I have the spendor sa1 speakers and yet to have amp.I got the choice of primare i30 or rotel pre power comb(rc 1580 and rb 1552).I was wondering what would work best or is rotel gear up to and can compete with prinare?any input will be greatly appreciated.thanks in advance.john
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rotel or primare
- Thread starter stpierre76
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Have you demo'd both yet or are you demoing in the near future?
What music do you generally listen to and also what CD player, speaker cable and interconnects do you use? Do you have a budget in mind?
The Primare is a good amp but for my tastes in music it didnt suit. I demo'd the Rotel RA1520 integrated amp (eventually) and it's brilliant, great soundstage, superb bass depth, tautness and clarity and a detailed, smooth midrange and treble.
I cant see the pre/power combo being much different!
What music do you generally listen to and also what CD player, speaker cable and interconnects do you use? Do you have a budget in mind?
The Primare is a good amp but for my tastes in music it didnt suit. I demo'd the Rotel RA1520 integrated amp (eventually) and it's brilliant, great soundstage, superb bass depth, tautness and clarity and a detailed, smooth midrange and treble.
I cant see the pre/power combo being much different!
This is a personal taste decision. I tried the SA1s with the I30 and it worked very well indeed. The I30 is a classy, superbly built amp that looks amazing alongside the SA1s!
John Duncan
Well-known member
- Jan 8, 2008
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Is this a trick question?
To be fair, I heard the SA1s with an A20 and wasn't that impressed when I was expecting to be (they weren't bad in any way, just not as big an improvement as I wanted). However it should be noted that Spendor specifically state that the lower-powered Primares are not very compatible with the SA1, but the higher-powered i30 is. As I may have mentioned in the past (
), the i30 is one of my fave amps ever so I would certainly be looking to get that over the Rotel pair if you could hear the i30 and SA1s together...
To be fair, I heard the SA1s with an A20 and wasn't that impressed when I was expecting to be (they weren't bad in any way, just not as big an improvement as I wanted). However it should be noted that Spendor specifically state that the lower-powered Primares are not very compatible with the SA1, but the higher-powered i30 is. As I may have mentioned in the past (
Frank Harvey
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- Jun 27, 2008
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Of the two I'd say the Primare is looking the favourite, but I'd also throw in the Rega Elicit and naim Nait XS for the little Spendors. If you don't mind pre/powers, try the Rega Cursa 3/Maia 3 and the Naim 152xs/155xs combos.
Thanks a lot to every body that replied and advised me on those 2 items.I am yet to have a source.I guess I went back wards in building up my hifi.I needed some quality small speakers which would still perform near a wall thus bought the sa1.Next process is amp and i thonk I will go for primare not only because it looks much nicier but great reviews it had.As for source, I will get the olive hd4 or similar product as digitally stored music is so convenient.
The Primare CD31 goes very well with the I30 amp (surprise surprise) and is well worth the price. Looks fab too.
Interesting post.
How do you find the upper frequencies of a primare amp? Some say it`s a tad rolled off, and it lacks a little bit of sprakle which make things exciting? Is this true in your experience?
Sometimes I find that my proac D2 lacks that little bit of sparkle, when compared to my old B&W , and I miss that. This could be due to the rotel , but i doubt that.
How do you find the upper frequencies of a primare amp? Some say it`s a tad rolled off, and it lacks a little bit of sprakle which make things exciting? Is this true in your experience?
Sometimes I find that my proac D2 lacks that little bit of sparkle, when compared to my old B&W , and I miss that. This could be due to the rotel , but i doubt that.
i tried 3 cdps with the i30, cd8se, caspian and kandy. cd8se was very good with perhaps a touch of coldness about it, caspian was brilliant - the best cdp i've heard, kandy was bass light and could get uncomfortable in the treble, some music was bordering on painful. this was with dynaudio speakers, not known for being bass light or bright.
I'd rate the Densen B110 above the Primare based on a recent if cursory listen. Heard the Roksan amp against the Cyrus briefly a while ago, and came out thinking the Cyrus better. Audio memory is admittedly deceptive but the Densen I think is the pick of the bunch. Probably far more expensive, too.
Tarquinh, I heard some good things about Densen gear too. They dont seem to be a popular brand on this forum, maybe that`s because they are not British made.
Taquinh, What do you think about the upper frequencies of primare gear. Are they really rolled off/too smooth sounding?
Thanks!
Taquinh, What do you think about the upper frequencies of primare gear. Are they really rolled off/too smooth sounding?
Thanks!
Bit hard to say as the speakers I was listening through are know for their slightly rolled-off treble!
The Densen just seemed a touch better all round and it's the one I took home for an extensive audition. It certainly adds more life to my Sonus Fabers, which is no bad thing. That said, I enjoyed the Primare more than the Unison Research Unico, which was a surprise given the Unico was the amp I'd originally intended to buy.
I'd give them both a listen. What works well for my SFs may be too much for your Proacs.
The Densen just seemed a touch better all round and it's the one I took home for an extensive audition. It certainly adds more life to my Sonus Fabers, which is no bad thing. That said, I enjoyed the Primare more than the Unison Research Unico, which was a surprise given the Unico was the amp I'd originally intended to buy.
I'd give them both a listen. What works well for my SFs may be too much for your Proacs.
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