which to upgrade: cd or amp?

Craig M.

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i'm considering upgrading either my cdp or amp, budget would stretch to around £1500.

which do you think will provide the biggest improvement?

i should be getting a primare i30 on home demo later this week although i'm not convinced it's gonna be what i'm after. i like my music to have a get up and dance or grab the "air guitar" feel to it and i would say rhythm and timing are more important to me then the soundstage. i like decent seperation between instruments as well, and would like a slightly airier treble then i get now.

i would like a similar jump in sound quality as i got when i upgraded from c.a. 640 to my current kandy stuff. do i need to spend this much? do i need to spend more?

would appreciate some opinions
 
A

Anonymous

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Naim NAC122x and NAP150x, although I'm not certain of their retail price.
 

hanrahans1970

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If you go the amp route then I would also check out Cyrus 8Vs and the preVS with either of the following, 8 power, mono x.
CD route plenty of options also,Naim,Primare,Cyrus SE, either 6 or 8.
 

Craig M.

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thanks for the replies. i hadn't considered the naim pre power but will definately check that out, and a cyrus set-up. has anyone heard a caspian amp, would one be a big enough step forward?

i'm guessing you all think the amp will make the biggest difference?
 

Craig M.

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JohnDuncan:Best amp in the world....(? JD)

is that a knob, JD
emotion-1.gif
?
 

drummerman

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May I slightly disagree with the Naim suggestions. Your speakers have a full bass and its not the tightest one around. The little Naim pre-power (most naims) have full bass too but dont excel in damping unruly bass drivers like others do. Separation and airy treble are equally not their usp's but they do do things other brands dont. You may find they are not powerful enough either.

Perhaps Densen, ex/dem plinius or Bryston would be a wiser choice, anything with a lot of power and control for the Dynaudios.
 

drummerman

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Also consider auditioning AVI's ADM9.1. Perhaps not the obvious choice but thats exactly what a local hifi buddy did. He had a plinius pre/power initially with the larger Dynaudio Focus'es, then down-graded to the 110. He now uses ADM's and is entirely happy with the choice. He considers the move an upgrade.
 

Craig M.

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yeah, i've just done some checking and had the same thoughts that the naim (and maybe the cyrus?) might not have the oomph to control the dyn's.

thanks for the other suggestions, some food for thought. i'm not in a massive hurry so don't mind waiting for ex-dem or s/h, although obviously makes auditioning harder.

i would love to hear the avi's after all the comments, but i have no idea where i could get to audition some around east yorkshire. also, my gf might kill me if i wanted to swap the dyn's - she loves em.
 

Craig M.

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JohnDuncan:Craig M.:

JohnDuncan:Best amp in the world....(? JD)

is that a knob, JD
emotion-1.gif
?

Or, in the case of the i30, three of em.... ? ? ?

three knobs? i've only got two hands......
 

John Duncan

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Craig M.:JohnDuncan:Craig M.:

JohnDuncan:Best amp in the world....(? JD)

is that a knob, JD
emotion-1.gif
?

Or, in the case of the i30, three of em.... ? ? ?

three knobs? i've only got two hands......

It has buttons an' all. Overspecified if you ask me.
 

fatboyslimfast

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Have you thought about 2nd hand? TomTom audio does 2nd hand gear with a 12month warranty - I got my Naims from him, and he's really helpful and friendly.

He has a few items - I would look at a NAC102 for £450 and a NAP250 for £995 - that would be a stonkingly good system for your £1500...
 

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