DALI Ikon 6 speakers purchased! Next step: which amplifier?

[admin_exported]

Hi guys

Following your advice, research and listening to lots and lots of speakers, I am a very proud owner of DALI Ikon 6 floorstanders. I am building my first hi-fi system from scratch and decided to start with the speakers.

I tried out MA RX6 (too compressed/not enough separation), MA GS20 (too small soundstage), Spendor A5 (too dark - too much in the low mids), Epos M22i (too bright), Quads (just... average), B&W CM7 (loose bass), B&W 683 (even looser bass) and the Dali's were by far and away the best sounding-speaker. I just couldn't get enough of the huge, raw, clear and wide sound of the DALI's. That comes with the proviso that seem highly tempramental, so I have to choose the amplifier & CD player very carefully.

The main issue with the DALI's seems to be that they need an amplifier that is very articulate and clean, but that has a warm and musical bass. The only complaint against the Ikon 6's is that the frequency range where the fundamental notes of the bass instruments are seems a bit muted... you can feel but not hear the actual notes. Hence I really need an amplifier (/cd player combo) that will add a bit more OOMPH to the bass, to really bring the bass NOTES forward.

I tried the DALI's with Primaire i30, which had lovely detail and separation, but did not push the bass enough. Musical Fidelity M6 (wildly outside of my budget!) gave the DALI's an excellent bass response - exactly what I was looking for, but did not have enough clarity and separation across the rest of the range.

My only other experiences with amps were with Roksan Kandy K2, which seemed a little too forward in its approach, and with Creek Destiny (again slightly outside my price range) - but it was an excellent piece of gear...

So, what amp would you recommend to pair with the Ikon 6's, specifically bearing in mind that I want the amp to dial in some more musical/warm bass, but still have a lot of articulation & separation of instruments and musical clarity?

(I listen to progressive rock/metal/classical/jazz/fusion)

Budget: £800 MAX (for integrated amp alone) or £1400 MAX (for CD & amp) - happy to consider ex-demo / used gear...

Once I find the right amp, I will look for CD player & turntable to pair with it - however if you know a combo that would work well, please suggest!

Many thanks guys

Roman

 

[JoelSim]

They work incredibly well with Arcam CD & amp. Superb midrange, good bass and detailed treble. The Dali's can get a little bright if partnered incorrectly, so avoid Cyrus, Roksan, Cambridge Audio.

Also fire them down the room rather than toed in.

Look 2nd hadn or ex demo for the Arcam amps, an A32 or A38 would be best.

 

[plastic penguin]

Arcam all the way....

 

[Craig M.]

moon (sim audio) would probably work well, too.

 

[RCduck7]

Dali needs a warm sounding amplifier, i heard to much emphasis on the highs for that speaker to just choose an amp randomly. NAD recommends Dali speakers, so this can be an option.

 

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention that I auditioned the Dali speakers with Arcam A18 and CD17, and that combination didn't produce enough bass or clarity for me. Would A32 or A38 be much of an improvement?

What about Creek/Naim/Rega products? I'm tempted by a Creek Classic 5350SE which is supposed to be a very warm and detailed amp...

Thanks!

Roman

 

[d_a_n1979]

Hello

As above really; I'd agree with the Arcam FMJ A32 integrated or the A38 integrated amps. At a later date they could be matched with the power amp as well to give you a fuller, more controlled soundstage.

Steves Hifi currently have a good condition Arcam A32 in:

http://www.steveshifi.co.uk/used-hifi-amplifiers-1.html

Naim wont go with Dali IMO; too bright and forward at the top end and not enough gusto to drive the Dali's to their potention.

I do think that the NAD C355BEE integrated would work well as would the NAD C165 pre and C275 power amp combo

 

[ear]

id suggest Harman kardon for this.

 

[Anonymous]

d_a_n1979:Hello

As above really; I'd agree with the Arcam FMJ A32 integrated or the A38 integrated amps. At a later date they could be matched with the power amp as well to give you a fuller, more controlled soundstage.

Steves Hifi currently have a good condition Arcam A32 in:

http://www.steveshifi.co.uk/used-hifi-amplifiers-1.html

Naim wont go with Dali IMO; too bright and forward at the top end and not enough gusto to drive the Dali's to their potention.

I do think that the NAD C355BEE integrated would work well as would the NAD C165 pre and C275 power amp combo

hi guys

today i auditioned my Ikon 6's with Arcam A38 / CD37 and A18/CD17 combinations and i'm afraid it didn't cut it for me - quite literally. Yes, the Arcam got a fat, full-sounding bass out of the DALI's, however the clarity was lacking - the whole thing just lacked excitement. It was very smooth, but too smooth, and the bass was actually overpowering at times, with the treble sparkle missing. The midrange didn't open up as much as I'd hoped, either. So, unfortunately, i have to completely agree with the WHF review of the A38.... shame. I really did try to like the A38, as well....

In the same session, I listened once again to the Primaire cd31 and i31, and whilst I loved the clarity of the sound, it felt it was a little too clinical and lacked the bottom end with my speakers. Too precise..

I think the Arcam sound is a decent match with the DALI's, but it's not what I'm looking for. Similarly for Primaire - good combination with the DALI's but not what I'm after.

Somehow I need to combine the accuracy & detail of Primaire with the warmth and musical bass of the Arcam. The sound should come alive - but not too much, so cd/amp shouldn't be excessively bright. Could do with being a little bit more raw and loose than the Primaire.... Does such a beast exist???

Thanks

Roman

 

[Anonymous]

I would recomend that you try a NAD amp.

 

[matthewpiano]

NAD. Try the C355BEE and the C375BEE.

Also would be well worth trying the Denon PMA-1500AE (if you can find an end-of-line one at a good price) or the new PMA1510AE. Well built amp with a detailed but full sound.

Finally, give the stunning Sugden Mystro an audition.

 

[d_a_n1979]

I agree with the NAD choice; the C355BEE has plenty of welly and will drive the Dali's very well indeed IMO.

That compbined with the NAD C545BEE CDP or possibly a Rega Apollo CDP and I dont think you could go far wrong...

 

[Anonymous]

a few weeks ago i tried NAD C355BEE with Epos M22i and i wasn't too impressed - it sounded a bit muffled and without any tone control adjustments it sounded fairly lifeless. I'll see if I can try the NAD amps with my speakers but I don't think it will be it either.

best amp I've heard so far is the Creek Destiny so my hands are itching to try the Ikon 6's with some Creek stuff (classic 5350se looks good also)... What do you guys think of Creek / Dali combination? Any potential there?

Other than that I've started looking into tube amps - Puresound A30 looks interesting - does anyone have any experience with using it with Dali's for rock/metal?

thanks

Roman

 

[d_a_n1979]

Are you sure it was a NAD as it does have tone contols as well as balance control?

I've heard Epos before with NAD and have to agree that they're not the best combo.

I'd highly recommend the NAD C165 pre and the C275 power combo but I do stick to what I said above; I think you'd find the Arcam FMJ A32 integrated hell of a lot better than the current A38!

Even the Arcam DiVA A85 integrated would be a superb choice and more so if partnered with the P85 or possibly the P90 power amp either now or at a later date

 

[Anonymous]

You any good with a soldering iron?

Home made amplifiers, particularly when you follow someone else's tried and tested design, always sound better than commercial gear of similar cost. The setbacks are mainly time-based, but there's also the problem of getting the PCBs and case made.

Post if you're interested, I'll send some links

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Did you have tone defeat switched on with the NAD?

Also valve amps at that budget aren't going to be suitable, at least most aren't because of the high damping factor you will need with the likes of metal music

 

[Anonymous]

sorry i was unclear - the NAD 355 I tried DID have tone & balance control - I meant to say that the amp sounded lifeless with the control disabled.... the tone control themselves had small Q and made fairly little difference... i agree that it was a poor combination with the Epos, however it did little to suggest that it has qualities that would be revealed by other speakers. to my ears, Epos sound like brighter, slightly narrower versions of the Dali's - hence whilst the speakers are different, it think that they are similar enough in their attitude, so i think i have a reasonable idea of how they'd do with the DALI's.

how does A32 compare to the A38? had a look but direct comparisons seem hard to come by... i'm weary of spending a lot of money on a used amplifier that i'm unsure if i will like or not.

will look into C165 and C275..

re: soldering iron, i've done lots of work on guitars, but to be honest i just want an amp that i can "plug & play" and not obsess over with capacitor or potentiometer to use...

cheers

Roman

 

[Anonymous]

Perhaps you should try out the Creek Evo also then

 

[d_a_n1979]

Thje Arcam FMJ A32, IMO, was one of the few decent amps they have made since the Arcam Alpha 9 and 10 integrated amps.

They did ok with the DiVA A66 and A75 but did hell of a lot better with the A85. The A90 was a very powerful amp but lacked guts and welly!

The FMJ A32 sits very well with a lot of CDP's and speakers; it has bags of power in reserve and it sounds hell of a lot better than the A38!

If I could buy them new now I'd have the A32 integrated amp along side the DiVA CD192 CDP.

The NAD pre/power combo is well worth demoing and I think you'd find that with the NAD's powerful soundstage as well as bags of power in reserve; it'll make the Dali's sing to their best.

If you're after a one amp solution then there is a Moon i-1 integrated for sale by these guys:

http://www.guildfordaudio.co.uk / http://www.theaudiowarehouse.co.uk

Well worth checking out

 

[shooter]

NAD and Dali have a pretty good synergy.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there...

I would just like to say i use a Roksan Caspian M-Series-1 with a pair of Ikon 5s and I think they match up really well. As you stated you have heard them with the Roksan Kandy K2 amp, but let me assure you, these two amps are completely different. If you listeto a lot of Hi-Fi enthusiesiest (who use o have used Roksan) you will hear them tell you the only problem with Roksan is the varaition in thier products. FOr instance the K2 amp is not that nice while the K2 cd player is excellent. And opposite is true for the Caspian M-series, the cd is rubbish (as for the price level goes) while the integrared and pre amps and power amps (especially the mono blocks) are excellent. If you haven't purchased an amp yet think about giving the Caspain M-Series a listen to. It might be just what you are looking for.

Hope this helps,

Take care,

Joe

 

[Anonymous]

Ps Sorry for my spelling in my last post...never been good at it...

Joe

 

[Anonymous]

mate stay away from Nad gear its pale compaired to Naim gear or you could try mine the ASTINtrew AT 2000+ super value for money and exellent driver to your dali speakers

 

[d_a_n1979]

nokz:mate stay away from Nad gear its pale compaired to Naim gear or you could try mine the ASTINtrew AT 2000+ super value for money and exellent driver to your dali speakers

Have you demo'd NAD along side Naim? Have you demo'd either with Dali speakers?

Naim, to me, is very forward sounded and with not a lot of guts whereas the NAD is very detailed and smooth but with bags of power and attack.

To me the NAD would suit Dali better as the Dali Ikon 6's can be bright and forward so need a gutsy amp to control them.

On the other hand Naim gear seems to be better suited to the likes of Neat or Rega speakers in which it sounds very fluid and controlled.

I kind of agree that the NAD C355BEE (even though IMO it's a superb amp with a lot to offer) may not be the best option for the Dali's as there are Creek and Arcam amps to be considered as well but it shouldnt be ruled out without being demo'd first.