First post here, please be kind. I am a bit out of touch with modern gear and the buying choices are overwhelming.
Hello. I am hoping to utilise your experience to buy a new hi-fi separates system.
I need an amp and speakers to begin with, and will add to that later. My current gear is entry level, and I am looking for more capable gear to replace this. Vinyl and CD will be primary source, with a WII streamer to follow.
I have-
Amp - Cambridge AXA35 - I find the controls annoying and the bass is weak.
Mordaunt Short MS3.10 speakers which sound very light and not very good.
Turntable - Audio Technical AT-LP60X USB which was a gift to replace a dropped Dual deck. This is to be replaced. I have my eyes on a Rega Planar deck.
CD player - Technics SP277 from the 80s – to be replaced
There is a cassette deck (yes, I know) and a mini disc player that will be connected at some stage for the memories of when I was younger.
Now, my hearing is not brilliant, but I can distinguish between cheap tinny sounds and quality sounds.
I was going to buy at the entry level again, but hit some problems:
I auditioned Cambridge AXR85 amp and Cambridge AX35 CD player first, using -
speakers -Dali Oberon 3 - which I thought were okay, but not brilliant,
- Wharfedale 12.1 which I felt were more articulate and better than the Dalis but had less bass output
- Q Acoustic 3020i which were flat and uninspiring.
I then listened to the Marantz PM6007 amp and CD player. This was played through -
speakers -Dali Oberon 3 - A much flatter experience then with the Cambridge amp. Not inspiring at all.
- Wharfedale 12.1 - again good, but not as good as with the Cambridge amp.
- The 3020is were not tested with the Marantz amp, which I felt was underwhelming.
A Dali sub-woofer was introduced to boost the bass. With some lighter music, this seemed to integrate nicely with the Dalis, but as soon as I played Prince's Gett Off, the sub went wild, and gave a bloated bass experience as it danced across the floor, trying to cope.
I like Norah Jones, and on my old existing system, sounds mellow, although with this gear above, the vocals sounded as though they were being constrained as Norah tried to sing her way out of the speaker boxes. I put this down to a bad recording or disc. I had never heard this before, so I suppose there was something to learn from this experience, that although I didn't like the sound, the presentation was much better than with my own gear at home, through which I hadn't heard this effect.
This session ended with an Arcam A5 amp with Fyne Audio F501 floorstanders. The bass was subtle, and I would have liked more, but we were running out of time. However, I thought this was the best sound overall. The speakers were the best I listened to that day.
So, I left thinking that I needed to start again and maybe go a level higher to get decent gear. I am disappointed with the Marantz amp and did wonder how it was getting five star reviews. This was certainly not my experience.
As I left, the sales assistant suggested that I listened to a higher spec Cambridge amp, the CXA61 or the CX81 Mk2. Now, I don’t like having to go through a button pressing menu to increase the bass (which I feel is light on all of the Cambridge amps I have tried), so I am reluctant to take a chance here.
The Arcam 5 seemed ok, and I think it will be ok with good speakers. But, I balk at the thought of spending £1000 on a set of speakers and wonder if a £500 pair could give the same response?
As I left, I was shown a Roksan K3 amp for a very good price. Whilst this seems a very good deal, I wonder how my budget/entry level or gear that is just a bit better than that will sound.
I am of an age where a thousand pounds for a set of speakers seems crazy money, but my experiences in auditioning gear have shown me that you get what you pay for, and not to rely on reviews.
Qs – What are your experiences of Cambridge, Roksan or Arcam?
Is one significantly better than the other?
What would a cheaper CD player sound like through these? After all, it just spins discs, doesn’t it (I am joking).
Your advice on cheaper speakers that offer some bass grunt without sounding like the Dali sub-woofer would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Hello. I am hoping to utilise your experience to buy a new hi-fi separates system.
I need an amp and speakers to begin with, and will add to that later. My current gear is entry level, and I am looking for more capable gear to replace this. Vinyl and CD will be primary source, with a WII streamer to follow.
I have-
Amp - Cambridge AXA35 - I find the controls annoying and the bass is weak.
Mordaunt Short MS3.10 speakers which sound very light and not very good.
Turntable - Audio Technical AT-LP60X USB which was a gift to replace a dropped Dual deck. This is to be replaced. I have my eyes on a Rega Planar deck.
CD player - Technics SP277 from the 80s – to be replaced
There is a cassette deck (yes, I know) and a mini disc player that will be connected at some stage for the memories of when I was younger.
Now, my hearing is not brilliant, but I can distinguish between cheap tinny sounds and quality sounds.
I was going to buy at the entry level again, but hit some problems:
I auditioned Cambridge AXR85 amp and Cambridge AX35 CD player first, using -
speakers -Dali Oberon 3 - which I thought were okay, but not brilliant,
- Wharfedale 12.1 which I felt were more articulate and better than the Dalis but had less bass output
- Q Acoustic 3020i which were flat and uninspiring.
I then listened to the Marantz PM6007 amp and CD player. This was played through -
speakers -Dali Oberon 3 - A much flatter experience then with the Cambridge amp. Not inspiring at all.
- Wharfedale 12.1 - again good, but not as good as with the Cambridge amp.
- The 3020is were not tested with the Marantz amp, which I felt was underwhelming.
A Dali sub-woofer was introduced to boost the bass. With some lighter music, this seemed to integrate nicely with the Dalis, but as soon as I played Prince's Gett Off, the sub went wild, and gave a bloated bass experience as it danced across the floor, trying to cope.
I like Norah Jones, and on my old existing system, sounds mellow, although with this gear above, the vocals sounded as though they were being constrained as Norah tried to sing her way out of the speaker boxes. I put this down to a bad recording or disc. I had never heard this before, so I suppose there was something to learn from this experience, that although I didn't like the sound, the presentation was much better than with my own gear at home, through which I hadn't heard this effect.
This session ended with an Arcam A5 amp with Fyne Audio F501 floorstanders. The bass was subtle, and I would have liked more, but we were running out of time. However, I thought this was the best sound overall. The speakers were the best I listened to that day.
So, I left thinking that I needed to start again and maybe go a level higher to get decent gear. I am disappointed with the Marantz amp and did wonder how it was getting five star reviews. This was certainly not my experience.
As I left, the sales assistant suggested that I listened to a higher spec Cambridge amp, the CXA61 or the CX81 Mk2. Now, I don’t like having to go through a button pressing menu to increase the bass (which I feel is light on all of the Cambridge amps I have tried), so I am reluctant to take a chance here.
The Arcam 5 seemed ok, and I think it will be ok with good speakers. But, I balk at the thought of spending £1000 on a set of speakers and wonder if a £500 pair could give the same response?
As I left, I was shown a Roksan K3 amp for a very good price. Whilst this seems a very good deal, I wonder how my budget/entry level or gear that is just a bit better than that will sound.
I am of an age where a thousand pounds for a set of speakers seems crazy money, but my experiences in auditioning gear have shown me that you get what you pay for, and not to rely on reviews.
Qs – What are your experiences of Cambridge, Roksan or Arcam?
Is one significantly better than the other?
What would a cheaper CD player sound like through these? After all, it just spins discs, doesn’t it (I am joking).
Your advice on cheaper speakers that offer some bass grunt without sounding like the Dali sub-woofer would be appreciated.
Thank you.