Which amp ugrade?

[admin_exported]

Hello, i'm new to this and wondering if anyone could help. Around 6 years ago i bought the following system: B&W DM601 S3 Speakers, Yamaha CDX596 CD player and Yamaha ax396 Amp. For the 6 or so years i've been quite happy with this set-up - i've always liked the clarity and "open" sound of the speakers but i've always had the feeling that the amp was really not letting me get the best from the system (i owned the amp first and bought the rest after). I've always felt it lacked a little fullness and bass (i should add i'm not a big fan of too much bass, prefering clarity over bass). Recently i've began to feel more and more like i should upgrade the amp, as i really start to feel the whole sound a little "thin". My question is; as i generally like the overall balance of the sound, should i simply try to find the bigger Yamaha ax595 amp (to match the Cd player and better power the speakers) which is now discontinued (but i'm currently watching one on ebay and hopefully could get for 150-200 euros), or should i take the plunge and go for some other brand of amp (i know Rotel is owned by B&W so i imagine they sound good together). Basically the Yamaha would be the easy option and would probably keep me happy a few more years while avoiding the whole trial and error of trying to match another make of amp to my system. Or should i change something else in my system? I don't really wan't to buy a new CD player as most of my listening is now done from the computer/ipod. By the way i have the B&W's are on some mission stands (couldn't find the B&w's when i was in Germany and anyway they would've cost more than the speakers). The cables are all good quality i think but i can't remember the make without getting behind the stereo - speakers are bi-wired with some very thick swiss cables. Thanks for any advice

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone?

 

[JoelSim]

Please don't go near a Japanese amp. You need a good British amp from the likes of Arcam, Rotel, NAD, Musical Fidelity or something like and Audiolab or Creek. Yamaha upgrade will not be worth doing. Also if you used CDs with a good CD player rather than your computer/iPod you would notice a massive difference. I've done the A/B test with my iPod and CD player and there is an absolute world of difference. Apart from the iPod being about half the volume, it sounds as if you are listening through a bubblewrapped head in comparison.

 

[Anonymous]

Rotel is Japanese...but yes, I agree with what you're saying. Transparent sounding kit compared to Japanese artificial sound!

 

[drummerman]

Mmmmh ...

Have you listened to Denon's more upmarket separates? Its truly stunning stuff . Yes, its not dirt cheap and thats also its main failing. Unfortunately ignorant folks forever associate Denon with budget hifi.

If you think only the UK can design properly, clean your ears and have a listen what the japs can do when given a little bit of free reign. And since when has NAD been transparent??

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="JoelSim"]Please don't go near a Japanese amp.[/quote]

Kondo!

 

[Anonymous]

So the rotel something from Rotel would be a good bet then (by the way isn't Rotel Japanese?). Could anyone give me some guidance as which brands would sound good with my B1W speakers.

Concerning the ipod thing; i mostly listen to music streamed from my mac (ripped at minimum 360kbps) and i can only detect a very slight drop in quality compared to the Cd player, and i feel is worth it for the convenience of listening to over 8000 tracks on shuffle play.

Thanks for all your advice and indeed, any further suggestions

 

[rich51080]

Rotel all the way. Arcam is another brand suted to B&W speakers. Lastly I liked Pioneer with B&W.

I would go for Rotel as the reliabllity is as good as the sound. and options of pre power amp etc. Upgradabiltity would be great with Rotel.