New amp question

[PaulCon]

Hi all,

I bought a set of DM601's for £160 which came with a Rotel RA-971 amp and a Denon DCD-635 CD, I didn't like the sound of the Rotel and I don't use CD's (I use iTunes) so I sold them and kept the DM601's as I was only interested in them any, basically I'm in the market for an amp, I've been looking on eBay for something in the region of £200-250 (2nd hand), I was looking at the below:

Musical Fidelity X-A2

Yamaha A-S5000

Marantz PM6003

Rega Brio 3

I mainly listen to electronic music (ambient, hip hop, dance) so need decent bass but I also listen to rock like The Beatles, The Doors, The Stone Roses, etc so need a decent midrange/acoustics, I want a nice big crisp sound but also something music not brash.

Which of the above would you recommend or could you suggest any better alternatives?

Thanks in advance

Paul

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

Are the 601's Mk1, 2 or 3's?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[PaulCon]

Hi Musicraft,

They're Mk2's with QED Qudos cable (want some Chord carnival silverscreen though at some point soon).

Also found a NAD C316BEE if their worth looking at? the ones I'm looking at at the moment are the Marantz and Yamaha as they have buy now's where the others are 'auctions' and I need an amp asap really as I currently don't have one, the Marantz is £169.99 and the Yamaha is £219 which seem quote good if they are right for my style of music?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

Thanks for your reply.

The Marantz and the Yamaha will do the trick. Rotel's RA-1062 is also worth seeking out.

Btw, I'll highly recommend that you should also consider changing speaker cables to simple 500 strand OFC as I feel these will be more than good enough for your components.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

Hi all,

I bought a set of DM601's for £160 which came with a Rotel RA-971 amp and a Denon DCD-635 CD, I didn't like the sound of the Rotel and I don't use CD's (I use iTunes) so I sold them and kept the DM601's as I was only interested in them any, basically I'm in the market for an amp, I've been looking on eBay for something in the region of £200-250 (2nd hand), I was looking at the below:

Musical Fidelity X-A2

Yamaha A-S5000

Marantz PM6003

Rega Brio 3

I mainly listen to electronic music (ambient, hip hop, dance) so need decent bass but I also listen to rock like The Beatles, The Doors, The Stone Roses, etc so need a decent midrange/acoustics, I want a nice big crisp sound but also something music not brash.

It's not really that you need an amplifier with good bass - you need an amplifier that can control the bass of your 601's. You also need to make sure that the amplifier you choose can deal with a 4ohm load when the going gets tough - you don't want an amp that's going to start sweating when it's asked to reproduce and control the low bass of some of your electronic music. Any new amplifiers under the £300 mark certainly won't be up to the job.

I'd look at the Rotel amplifiers as they always work very well with B&W speakers. There's the RA06se and the RA1520 to look at. You can also look at the Audiolab 8200A (or it's older brother, the 8000A), which is also an excellent amplifier. if you feel any of these are too neutral for you, then the Rega Brio R or the Yamaha you mention will be worth checking out.

Theyre Mk2's with QED Qudos cable (want some Chord carnival silverscreen though at some point)

Your Qudos cable will be fine for now. While the Carnival Silver Screen is a better cable, I'd put your available funds into getting your amplifier right first as that's going to have the largest effect on your system.

 

[Anonymous]

I had recently been looking for a new amplifier and settled on the Cyrus 8vs2 but before that I had the MF XA2 for a few weeks and it was sold as the soundstage was far too smoth and dull at times with poor bass depth. It's one I wouldn't recommend, more so for your musical tastes which are not far from mine!

However the Marantz PM6003 is a great amp and would work very well indeed as would the likes of a Cyrus 6vs2 and the Rotel RA 1062 as already mentioned.

Others I'd look at would be the NAD C320BEE and maybe an Arcam Alpha 9

I also have all my music via iTunes etc... Do you have a DAC in place as this'll make a big difference as well?

 

[PaulCon]

I had recently been looking for a new amplifier and settled on the Cyrus 8vs2 but before that I had the MF XA2 for a few weeks and it was sold as the soundstage was far too smoth and dull at times with poor bass depth. It's one I wouldn't recommend, more so for your musical tastes which are not far from mine!

However the Marantz PM6003 is a great amp and would work very well indeed as would the likes of a Cyrus 6vs2 and the Rotel RA 1062 as already mentioned.

Others I'd look at would be the NAD C320BEE and maybe an Arcam Alpha 9

I also have all my music via iTunes etc... Do you have a DAC in place as this'll make a big difference as well?

I only use an Apple airport express to stream music to my amp so only the DAC built into that.

 

[PaulCon]

So far this is what I'm watching on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170816081781?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1156

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130671708069?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1174

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280853995187?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1174

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110846470767?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1174

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150790467222?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1174

I demo'd an Arcam Alpha 7 and though it sounded boring,warm but quite laid back have they changed much since? my dad has a MF X-Ray and and cd which I love the sound of which is why I looked at the A-2? There is an Alpha 9 on eBay about 6 miles from where I live so if they are any good I could offer him a price and collect, how much are they worth in your opinion?

Thanks for the feedback guys, it's much appreciated as I don't want to buy an amp just because it was expensive when released and for a good price but to find out it's not the sound I want, I realise £200-250 isn't much so I don't expect the world just something dynamic and exciting to listen to, if I need a DAc then I'll get something a litte cheaper and get a DAC.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

Your welcome.

Fwiw, the RA-1062 anyday as the RA-1062's tonal presentation and its quality of power and performance will energize DM601's just nicely :rockout:

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[PaulCon]

The Rotel went for £275 which a little more than I wanted to pay and the MF A-2 I missed out on because I missed the end by 2 mins

Back to the drawing board then I guess, I know it's Yamaha but What HiFi said the A-S5000 was the best amp upto £500, is that wrong?

I'm now watching:

Cyrus 7 & 8's (prob finish more than I can afford though)

NAD C326BEE & C320BEE

Arcam Alpha 9 (unsure about Arcam though from ones I've heard in the past)

Marantz PM6003 (£180 with 'make me an offer' which sounds a good price)

Yamaha A-S5000 (£219 new from Richer Sounds outlet)

 

[CnoEvil]

The Rotel went for £275 which a little more than I wanted to pay and the MF A-2 I missed out on because I missed the end by 2 mins

Back to the drawing board then I guess, I know it's Yamaha but What HiFi said the A-S5000 was the best amp upto £500, is that wrong?

I'm now watching:

Cyrus 7 & 8's (prob finish more than I can afford though)

NAD C326BEE & C320BEE

Arcam Alpha 9 (unsure about Arcam though from ones I've heard in the past)

Marantz PM6003 (£180 with 'make me an offer' which sounds a good price)

Yamaha A-S5000 (£219 new from Richer Sounds outlet)

WHF called it as they saw (heard) it. It's an opinion and not a definitive statement.

IMO. The most sensible thing you can do, is understand the way you like your music to sound, and then go with the amp that takes you in that direction eg. Cyrus and Arcam are at opposide ends of the spectrum.

 

[PaulCon]

Good point, I want something that has punchy bass but not brash, something that is exciting to listen to really, I listen to a lot of electronic music really but also some rock, beach boys, Mike Oldfield, etc as well.

I don't expect the earth when it comes to sound as I know I've only have a set off B&W DM601's so I don't know if a high end amp (2nd hand) would be a waste on me to be honest as I only stream music from iTunes anyway, it's not like I have expensive speakers, cd or turntable to match with it, obviously I want to get the best for my money but it's not like I listen to classical or music which need a lot of range.

Hope that makes sense :doh:

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

Hold out for an RA-1062. It will be worth the wait

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[PaulCon]

I can't believe I missed out on that RA-1062 by £15 and their aren't anymore on eBay

I used to have a set of DM601's about 10 years ago with a Denon PMA-250SE which I loved, thats the sound I like, punch and in your face but not harsh, I actually thought about getting another PMA-250SE with a good quality DAC but thought against it for a higher end amp.

I've 'reworked' the finances so I could stretch to £300

 

[plastic penguin]

I can't believe I missed out on that RA-1062 by £15 and their aren't anymore on eBay

I used to have a set of DM601's about 10 years ago with a Denon PMA-250SE which I loved, thats the sound I like, punch and in your face but not harsh, I actually thought about getting another PMA-250SE with a good quality DAC but thought against it for a higher end amp.

I've 'reworked' the finances so I could stretch to £300

After reading all the posts, you should be looking at a Roksan Kandy MKIII. Immensely powerful and detailed with impressive punch.

There's an LIII version on the auction site at the moment, but this example is overpriced IMO.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

The RA-1062's higher quality of amplification enables the RA-1062 to offer (amongst its other qualities) even greater levels of punch from the DM601's without sounding harsh The RA-1062 will eat the PMA-250SE for breakfast

Btw, i used to sell these three products.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi Paul

The RA-1062's higher quality of amplification enables the RA-1062 to offer (amongst its other qualities) even greater levels of punch without sounding harsh The RA-1062 will eat the PMA-250SE for breakfast

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Read his initial post again... he's not keen on the Rotel. Clearly he's looking at any brand rather than trust another make that doesn't do it for him.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

The RA-1062's higher quality of amplification enables the RA-1062 to offer (amongst its other qualities) even greater levels of punch without sounding harsh The RA-1062 will eat the PMA-250SE for breakfast

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Read his initial post again... he's not keen on the Rotel. Clearly he's looking at any brand rather than trust another make that doesn't do it for him.

Hi plastic penguin

Firstly the RA-1062 is in a different league to the RA-971.

Secondly if the OP wasn't keen on Rotel then there would be no need for him to consider the RA-1062.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi Paul

The RA-1062's higher quality of amplification enables the RA-1062 to offer (amongst its other qualities) even greater levels of punch without sounding harsh The RA-1062 will eat the PMA-250SE for breakfast

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Read his initial post again... he's not keen on the Rotel. Clearly he's looking at any brand rather than trust another make that doesn't do it for him.

Hi plastic penguin

Firstly the RA-1062 is in a different league to the RA-971.

Secondly if the OP wasn't keen on Rotel then there would be no need for him to consider the RA-1062.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

That's because you thrusted the Rotel down his throat... three times on one page to be exact.

Yes the Rotel is a very good amp, clearly you love it, but it doesn't mean everyone has the same taste or views as you or me. Moreover, they only come up about half a dozen times a year on average.

As always with you: If in doubt throw the Rotel 1062 at them.

Yes, I know - 20,000 of your customers compared the Rotel to Arcam A85 and they all chose the Rotel.

 

[hortensio]

The Thread now has a title: "Rick Vs Plastic Penguin" :bounce:

 

[PaulCon]

Lol, I've created a monster, don't fight gents :rofl:

Your both right gents, I'm unsure about Rotel as I've only had one of their amps (971) but the 1062 seems to be held quote highly so I would look at them seriously for the right price, all the Roksan Kandy amp's I've seen go for way over £300, at the moment I don't have any amp so I'm pretty desperate and can't wait for certain amps to arrive on eBay

I know this might sound daft but I've honestly been thinking about the PMA-250SE again as I know it sounds great with the DM601's, plus I can pick one up in great nick for £60 (inc P&P) which would leave me with enough of my £300 budget left to buy a DAC, also a NAS to use as an iTunes server and save for a better amp.............. Good idea? :quest:

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Paul

If you're happy with a PMA-250SE/DM601 pairing and time is of the essence then go for the Denon and save up for a better amp.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[moon]

Paul NAD 326 is around £300 new, my advice, buy a solid amp first. Save up for the DAC, the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 should do the trick, great with electronic music.

 

[plastic penguin]

Paul NAD 326 is around £300 new, my advice, buy a solid amp first. Save up for the DAC, the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 should do the trick, great with electronic music.

+1 for the Nad. Very impressive with electro pop.

 

[matthewpiano]

The NAD C326BEE is an excellent amplifier. If you go down this route invest in a set of Audioquest amp jumpers to replace the steel ones on the back of the amp. It does make a big difference and they are only £25.