Looking for some new system advice

[plastic]

Hello All,

I've recently landed in the UK and having left my hifi at home (electrics grr) I'm looking to put one together here. My us system was: AR SP-10 (valve pre-amp frmo the 80s), Classe CAV-75 power amp, Rega SP2, Magnaplanar 1.6's, REL Sub. CDP was junk and rarely used. As my former system was mostly North American made, I think I'd like to go for something British or at least European whilst over here. As you can gather my taste runs to warm /bright, I listen to more vinyl than CDs, seconded by streaming /digital. Music type is mostly classical and opera, with some jazz and light rock.

Having read a lot of posts here and elsewhere, I'm thinking of the following.

Dali Ikon 5 or 6 (demo'd a 6 which was great but seller decided to hold them).

Arcam Alpha 7/8/9 although a bit weary of the selector knob issues....could go for the Diva 65+ or A70/75/80.

Another Rega or possibly a pro-ject TT.

I have an OPPO blue-ray which should be fine for limited CD listening.

Any thoughts? A suggestions? Am I mad?

Oh - lastly, the room. I'm lucky to have a generous flat, listening room is 5x6meters with another room behind it of similar size /offset. High ceilings, and here's the kicker...tile floors. Not my favorite.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

_Plastic

 

[expat_mike]

Hello Plastic and welcome to the forum.

There are quite a few vinyl fans on the forum, so I am sure that some of them will be able to advise you.

Which model Oppo do you have?

 

[CnoEvil]

What is your maximum budget that you are prepared to throw at this?

I'm thinking brands like Pathos, Abrahamsen, Electrocompaniet, Luxman, Accuphase, Sugden, Icon Audio, Sonus Faber, Linn DS, Arcam, Musical Fidelity, Harbeth, Audio Note, Spendor and Diapason....these can usually be found 2nd hand or ex-dem.

Classical music needs a carefully put together system in order to retain the emotion (IMO).

 

[Al ears]

What is your maximum budget that you are prepared to throw at this?

I'm thinking brands like Pathos, Abrahamsen, Electrocompaniet, Luxman, Accuphase, Sugden, Icon Audio, Sonus Faber, Linn DS, Arcam, Musical Fidelity, Harbeth, Audio Note, Spendor and Diapason....these can usually be found 2nd hand or ex-dem.

Classical music needs a carefully put together system in order to retain the emotion (IMO).

Can I suggest you add Creek to your list.

 

[plastic]

I realised I forgot that as soon as I posted. I'm looking for used gear and trying not to poke above £1,000. Not sure how long I'll never here so I need to be able to sell with minimal losses.

And the oppo is a bdp-105d.
Thanks.

 

[rainsoothe]

I realised I forgot that as soon as I posted. I'm looking for used gear and trying not to poke above £1,000. Not sure how long I'll never here so I need to be able to sell with minimal losses.

And the oppo is a bdp-105d. Thanks.

Hi. With that budget you can get some pretty nice stuff. The Oppo has quite a good DAC in it, lots of audiophiles use/recommend it for CD purposes alone. For TT you can get a new Audio Technica LP5 + Ortofon 2m Blue later (or even now), or a used Technics SL1200/1210 mk2 (this is more expensive, though). I'm not sure whether buying SH belt drives is a good idea, but if you know your stuff or you can actually audition one, I'd look at Clearauio Concept, VPI Traveler or even Rega RP3 (only because you can upgrade it with the Rega Power supply, white belt upgrade and a Funk Firm 3mm Achromat). Again, I, for one, wouldn't buy a used tt, unless it's a direct drive - which means a Technics - and from a high rated seller.

As for amps, a used Arcam A19 or Marantz PM8005 can fit your budget nicely, and add to that a pair of Focal Aria 906 or Monitor Audio Bronze 2. Or, if you want used, B&W DM602 S3 + a pair of good stands (Atacama Moseco, or Nexus 6i). Personally, I found the Creek 50A a bit bright and lacking in low-end grunt, but it has good control. It's a matter of taste, really.

 

[Al ears]

I realised I forgot that as soon as I posted. I'm looking for used gear and trying not to poke above £1,000. Not sure how long I'll never here so I need to be able to sell with minimal losses.

And the oppo is a bdp-105d. Thanks.

Hi. With that budget you can get some pretty nice stuff. The Oppo has quite a good DAC in it, lots of audiophiles use/recommend it for CD purposes alone. For TT you can get a new Audio Technica LP5 + Ortofon 2m Blue later (or even now), or a used Technics SL1200/1210 mk2 (this is more expensive, though). I'm not sure whether buying SH belt drives is a good idea, but if you know your stuff or you can actually audition one, I'd look at Clearauio Concept, VPI Traveler or even Rega RP3 (only because you can upgrade it with the Rega Power supply, white belt upgrade and a Funk Firm 3mm Achromat). Again, I, for one, wouldn't buy a used tt, unless it's a direct drive - which means a Technics - and from a high rated seller.

As for amps, a used Arcam A19 or Marantz PM8005 can fit your budget nicely, and add to that a pair of Focal Aria 906 or Monitor Audio Bronze 2. Or, if you want used, B&W DM602 S3 + a pair of good stands (Atacama Moseco, or Nexus 6i). Personally, I found the Creek 50A a bit bright and lacking in low-end grunt, but it has good control. It's a matter of taste, really.

Class player that Oppo, and has in fact got two very good DACs in it ;-)

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Hay rainsoothe . your making that grand go a very long way.i think you might need to check on your pricing for this gear your recommending.

 

[plastic]

Rainsoothe,

Thanks - I will look into the TT options you mention. As you say, the TT is the component most likely to be bought new. As for the oppo - I spent some time and $$ on my last US purchase knowing it would be cheaper in the US (and dual voltage).

Anyway - the problem du-jour is that I have this nice oppo and i'm busy listening to it through a TV! And my vinyl collection is glaring at me from neglect. I'll look into the speaker options you mention, but I'd rather spend a bit more on floorstanders than stands. I do have small children to consider, and they love to experiment with gravity. As for the amp - yes the A19 is what got me started down the Arcam thread...but I can get a used alpha or diva series for 1/2 of the a19 as I've noticed so far. Not many a19s out there for under £500. I am worried that the alpha and delta series amps will give me selector trouble, but it is likely the right sound. What Creek or x amps are recemmended in the ~£200-300 range used?

_Plastic

 

[Al ears]

Rainsoothe,

Thanks - I will look into the TT options you mention. As you say, the TT is the component most likely to be bought new. As for the oppo - I spent some time and $$ on my last US purchase knowing it would be cheaper in the US (and dual voltage).

Anyway - the problem du-jour is that I have this nice oppo and i'm busy listening to it through a TV! And my vinyl collection is glaring at me from neglect. I'll look into the speaker options you mention, but I'd rather spend a bit more on floorstanders than stands. I do have small children to consider, and they love to experiment with gravity. As for the amp - yes the A19 is what got me started down the Arcam thread...but I can get a used alpha or diva series for 1/2 of the a19 as I've noticed so far. Not many a19s out there for under £500. I am worried that the alpha and delta series amps will give me selector trouble, but it is likely the right sound. What Creek or x amps are recemmended in the ~£200-300 range used?

_Plastic

There is Creek 4040 s2 going on eBay at the moment with the phono option that might be worth a lookand a later 6060 but I can profess I have no experience of the latter but it has both mm and mc inputs and is obviously more recent, and I assume has similar sound.

 

[plastic]

Hi - forgive what may be a naive question, but do Creek amps require special speaker cables? I'm not used to seeing anything but posts. Anyway - I've read good things about the Creek sound and will watch the auction. I also noticed a pair of Roksan k2 tr-5 speakers with similar tweeker tech to the Dali Ikons. Any thoughts on those? It seems I'd be subject to the gravity experiment but might be worth a risk.

_Plastic

 

[expat_mike]

Rainsoothe,

Thanks - I will look into the TT options you mention. As you say, the TT is the component most likely to be bought new. As for the oppo - I spent some time and $$ on my last US purchase knowing it would be cheaper in the US (and dual voltage).

Anyway - the problem du-jour is that I have this nice oppo and i'm busy listening to it through a TV! And my vinyl collection is glaring at me from neglect. I'll look into the speaker options you mention, but I'd rather spend a bit more on floorstanders than stands. I do have small children to consider, and they love to experiment with gravity. As for the amp - yes the A19 is what got me started down the Arcam thread...but I can get a used alpha or diva series for 1/2 of the a19 as I've noticed so far. Not many a19s out there for under £500. I am worried that the alpha and delta series amps will give me selector trouble, but it is likely the right sound. What Creek or x amps are recemmended in the ~£200-300 range used?

_Plastic

Yes that Oppo is a very good piece of kit. In recent years, it has vied with the Marantz UD7007 as the best universal disc player, in that price range.

I think that one of the forum members uses his Oppo as the heart of his system, handling all the disc, networking, streaming activities. The output from the Oppo feeds the amplifier.

You could use a similar approach, and add the turntable.

 

[Al ears]

Rainsoothe,

Thanks - I will look into the TT options you mention. As you say, the TT is the component most likely to be bought new. As for the oppo - I spent some time and $$ on my last US purchase knowing it would be cheaper in the US (and dual voltage).

Anyway - the problem du-jour is that I have this nice oppo and i'm busy listening to it through a TV! And my vinyl collection is glaring at me from neglect. I'll look into the speaker options you mention, but I'd rather spend a bit more on floorstanders than stands. I do have small children to consider, and they love to experiment with gravity. As for the amp - yes the A19 is what got me started down the Arcam thread...but I can get a used alpha or diva series for 1/2 of the a19 as I've noticed so far. Not many a19s out there for under £500. I am worried that the alpha and delta series amps will give me selector trouble, but it is likely the right sound. What Creek or x amps are recemmended in the ~£200-300 range used?

_Plastic

Yes that Oppo is a very good piece of kit. In recent years, it has vied with the Marantz UD7007 as the best universal disc player, in that price range.

I think that one of the forum members uses his Oppo as the heart of his system, handling all the disc, networking, streaming activities. The output from the Oppo feeds the amplifier.

You could use a similar approach, and add the turntable.

I do similar with the Oppo. It is networked and I use a USB hard drive. It's then connected to my pre amp rather than directly to a power amp, which it can be.

 

[Al ears]

Hi - forgive what may be a naive question, but do Creek amps require special speaker cables? I'm not used to seeing anything but posts. Anyway - I've read good things about the Creek sound and will watch the auction. I also noticed a pair of Roksan k2 tr-5 speakers with similar tweeker tech to the Dali Ikons. Any thoughts on those? It seems I'd be subject to the gravity experiment but might be worth a risk.

_Plastic

No special cable required. The Roksan speakers were well regarded when they first appeared I believe (class-leading standard) and should work well in the right environment. How much were they asking for them?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Also don't overlook the good old arcam a85,it's going for some very attractive prices on the well known auction site these days.cracking amp for the money and if your lucky you might find one with on board phono stage.

 

[Electro]

I would agree with others about using your oppo as the centre of your new system just add a good phono stage like this Nad ,

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-11535-nad-pp2e-gra.aspx?gclid=CIXu-LmsyswCFXEz0wodVN4K3g

Or this Project .

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-10612-prj-phonobox-mm-mc-blk.aspx?gclid=CMuau-2syswCFQtAGwodVksOlA

As for an amplifier I would choose this powerful Poppulse T 180 Tripath integrated amp, in my experience there is nothing close in performance or price to it, just look at the spec for £289 !

It also comes with a full UK warranty from a UK seller .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pop-Pulse-T180-Class-T-Dual-Tripath-TA2022-UK-Stock-/301937053573?hash=item464cd9cf85:gs8AAOSwqu9VAI7Y

Features:-
• Uses Tripath TA2022 Class T technology for audiophile quality sound

• Two TA2022 IC’s, each running in bridged configuration, one for each channel.
• Up to 90% efficient. Hardly generates any heat!
• Speaker protection delay - No start-up pop!
• Audio grade parts used throughout including an Alps motorised volume pot and premium branded audio grade capacitors.
• Powered directly from the mains via its oversized internal toroidal transformer.
• Volume control / Preamp can be bypassed via internal switches (for use with a separate pre-amplifier)
• Balanced XLR Input
• Over-current protection
• Thermal protection
• Uses Audiophile parts and components
• Housed in a top quality brushed aluminium case with a very classy, thick aluminium front facia plate. Provides excellent shielding from electronic interference.

• European CE Marked.
Specifications:

Power output per channel:

Maximum figures:

Stereo 2 x 120W/8Ω (0.1% THD + N)

Stereo 2 x 180W/4Ω (0.1% THD + N)

Power "Audiophile":

Stereo 2x90W/8Ω (0.015% THD + N)

Stereo 2x140W/4Ω (0.015% THD + N)

Total harmonic distortion: 0.05% (1 KHz)

Frequency response: 15-80 KHz (-1db)

Signal noise ratio: 92dB

Sensitivity line input: 280mV

Efficiency: Up to 90%

Power supply: AC 230V (±10%) 50/60 Hz

Size: 320W x 301D x 84H mm (actual measurement of our demo unit)

Weight: 8kg

These amps will be sold with full 12 months UK warranty. Basically if your amp goes wrong you can send it back to me and I will sort it for you. If you are local to St Helens you are also welcome to come and have a demonstration or collect your unit. Also note that these units carry the European CE marking, this means that these units have passed stringent checks and are approved for use in Europe and in the UK.

I speak from personal experience when I say they sound wonderful with fantastic detail retrieval and imaging combined with more power than you will need , I owned the smaller T150 in the past for some years before selling to a friend, it has been in daily use for about 5 years now.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I would agree with others about using your oppo as the centre of your new system just add a good phono stage like this Nad ,

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-11535-nad-pp2e-gra.aspx?gclid=CIXu-LmsyswCFXEz0wodVN4K3g

Or this Project .

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-10612-prj-phonobox-mm-mc-blk.aspx?gclid=CMuau-2syswCFQtAGwodVksOlA

As for an amplifier I would choose this powerful Poppulse T 180 Tripath integrated amp, in my experience there is nothing close in performance or price to it, just look at the spec for £289 !

It also comes with a full UK warranty from a UK seller .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pop-Pulse-T180-Class-T-Dual-Tripath-TA2022-UK-Stock-/301937053573?hash=item464cd9cf85:gs8AAOSwqu9VAI7Y

Features:-• Uses Tripath TA2022 Class T technology for audiophile quality sound

• Two TA2022 IC’s, each running in bridged configuration, one for each channel.• Up to 90% efficient. Hardly generates any heat!• Speaker protection delay - No start-up pop!• Audio grade parts used throughout including an Alps motorised volume pot and premium branded audio grade capacitors.• Powered directly from the mains via its oversized internal toroidal transformer.• Volume control / Preamp can be bypassed via internal switches (for use with a separate pre-amplifier)• Balanced XLR Input• Over-current protection• Thermal protection• Uses Audiophile parts and components• Housed in a top quality brushed aluminium case with a very classy, thick aluminium front facia plate. Provides excellent shielding from electronic interference.

• European CE Marked.Specifications:

Power output per channel:

Maximum figures:

Stereo 2 x 120W/8Ω (0.1% THD + N)

Stereo 2 x 180W/4Ω (0.1% THD + N)

Power "Audiophile":

Stereo 2x90W/8Ω (0.015% THD + N)

Stereo 2x140W/4Ω (0.015% THD + N)

Total harmonic distortion: 0.05% (1 KHz)

Frequency response: 15-80 KHz (-1db)

Signal noise ratio: 92dB

Sensitivity line input: 280mV

Efficiency: Up to 90%

Power supply: AC 230V (±10%) 50/60 Hz

Size: 320W x 301D x 84H mm (actual measurement of our demo unit)

Weight: 8kg

These amps will be sold with full 12 months UK warranty. Basically if your amp goes wrong you can send it back to me and I will sort it for you. If you are local to St Helens you are also welcome to come and have a demonstration or collect your unit. Also note that these units carry the European CE marking, this means that these units have passed stringent checks and are approved for use in Europe and in the UK.

I speak from personal experience when I say they sound wonderful with fantastic detail retrieval and imaging combined with more power than you will need , I owned the smaller T150 in the past for some years before selling to a friend, it has been in daily use for about 5 years now.

thats a very good spec amp for very little money

 

[Native_bon]

I can also add that oppo is very capable when it comes to cd playbck & streaming. I see your looking to purchase speakers. I Would add the Q acoustic 3050 speakers to the list. In my Opinion very musical & no sign of fatigue while listening. With that size of room these well be the perfect speakers. But again audition to see if you like the presentation. The amps suggested above may just be perfect parnter for these speakers. If only you could push the budget just a little.

 

[expat_mike]

Thanks @Native *biggrin*

 

[BigH]

Rainsoothe,

Thanks - I will look into the TT options you mention. As you say, the TT is the component most likely to be bought new. As for the oppo - I spent some time and $$ on my last US purchase knowing it would be cheaper in the US (and dual voltage).

Anyway - the problem du-jour is that I have this nice oppo and i'm busy listening to it through a TV! And my vinyl collection is glaring at me from neglect. I'll look into the speaker options you mention, but I'd rather spend a bit more on floorstanders than stands. I do have small children to consider, and they love to experiment with gravity. As for the amp - yes the A19 is what got me started down the Arcam thread...but I can get a used alpha or diva series for 1/2 of the a19 as I've noticed so far. Not many a19s out there for under £500. I am worried that the alpha and delta series amps will give me selector trouble, but it is likely the right sound. What Creek or x amps are recemmended in the ~£200-300 range used?

_Plastic

Actually I saw a 2 week old Arcam A19 for about £425 last year, dealer return on ebay. So there should be some around. I don't like the new Arcam amps prefer the Arcam 9 or earlier. The Creek 50A for me was far better, not sharp at all but not many used ones about. Not sure about direct drive TTs they have their own problems.

In fact there is a Arcam A19 for £479 buy it now, new open box on ebay now.

 

[CnoEvil]

I don't like the new Arcam amps....

Which models have you heard?

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I have been looking up this pop pulse T180 it's pretty impressive spec its fully balanced XLR , a big power supply and you can turn the amp into a mono block so you could buy 2 of these and run them as a pair of mono blocks and use a separate pre amp . Not sure what this cost new but the one on flea bay is around £300 which is cheap for that kind of spec and with the components used in building this amp . Anyone know how big the power supply is on this amp . I have never heard a class T amp before are they any good .

 

[BigH]

I don't like the new Arcam amps....

Which models have you heard?

A18 A19

 

[Al ears]

I have been looking up this pop pulse T180 it's pretty impressive spec its fully balanced XLR , a big power supply and you can turn the amp into a mono block so you could buy 2 of these and run them as a pair of mono blocks and use a separate pre amp . Not sure what this cost new but the one on flea bay is around £300 which is cheap for that kind of spec and with the components used in building this amp . Anyone know how big the power supply is on this amp . I have never heard a class T amp before are they any good .

I think you will find it has a fully balanced input for XLR but the amp itself is not a fully balanced design. Could be mistaken but anyway not sure why you'd resort to the extra cost of xlr sockets on an amp of this price as it is unlikely anyone using one will have the necessary auxiliary equipment to make use of it.

 

[CnoEvil]

I don't like the new Arcam amps....

Which models have you heard?

A18 A19

The amps get progressively better and better....culminating in the A49 (and it's Pre/Power version), which sound like a very powerful Class A amp.

IMO. The A19 isn't Class G and doesn't reflect how well its bigger brothers sound (especially the A49).