Upgrade: come on, guys...

[admin_exported]

Cheers. I have a modest sound system: CA Azur 540a vs2 amp, 640c vs 2 Cd player, Denon TU 1500 tuner, Pro-ject genie rpm 1 turntable, kef Iq5 speakers, Rel Quake sub. I kind of like the sound of Cds, but I was disappointed by the Pro-ject turntable from the start. Anyway, I am thinking of upgrading. What would your suggestions be in terms of speakers (I would prefer small towers, about The same size as The iq5). And how can I improve the sound of my turntable? The phono stage is pro-ject box USB. Any opinion would be greatly apreciated. Thanks.

 

[plastic penguin]

Change the amp. Those IQ5s are fabulous little speakers and deserve better amplification. They sounded really good with Roksan Kandy, Arcam and Rotel. If you like the Cambridge sound then the 740 or 840 will bring the best out of them.

Regards your Pro-ject, not sure TBH. I own the Xpression 1 and I upgraded the cartridge with pleasing results.

 

[matthewpiano]

I agree with PP. I would suggest an audition list of:

Roksan Kandy K2

Arcam A28

NAD C375BEE

Regarding the turntable, I'm guessing you currently have an Ortofon OM3B or similar cartridge on it. If so, you could try to find an upgrade stylus for the cartridge - the OM series cartridges are interchangeable and a move to an OM10 would make a good difference. Alternatively, look at one of the new affordable Ortofons - the Blue would be worth a look. Don't go too crazy though as the arm isn't up to anything too extravagant.

 

[gregvet]

I think the comments about the amp are probably on the money.

However, if you really want to change your speakers, how about the KEF R500s? You like the kef sound, they are small towers and they sound amazing (IMO!).

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for you input to you all. I will consider new amplification.