Upgrade advice

[admin_exported]

Hoping to get some advice - after many years of having the same system, I am finally in a position to start thinking about upgrading. Current set up is as follows:

CD Player = Rotel RCD-945 AX, NAD 302 intergrated amp, Eltax Liberty 3+ speakers.

Budget for upgrade is c.£2000 and could do with some advice on where to start, and what (if any) of my current system is worth keeping as part of the upgrade. The system will be playing a very varied range of music from Vivaldi to Drum & Bass so it needs to be a good all-rounder.

Thanks in advance!

 

[shooter]

jcb, the speakers are probebly the stongest part of the system at present but adding a cd & amp of 1000 a go is pointless. Are you happy with the level of performance you are getting or do you need more. Also you didnt mention cables you have. Do you need to include these in the budget.
lets start there.
shooter69

 

[JoelSim]

shooter69:jcb, the speakers are probebly the stongest part of the system at present but adding a cd & amp of 1000 a go is pointless. Are you happy with the level of performance you are getting or do you need more. Also you didnt mention cables you have. Do you need to include these in the budget.lets start there.shooter69

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Hmmm, not sure about the speakers being the strongest part. I would change those first.

You should be looking at roughly splitting your budget 3 ways, this doesn't mean they have to be £666 each but it gives a starting point. It may be that you end up spending £400 on a CDP, and £800 on the amp and speakers, or completely the other way round. I'd take your £2k to a dealer, listen to a few systems for £2,500 or so and then put your £2k on the table.

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[matengawhat]

I'd say keep your eyes out for bargains and build your system round them for example you have just missed a load of MF and Arcam kit as new models being released or others discontinued - bargains around at moment on Cyrus as new amps out shortly - Spendor - new speakers - MA you can alway bargain with dealers on

 

[JoelSim]

matengawhat:I'd say keep your eyes out for bargains and build your system round them for example you have just missed a load of MF and Arcam kit as new models being released or others discontinued - bargains around at moment on Cyrus as new amps out shortly - Spendor - new speakers - MA you can alway bargain with dealers on

This is a good route too. Whatever, dealers are feeling the pinch, Far Eastern, European and US kit has gone up in price. So buy British and ask for a good deal and you can't go wrong.

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[Anonymous]

Thanks all for the advice - for info, current cabling is fairly standard QED cabling (don't have the specific detail) but it has very much seen better days! Current system has definite limitations, so looking for improvements such as a cleaner, crisper sounding bass (I get a fair bit of distortion at the moment when I push the system much over 50% volume). Current system also can sound a bit 'sharp' on the treble even at low volumes (despite trying to balance this out on the amp.

Also, a friend has at top of the range Naim system on which he spent big money which as you can imagine sounds fantatic - the kit he has is well out of my league, but as a rule, would I be better spending the money on an entry level Naim set-up (even this would stretch the budget) or go for mid/upper end of the range products from other manufacturers (depending on price??)

Local dealer I have seen is Audio-t in Basingstoke - any experience of them? Also, any other dealer recommendations would be much appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

Naim entry level is very good indeed, especially if you can stretch to the XS amplifier rather than the 5i, which is fine but the XS has more power and more of that Naim airiness about it.

The Rega Apollo CD player goes well with the Naim amps and represents a considerable saving over Naim's own CD players. On top of that you'll need to spend at least the same on speakers as the amp - spendor, neat, totem and Naim's own n-sats are ones to consider. At least cabling is easy with NAIM, it's almost always NACA 5.

There is an alternative to what I've suggested above. The new Naim Uniti is due out this month, at £1995. That basically puts everything into one box, plus gives you a DAC and a DAB tuner. That might be worth a listen - Audio T are already advertising it.

Audio T carry Cyrus and Arcam, so making a comparison should be possible. They carry a good range of speakers, including Spendor and Totem.

 

[shooter]

It sounds like you have an idea of what you want. The naim entry system will see you well for many years its upgradeble. The naim nait 5iis a nice amp and paired with the cd5i would make a good system. That combo would set you back around £1600 unless you looked at auction sites. At the moment this combo is available and would free up some of your budget for speakers and cable.
There are many speakers that work with the nait system,my favs areDynaudio you can get the x12's or the mc 15 actives for around £700 a pair. For cables then the Chord Co. Carnival Silverscreen is a no brainer with their Crimson inters would work well.
Obviously this is my view and its down to you and the days end, but whatever you choose have fun and enjoy the music.
Shooer69

 

[Anonymous]

Normally you'd go with NACA 5 cables for Naim gear.

 

[shooter]

This used to be the case and Naim were always known to promote there own cables with thier Hi end equipment but these days they seemed to have 'relaxed' and even seem to be aiding this with RCA's as well as the DIN approach,ultimately its down to your budget and what you can get for your £2000.

 

[matthewpiano]

With that sort of budget I'd certainly be auditioning some Arcam kit and I'd be looking at Rega as well. A Rega Apollo with a Mira amp and some RS3 speakers, all cabled with Chord Company cables, could make a very special system indeed.

I'd also be trying out the Roksan Kandy K2 CD, amp and speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advice - funnily enough RS3's had been recommended to me before, but wondering if the RS5 might be a better bet to deliver more punch.

I like the idea of twining the Rega Apollo CD with maybe Naim amp which will help retain some of the budget for cable & the additional speaker spend - will look at the XS as well as the 5i - looks like the budget will need to stretch!! As for the cable debate, it could come down to cost but will take advice at the time from the dealer.