Upgrading/downgrading ?? what av amp

hi all

I am back for more advice.
The last lot of AV equipment I bought was a cheapish set of Yamaha speakers and a pioneer VSX-c100. I am pretty happy with this set up and I was planning on then buying a new CD player and new hifi Amp. I have since had a change of plan and would like some advice / opinions.
Basically my wife doesn't like me to have my CD's out so therefore I have loaded them all on to a mP3 player and I now plug that straight into my 18 yr old NAD 3020e amp. To be honest although I would like to be a bit of a snob with my equipment I can't really afford it and with 3 kids running amok I don't think top of the range would sound all that much better, especailly after the laser has had a dose of blue tack.
So origannally I thought when I can afford it I would get an Arcam player and top amp, but as I said I have had a change of heart for the time being.

I am now thinking about getting a reasonable AV amp and adding two more BW 601's to my existing and adding a BW centre and perhaps a rear at some time.
Any sugestions of an amp that will out perform both my existing ones and not cost an extornate amount. I realise that I am comprimising on the ideal but I figure that as my amp is 16 yrs old and my AV reciever was fairly cheap I should be able to gain some improvement.
I also like to keep things simple without to much button pressing. I want to be able to switch between stereo and 5/6 speakers at the press of a button, without the need of major setting up every time.

Lastly I quite like Nad gear, partly for its simplicity , but that may just be the gear that I have had before
Anyway like I said any help,opinions gratefully recieved Ta
Matt

[Hawklord]

What kbps are your mp3's as mp3 is usually not up to cd quality and it would be a faulse economy investing in better kit as you'd not reap the benefits using mp3 imo.
A speaker upgrade to the B&W's would be a major step in the right direction though offering more depth and detail over your cheaper speakers.
I recently sold my arcam CD72t cd player for £220 which is about the going rate and would give you good results on a limited budget.
If your looking to upgrade your av amp I'd suggest you audition the usual suspects and make sure the one you choose has pre-outs. You'd be able to use an integrated amp to drive the Fronts for improved stereo and utilise the av speakers for music as well as movies (less speakers to worry about)
If you have a budget in mind let us know and we should be able to point you in the direction of some suitably priced products.

Thanks for the reply.
I realise that mp3's aren't up to the audio quality of cd's but i rarely get the time to sit and listen solely to music without distraction,kids,wife nagging etc etc andf since i have got all my music on to my mp3 player i have managed more time to have a listen. I think I will wait until the kids are older and I have more time on my hands until I buy the CD player. What I want to do at present is minimise my kit but at the same time improve on what I have got. I suppose my budget for the amp is an absolute max of £500 and to be honest I would rather spend less at this time.
What is an intergrated amp? is it what I am suggesting ie. AV capability and stereo?
Thanks again
Matt

admin, how do i change my email address that i am registered with?

[MarkE19]

Originally posted by fatmatt
admin, how do i change my email address that i am registered with?

Go to 'User CP' in the top right hand side of the scrolling region of any page.
Click on the box 'Edit Profile'

HTH,
Mark.

thanks

[Hawklord]

An integrated amp is a 2 channel amp used for playing audio sources (cd, phono, tape etc) where as an av receiver/amp processes a dd,dts signal and uses it to drive 5.1+ (6.1,7.1) systems. Most av amps don't do stereo too well (compared to integrated amps) but will be more than capable for listening to mp3's
If your wanting surround sound the £500 will get you something in the mid range and if you were to couple it with some B&W's would make a very nice system indeed

I'll give you some good examples to listen to (the usual suspects) but you'll have to decide which is suitable. Different av amps have various sound quality and features and are dependant on what speakers you will be using with them . A brief example would be that if you were to pair an av receiver that was bright with a pair of speakers that were bright too then the system wouldn't sound too good. You have to find the right combination - the only way being to hear the two together.
If you've got your heart set on some B&W DM600series3's speakers (very nice I had the 602's and lrc60 centre) and using you existing speakers as surrounds then I'd add the following to my list to audition (these are just example shop around and you could find cheaper):-

£200:-

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/p...roduct_ID/1437

http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=301738

£300:-

http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=301333

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/p...roduct_ID/1540

£350:-

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/p...roduct_ID/1569

£500:-

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/p...roduct_ID/1374

Out of interest when I had my B&W's I coupled it with my current amp Denon's AVR3802 which was a very good match imo.

Best get yourself off to your local dealer.

Happy hunting

Thank you very much for that.
It has cretainly given me something to go on. It will take me a while to get round some dealers i think, but at least know I will look as if I have some idea rather than looking like some clueless twit which is probably the reality.
Like I say it will take me a while but at some time I will post my decision.
Any other tips still gratefully recieved.

[Hawklord]

What do you want to know.

Ask away:D