My trouble

[admin_exported]

Hello, I recently purchased some wharfdale 9.4's and ordered the NAD C315BEE, which I found for £150 but two weeks on and it still hadn't arrived so contacting the company I purchased it from I found out that that they were out of stock and everywhere else it seems to be selling it closer to the £200 mark which is a little bit more than I wanted to spend. So I decided to look for the amp I wanted to get in the first place, the Azur 340A SE but I can't seem to find it on any website for the £180 that's quoted on this site.

So my question is... What would be a good alternative AMP for around £150 or do I just have to bite the bullet and and spend £200+? I mostly listen to Classical music which would be streamed from my computer, I also recently purchased a soundblaster xtreme music sound card that has digital-out so it might be nice to get an amp that has digital-in.

Thank you for any help.
Murray

 

[Anonymous]

There are many options available to you.

1) You could always wait and see if your dealer gets some in, at that good price (though make sure you get him down to £147).

2) For classical I don't think NAD is your best hope. I feel the Marantz would work better with the genre anyway.

3) If you are listening to computer audio through the amp buy a Beresford DAC.ÿ

I hope I have been of help.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Superfi's online shop have the Nad at £161.44 listed as in stock.
The Marantz mentioned above is indeed nice with classical music, but has just had it's RRP bumped up to £320 I believe. It is still available for around a hundred less than that from some outlets, but I suspect that won't last forever.

As Octopo says, a DAC should be on your long term shopping list if you are streaming from your PC. Obviously you should be streaming lossless files in order to get the best sound quality.

Edit: I'm assuming that it's the Marantz PM6002 we're talking about here.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you both for your very quick reply, I'm new to this so please forgive my lack of knowledge, would buying the DAC mean I wouldn't need a to buy an amp at all or is it used on conjunction with and amp?

The Marantz pm6002 looks like a good buy, how much difference can I expect to hear between the Marantz and say the NAD C315 (or any other amp for roughly £50 cheaper), I suppose what I'm trying to ask is whether or not that the extra money spent translates to a proportionate increase in sound quality.

p.s. yes I use lossless audio.

 

[Anonymous]

No, the DAC would be in addition to your amp. You would connect the digital out from your soundcard to the DAC, and then connect that via a standard analogue interconnect to your amp. The DAC's job is to translate the digital signal into an analogue signal for the amp. Obviously this is more money, which is why I was thinking "longer term". In the meantime, you'll have to connect your soundcard to the amp via a suitable analogue interconnect; amplifiers with a digital in are pretty unusual and very expensive.

I can't comment on the sound quality of the NAD vs the Marantz, as I haven't heard the former. I know some people swear by them, although that's true of just about any brand. If there's a Superfi near you (they should stock them both) I would suggest going for a listen.

Hope that helps, any other questions, just ask

 

[Anonymous]

Do you have a wireless network? If so the AE is your answer, hook it to a Beresford and your Marantz 6002, your prayers will be answered.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the clarification on the DAC, it'll be something worth getting in the future.
I have a wireless network at the moment but I'm sure what the AE is or whether or not in the future I will be on a wireless network as I'm currently in student accomidation.
I want to thank everyone for their help, I will be buying the Marantz and then the DAC when I can next afford it.
This site really is an excellent resource, great work.

Murray.

 

[Anonymous]

mtruelove:
I'm sure what the AE is or whether or not in the future I will be on a wireless network asÿ I'm currently in student accomidation

In that case the AE isn't for you! I think the 6002 will serve you best within your requirements, you should look into the Cmbridge DacMagic which has USB connectivity. All round cost with cables? £400 ish. Well worth it.

 

[Anonymous]

I also recommend the setup above. CA DacMagic is great but it is expensive - if you are on a budget, Project USB Box is decent and 1/3 the price of DacMagic.

 

[Anonymous]

Just thought I'd let everyone know how it all turned out. My final setup is a Marantz PM6002 and Wharfdale 9.4, and it's sound brilliant, worth every penny. Thanks once again for everyones help I really appriciated it.
In the future I hope to get a DAC as recommended.

Murray.

p.s. The final price after includeing the amp and speakers plus the sound card and and cables was £500, hope this thread helps someone in the future.

 

[matengawhat]

http://www.petertyson.co.uk/ebuttonz/ebz_product_pages/nad_c315.shtml

£152.10p here - used them loads and never had a problem

 

[matengawhat]

sorry just read you bought the marantz - enjoy