Help & advice please

[elephantinecastle]

Hello,

I'm hoping for some advice from people a lot more knowledgeable than I am! After a long time wandering I am finally able to settle, replace my old hi-fi and acquire something a little better for the 21st century, and am seeking help to make sure i get the best sound & value I can without an unnecessarily complex solution.

The music source will mostly be high quality audio files from a dedicated & connected laptop (Macbook) and paired with DALI Zensor speakers, and used in a moderately sized living room.

It is possible I will occasionally stream via bluetooth (airport express) but I dislike the lag involved so plan on having the laptop connected at all times. Ocasionally music will also be from an RCA cable when friends are round or from an old record player, though not enough to have a serious impact on choice.

My budget is around £600 for an amp/DAC to integrate well with a digital music source with minimal fuss, and provide great sound for either hip-hop or orchestral music.

Thanks lots in advance for the help

 

[TomSawyer]

Hi,

what connection type will you use from the laptop - coaxial, optical or USB? I assume the latter but the reason for asking is that at this kind of price, the choice is much greater with the former two.

Could you stretch to £800 - the Marantz HD-AMP1 is a smart looking bit of kit that packs a capable punch?

 

[thewinelake.]

A amp that integrates USB digital in with minimum fuss? Mmm

I guess I might be looking at separate amp and DAC here, even though that's not exactly minimum fuss! Something like Marantz PM8005 with an ODAC....

Another option that was recently available for just £250 is the Cambridge Audio Azur 651A. I know it's back up to £399 now, but there must be plenty of margin to play with.

Finally, I know the Rotel amps pair well with Zensor 5 (I've heard the combination). Look for RA10/11/12

 

[Numbed]

I was going to suggest the Quad Vena, which seemed to tick all the boxes (circa £600, built in DAC etc), but on checking I don't think it has a phono input for your turntable? Still, may be worth a look.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi,

what connection type will you use from the laptop - coaxial, optical or USB? I assume the latter but the reason for asking is that at this kind of price, the choice is much greater with the former two.

Could you stretch to £800 - the Marantz HD-AMP1 is a smart looking bit of kit that packs a capable punch?

Hi. +1 to the Marantz, especially since Marantz pairs well with Dali. Your budget option is Nad D3020 + rega fono mini a2d phonostage. If you want floorstanders, the zensor 5 are a bit sluggish in the bass, and I didn't like Q Acoustics 3020 with Marantz sr 5010 receiver powering them. But do try to audition.

 

[elephantinecastle]

Hi, in an ideal world if use a USB. Though if choice is prohibitive I'll have to use a coaxial output.

Thanks for the advice

 

[tino]

The Quad Vena is probably a good all-round choice.

If I were in your shoes I would try to get a look at the NuPrime IDA-8. It's available in Europe for about 900ish Euro but not sure about the UK. It's a compact hybrid class A/D amplifier with 100W per channel and a high spec. DAC supporting DSD over USB. A Bluetooth aptX dongle is included and it has an RCA line input. Reviews are ovewhelmingly good.

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi ,

My choice would be the Pioneer A50DA. From experience the Pioneer A model amps will gel well with the Dali speakers and it has a 32bit DAC inside so will take care of high res files. Are you going for the Zensor 5 towers for your medium room or zensor 3? I've seen the Pioneer A50DA for approx £630.