I started a thread about possible upgrades a while back but decided to park everything whilst I investigate which direction to go.
Recently I had a very enjoyable demo of Pro-Ject's Xtension 9 and some associated excellent partnering equipment, this very much whetted my appetite for a TT upgrade.
Now others on this forum suggested in my original thread that if I upgraded my TT then the likelihood was that I may need (want) to upgrade the amplifier.
Chatting with my HiFi dealer back in Kent about upgrades and demos I ran through my plan to upgrade the TT in the next few months and their response was to tell me to stop everything and upgrade my amplifier first, as in their opinion as good as the Hegel H95 is it will hold back any benefits in a future turntable upgrade.
Their proposed upgrade path would be amp first, (Hegel H190 or Rega Aethos, they stock both) next up speakers, and then TT including an upgraded phono stage and new cartridge at the time of purchasing.
How do others on this forum feel about upgrading the amplifier first, in many respects building the system around the amp, will keeping the H95 create a sound quality bottleneck if I went TT first?
If a sound quality bottleneck will become apparent then what amplifiers would other people recommend, I have a hankering to own something from Exposure and have found a dealer 90 minutes away from me so may give them a call and book a demo, they also stock Rega, Naim, ATC, Sugden plus a few other brands so there is a good selection to listen too.
The Rega gets good write ups as does the Hegel, the amp that was partnering the Pro-Ject X9 I listened too on demo was a Leema Tucana II, which sounded rather nice, so I may be blessed with some good options to audition.
If anyone has experience (good or bad) of Exposure, Naim, Rega, Leema or any other brand of amplifier that I have mentioned or has suggestions that I could consider please get involved.
Also, if you think that I am barking mad getting the amp first then please let me know and explain why, I am more than happy to be educated in these matters.
No doubt one of the first questions that will be asked is 'What's the budget', if I'm totally honest this spend is going to be my last spend on HiFi equipment, so I want to end up with a system that will last for a good few years without further intervention. The current system is going to be re-used over time and not sold or p/x'd. So, what's the figure for the amp, £4k preferably less but I'll run to £4k (ish) for the right amp.
Apologies for a lengthy post, I look forward to peoples comments and suggestions.
Recently I had a very enjoyable demo of Pro-Ject's Xtension 9 and some associated excellent partnering equipment, this very much whetted my appetite for a TT upgrade.
Now others on this forum suggested in my original thread that if I upgraded my TT then the likelihood was that I may need (want) to upgrade the amplifier.
Chatting with my HiFi dealer back in Kent about upgrades and demos I ran through my plan to upgrade the TT in the next few months and their response was to tell me to stop everything and upgrade my amplifier first, as in their opinion as good as the Hegel H95 is it will hold back any benefits in a future turntable upgrade.
Their proposed upgrade path would be amp first, (Hegel H190 or Rega Aethos, they stock both) next up speakers, and then TT including an upgraded phono stage and new cartridge at the time of purchasing.
How do others on this forum feel about upgrading the amplifier first, in many respects building the system around the amp, will keeping the H95 create a sound quality bottleneck if I went TT first?
If a sound quality bottleneck will become apparent then what amplifiers would other people recommend, I have a hankering to own something from Exposure and have found a dealer 90 minutes away from me so may give them a call and book a demo, they also stock Rega, Naim, ATC, Sugden plus a few other brands so there is a good selection to listen too.
The Rega gets good write ups as does the Hegel, the amp that was partnering the Pro-Ject X9 I listened too on demo was a Leema Tucana II, which sounded rather nice, so I may be blessed with some good options to audition.
If anyone has experience (good or bad) of Exposure, Naim, Rega, Leema or any other brand of amplifier that I have mentioned or has suggestions that I could consider please get involved.
Also, if you think that I am barking mad getting the amp first then please let me know and explain why, I am more than happy to be educated in these matters.
No doubt one of the first questions that will be asked is 'What's the budget', if I'm totally honest this spend is going to be my last spend on HiFi equipment, so I want to end up with a system that will last for a good few years without further intervention. The current system is going to be re-used over time and not sold or p/x'd. So, what's the figure for the amp, £4k preferably less but I'll run to £4k (ish) for the right amp.
Apologies for a lengthy post, I look forward to peoples comments and suggestions.