Stick with Arcam or move to Naim? or rega.. or even mix components??

Hi People,

I'll try and make this as simple as i can. I'm thinking of upgrading my current amplifier and dvd setup, all of which are Arcam products.

A70 amp, P85/3 power amp, and DV79 dvd/cd player. since moving to a bigger house, the acoustics are much different when playing cd's.

the setup sounds alright with SKY, and brilliant with movies, but for some reason, when playing cd's there's something missing.

i've got Mission M35i speakers, which are fussy about positioning, and never seem to be happy when playing cd's, the music is either too bassy, or theres too much treble, but this is not the case when playing dvd's. its really strange.

so i'm wondering, should i try upgrading the A70 to a more powerful amp, maybe the A22 or A90, (yes, i'm looking at 2nd hand stuff here)

or should i sell the whole lot, and buy a naim nait5i and cd5i combo (again, 2nd hand) and maybe get a budget blu-ray to watch movies.

i'm really missing enjoying my music, so i think thats what's more inmportant to me right now.

any advice would be welcome.

cheers.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
I'd recommend trying to hear the Arcam CD37 and A38 with Focal 806V speakers if you can face the idea of a wholesale upgrade. Very involving and musical set-up and, IMO, better than the Naim kit (though admittedly more expensive).

Otherwise, have you considered just upgrading your speakers? I'm sure you could get more out of your existing electronics with a pair of Focal, KEF or PMC speakers, all of which work superbly with Arcam.
 
hi, thanks for the reply. yes, i have thought about changing the speakers, infact, i wouldn't say no to changing the whole system.

the speakers, for budget models really do sound good with movies,and at my previous house they sounded really good with music too.

they are now in a bigger room, 6m x 4m, and its carpeted rather than hardwood floors. but for some reason, just aren't performing with cd's.

i've heard kef, and like them, a friend has just bought some reference 104/2 which i need to try out.

i'm just a bit bemused how everything else can sound good, but cd's just don't come together.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
My experience has been similar at times, with some set-ups sounding really good with films and TV but not cutting it with the music. I think pure music is still the biggest challenge to get right and that the other stuff falls into place much more easily.
 

Dan Turner

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If room acoustics and difficulty with speaker positioning is your issue then a change of speaker is the only thing that will help you out. You need to demo new speakers at home. I would concentrate on that first, then think about changing your other components (much) later. I'm speaking from experience.

Cheers

Dan
 
maybe so.

the other option is to trade my dv79 in for a cd92 or something.. a dedicated cd rather than a dvd/cd player.

i did plug my old alpha cd player in a few weeks ago, before i gave it to a friend, and it did sound good.
 

Dan Turner

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Fair enough. you may well be able to improve on your electonics. Having owned both, I prefer Naim to Arcam, but changing your electronics won't resolve seaker & room interaction issues. From your OP, I would worry about that first, but obviously up to you!
 
bigfish786 said:
Hi People,

I'll try and make this as simple as i can. I'm thinking of upgrading my current amplifier and dvd setup, all of which are Arcam products.

A70 amp, P85/3 power amp, and DV79 dvd/cd player. since moving to a bigger house, the acoustics are much different when playing cd's.

the setup sounds alright with SKY, and brilliant with movies, but for some reason, when playing cd's there's something missing.

i've got Mission M35i speakers, which are fussy about positioning, and never seem to be happy when playing cd's, the music is either too bassy, or theres too much treble, but this is not the case when playing dvd's. its really strange.

so i'm wondering, should i try upgrading the A70 to a more powerful amp, maybe the A22 or A90, (yes, i'm looking at 2nd hand stuff here)

or should i sell the whole lot, and buy a naim nait5i and cd5i combo (again, 2nd hand) and maybe get a budget blu-ray to watch movies.

i'm really missing enjoying my music, so i think thats what's more inmportant to me right now.

any advice would be welcome.

cheers.

Agree with the others: Speakers and source. The best I've heard with Arcam are PMC, MA, Focal, Dali and source would be Arcam CD17 or 37, Exposure 2010S, Rega Apollo.
 
thanks for all the responses, the speakers are probably the area i need to work on first, i've had them for 6 years or more now, and have always really liked the sound they produced. i think i'm going to have a few solid days trying to get the best from them, i'll try them in different positions, bungs in and out, and see what i can do.

as a little sidenote, i was considering a speaker cable change too... qed silver anniversary seems a good purchase, i think i'll try this too.

Add;-

having had a play around with positioning this afternoon, i seem to have found a sweet spot, i've put Mastadon Crack the Skye cd on, moved the speakers slightly wider apart, toed out only very slightly, and bingo! sounds amazing.

i do love these mission speakers, once they are in the right place, they do the business.
 
i'm hoping to add either a rega planet, or apollo to my current setup within the next few weeks. i had won a planet on ebay, but the seller seems to have sold me something he doesn't possess.
so, the next move was an apollo off gumtree. price agreed, just need to arrange pickup.
so, hopefully by next weekend i will be enjoying my cd collection that little bit more.
 

JoelSim

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A few things here.

1) I have owned a DVD79. When I compared this to a CD92 I owned it was suitably inferior on CDs.

2) Have you heard any Naim kit? I personally have never got along with it, clinical and not involving like Arcam. Some find Arcam too warm (the CD92 is very warm, whereas the CD192 wasn't). With Arcam you can listen for hours and hours and not want to switch off. I've always been underwhelmed with Naim, but some people swear by it. Just a completely different presentation.

3) What sort of music do you listen to? This will affect speaker choice.

4) Arcam pre/power combos work well IMO. In fact I preferred my A85/P85 combo to the sound of an Audio Analogue Maestro Settanta that I upgraded (?) to.

5) QED Silver Anniversary is lightweight in sound. QED Revelation is hugely better throughout the musical range.
 
i've mostly had arcam products, at least over the last 7 or 8 years. before that i had technics for several years.

i've not listened to naim products yet, i don't personally know anyone who owns the stuff. i already have an arcam a70/p85 for amplification, which can both be fantastic and infuriating at the same time. although, i'm 8 hours into a listening stint, and still enjoying the music.

music wise, its mostly metal, thrash to funk, old school to new stuff.. and anything around the many sub genre's .

it could all be psycho-acoustic as i've had the set up for so long... i'm probably looking at it, and wondering if i'm "missing" something.

the gear i've got was my first real investment in seperates, and its probably for that reason that i am looking to upgrade.. probably not just one component, but the whole lot.

possibly based around a rega apollo cd player, i'll start from there, and take it a bit at a time.

lets hope for my sake that the grass is greener on the other side!
 

JoelSim

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I wouldn't put Arcam at the forefront of thrash metal tbh, the house sound is quite chilled and mellow, a bit more suited to vocalists, Floyd, chillout I would say. Naim may be a choice, Rega too.

Whatever CDP you choose it will be better than the DV79 I would say.

Hold fire on the amps, you can always build bit by bit.

Alternatively just get a DAC that you can put your Arcam through, and your computer/tablet or whatever.
 
to be honest, the dv79 was a tool of convenience when i bought it, a one box solution for dvd and cd, as back when i bought it, we were watching far more dvd's than we do now. i replaced an arcam dv88 which didn't have hdmi for the 50inch plasma i had bought, the drop in musical performance from the dv88 was very noticeable. now, as the kids have grown up, i find myself getting the opportunity to listen to a lot more music (again).

so, for me, its time to invest in a decent cd player, and just use the dv79 for dvds.. which it is pretty good at.
 

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