New office HiFi system - £1500 budget.

[stitch123]

The shelf itself will be decoupled from the desk.

Stitch - I've just checked, and if I wanted to send back the white Triangles through Amazon, it is them that handle the return via Hermes pickup (like my sub) so you should be okay. But if you're unsure, then it makes sense to try one of the other colours first. As for amps, how about using one of the small Class D chinese jobbies from SMSL and the like? They're very small and would fit on (or preferably under) the desk without taking up much space.

Thanks so much for checking that out, that's really helpful. I order a lot through Amazon on both my business and personal account with them but I remember once I accidentally ordered something fulfilled by someone else and I had to jump through a few hoops for the return - the fact that Amazon will deal with it is great. Plus the seller is HomeAVDirect whom I think are okay - its not some random seller from China which I had problems with before.

I have a SMSL AD18 at the moment (from Amazon) and I couldn't figure out if my speakers sound poor because its a poor speaker, or if because of the amp as I dont have another amp to try. But I do seriously wonder if dropping £300 on a second hand Cyrus, or Arcam etc is going to bring a very significant improvement in these speakers, or whether it is more of a speaker issue I am having. Basically, its like someone has thrown a towel over a singers head and they are singing through it (such as Radiohead) when compared with my pair of Sonos Ones.

I might just go completely maverick and get a deeper desk and a hifi rack.

 

[FoxWolfPuma]

You're welcome mate. Likewise, I use Amazon for personal and business. God knows how much money I've spent with them over the years! But for me, their service is second to none.

Personally, I think we get too caught up in amps. For near-field use, I don't think it makes a huge amount of difference. My research over the last few weeks has come to the conclusion that it's definitely the speakers (and the room) that make much of the difference, especially at sensible budgets. And, as like me, you're listening at the desk, I don't think the room is as important as the speakers. For my hearing, the Triangles are clear and have removed the towel that I experienced with the Klipsch speakers. Not as much as the SoundSticks which are very cutting, but also very lacking in midrange. I too have some Sonos 1s but I hate using them at the desk because I really don't like using the Sonos software (and I can't output computer audio or YouTube to them). I've relegated them to the kitchen and conservatory.

If I were in your shoes, and having experienced such vast differences in speakers lately, I'd focus on those for now to eliminate one variable at a time. If you like the Triangles and really feel like an amp make an even better change then go from there, but I would be tempted to test them with your SMSL first. You may be happy and get to avoid the expense and hassle of returns.