Dilemma which combo to go for

[Ben K.]

Hello people

I recently demoed an arcam a38 with some rx8 speakers and loved the combination. I'm in the market to upgrade my cd player and buy a dac also and like the Audiolab 8200cd very much. I had made my mind up to purchase both of these (from different shops) when it occurred to me that I could instead buy an Audiolab 8200 cdq with an arcam p38 instead.

I'm unable to demo the combinations together as the Audiolab is sold in a different shop to the arcam and monitor audio.

Any thoughts on which would be the better combo?

Also would the cdq/p38 combo have the same sort of sound as the a38?

Thanks for reading

 

[Big Chris]

If you were very happy with the A38 and haven't demoed the CDQ/P38, I think you'd be better off buying the A38 or hanging on to demo the CDQ/P38.

Could be a costly mistake if you took the plunge and didn't rate it as highly as the A38.

 

[Ben K.]

Your probably right Chris. I'm not sure if the cdq will have an effect on the tonal character of the arcam. I suppose potentially it could change it completely from the a 38.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm unable to demo the combinations together as the Audiolab is sold in a different shop to the arcam and monitor audio.

why not see if you can get the 8200CDQ on home loan, then take it to the store with the Arcam and MA? That way, you'll get to hear them all together.

I'd be tempted to go for the 8200CDQ with P38, as a dedicated power amp is more capable than an integrated amplifier, and will normally get more out of the speakers.

 

[FennerMachine]

Very good suggestions from Dave.

From personal experience pre-amps can make a MASSIVE difference to what you hear.

The pre-amp sections in the 8200CDQ and A38 will likely be very different.

Having said that the 8200CDQ with P38 may be EXACTLY what you want.

On the other the A38 may sound better to you.

You need to find a way of trying all combinations with the kit you like.

Bare in mind that Dave knows what he is talking about as he deals in all three manufacturers you have demoed and like, Arcam, Audiolab and Monitor Audio. He has no bias (hopefully!)