Nad - Arcam

[robw17]

Looking at upgrading my nad c521bee and c352 to the arcam cd73 and diva A70 both of which are on offer at superfi for £300 and £350. Do you think this will be a worthwhile upgrade and what kind of sound will the arcams offer compared to the nads? They will be used with AE aelite 3 speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

That's a very good price - should take a little bass drone off for you - there won't be a huge improvement however.

 

[robw17]

Hmm well seems like a lot of money for not such a big upgrade then. Would getting just the roksan kandy mk3 cd player and keeping the amp make a bigger difference (It probably would be second hand off ebay)

 

[drummerman]

I'd say a Cyrus 8vs is a more sensible option (if you like it of course).

 

[robw17]

would be good but im only really looking at spending around £300 on amp / cd

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="robw17"]would be good but im only really looking at spending around £300 on amp / cd[/quote]

Understand robw17. I thought you are contemplating buying the arcams at 350 or so each which is not that much of an upgrade as mentioned previously. You could pick an 8vs up ex/dem for probably £650 or thereabout which would improve your existing system no end and probably keep you happy for years while you upgrade around it.

 

[robw17]

Yes, but that will involve selling my amp and cd player so i'd be left with nothing. I do agree with you though that buying one very good amp or cd and then upgrading the rest later is probably the way to go. cheers

 

[robw17]

Ahh cyrus 8vs £450 on ebay.. will have to consider that. what kind of sound do the cyrus amps give and do you think it would go well with the aelite 3s?

 

[Anonymous]

Cyrus are stereotypically bright, but quite nice however. However, I would not consider the Kandy CD player...it is noted to give alot of bass - which Isn't what you want is it with those speakers!

 

[robw17]

hah good point. So what would be a good cd player with the cyrus 8vs?

 

[Anonymous]

Personally? An ipod with a dock...but I guess (if you are saving up) the matching cd player or try the Arcam CD73T or something from Marantz? or your pc...

 

[robw17]

Would the matching cd player be the cd8x? An ipod.. really?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes it is the cd8x, but if you wanted a cheaper varient, try the CD 6s...but make sure you listen first; they are an aquired taste.

And an ipod with a decent dock (something like Arcam's model) is superb if you rip in lossless quality. I once heard a man at the Bristol Hi-Fi show say: "to tell whether it's a good hi-fi, get an ipod shuffle with some decent headphones and see if it's better...if it is, it's the Chord £100k system...if it isn't then it's anything else."

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="robw17"]Ahh cyrus 8vs £450 on ebay.. will have to consider that. what kind of sound do the cyrus amps give and do you think it would go well with the aelite 3s?[/quote]

Powerful, detailed and extremely coherent. In fact pretty much as this magazine describes it in their Ultimate Guide.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Hughes123"]Personally? An ipod with a dock...but I guess (if you are saving up) the matching cd player or try the Arcam CD73T or something from Marantz? or your pc...[/quote]

Spot on. Match it with something slightly "warmer" and you will get a good, neutral sound. I too upgraded from the C521BEE to the CD73t. There is quite a difference in quality of sound!