Harman Kardon HK 980 possible upgrade

[activemessiah]

Greetings! New to the forum. Basically here to ask if the Harman Kardon HK 980 is an upgrade from my trusty NAD C350 which i've had for a year now. Just got the Marantz CD6007 for the CDs and my speakers are Dali AXS 5000 floorstands.
I was looking for the HK 990 which was once recommended but couldn't find one thus focusing on the HK 980...

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Al ears]

Welcome to the forum.
Well it would offer more power but it's probably going to be 20 years old, although younger than what you currently have.
Therefore care will need to be taken before purchase as nothing lasts forever.

 

[nopiano]

Welcome!

As your old Dali speakers are quite sensitive you probably don’t need as much power as either of the 15 yo HK amps offer, nice though they are. Obviously at a bargain price the HK might be worth a punt. But unless you have a large room to fill to generous levels might the matching Marantz amp not be a safer buy?

 

[activemessiah]

Welcome to the forum.
Well it would offer more power but it's probably going to be 20 years old, although younger than what you currently have.
Therefore care will need to be taken before purchase as nothing lasts forever.

Yes, i'm just starting out this audio journey, Does power have anything to do with sound quality ?

 

[activemessiah]

Welcome!

As your old Dali speakers are quite sensitive you probably don’t need as much power as either of the 15 yo HK amps offer, nice though they are. Obviously at a bargain price the HK might be worth a punt. But unless you have a large room to fill to generous levels might the matching Marantz amp not be a safer buy?

The volume on the NAD doesn't go past the 8 o'clock as thats loud enough. I never gave the Matching Marantz any thought at all... probably worth a look.

 

[Al ears]

Yes, i'm just starting out this audio journey, Does power have anything to do with sound quality ?

Not in one sense, it merely means more control over the speakers, so in the right set-up it can improve sound quality.
I would be more concerned about how long products of this age are going to last.

 

[activemessiah]

Not in one sense, it merely means more control over the speakers, so in the right set-up it can improve sound quality.
I would be more concerned about how long products of this age are going to last.

So something recent then... What would suggest for a budget of £400?

 

[record_spot]

I'd hang on to the NAD I think. The 990 was a pretty special amp, a real one-off but like hen's teeth to find just now. I'm not convinced the 980 was in the same league. If it was my money and you like the 350, I'd look to adding a power amp or two to it, bring the pre-outs into play and go from there.

 

[nopiano]

So something recent then... What would suggest for a budget of £400?

https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/stereo-amplifiers/this-formerly-award-winning-marantz-amp-is-the-cheapest-weve-seen-it-for-boxing-day

 

[activemessiah]

Thank you

 

[activemessiah]

I'd hang on to the NAD I think. The 990 was a pretty special amp, a real one-off but like hen's teeth to find just now. I'm not convinced the 980 was in the same league. If it was my money and you like the 350, I'd look to adding a power amp or two to it, bring the pre-outs into play and go from there.

What would you suggest i add?

 

[record_spot]

What would you suggest i add?

I'd stick with NAD, but after that, I think this is where you need to do some of the legwork at this point. Maybe chat with an NAD dealer, explain what you have, and they'll give you the ten dollar tour of what's out there.

 

[Integralista]

Greetings! New to the forum. Basically here to ask if the Harman Kardon HK 980 is an upgrade from my trusty NAD C350 which i've had for a year now. Just got the Marantz CD6007 for the CDs and my speakers are Dali AXS 5000 floorstands.
I was looking for the HK 990 which was once recommended but couldn't find one thus focusing on the HK 980...

Any advice is appreciated.

Hi, NAD C350 is an old dog, but good one, polite with good manners. 😆 But seriously, weakest part of your system are your old Dali speakers. Dali as a brand has dramaticly improved since the prehistorical time, when ASX 5000 were produced. They are today sonicaly comparable with Dynaudio or better. You have very good CD Marantz from 6000 series, this is legend. Harman/Kardon tried to bring on the market several hifi amplifiers in around 2000 and results, sound, quality all was mixed. 990 is quite good, but nothing special. 980 I recommend to forget. Why not to look for used Maranz PM 6006 or 6007 amp? This will be day and night difference to this HK 980 and better than your Nad. And some better speakers, something like Monitor Audio Bronze line or at least QAcoustics 3050 or 3050i used? This will create balanced system, good even for rock. Hrom my experience with HK brand, no recommendation from my side. BR.

 

[Jasonovich]

I once owned HK amp back in the 80s, I can't recall the model.

What struck me about that sound, was it's ability to present the music in high octane, lively, punchy and exciting.
The only problem, it didn't sound natural and had a narrow soundstage.

I would suggest a better alternative, I can only assume you have a budget around £500 or less?

Look on eBay for a good second hand amp, such as Rega, Atoll, Arcam Audiolab or Cambridge if the budget is really tight.

 

[activemessiah]

Hi, NAD C350 is an old dog, but good one, polite with good manners. 😆 But seriously, weakest part of your system are your old Dali speakers. Dali as a brand has dramaticly improved since the prehistorical time, when ASX 5000 were produced. They are today sonicaly comparable with Dynaudio or better. You have very good CD Marantz from 6000 series, this is legend. Harman/Kardon tried to bring on the market several hifi amplifiers in around 2000 and results, sound, quality all was mixed. 990 is quite good, but nothing special. 980 I recommend to forget. Why not to look for used Maranz PM 6006 or 6007 amp? This will be day and night difference to this HK 980 and better than your Nad. And some better speakers, something like Monitor Audio Bronze line or at least QAcoustics 3050 or 3050i used? This will create balanced system, good even for rock. Hrom my experience with HK brand, no recommendation from my side. BR.

Oh wow, much appreciated. So it looks like PM6007 along with 3050.