HI Guys i have an arcam a65 amp, with a cd73t cd player with monitor audio br5 completed with russ andrews power cables and interconnect, speaker cable is black rhodium ast400 (£15 per mtr) the arcam a65 amp replaced my nad c352 amp not a good move. im looking to replace the arcam a65 with maye i rega mira, anyone heard this amp will it have the pace and dynamics i loved with the nad. your thoughts please Rob
lost interest in my hi-fi. arcam a65 boring replace with rega
- Thread starter robg1976
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John Duncan
Well-known member
To my mind those amps are chalk and cheese, with the Mira having a whole bucket full of dynamics and pace that the Arcam doesn't have. Why did you swap in the first place, I'd have thought the Arcam would have been quite obviously flatter than the NAD?
i keep asking my self that i though the crcam was a step up and would gel with the arcam player. big mistake.
do you think a nad c355 would be the best option? at least i know i will like the nad. as i can't listen to them
do you think a nad c355 would be the best option? at least i know i will like the nad. as i can't listen to them
John Duncan
Well-known member
If you can't listen to them, I'd be inclined to go with the Mira, which I have heard with the CD73, and really enjoyed. Not as much as I did with Rega's own Planet (at the time), but an awful lot more than with the 65. This was with rock though - to some extent your choice may be determined by musical preferences...
cont. to be honest john i thought the arcam would be better, and im sure i know better i should had listened first, the cd73t cd player is awesome, i had a nad c542cd and found the arcam better and i love the display and build is excellent.
what else would you reccomend in that budget £500-£600 range
what else would you reccomend in that budget £500-£600 range
my music tastes vary, honestly i love hip hop to pop. my fav cd at the moment is katie melua the house. my collection mainly consists of rock, ocean colour scene manics, eagles kasabian mainly rock i guess, but i listen to most music really.
I wouldn't put the Rega Mira up there with the punchy and dynamic amps to be honest.
There's an ex display Creek Evo 2 for sale here that would be a better fit.
What about another NAD?
The Roksan Kandy K2 is somewhere between the NAD and Arcam sound, a nice balance to my ears but perhaps not your best choice.
Rotel amps are also excellent and would fit the bill well, possibly moreso than the NADs!
There's an ex display Creek Evo 2 for sale here that would be a better fit.
What about another NAD?
The Roksan Kandy K2 is somewhere between the NAD and Arcam sound, a nice balance to my ears but perhaps not your best choice.
Rotel amps are also excellent and would fit the bill well, possibly moreso than the NADs!
plastic penguin
Well-known member
If you loved the nad 352 then I would defo get a 355. It sounds similar to the 352. I used to have an arcam a75+ and went to the nad so i know how you must be feeling having gone the other way and bought the arcam. There is no comparison is there? The nad is in a different league.The 355 can be had fairly cheap just now too if you look around.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
igglebert:I wouldn't put the Rega Mira up there with the punchy and dynamic amps to be honest. There's an ex display Creek Evo 2 for sale here that would be a better fit. What about another NAD? The Roksan Kandy K2 is somewhere between the NAD and Arcam sound, a nice balance to my ears but perhaps not your best choice. Rotel amps are also excellent and would fit the bill well, possibly moreso than the NADs!
If I was to make a list of my fav top three sub-£1,000 integrated amps, the Creek Evo 2 would be in there...but if the OP doesn't like Arcam amps, chances are he won't take to the Creek either.
If I was to make a list of my fav top three sub-£1,000 integrated amps, the Creek Evo 2 would be in there...but if the OP doesn't like Arcam amps, chances are he won't take to the Creek either.
I'd say that the likes of the NAD C355BEE, Creek EvoII or even an Arcam Alpha 10 amp would be much better suited.
IMOL for the cost of it and what you'd get for the DiVA A65+; the Alpha 10 would be a superb upgrade and would cost much either
It's NOTHING like the DiVA range at all; more in line with the FMJ range and the A32 to be more precise
Superb dynamics, BUCKETS of oomph and power but has a great synergy that'll work with a wide range of music and will gel well with your CDP and speakers at the same time
Agin, another upgrade would be to replace the Black Rhodium speaker cable with the likes of either QED Revelation or Chord Oddyssey 2 and go for a Black Rhodium Prelude interconnect.
The Black Rhodium speaker cable you've got is OK but it lags well behind in comparison to the above 2 and I've owned all 3 with similar seperates to you (Arcam and M/A).
IMOL for the cost of it and what you'd get for the DiVA A65+; the Alpha 10 would be a superb upgrade and would cost much either
It's NOTHING like the DiVA range at all; more in line with the FMJ range and the A32 to be more precise
Superb dynamics, BUCKETS of oomph and power but has a great synergy that'll work with a wide range of music and will gel well with your CDP and speakers at the same time
Agin, another upgrade would be to replace the Black Rhodium speaker cable with the likes of either QED Revelation or Chord Oddyssey 2 and go for a Black Rhodium Prelude interconnect.
The Black Rhodium speaker cable you've got is OK but it lags well behind in comparison to the above 2 and I've owned all 3 with similar seperates to you (Arcam and M/A).
Not sure what your budget is, but seek out the deals on the Audiolab gear out there right now. The 8000s amplifier is around £350, but the 8000Q & P pre/power options can be yours for about £500 or so (see my post in the Hot Deals section on here). That'll give you the kick you are looking for i think and give you a very high quality amp arrangement into the bargain.
Not really sure on how the OP likes his sound but if he's missing the soundstage he had with the NAD then going down the Audiolab route, IMO, wouldnt be the best bet either!
The Audiolab gear is brilliant but with the M/A BR5's it'll sound a little light and clinical in comparison to the previoud NAD or the aforementioned Arcams etc...
Just my tuppence worth
The Audiolab gear is brilliant but with the M/A BR5's it'll sound a little light and clinical in comparison to the previoud NAD or the aforementioned Arcams etc...
Just my tuppence worth
i think you mighg be right i found the nad c355 for £299 online. and at lest i know i should like the sound, i do like the look of the creek 2 and the rega mira but cant audition them so the c355 should be a safe bet.
robg1976:i think you mighg be right i found the nad c355 for £299 online. and at lest i know i should like the sound, i do like the look of the creek 2 and the rega mira but cant audition them so the c355 should be a safe bet.
£249.95 at richer sounds , titanium silver only though ...
edit .. back up to £299.95 again ..
£249.95 at richer sounds , titanium silver only though ...
edit .. back up to £299.95 again ..
the record spot:Not sure what your budget is, but seek out the deals on the Audiolab gear out there right now. The 8000s amplifier is around £350, but the 8000Q & P pre/power options can be yours for about £500 or so (see my post in the Hot Deals section on here). That'll give you the kick you are looking for i think and give you a very high quality amp arrangement into the bargain.
Further to the above, I see that Sight and Sound have the Audiolab 8000M mono power amp for £299, so you can be on to a pre/2xpower amp set-up of pretty impressive spec for £900 - that's a brilliant deal and its great kit too.
The mono power amps are 125w rating at 8ohm, heck, I'd be looking this one up myself I think...! By the bye, re: other concerns from Dan re: NAD and Audiolab or whatever it was, I'd be very much inclined to try out the pre/power option. Different strokes for different folks and while the NAD 355 is at a knock down price, there's not many NAD power amps going for a song, which would be a fairer comparison for the NAD when comparing like for like against the Audiolab pre/power (or pre/power/power moreso!) arrangement.
Further to the above, I see that Sight and Sound have the Audiolab 8000M mono power amp for £299, so you can be on to a pre/2xpower amp set-up of pretty impressive spec for £900 - that's a brilliant deal and its great kit too.
The mono power amps are 125w rating at 8ohm, heck, I'd be looking this one up myself I think...! By the bye, re: other concerns from Dan re: NAD and Audiolab or whatever it was, I'd be very much inclined to try out the pre/power option. Different strokes for different folks and while the NAD 355 is at a knock down price, there's not many NAD power amps going for a song, which would be a fairer comparison for the NAD when comparing like for like against the Audiolab pre/power (or pre/power/power moreso!) arrangement.
Yeah the NAD C165BEE/C275BEE pre/power combo would be another superb option, more so to demo along side the Audiolab pre/power combo as well but the NADS combo is still fairly pricey!
robg1976:i think you mighg be right i found the nad c355 for £299 online. and at lest i know i should like the sound, i do like the look of the creek 2 and the rega mira but cant audition them so the c355 should be a safe bet.
The NAD C355BEE is s superb amp and for its current price at Richersounds it's well worth the punt
The NAD C355BEE is s superb amp and for its current price at Richersounds it's well worth the punt
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