Stereo hifi amp for HT system and MA RS6s

[admin_exported]

I am planning to buy a dedicated stereo amp for listening to music, as my current setup plays everything through my Yamaha RX-V1600 receiver, which is not particularly musical! I still want to use my existing left and right speakers (a pair of Monitor Audio RS6s) for both movies and music so I am planning to connect the pre-outs of my AV receiver into the new stereo amp and then connect the speakers to the stereo amp.

I am therefore looking for a stereo amp that will:

(i) still allow me to control movie/cable TV volumes using only the Yamaha AV receiver (i.e. fix/bypass the stereo amplifier's preamp and just use it as a power amp when using the AV receiver as a source);

AND

(ii) be a good match for my MA RS6s (both tonally and in terms of power).

My room is about 4m by 7m but most of the listening happens in one end of the room, which is more like a 4m square. I listen to mostly rock/indie music but also have a wide range of other music with everything from hard house/electro to jazz to classical so I need a good all rounder. Music source will be Sonos (streaming FLAC from my NAS), possibly with a separate DAC when I have the budget for it!

The Roksan Kandy K2 seems to do (i) but I don't know about (ii)?! I have also heard mixed views about some of the Cambridge Audio amps (which several people have told me won't match well with RS6s). Arcam amps seem to come out well on (ii) but I don't know whether they have the functionality I need for (i).

Any suggestions please?

 

[Anonymous]

yep, would definately not put cambridge on the list or cyrus as it would be to much to listen too.

 

[d_a_n1979]

I agree with avoiding the likes of the C/A and Cyrus amps

I bit too bright/forward for the likes of the M/A RS6's

A decent 2nd hand Arcam Alpha 10 or DiVA A85 integrated amp would be my choice followed closely by the NAD C355BEE

 

[scene]

Arcam A85 will sound great with your RS6s and also has a "Processor mode" that is designed specifically to allow it to work as the front stereo pair of a 5.1 setup - this is detailed on the Arcam support page: click

I have one for use with my Silver 8is and it is superb, tight fast bass, great sound. Can get them s/hand on eBay for around £300-£350. Optional MM/MC phono stage available as factory/dealer upgrade (I have it). The A85 is a superb amp.

I have just added a Sonos to the mix - but am currently feeding it to my AVR250...

EDIT: Sorry - its the A80 and A90 that have got the processor mode option (and new Arcam FMJ amps like the A32) - I think the A85 can have a firmware patch to enable this, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Sorreltiger]

If you're considering the Roksan Kandy amp, you ought to look at the Sevenoaks Brighton ebay site, where they have an ex-display example at £699. They also have the superb Leema Pulse for £749 - I took advantage of this great offer a few weeks ago and couldn't be more pleased. This combines with my Yamaha RX-V3800 for movies and TV.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advice. I've done a bit more research on the options suggested and read a few more reviews and settled on trying to pick up a second hand A85. It turned out there was an auction for one on ebay that was just about to end and I managed to get it for £255, which seems like a pretty good deal (as long as it works)! Looking forward to testing it out...

BTW, would you recommend bi-wiring this amp with my speakers or sticking to single connections with the metal bridges between the speaker terminals? (I've currently got the speakers biwired into my AV receiver so maintaining a biwire setup will be the easiest option and carry no extra cost.)

I suppose the next question is whether I should stretch the extra £££ to buy another power amp so I can bi-amp the speakers (but this may have to wait a few months...)!

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

[scene]

Good choice of AMP

I've been dithering over whether or not to get a P85 for ages. It's a difficult one. My suggestion would be to really listen to your A85 for several months and decide whether you really like the way it sounds. If so - save the £300 odd on the P85 (or a P90 - they're matched on gain as well) and spend it on other ear candy...

As for the metal bridges and bi-wiring... If you've already got bi-wires in place and are happy with them - remove the plates and stick with them. If you want to upgrade speaker cables, I'd recommend spending more on a single wire (as opposed to bi-wire) cable. IMHO - and I've tried it with my speakers, using the AVR250, unless you bi-amp them I'm not 100% convinced bi-wiring will give you any really noticeable cost benefit - i.e. If a bi-wire costs £12/m, it will give no better results (and maybe even worse) than a £12/m single wire. (But as I said, if you've got the cable...)

BTW: Did you get an A85 with a Phono stage?

Look forward to hearing your views of the A85....