looking
Novice Member
Hi all!
Bought my first system with my first modest budget in 2015, consisting of KEF LS50 speakers, an Arcam FMJ A38 and an Arcam irDAC - for a relatively large loft-style room. I haven't changed anything since then and I have liked the setup a lot for many years. (I'll never forget how, the first evening I got the configuration up and running, my Rolling Stones-loving, non-audiophile wife realized for the first time in her life that there's a piano in "Sympathy for the Devil" which says a lot about the low sound quality we are used to being fed through mainstream channels...).
However, through the years, I've found them to be so detailed, that even in low volumes, they make it difficult to use for background music, f.i. when friends are over for a relaxing diner. Has anyone else experienced this?
Sadly, I do not have the time (nor the budget, to be honest) to experiment with other speakers or other amps... I did get the chance to have a tryout with ELAC BS403s (the pre-VELA ones) a while ago, which was great, but they were paired with an LFD amp, which is absolutely out of my reach.
A second issue is that because of the fact that so many connectivity options have become mainstream in recent years, that I've had to add a WD TV streaming device and a Bluetooth dongle. It's all working perfectly, however getting the whole thing up and running (+ the low sound quality of these addons) has become such a pain in the *ss after a long working day, that I find myself listening less and less to music on my system. Simply hitting the power button and having music playing in 10 seconds has become something of a luxury... Having these options integrated in my amp would probably be a nice solution in terms of user-friendliness and comfort.
For the same reasons, I do miss having standard radio channels, be it FM or DAB/DAB+.
An integrated CD player would be nice, but no must. Same goes for internet radio: welcome but optional. I use the streaming device for my own collection, but do not make use of any other third party service like Spotify or Tidal.
I know I'm not the first person asking for advice, but I've found myself to be completely lost in thousands of options and reviews for months now, and was wondering if someone could give me a lead: should I get rid of the whole thing? Should I simply add a streaming device with integrated FM/DAB+ and Bluetooth? I guess this wouldn't solve the problem of the "too detailed" sound.
I've considered going for a downgrade to an all-in-one system like the Denon D-M41DAB, but I fear that the loss of quality and power compared to my current configuration, would be an extremely huge sacrifice...
Hmmmz.... Any ideas? Thx in advance for any advice!
Bought my first system with my first modest budget in 2015, consisting of KEF LS50 speakers, an Arcam FMJ A38 and an Arcam irDAC - for a relatively large loft-style room. I haven't changed anything since then and I have liked the setup a lot for many years. (I'll never forget how, the first evening I got the configuration up and running, my Rolling Stones-loving, non-audiophile wife realized for the first time in her life that there's a piano in "Sympathy for the Devil" which says a lot about the low sound quality we are used to being fed through mainstream channels...).
However, through the years, I've found them to be so detailed, that even in low volumes, they make it difficult to use for background music, f.i. when friends are over for a relaxing diner. Has anyone else experienced this?
Sadly, I do not have the time (nor the budget, to be honest) to experiment with other speakers or other amps... I did get the chance to have a tryout with ELAC BS403s (the pre-VELA ones) a while ago, which was great, but they were paired with an LFD amp, which is absolutely out of my reach.
A second issue is that because of the fact that so many connectivity options have become mainstream in recent years, that I've had to add a WD TV streaming device and a Bluetooth dongle. It's all working perfectly, however getting the whole thing up and running (+ the low sound quality of these addons) has become such a pain in the *ss after a long working day, that I find myself listening less and less to music on my system. Simply hitting the power button and having music playing in 10 seconds has become something of a luxury... Having these options integrated in my amp would probably be a nice solution in terms of user-friendliness and comfort.
For the same reasons, I do miss having standard radio channels, be it FM or DAB/DAB+.
An integrated CD player would be nice, but no must. Same goes for internet radio: welcome but optional. I use the streaming device for my own collection, but do not make use of any other third party service like Spotify or Tidal.
I know I'm not the first person asking for advice, but I've found myself to be completely lost in thousands of options and reviews for months now, and was wondering if someone could give me a lead: should I get rid of the whole thing? Should I simply add a streaming device with integrated FM/DAB+ and Bluetooth? I guess this wouldn't solve the problem of the "too detailed" sound.
I've considered going for a downgrade to an all-in-one system like the Denon D-M41DAB, but I fear that the loss of quality and power compared to my current configuration, would be an extremely huge sacrifice...
Hmmmz.... Any ideas? Thx in advance for any advice!
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