Is an 851a an upgrade........

[splasher]

First off, I know the best way is a side by side audition, but I need to travel into London to audition anything so I want to narrow down my options first. Second, sorry for my life story before I even ask the question....

I have a Marantz NA7004 and PM-KI Pearl Lite (plus a turntable). I like the fact that the aethetics match (part of it being acceptable to the rest of the household) and that the remote integrates. I'm also content with the sound quality. However, I hate the glitchy operation of the NA7004. If I leave it on network ready, it starts quickly but then drops out during play, if I leave network ready off, it plays reliably but takes over a minute to start. The app is glitchy (although slightly better than it was) and there's no queue creation option.

So I was going to buy a stream magic 6 V2 after a glowing review but I notice CA are bringing out an 851N and a mid-range CXN which presumably build further on the SM6 so I thought I'd wait.

Back to the remote integration and the aethetics, assuming I do replace the streamer with a new CA box, I'm wondering if I should also replace the Pearl Lite at the same time? Would the CA851a be a step-up in terms of sound? I'm pretty sure the 851e/w combo would be but that's an extra £1500 plus space and wiring (back to the being acceptable to the rest of the household).

Sorry for such a long post, any opinions/experience of the two amps appreciated.

 

[rainsoothe]

hi

I haven't heard the 851A, but a switch from Marantz to Cambridge Audio, whilst not being necessarily an upgrade, would defenately be a change in presentation. CA are brighter and more clinical than the liquidy Marantz, so be careful with that. You might enjoy it though, so...

 

[tonky]

Well it's a very powerful airy sounding amp. It's presentation might be a little dry in the lower regions of the frequency range. It really needs to be auditioned.

The marantz pearl lite is a great sounding amp. You will notice the difference when you a/b them

tonky

 

[splasher]

Thanks for the comments. I'm not dissatisfied with the Marantz and it does have a couple of useful features like a built in phono stage and a power-amp input. The CA streamers can work as digital preamps so I could audition the CA digital pre-amp against the Marantz analogue preamp.

 

[CarlDW]

I always thought the 851 series was underrated - maybe brand snobbery, as CA is identified as a budget manufacturer - but on specs at least they seem to be very capable kit. I would audition first, of course, but you may like the Cambridge sound.

 

[Leeps]

Can I ask what speakers you intend to use? The CA851A is very much on my radar for the future (among others) having read an article that indicated it was a particularly good match with the MA Gold GX50's that I have.

One point the article made that I thought was valid, is that some components hit very much above their weight when combined with certain other components; so the synergy of the amp in question, with the particular speakers you have in mind, might be more of a consideration than the particular merits of an amp in isolation.

Certainly the 851A is well specified. It has AV bypass (to use it as a power amp for the front left & right channels in an AV set-up, which would be important to me); it has a useful display where you can re-name the inputs and a healthy dose of oomph to help keep the bass nice and tight. You can also choose to have pre-set initial volume levels for each input (so you don't inadvertantly deafen yourself when changing inputs). Having owned a 640A amp for many years and enjoyed its pace and dynamism, the thought of a more powerful slightly more refined quality version is appealing.

But try and demo with your own speakers where possible. It could make all the difference with your decision.

 

[splasher]

Thanks again for the comments. My speakers are Tannoy DC6T-SEs which I think are quite crisp and clear and possibly suit a slightly warmer amp. I'll make sure I use the same speakers when I try things out but from the comments it may be that the 851a and the Tannoys together get a bit too crisp.

At some point, I will also upgrade the speakers but I wouldn't want to stop enjoying my music while I save up!