Whats the best way to upgrade my system?

[admin_exported]

Okay, so you can see my system below, i want to get a better sound, is it best to spend money on the source or the amp..... i presume my speakers are better than the cd and amp? Ive always been told source is the most important... but is my amp a weak link?

I have about £500 to spend and i want to get one box, then save and get the next... i dont see the point in constantly changing gear. although maybe thats half the fun. i cant see that a £250 piece of kit is going to better the sound that much on what i already have.

I like a driven and punchy sound so any reccomendations would be very useful. i listened to the rega apollo and liked it a lot, i also listened to the marantz 6003 and thought the rega was worth the premium.

any advice would be greatly appreciated. Andy

 

[batonwielder]

Are you completely satisfied with your speakers? To me those seem like the weak link if you like driven and punchy sound. How about some Neat's?

This way you will be able to match your electronics to the speakers in the next upgrade.

 

[matthewpiano]

I would suggest changing your CD player to the NAD C545BEE. This would be a significant upgrade and, having owned both, I would put it on a par with the Rega Apollo, but for less money.

 

[Anonymous]

Andy Pickering:

i want to get a better sound,

in my opinion, the biggest difference in sound would be to change your speakers .... £500 on the used market will get you some really good older floorstanders

 

[matthewpiano]

The Quads are excellent speakers. The problem is that they are currently being driven by an amp that was only about £200 several years ago and a super-budget CD player. They deserve better. The NAD C32x line of amps has improved considerably since the C320 - the 325BEE was a decent step forward and the new C326BEE is a huge advance. Pairing an even more expensive pair of speakers with the C320BEE would be a big mistake as it will just expose the muddiness that the amp can occasionally be prone to. Moving up to a C355BEE would give a huge upgrade and provide you with an amp that could withstand an upgrade to speakers such as the smaller ATCs or similar.

Likewise there is a big difference between the entry-level C515BEE and the C545BEE.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

I would go £350 on a really nice pair of 2nd hand Rega R5s and then £150 on a new Beresford DAC to take the optical output from your Mac Mini (assuming it's an intel, not a G4/G5 - they didn't have optical out).

Big upgrades for Little Cash!

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:The Quads are excellent speakers. The problem is that they are currently being driven by an amp that was only about £200 several years ago and a super-budget CD player. They deserve better. The NAD C32x line of amps has improved considerably since the C320 - the 325BEE was a decent step forward and the new C326BEE is a huge advance. Pairing an even more expensive pair of speakers with the C320BEE would be a big mistake as it will just expose the muddiness that the amp can occasionally be prone to. Moving up to a C355BEE would give a huge upgrade and provide you with an amp that could withstand an upgrade to speakers such as the smaller ATCs or similar. Likewise there is a big difference between the entry-level C515BEE and the C545BEE.

have not heard the Quad 11's but have read several threads on other forums stating that they lack in bass and need to be carefully partnered ...

thats the main reason I suggested other speakers (floorstanders) that can still be kept when the OP eventually decides to upgrade the rest of his equipment ...

I feel if only 1 item were to be immediately changed, speakers would give the best upgrade to sound

 

[batonwielder]

Like I said...

 

[Anonymous]

Nad C370 integrated for £235 on a buy it now (120 watts @ 8 Ohms)

Kef 104AB speakers for £250 on a buy it now

total spent: £485 ...

sell the Quad speakers with stands for approx £180, and sell the Nad C320 for £70, then the new setup only costs you approx £235 ... then use the remaining £265 from your initial budget to get a good used cdp

just an example of what can be bought for £500 on the used market ... I have not researched these, and just had a quick look .... obviously you may get them much cheaper ... and you would need to do more research to ensure that they match well

 

[Anonymous]

In that case! i think im going to start over again, i bought the speakers as my first real piece of hi fi gear when i was about 18... maybe ive been kidding myself that they are the best part of my system. Presuming i can sell the speakers, stands, amp and cd, ill keep the interconnect and speaker cables i think? Ive also got some vintage gear i can sell. i rekon ill have about 3 times my original budget to spend.

So £1500! i want to get it right this time!

my question now is.... where should my budget go? more on the speakers or more on the source... seems that what i've always been told about the source being important isn't necessarily correct!?

Oh and id rather newer kit... like nothing more that 10 years old

 

[Anonymous]

£1500 is a 'healthy budget' .... I will give you my suggestions

£700 should get you a good used Musical Fidelity A5 integrated amp (250 watts @ 8 Ohms)

£600 should get you a good pair of old IMF TLS80 speakers (4 way transmission design)

£130 should get you a good used marantz CD63 MKII KI signature cd player

--------------------------------------

if the speakers are too large for your listening room, there are others for possibly cheaper

sadly, the speakers are older than 10 years old .... but am sure that you will get loads of other suggestions ....

£1500 is also a nice budget for new brand items

 

[Anonymous]

Those speakers are huuuuge, and the mrs will complain that they're ugly, and expensive... not that the later is that important! it aint her money! if i was gonna go down the old route id have kept the old technics amp and bowers and wilks dm6's that my dad gave me! ive always liked b & w stuff actually, anyone got any recommendations on that department? i listend to a pair of dm602s when i got my quads and liked them a lot, in the end the quads were more musical.

 

[Anonymous]

there are some really good combinations of brand new or ex-demo systems that will suit your £1500 budget .... check the WHF review section ....

you should get lots of recomendations ... nice thing with newer stuff is that you can audition them and make sure that they suit your tastes ...

 

[matthewpiano]

OK, if you want to start completely from scratch here are some suggestions...

Creek Evolution 2 CD Player / Creek Evolution 2 Amplifier / Epos M12i Speakers

Rega Apollo CD Player / Rega Mira 3 Amplifier / Rega RS1 Speakers

NAD C545BEE CD Player / NAD C355BEE Amplifier / B&W 685 Speakers

Yamaha CD-S1000 SACD Player / Yamaha A-S1000 Amplifier / Your Quad 11L Speakers

These would all provide very musical systems and are well worth auditioning.

 

[batonwielder]

You are probably not going to get as much as you are thinking from selling your gear, so my advice still is to just upgrade the speakers.