest an amp upgrade from Arcam A65+ please?

[admin_exported]

Hi this is my first post so be kind!

I currently own an Arcam A65+, Arcam CD 82, and B&W 602 S3 speakers. Recently, I decided to upgrade my speakers after one of themn met with an accident. One of the 602's got knocked off the stand by the cat, putting a hole through the bass cone! Anyway, due to a decision to move my hifi into the front room, the wife wants speakers that look rather nicer than the 602's, so I set out on a mission to buy new floorstanding speakers.

After a morning spent at sevenoaks listening to Quad, Kef and B&W's, I found the sound of the Monitor Audio RS 6's were most appealling. They are certainly very nice looking speakers too, which the wife has approved. I therefore settled on these as my next upgrade. I haven't purchased them yet however, as I haven't completed the redecoration of my front room and I am hoping to pick up a secondhand or ex demo pair for cheap.

Now, I hadn't tried my existing set up in the new larger room until last week. Doing so, surprised me somewhat. Firstly, the system sounded increadible compared with the smaller room it had been set up in. Giving the 602's some space to breath had completly changed their sound. The highs were clearer, there was far more detail, the midrange was less muddy and the bass was much tighter. (All this with a hole in the bass cone too!) The downside however, was the amp. Although I love the sound of the A65+, it seemed gutless in the large room. The volume had to be cranked pretty high at wich point it starts to loose composure. Ummm?

So, I am looking for an amp upgrade that will cost me about £500, has a similar sound to the A65+ and is well suited to the MA RS6's, which I will be purchasing very soon. I don't mind buying something second hand so the money goes further. The room is aprox 5x5m with a listening postion aprox 3m from the speakers.

I was considering the Arcam A85 (second hand) however all reviews tend to state this amp doesn't have the traditional arcam sound, which makes me rather uncertain.

Other options include the Arcam A32 (On sale for £699) More than I wanted to spend, but I am sure great value for money. Again, I haven't heard this amp. The final thought was with the Creek Evolution. Again not heard, but from reading others comments on this amp, maybe what I am looking for.

Any advice and sugestions most welcome! (Sorry for such a long thread)

 

[John Duncan]

£500 will buy you an awful lot of amplifier second hand, and as a Primare fanboy it's difficult not to suggest the i21 - which you'll certainly get for that money - or even an older a30.1, which you'd get for £500 with a bit of patience, and which is one of the great amps...........

 

[Anonymous]

John,

Will the primare be well suited to MA rs 6's without sounding harsh or bright. I am looking for a sweet, fluid detailed sound without any harshness? My music tastes are varied, from clasical to death metal, but play a lot of female vocal (Tori Amos) and acoustic type music. (Might be useful to know)

 

[Anonymous]

So someone shares the same taste in music as I do!!! you'll be telling me you listen to Nanci Griffith next 😉

I've just got a Marantz PM7001 KI Sig and it's a great amp if you like something punchy that still turns out the very best from shrill vocals.

If you're buying secondhand, you could look out for bargains like it's big brothers and sisters.

for now, I'm happy with the 7001 KI.

 

[John Duncan]

Well I found the RS6's brash with some amps (Cyrus come to mind), but generally the Primare has been described as 'smooth' - certainly my A20 (admittedly with soft-domed PMCs) can be described as such, and is absolutely lovely with the kind of material you mention - Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin, Kate Bush and Damien Rice all sound fantastic, as well as sounding great with Rush (not quite death metal, but the closest I get).

 

[fr0g]

I would personally see if any of the bargain FMJ A32 were still available... Arcam and MA = sweet music IMO.

 

[plastic penguin]

Snap!! If you like the presentation of Arcam & RS6 combi ( I certainly do), and if you're looking to upgrade the A65+ (like I am) have you thought about bi-amping a power amp? Get them cheap enough on ebay.

 

[drummerman]

At around 1k for amplifier and speakers, if I understand you correctly, I would without hesitation consider AVI's ADM9's (soon in revised and, apparently, even better form). You will simply not be able to purchase anything even approaching the quality of these for that money imo.

 

[Big Chris]

Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. What about keeping the A65+ and getting a power amp? P90 perhaps?

 

[plastic penguin]

[quote user="Big Chris"]Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. What about keeping the A65+ and getting a power amp? P90 perhaps?[/quote]

I actually suggested that earlier. I think if your smitten with the Arcam sound than it seems the most logical upgrade. And it will save you a few bob to boot.

Even though I like some of Arcam's older stuff, I believe the newer DIVA incarnations lack presence, so personally, I would avoid A70, A90 and the new FMJ's.

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, what a great response!

Aerodaster, yes similar taste in music, Nancy Griffith is cool too! I also love Sarah Mclachlan, Cat Power and a host of others. From what I read, I am not sure if Marantz and MA are a going to sound a little bright together, but certainly worth a demo.

John, Primare is sounding interesting. PMC speakers had been sugested to me by others, but I guess I would be looking for the size of my room, at the FB1+ as minimum, or OB1's which are both just out of my price range. I here many Arcam owners raving about PMC however.

frOg, A32 looks like a bargain, but no local retailers stock this amp, so would be buying blind. Certainly seems a bargain at £699 though.

Plastic penguin and Big Chris, Bi amping did cross my mind, but are the A65+ internals really up to the job as working as pre amp? Also, it means another box to accomodate (Wife might object) It would be interesting to here from others who have gone this route with the A65. How big was the improvements in power and scale?

Drummerman, I know very little of these AVI's you speak. I am assuming these do away with an amp as they are active speakers? How can these be better than having a sepaerate amp? I am not convinced, but will do a little research to find out more!

Thanks guys for all your posts.

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="Blueorb"]Drummerman, I know very little of these AVI's you speak. I am assuming these do away with an amp as they are active speakers? How can these be better than having a sepaerate amp? I am not convinced, but will do a little research to find out more![/quote]

Understand your scepticism and they are an unusual product. However, its an awesome speaker system but I let darren or ashley james of AVI give you the run-down on why they are a must listen in your and indeed above your price category.

For a more conventional set up, though a relatively unusual speaker choice, consider cyrus's 8vs2 ex/dem and Rega's R3. A punchy, dynamic, open and extremely detailed duo coming in at or just above your budget.

 

[Anonymous]

The AVIs mentioned will walk all over the Arcam/B&W and probably cost less!

 

[chebby]

...

 

[JoelSim]

You could get a really good A85/P85 combo and biamp, on eBay. I can heartily recommend it.

 

[JoelSim]

You may also find that your current speakers are too small for your room and hence when you get the MAs it will make a large difference.

 

[Big Chris]

[quote user="JoelSim"]You may also find that your current speakers are too small for your room and hence when you get the MAs it will make a large difference.[/quote]

It's not often you hear the words "602" and "Too small" in the same sentence.

;-)

 

[Big Chris]

[quote user="plastic penguin"][quote user="Big Chris"]Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. What about keeping the A65+ and getting a power amp? P90 perhaps?[/quote]

I actually suggested that earlier. I think if your smitten with the Arcam sound than it seems the most logical upgrade. And it will save you a few bob to boot.

Even though I like some of Arcam's older stuff, I believe the newer DIVA incarnations lack presence, so personally, I would avoid A70, A90 and the new FMJ's.[/quote]

So you did.....................My humblest appologies............

 

[plastic penguin]

Big Chris:plastic penguin:Big Chris:Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. What about keeping the A65+ and getting a power amp? P90 perhaps?

I actually suggested that earlier. I think if your smitten with the Arcam sound than it seems the most logical upgrade. And it will save you a few bob to boot.

Even though I like some of Arcam's older stuff, I believe the newer DIVA incarnations lack presence, so personally, I would avoid A70, A90 and the new FMJ's.

So you did.....................My humblest appologies............

No probs Big Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Would the A65+ with a power amp be a worth while upgrade then, or would I be better stretching to something else, e.g Primare or Arcam a85?

One other thing, am I better off holding off with the MA RS6's until I have a new amp, then pair new speakers up with that?

I don't want to finish up with a system that doesn't sound good together. The system must be able to play all genres of music that sound rich but very detailed.

Advice greatly appreciated!

 

[JoelSim]

Blueorb:
Would the A65+ with a power amp be a worth while upgrade then, or would I be better stretching to something else, e.g Primare or Arcam a85?

One other thing, am I better off holding off with the MA RS6's until I have a new amp, then pair new speakers up with that?

I don't want to finish up with a system that doesn't sound good together. The system must be able to play all genres of music that sound rich but very detailed.

Advice greatly appreciated!

Biamping will give you a cleaner, more detailed, more atmospheric sound but it won't do what it says on the tin. By that I mean you won't see that much increase in power by adding a power amp, it will just clean the signal and give a more rounded sound.