Hi all
I'm looking to buy a Hifi amp to hear my music proper but need some advise.
At the moment i'm using a CA 540R Azur to listen to music which sound good, but after hooking up my mates old Tecnhics amp to my speakers, i immediately realized i was missing out. My music was transformed and drove my Neo 3's speakers how they should be driven with all kinds of music.
My type of music varies but leans more to bass oriented sounds. However, i also like jazz, recorded concerts and listen to the odd classical.
My setup
CA 540R AV amp
CA 540C V2 CDP
AE Neo 3 speakers.
My limit is £400 and I've narrowed it down to the following.
CA 640A V2
Nad C355BEE
Marantz PM7003.
Roughly all the same wpc and price, The problem is that i'm unable to demo any of them.
Getting the CA 640 might seem the logical choice but that doesn't mean the best choice. I heard NAD amps in the past and they were top notch then and the reviews i've read( and i think i read to many already) suggest that the 355 are just as good or better. The Marantz is the newest here, so there is hardly any expert or user reviews. It is also the most expensive and at the top of my budget. The built in Phono stage is an added bonus as not many amps have them nowadays but the Direct In feature allows it to be used as a power amp which is very appealing to me as i would like to connect my AV to it. The CA and NAD could possibly do this as well but it's not clear how and i don't want to hear a pop and crackle or smell that burnt electrical smell when i do connect them up.
Any advise would be much appreciated.
Thanks
PS: WHF-will you be reviewing the Marantz PM7003?
H
I'm looking to buy a Hifi amp to hear my music proper but need some advise.
At the moment i'm using a CA 540R Azur to listen to music which sound good, but after hooking up my mates old Tecnhics amp to my speakers, i immediately realized i was missing out. My music was transformed and drove my Neo 3's speakers how they should be driven with all kinds of music.
My type of music varies but leans more to bass oriented sounds. However, i also like jazz, recorded concerts and listen to the odd classical.
My setup
CA 540R AV amp
CA 540C V2 CDP
AE Neo 3 speakers.
My limit is £400 and I've narrowed it down to the following.
CA 640A V2
Nad C355BEE
Marantz PM7003.
Roughly all the same wpc and price, The problem is that i'm unable to demo any of them.
Getting the CA 640 might seem the logical choice but that doesn't mean the best choice. I heard NAD amps in the past and they were top notch then and the reviews i've read( and i think i read to many already) suggest that the 355 are just as good or better. The Marantz is the newest here, so there is hardly any expert or user reviews. It is also the most expensive and at the top of my budget. The built in Phono stage is an added bonus as not many amps have them nowadays but the Direct In feature allows it to be used as a power amp which is very appealing to me as i would like to connect my AV to it. The CA and NAD could possibly do this as well but it's not clear how and i don't want to hear a pop and crackle or smell that burnt electrical smell when i do connect them up.
Any advise would be much appreciated.
Thanks
PS: WHF-will you be reviewing the Marantz PM7003?
H