Recommendation for £10k system

Markmaguire

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Hi all

Thinking of a complete system upgrade soon: turntable, streamer, amp and speakers

Speakers will probably be Spendor A7 (£3300) - recommended amp 25-200W

Turntable most likely to be Project Classic Evo with Ortofon Quintet red MC

Must haves (in case you want to recommend anything not on the lists)
Roon endpoint
Internet Radio (not TuneIn as they don't carry BBC)

System 1 - NAIM - cost £7600
Stageline phono preamp
Supernait 3 amp (80W)
ND5 XS2 streamer

System 2 - PRIMARE - cost £7944
R35 phono stage
PRE35 Prisma - preamp/streamer
A35.2 poweramp (200W)

System 3 - HEGEL - cost £7550
V10 phono preamp
H390 streamer/amp (250W)

System 4 - Yamaha - cost £8300
A-S3200 amp (inc MC phono stage) (100W) - really love the look of this one!
Cambridge Audio DAC 200M
Roon Nucleus streamer or Innuos Zen Mini MkIII

Thanks all
 
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10k for a system would seem obscene for some, but it’s probably the top end of what is right on the money.
most people will advise trying all this before purchasing, but I would think it difficult to buy anything bad with that kind of budget.
I spent over 6k getting where I am without listening to a single piece of kit and I’m very happy with mine.
get whatever floats your boat. Set it up correctly, that’s more important than anything.
You could spend silly money, but it will all be wasted if it’s not set up to create an effective soundstage.
 

muljao

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I probably shouldn't even comment when my experience of such a system is non existent. Just a thought though, if you went for something like a Dali Rubicon 6c with Bluos module (or a similar active integrated with streamer setup) you'd have the speakers, amp and streamer side sorted without needing to try and match components, add a turntable of choice, just something that might be food for thought
 

rainsoothe

Well-known member
Hi all

Thinking of a complete system upgrade soon: turntable, streamer, amp and speakers

Speakers will probably be Spendor A7 (£3300) - recommended amp 25-200W

Turntable most likely to be Project Classic Evo with Ortofon Quintet red MC

Must haves (in case you want to recommend anything not on the lists)
Roon endpoint
Internet Radio (not TuneIn as they don't carry BBC)

System 1 - NAIM - cost £7600
Stageline phono preamp
Supernait 3 amp (80W)
ND5 XS2 streamer

System 2 - PRIMARE - cost £7944
R35 phono stage
PRE35 Prisma - preamp/streamer
A35.2 poweramp (200W)

System 3 - HEGEL - cost £7550
V10 phono preamp
H390 streamer/amp (250W)

System 4 - Yamaha - cost £8300
A-S3200 amp (inc MC phono stage) (100W) - really love the look of this one!
Cambridge Audio DAC 200M
Roon Nucleus streamer or Innuos Zen Mini MkIII

Thanks all
You really should try to audition, especially at this budget.

Personally, I've yet to find amplification that can match Naim's musical joy, and using their own streamers has one great advantage - that you can control the volume from the app. That being said, there's other sources that can work well, for instance a Lumin U1 mini transport (or Roon Nucleus, if that's the transport) with a Denafrips or Aqua r2r DAC. The Naim Stageline is also pretty... ok, I guess, but you can defo have better for the money, or even cheaper (Simaudio, Musical Fidelity, Creek etc). I'd also have Harbeth, Revel, Proac and Russell K on the speaker list.
 
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Some very attractive options you’ve set out there. I’m a fan of Primare, though I’d question whether the separate pre/power is really worth the extra outlay for your proposed A7 speakers, versus the I35 Prisma amp. What I’m less confident about is how user-friendly their streaming function is. In fact, that’s arguably the most important aspect of your whole decision here, because if it’s a pain to use, it doesn’t really matter if it sounds 1% better than a more usable rival. You really need to decide what streaming service and/or NAS you're intending to use, and check out the app that supports it. (You might consider a streamer/pre, plus a power amp too)

The Naim system has the only dedicated streamer, but that amps wouldn’t be my first choice - but if you like energetic and bouncy sounds then they might be ideal.
The Hegel is probably the best actual amplifier in the list. A real powerhouse and refined too.
The Yamaha has a definite retro appeal and might well sound the lushestof them all.
Therefore it depends a lot on your taste!

Maybe consider too the excellent Gato DIA 250s NPM...
 
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Whatever you end up getting I would try to move away from the basic Red cartridges that Ortofon produce.
It has all the disadvantages of the Moving Coil design including a lowish output that will not work with some amps, and no real benefits.
It's a source so needs to be the best you can afford.
If you are determined to get Ortofon Quintet (which I would avoid) then aim for the Bronze.
Personally I would stick with a decent Moving Magnet design with all its benefits.
For what it's worth, out of your systems, my choice would be Primare or Hegel.
 

Markmaguire

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Some very attractive options you’ve set out there. I’m a fan of Primare, though I’d question whether the separate pre/power is really worth the extra outlay for your proposed A7 speakers, versus the I35 Prisma amp. What I’m less confident about is how user-friendly their streaming function is. In fact, that’s arguably the most important aspect of your whole decision here, because if it’s a pain to use, it doesn’t really matter if it sounds 1% better than a more usable rival. You really need to decide what streaming service and/or NAS you're intending to use, and check out the app that supports it. (You might consider a streamer/pre, plus a power amp too)

The Naim system has the only dedicated streamer, but that amps wouldn’t be my first choice - but if you like energetic and bouncy sounds then they might be ideal.
The Hegel is probably the best actual amplifier in the list. A real powerhouse and refined too.
The Yamaha has a definite retro appeal and might well sound the lushestof them all.
Therefore it depends a lot on your taste!

Maybe consider too the excellent Gato DIA 250s NPM...https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/5e5570_f6fe1f161a584ff7b39fdbb006537d25.pdf
100% agree on the app control. Roon is my preference in favour of using native apps.
 

Markmaguire

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Whatever you end up getting I would try to move away from the basic Red cartridges that Ortofon produce.
It has all the disadvantages of the Moving Coil design including a lowish output that will not work with some amps, and no real benefits.
It's a source so needs to be the best you can afford.
If you are determined to get Ortofon Quintet (which I would avoid) then aim for the Bronze.
Personally I would stick with a decent Moving Magnet design with all its benefits.
For what it's worth, out of your systems, my choice would be Primare or Hegel.
Not particularly attached to that cart, but it's the stock one on the Classic Evo.
 

Markmaguire

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Changed my mind...... I would go for your System 4 but replace the Yamaha with the Luxman L-507UX Mk2....

That Luxman does look nice. Spec looks very similar to the Yamaha. What makes you choose the Luxman over the Yamaha?
 
That Luxman does look nice. Spec looks very similar to the Yamaha. What makes you choose the Luxman over the Yamaha?
I have heard one, plus the inbuilt phono stage is excellent.
I have not heard the A-S3200 but if it's presrntation is anything like its cheaper bretheren then my money would be on Luxman any day of the week.
 

RoA

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Of your choices I'd probably choose Hegel as I like their sound and the amplifiers should match just about anything.

But having a bit fun with your budget I'd probably go with a Gato A/B amplifier with Harbeth speakers if simply for looks.
 

Oldfart

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Changed my mind...... I would go for your System 4 but replace the Yamaha with the Luxman L-507UX Mk2....

+1, but unashamedly biased! Had mine for nearly a year, paired initially with Dali Rubicon 6s now Epicon 6s. An amp that my son in law will be enjoying after I am gone, or gone deaf! In saying that, I have a possibly Luddite view that a higher percentage of your budget should be spent on speakers. I enjoyed the D7s on audition several years ago and not heard A7s
 
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+1, but unashamedly biased! Had mine for nearly a year, paired initially with Dali Rubicon 6s now Epicon 6s. An amp that my son in law will be enjoying after I am gone, or gone deaf! In saying that, I have a possibly Luddite view that a higher percentage of your budget should be spent on speakers. I enjoyed the D7s on audition several years ago and not heard A7s
I concur.
The Yamaha is a big beast of an ampifier, and I like its retro looks, but the sound of cheaper Yamahas never did it for me.
Heard the Luxman with Sonus Faber speakers and it was brilliant, enjoy it you are a lucky man.
I would have one if my work was not so sporadic.
I would suggest the A7's are probably about as big as you'd want to go in a room of those dimensions.
 

Oldfart

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Thank you. Although I was more than happy with MarantzPM14/ Rubicons, lockdown 1 and being Clinically extremely vulnerable / shielded caused a moment or two of impulsive extravagance. Not regretted as the sentence goes on. And on. There was a generous trade in deal on Sonus Faber Olympica Novas which was very tempting, but couldn’t audition. Nintronics were excellent, btw.
 
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Sorreltiger

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I have a Primare i35 Prisma in a similar-sized room - maybe a touch larger, but not much in it. My latest addition has been a QNAP NAS drive, sourced from Ripcaster (as recommended by a very helpful set-up video you'll find on YouTube). Ripcaster were absolutely brilliant and I recommend them wholeheartedly. Everything works very smoothly via the Prisma app on my iPad - well, 99% of the time and a 5 minute reboot every couple of weeks when there's a wifi glitch isn't excessive in my mind. Roon was an option, but I decided I didn't want to pay another subscription. I love the Primare amp - takes my breath away with the easy power and immediacy of the sound sometimes - but I think matching your speakers to a small room will be crucial. I went for PMCs (a common Primare coupling) for that reason. During lockdown (when I reasoned that I'd be listening to loads of music at home instead of going to concerts!!) I upgraded my Twenty 24s to Twenty5 24s, which made much more of a difference than I'd expected, particularly in filling out the bass.
 
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