Help me choose an amplifier...

[aneveu]

I'm looking for advice on a new amplifier purchase, budget of about $1,200 USD. Here is some background that will help explain what I am looking for...

I have recently purchased the oppo HA-2 DAC/Amp and the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 (wireless) headphones. I connect the oppo to my iPhone and play Spotify using extreme quality. The oppo connects by lightning to USB so the DAC in the oppo is being used (which is waaay better than the DAC in the iPhone). I then connect the Sennheiser cans to the oppo headphone out, and I do not use the Sennheiser's ANC unless I am on an airplane. The sound of this setup (without ANC) is just superb. I mean absolutely fantastic. I just can't pull myself away from it, experiencing hours of bliss going back and finding all the old albums I used to have decades ago, plus new stuff. I listen to jazz, R&B, classical, Indian Classical, accoustic, lots of variety. This setup allows me to hear new details in albums I have listened to for 35 years. It's amazing!!!

I love the sound quality of my new mobile hi-fi setup, and my home stereo is just not keeping up! So I need help selecting an amplifier. My home setup is an Onkyo TX-8511 with a pair of Paradigm Titan v3 speakers plus a Paradigm PDR 8 v.3 subwoofer. I have the A channel going to the Titan speakers, and the B channel (both left and right) going to the subwoofer. This allows me to easily disable the sub when playing LPs, or if otherwise not desired. It also seems to give better sound than other connection methods of the speakers and sub woofer that I have tried.

If I connect the line out of the oppo HA-2 into the Onkyo the sound is good, but not great. The separation is okay but not stunning. The bass (no matter how well I tune the sub woofer in terms of cutoff and volume) is still missing clarity and punch. The upper mid range sounds kind of tinny or metalic. The sound stage is just not black either - there is a noticeable (to me) hiss during moments of silence, which of course means the clarity suffers in general.

My plan is to get a new amplifier of much higher quality, even if it is of higher quality than these Paradigm Titan speakers justify. That way I will be able to upgrade the speakers at a later date and move these to my exercise room. But I believe that these Paradigm speakers are much better than the Onkyo is giving them credit for. I have looked at a bunch of different amps and I am interested in the Marantz PM 6005, or the Rega Brio-R. My budget for this is around $1,200 USD, but I could go higher.

I like the Marantz because it has an integrated DAC, and it looks like I could connect my iPhone to it by Bluetooth and play Spotify music through it, and the DAC would then be performed in the Marantz rather than by the iPhone. This would be a very convenient setup for me. But it looks like the Rega has even better sound quality, but it does not have Bluetooth and does not have an integrated DAC.

Can anyone please recommend a product that has top notch sound quality (first priority) and also has an integrated DAC with Bluetooth? The integrated DAC and Bluetooth is second priority because I assume that I could buy an external DAC/Bluetooth component, or just a Bluetooth component that connects by digital and allows the amplifier to do the DAC. But it would be great if I could find an amplifier with integrated DAC and Bluetooth, plus phono input. My turntable is a $1000 Audio Technica which is really good but my collection of about 500 LPs have been played a million times each, so a phono amp is third priority or lower, but it needs to be there anyway.

Thanks so much in advance for your advice!

 

[aneveu]

I just learned that my iPhone 6 does not support the aptX codec, so using Bluetooth is not going to sound great. Since that is the case, I will probably opt for the Rega because at some later date I would be able to add their DAC-R product and their accompanying Bluetooth receiver. But not until my phone can use aptX!

So, is there anyone who would steer me away from the Rega Brio-R?

Furthermore, does anyone agree or disagree that the Onkyo is probably the weakest link in the chain of the system I have here? I'd like to hear some opinions about the suitability of my Paradigm speakers for the Rega Brio-R amplifier.

 

[drummerman]

I have recently purchased the oppo HA-2 DAC/Amp and the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 (wireless) headphones. I connect the oppo to my iPhone and play Spotify using extreme quality. The oppo connects by lightning to USB so the DAC in the oppo is being used (which is waaay better than the DAC in the iPhone). I then connect the Sennheiser cans to the oppo headphone out, and I do not use the Sennheiser's ANC unless I am on an airplane. The sound of this setup (without ANC) is just superb. I mean absolutely fantastic. I just can't pull myself away from it, experiencing hours of bliss going back and finding all the old albums I used to have decades ago, plus new stuff. I listen to jazz, R&B, classical, Indian Classical, accoustic, lots of variety. This setup allows me to hear new details in albums I have listened to for 35 years. It's amazing!!!

Sorry, had to chuckle when I saw that. Spotify streams at 320 Ogg Vorbis. I use it and have not complaints whatsoever about the SQ for the money but 'extreme quality' may be stretching it just a tad to far

Tidal lossless is audibly better. Whether this is worth twenty of your hard earned ... only you can decide but I agree, Spotify is great value for money.

 

[aneveu]

Yeah, I hear you, "extreme" should be called something juuust a bit less extreme! To their credit, Spotify does use ogg vorbis at 320 kbps, which *starts* to make it acceptable for hi-fi listening. I also use Tidal but their selection is very limited for me because my tastes are fairly eccentric and artsy. All this is why my first priority is sound quality. If I choose this amp right I should get 10 to 20 years of excellent use out of it. During that time a lot of things will change, such as Tidal's collection, Spotify's codec options, and even Bluetooth codec options. I can use a 1/8 inch line out to RCA instead of Bluetooth, and use a CD when Tidal doesn't have what I'm looking for.

 

[drummerman]

Yeah, I hear you, "extreme" should be called something juuust a bit less extreme! To their credit, Spotify does use ogg vorbis at 320 kbps, which *starts* to make it acceptable for hi-fi listening. I also use Tidal but their selection is very limited for me because my tastes are fairly eccentric and artsy. All this is why my first priority is sound quality. If I choose this amp right I should get 10 to 20 years of excellent use out of it. During that time a lot of things will change, such as Tidal's collection, Spotify's codec options, and even Bluetooth codec options. I can use a 1/8 inch line out to RCA instead of Bluetooth, and use a CD when Tidal doesn't have what I'm looking for.

Indeed, Ogg is very good.

I think my 'taste' in music (some would argue about that) is fairly ecclectic too. Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz ... whatever you want to call it, is a big part of my repertoire.

So far I have not had many 'misses' with tidal and I find their catalogue fairly substantial. (I had a special four months for one offer after my tidal trial expired and use it next to spotify).

There is also talk about High Resolution music being made available soon to full subscribers at no additional monthly fee and I am considering to swap over permanently. However, the Spotify interface is still better and having said all of the above, I could/can live easily with the soundquality it currently offers even though the differences are audible and arguably worth the additional money.

 

[radiorog]

As having owned a brio r using Harman kardon bta10 Bluetooth, I can vouch that the sound is good, but I have no idea what your headphone setup sounds like so I am not sure how they would compare. When it comes to buying an amp, I would recommend pushing your budget if possible, this will prevent an upgrade happening earlier than expected, and the amount of enjoyment they can give really warrants paying a higher price.

Don't be so hung up on Apt x. I used harman kardons own Bluetooth technology with the brio r and the results were as I have with the roksan with aptx, but I haven't tested the two Bluetooth types side by side, so there could be difference. Basically though, other technologies can sound very good.

I would recommend looking at an elex r, Hegel h80, roksan k3. There are many many other good amps out there though, I'm sure other people can recommend something.

 

[aneveu]

Yeah, my feelings exactly on sound quality between Spotify vs Tidal. This evening I wanted to hear the difference once again so I compared half a dozen various tracks several times each. I think the album I happened across that demonstrates the difference the most is Pat Metheny's The Way Up. My summary is that Tidal makes the instruments sound more like real instruments. Somehow the soft, subtle details are just more clear. The top end is a smidgen crisper, and the low end is not muddled at all - I can pick out each instrument even when several are in the same range as one another. If I were back in my college days when I was transcribing lots of jazz, I would almost have called this cheating!

I'll probably keep both Spotify and Tidal because of the interface differences, plus I just can't download 200 albums on my phone using Tidal as it would take up all my storage. When I get on an airplane for 4 hours, I want to have lots of choices. Plus I don't think I will be able to hear the difference between Spotify vs Tidal with a pair of jet engines within 30 feet of my head! But when I'm at home doing critical listening, I want to hear all the details, so I'll try keeping both and see if this cheapskate heart of mine can chill!

I wound up purchasing the Rega Brio-r along with the Rega DAC. I'll give these a try with my Paradigm speakers/sub and see how it goes. I'm 100% positive that it will be light years beyond this freaking Onkyo TX-8511 I'm currently using! This oppo and Sennheiser combo has downright spoiled me and I can't even stand listening to this Onkyo anymore. I never did like it as much as the Onkyo I purchased back in 1988 (which I still have but one channel is blown), and now I know why I never was convinced by it!

Thanks for your help and thoughts! I will post back after I hear the Rega gear for a solid week or so. Take care!

 

[aneveu]

I have listened to this Brio amp and DAC for several days and I really like them. Now I'm pretty sure my entry level Paradigms are the limiting factor. I'm going to audition some B&Ws and some mid/upper level Paradigms and see what I like. I plan to bring this Brio amp/DAC and use them for these auditions with source material that I'm very familiar with. Should be fun!

 

[radiorog]

Good stuff. It's a great little amp.

I'd recommend easy to drive speakers, that sound great, and then your system will be a winner.

I've heard people hear praise focul aria 906, I'd check these out.