What amp and cd player to match up with my kef IQ5 speakers?

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Firstly, hello from an excited newbie!!!

I've recently seperated from him in doors and now got custody of the speakers...yay...i am to be reunited with my babies!! Being a skint single mum (can you hear those violins!), i can't afford to buy a new amp and cd player, so forced to buy second hand. So heres my quesions....bearing in mind that i'm not ina position to be sound test, what in peoples opin ion would be a good match for my babies (they were previously hitched up to cambridge audio azur 840 series)? And where would be a good place to buy second hand?

Thanks
 
happy2bhere2 said:
Firstly, hello from an excited newbie!!!

I've recently seperated from him in doors and now got custody of the speakers...yay...i am to be reunited with my babies!! Being a skint single mum (can you hear those violins!), i can't afford to buy a new amp and cd player, so forced to buy second hand. So heres my quesions....bearing in mind that i'm not ina position to be sound test, what in peoples opin ion would be a good match for my babies (they were previously hitched up to cambridge audio azur 840 series)? And where would be a good place to buy second hand?

Thanks

I'll try to help. I've heard the IQ5s briefly with my old Arcam amp and they sounded fine. But I do think they need a punchier amp. Really depends how far your budget will go?

For around £200 each off Ebay look at Arcam A80 + CD73T. Alternatively, if you can up the budget and don't mind mix 'n' match then look at Roksan Kandy MKIII or LIII. Prices on these from £200 to £300 approx. Then add the CD73 for a wonderful sound.

Or maybe something along the lines of http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marantz-SA7003-Super-Audio-CD-Player-SACD-Silver-Finish-/230612510576?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item35b193a770
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks for replying. Sadly the roksan kandy amp is out of my budget even if bought second hand :(
 
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Anonymous

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I've just seen the marantz PM4001 OSE amp and marantz CD5001 OSE cd player.....any opinions on whether these would be a good fit or if the amp would be powerful enough for the kef speakers?

Again thank you!!!
 
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Anonymous

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I'll echo the Marantz and Arcam recommendations, they are a great match. It's going to take some investment to match the quality that you had with the CA 840 though.

Having never heard a Cambridge/Kef combination, this is just my impression of the amps: compared to the Cambridge, Arcam will give you a brighter sound but also more detail. The older Arcam Alpha models might be less bright. Marantz is more like CA in sound, but the range series (PMx003, PMx004) are not in the same league as the Azur 800 series. They will drive the speakers without problem, but you might lose some details that you were used to hearing.

I own Kef IQ7s hooked up to an AVR250. It's quite a transparent combination and might not suit everyone's tastes, but it's a phenomenal system for me. Maybe you could share what you liked/did not like about the old system, it might lead to less general recommendations.
 
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Anonymous

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happy2bhere2 said:
I've just seen the marantz PM4001 OSE amp and marantz CD5001 OSE cd player.....any opinions on whether these would be a good fit or if the amp would be powerful enough for the kef speakers?
To give a more direct response: I think it will be a good match, and I would recommend it to anyone as a first system. But you are already "spoiled" by a more powerful system; the PM4001 will not give you the same quality as the Azur 840.

As long as you do not expect miracles from the PM4001, you should be fine.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks guys for taking the time to reply. My max budget is only £250 for both (yeah i know both!!) amp and cd player. It sucks, but thats all i can do at the moment, hence the second hand angel.
 
happy2bhere2 said:
Thanks guys for taking the time to reply. My max budget is only £250 for both (yeah i know both!!) amp and cd player. It sucks, but thats all i can do at the moment, hence the second hand angel.

Right, have a look at these. This CDP I still have in the attic and it retailed in the late 90s for around £500. Still cracking sounding. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rotel-RCD-975-CD-player-/120722814360?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_CDPlayerSeparates&hash=item1c1ba3f598

This amp is a good'un. I had the A65 and is the same but the A75 has 10 watts more. Will probably sell between £150-£200. The CDP will probably sell below £100. Both within budget and both are a cracking combo.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARCAM-A75-Integrated-Amplifier-/190529456980?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item2c5c70cb54

Hope this helps.
 

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