My NAD C325BEE vs a potential new Denon/Marantz/Cambridge...

[mjr111]

After a decade of life and not having much spare cash, I'm getting back into audio and I'm looking for a new modern streaming setup to kit out my refurbished spare room / study.

Currently, in my living room mainly supporting the TV, I have a 15 year old NAD C325BEE and a pair of (even older) KEFF Cresta 10s which have served me very well. - they provide a great almost surround sound just from the 2 speakers, amazing channel separation and depth of sounds.

In terms of speakers I'm more or less sold on the idea of Dali Oberon 5s, but now for the (streaming) amp....

I'm looking at
- Denon PMA-900HNE (Like this has lots of inputs, and would go with my 2008 Denon CD player)
- Marantz PM7000N (Lots of good reviews)
- and at a stretch the Cambridge Evo 75. (Looks cool and expensive)
- or possibly the CX81 + CXN V2

My questions are

1) I paid £350 for the NAD in 2008, which puts it in the £700 bracket or so these days -so how does the sound quality compare to the Denon / Marantz? Will they be a step up / same league?

2) Some people have given the edge to the Denon over the Marantz, any other opinions or advice on what to look for?

3) Is it worth spending the extra for the Evo 75, (£1200 at RS right now)

4) Lots of people say that the CX81 is a great amp and they'd choose it over the Marantz - Should I just buy this, and plug in the CD player and PC, and then buy a standalone streamer next year when I have some more money...?

5) Other - suggestions on a postcard...

Sorry, lots of questions, I want to make the most of Black November deals, and hifi seems to have gone the same way as light bulbs; back in the day all you needed to worry about was how many watts you wanted!!

Feel free to answer any/all/none! I suppose the answer to 1) will help me decide how much money to spend.

Thanks in advance

Martin

 

[Gray]

In answer to question 1:
Don't get too concerned with past / present prices and what that might mean in terms of quality differences.

You seem pretty happy with your NAD and Kefs - they may be 'old' but you need to find out whether an 'upgrade' is even necessary - by listening.

With streaming, decide what you need. Must you have a display on the device for example?
Or can you buy an audibly adequate, small thing like a Wiim that can even be housed / used out of sight.

The likes of the Evo 75 are appealing....but you've got all your eggs in one basket with them.

When something fails on those, you'll likely be in for an expensive repair.
(If the smallest Wiim packs up, you've lost 90 quid - a repair on an all-in-one might be treble that price).

 

[mjr111]

In answer to question 1:
Don't get too concerned with past / present prices and what that might mean in terms of quality differences.

You seem pretty happy with your NAD and Kefs - they may be 'old' but you need to find out whether an 'upgrade' is even necessary - by listening.

With streaming, decide what you need. Must you have a display on the device for example?
Or can you buy an audibly adequate, small thing like a Wiim that can even be housed / used out of sight.

The likes of the Evo 75 are appealing....but you've got all your eggs in one basket with them.

Thanks for the insight - I'll have a look at a Wiim.

Just to clarify, I'm keeping the Nad and Keff - this will be a new setup for the study / spare room. I just want something that's at least as good, so as you say, I will have to go and do some listening!.

I agree about the eggs in one basket - will be interesting to see if all the same audio standards and protocols etc are still in existence in 10 years time.... whereas the standalone amps I've had have lasted the test of time .

 

[matthewpianist]

You could stick with NAD and opt for the C368 with a BluOS MDC module fitted. It's a very capable amplifier, and BluOS is one of the better streaming platforms. I would also expect it to pair nicely with the Oberon 5s.

 

[mjr111]

You could stick with NAD and opt for the C368 with a BluOS MDC module fitted. It's a very capable amplifier, and BluOS is one of the better streaming platforms. I would also expect it to pair nicely with the Oberon 5s.

Ah thanks, had wondered if there was a NAD option - I'll take a look.

 

[matthewpianist]

Ah thanks, had wondered if there was a NAD option - I'll take a look.

You could also consider the C10.