Micoo
Novice Member
Hi
In search for stereo amp up to £1,000 (at a maximum push though) for the amp itself. Please advise.
Looking for:
-great sound (deep, alive, dynamic, powerful, colorful, analog, silky smooth, ultra deep and warm bass, music quality that will give me shivers and will hark back to the 1970s)
-I am not audiophile (not even an aspiring one). With all due respect, I am not looking for maximum transparency and 'non coloring' - far from it. I am looking for 'God this sounds amazing' kind of amp that will make me listen to music for hours (+will not wear me down). I am a music lover so I need to have something that will give me goosebumps everytime I will listen to it - flatering music basically, and not ultra flat/transparent for audiophile.
-Both amp and floor standers also have to 'be beautiful' - I know it lies in the eye of the beholder but if I had the money I would buy Technics R1 as to me it looks state of the art + I love the analog VU meters which I would love to have in my amp (but I understand that these days they are not popular and, if anything, they can be found on really expensive amps? - such a shame. I love them VU meters moving. Real sucker for it). Both the amp and the floor standing speakers will also have to perform visually and be a great looking furniture if you know what I mean.
-I am 34 years old and.....would like to get something that will 'be with me' for the next 10-20 years so preferably something very good quality. It's a bit of nostalgia as my Dad used to have amps like that.....they were indestructible and playing music all the time + ultra high quality to touch them and listen. I therefore associate anything that is Made in Japan today (which is rare right?) as something which may last with me much longer than models made in Malaysia/China/Vietnam - am I right in thinking that? It's again to do with nostalgia and my experiences with amps made in Japan from 40 years ago which are still playing until today so.....
-I was thinking about something vintage but the only ones I like are Technics se-a1 and se-a3 and se-a2000/3000 which are very expensive to buy + I have never heard them (but they have those lovely VU meters in a one big window - I just love it). Someone once told me that Technics amps generaly were poor in comparison to competition of the day and only the above 3-4 models were really good (still to expensive for me).
-I don't care for surround sound/AV receivers. I just want 'ultra high quality sound for a music lover for years'. I was thinking about going the AV receiver route as it 'would do both movies and stereo music' so a bit more universal but someone once told me that generally AV receivers sound considerably worse when playing music in stereo mode and that it has something to do with cutting costs by manufacturers or something like that and if I mainly listen to music then I need a good stereo amp which will blow me away (which I will struggle to achieve with AV receiver) - I don't know if this is universal truth?
Music I listen to:
-70% it's electronic in the form of Deep House 115-125bpm + ambient and new age. But the rest of the time I will listen to other stuff all over the place. Queen, Phil Collins, OSTs, game soundtracks, 80s music and so on. I JUST LOVE MUSIC!
Source of music:
Almost exclusively MacBookPro 15 late 2013 (mp3s and FLAC + streaming music on soundclaoud and youtube on safari a lot + sometimes internet radio in the web browser) and/or Cowon J3 player. I may add a turntable in the future but this is unlikely in the next few years. I have no CDs.
I understand that I can always use analog in on the amp from these devices but what about using digital connection?
Does my laptop have good quality/brand DAC or not really? If it is of bad quality and I would want to omit it and use DAC built in the amp for my usage how can I do it? Can I use coaxial or optical cable for that or it has to be via usb-usb only? I am a bit lost with it to be honest: if an amp has built in DAC does it mean I can automatically hook up my laptop and use it with it to decode digital signal in the amp DAC or will it only work with DAC built in but also through usb-usb cable only??
Room:
Untreated sonically. It is small - around 10sq m but I will be moving soon and will want to rent 'nice big living room' like 30-35sq meters so bascially my system will have to be able to easily perform in every conditions.
Floorstanding speakers I will connect the amp to:
I have shortlisted the following speakers I will be thinking of buying after I will have bought the amp (that's what I think I will be able to afford), I haven't heard any of them yet:
-Dali Zensor 5 (or 7 at max)-someone told me that Dali in general have great bass which would suit my Deep House/electronica listening requirements, they also look nice to me
-Indiana Line Diva 655 - absolutely amazing design, off the hook in terms of looks really, and apparently very good sounding
-Jamo Concert C95 i C97 very pretty speakers and they say they sound nice
-Pylon Pearl 25 and Sapphire 25 - polish speakers - they look good (not as good as Dali or Indiana Line though) and supposedly give off nice sound (+ are well priced)
-Kruger&Matz Destiny - again polish speakers which you may not heard off. Ultra cheap at 400 pounds for a pair and to my eyes they are ultra beautiful (and big). I have not heard them yet and few reviews can be found unfo.
-Tonsil Maestro III - apparently the III version of Maestro are amazing for the price (500 pounds for a pair)
-Maybe something from Taga Harmony......but I don't know which ones.
I have come up with my shortlist after 2 days of research and it is as follows:
-Onkyo A9010 - apparently sound quality from this unlikely brand in stereo amps world (they are more known for their AV receivers right?) is ultra rich and surprising. Especially considering the price of only 200 pounds (!) although I will buy european model which is like 250 but has Wolfson DAC built in (coax and opt ins only, no usb). To my eyes it looks very pretty, clean, ascetic look which reminds me the amps of the old. Apparently sound tuned in Blighty which is a key to it's amazing sound. Made in Vietnam and not Japan unfo.
-Onkyo R-N855 - and amplituner but I suppose that amps with built in tuners don't sound worse then normal stereo amplifiers? It's fairly new product and I can't find many reviews but apparently it again sounds great (maybe sound tuned by the same people again in the UK again?). It has FM and DAB so I could listen to radio now and then + all the remote connections possible (bluetooth, ethernet and bluetooth) + very high quality DAC and USBs so with this one I am sure I could bypass my MacBookPro DAC and decode the signal inside it. It looks really pretty to my eyes (I don't know why but I am starting to develop a thing for these Onkyos hehe) - I just wish it was a normal full sized element and not a scaled down element as it is (as it starts to remind more of a mini system and not full size system of 70-80s that I am trying to go back to in terms of memories). If it only had a separate amp element (and just keep the preamp in the same element) underneath it with VU meters (a'la Technics R1) I think it would be a system of my dreams (I have no CDs or SACDs). It's made in Malaysia so not my beloved made in japan - and don't know how it will stand the test of (long) time.
-Denon PMA1520 although it's too expensive at nearly a grand. It is Made in Japan which is great + to my eyes looks beautiful too. It has no DAC so the only solution is to hook up my laptop is to use analog connection and rely and DACs built in the laptop and Cowon J3 right?
-Marantz HD-AMP1 - off the hook looks to me - piece of art although again it's a bit scaled down and not full sized. Class D amp but apparently sounds amazingly good + has a lot of very good/brand internal components + very high quality DAC with USB input too. It just looks to me like really high end piece of hifi element (although I haven't seen it in the flash yet) + reviews say that the sound is of such a high quality that even audiophiles wouldn't complain and that the Class D performs so well that it sounds like AB amplification. Although it's fairly expensive at 800 pounds and look mega rich and pretty it's made in china which is a bit a of let down (especially when 7005 and 8005 are both made in japan
-Marantz PM6006 (new model, Vietnam, DAC with coax and opt no usb), PM7005 (japan, DAC with usb) and PM8005 (japan, no DAC) - they are all well priced (6006 is priced like the once 9010) and I have a thing for Marantz visually. Very pretty.
-I was also (of course) thinking of Cambridge CXA60 as it seems to be really good but it just doesn't convince me visually. Sorry, I tried
How much I want to spend? Up to a grand but if you will tell me that onkyo 9010 will give me great sound and I won't get much better sound from an amp that is 800-1000 squid (e.g. there will be a slight improvement but considering the 4-5fold price increase it will not reflect 4-5 fold improvement in sound quality) then I will be more then happy to go for the Onkyo (I am really not attached to any brand bar Technics which is out of my budget) or Marantz 6006 for example.
What also always like buying/getting is equipment that performs so well that it can compete with competition which is 2 or even 3 times its price - there are always pieces of equipment which perform so well and I hope you will help me choose them (I mean both the amp and the speakers too).
Please let me know what you think, what you advise....anything. Also say what you think about my speaker choices. Basically recommend what will suit me best.
I am sorry for writing so much (I am really excited as you can see) and if I made some stupid mistakes and wrote some heresy
many many thanks
once again: music lover and not audiophile (who, of course, also love music - you get the gist hehe).
peace in the middle east
ps. I just got to know that apparently there is a separate Onkyo a9010 dedicated only for UK market? It supposedly deletes DAC and favours spending the money on higher grade internal components but I am not sure (+ sound tuning in Britain by Brits for British listener apparently). So with the Onkyo I would have a choice of Europe version with DAC (but worse internals) or the UK version which has no DAC but better internals (so better sound?) - so I couldn't connect my laptop through anything else then analog headphone out-RCA cable in?
What does 'British sound characteristic' exactly mean? How does it compare to European tastes in music amplification? Would British style suit me considering I like warm, alive and thrilling sound with deep bass or should I lean towards European tuning (and therefore EU A9010) more?
In search for stereo amp up to £1,000 (at a maximum push though) for the amp itself. Please advise.
Looking for:
-great sound (deep, alive, dynamic, powerful, colorful, analog, silky smooth, ultra deep and warm bass, music quality that will give me shivers and will hark back to the 1970s)
-I am not audiophile (not even an aspiring one). With all due respect, I am not looking for maximum transparency and 'non coloring' - far from it. I am looking for 'God this sounds amazing' kind of amp that will make me listen to music for hours (+will not wear me down). I am a music lover so I need to have something that will give me goosebumps everytime I will listen to it - flatering music basically, and not ultra flat/transparent for audiophile.
-Both amp and floor standers also have to 'be beautiful' - I know it lies in the eye of the beholder but if I had the money I would buy Technics R1 as to me it looks state of the art + I love the analog VU meters which I would love to have in my amp (but I understand that these days they are not popular and, if anything, they can be found on really expensive amps? - such a shame. I love them VU meters moving. Real sucker for it). Both the amp and the floor standing speakers will also have to perform visually and be a great looking furniture if you know what I mean.
-I am 34 years old and.....would like to get something that will 'be with me' for the next 10-20 years so preferably something very good quality. It's a bit of nostalgia as my Dad used to have amps like that.....they were indestructible and playing music all the time + ultra high quality to touch them and listen. I therefore associate anything that is Made in Japan today (which is rare right?) as something which may last with me much longer than models made in Malaysia/China/Vietnam - am I right in thinking that? It's again to do with nostalgia and my experiences with amps made in Japan from 40 years ago which are still playing until today so.....
-I was thinking about something vintage but the only ones I like are Technics se-a1 and se-a3 and se-a2000/3000 which are very expensive to buy + I have never heard them (but they have those lovely VU meters in a one big window - I just love it). Someone once told me that Technics amps generaly were poor in comparison to competition of the day and only the above 3-4 models were really good (still to expensive for me).
-I don't care for surround sound/AV receivers. I just want 'ultra high quality sound for a music lover for years'. I was thinking about going the AV receiver route as it 'would do both movies and stereo music' so a bit more universal but someone once told me that generally AV receivers sound considerably worse when playing music in stereo mode and that it has something to do with cutting costs by manufacturers or something like that and if I mainly listen to music then I need a good stereo amp which will blow me away (which I will struggle to achieve with AV receiver) - I don't know if this is universal truth?
Music I listen to:
-70% it's electronic in the form of Deep House 115-125bpm + ambient and new age. But the rest of the time I will listen to other stuff all over the place. Queen, Phil Collins, OSTs, game soundtracks, 80s music and so on. I JUST LOVE MUSIC!
Source of music:
Almost exclusively MacBookPro 15 late 2013 (mp3s and FLAC + streaming music on soundclaoud and youtube on safari a lot + sometimes internet radio in the web browser) and/or Cowon J3 player. I may add a turntable in the future but this is unlikely in the next few years. I have no CDs.
I understand that I can always use analog in on the amp from these devices but what about using digital connection?
Does my laptop have good quality/brand DAC or not really? If it is of bad quality and I would want to omit it and use DAC built in the amp for my usage how can I do it? Can I use coaxial or optical cable for that or it has to be via usb-usb only? I am a bit lost with it to be honest: if an amp has built in DAC does it mean I can automatically hook up my laptop and use it with it to decode digital signal in the amp DAC or will it only work with DAC built in but also through usb-usb cable only??
Room:
Untreated sonically. It is small - around 10sq m but I will be moving soon and will want to rent 'nice big living room' like 30-35sq meters so bascially my system will have to be able to easily perform in every conditions.
Floorstanding speakers I will connect the amp to:
I have shortlisted the following speakers I will be thinking of buying after I will have bought the amp (that's what I think I will be able to afford), I haven't heard any of them yet:
-Dali Zensor 5 (or 7 at max)-someone told me that Dali in general have great bass which would suit my Deep House/electronica listening requirements, they also look nice to me
-Indiana Line Diva 655 - absolutely amazing design, off the hook in terms of looks really, and apparently very good sounding
-Jamo Concert C95 i C97 very pretty speakers and they say they sound nice
-Pylon Pearl 25 and Sapphire 25 - polish speakers - they look good (not as good as Dali or Indiana Line though) and supposedly give off nice sound (+ are well priced)
-Kruger&Matz Destiny - again polish speakers which you may not heard off. Ultra cheap at 400 pounds for a pair and to my eyes they are ultra beautiful (and big). I have not heard them yet and few reviews can be found unfo.
-Tonsil Maestro III - apparently the III version of Maestro are amazing for the price (500 pounds for a pair)
-Maybe something from Taga Harmony......but I don't know which ones.
I have come up with my shortlist after 2 days of research and it is as follows:
-Onkyo A9010 - apparently sound quality from this unlikely brand in stereo amps world (they are more known for their AV receivers right?) is ultra rich and surprising. Especially considering the price of only 200 pounds (!) although I will buy european model which is like 250 but has Wolfson DAC built in (coax and opt ins only, no usb). To my eyes it looks very pretty, clean, ascetic look which reminds me the amps of the old. Apparently sound tuned in Blighty which is a key to it's amazing sound. Made in Vietnam and not Japan unfo.
-Onkyo R-N855 - and amplituner but I suppose that amps with built in tuners don't sound worse then normal stereo amplifiers? It's fairly new product and I can't find many reviews but apparently it again sounds great (maybe sound tuned by the same people again in the UK again?). It has FM and DAB so I could listen to radio now and then + all the remote connections possible (bluetooth, ethernet and bluetooth) + very high quality DAC and USBs so with this one I am sure I could bypass my MacBookPro DAC and decode the signal inside it. It looks really pretty to my eyes (I don't know why but I am starting to develop a thing for these Onkyos hehe) - I just wish it was a normal full sized element and not a scaled down element as it is (as it starts to remind more of a mini system and not full size system of 70-80s that I am trying to go back to in terms of memories). If it only had a separate amp element (and just keep the preamp in the same element) underneath it with VU meters (a'la Technics R1) I think it would be a system of my dreams (I have no CDs or SACDs). It's made in Malaysia so not my beloved made in japan - and don't know how it will stand the test of (long) time.
-Denon PMA1520 although it's too expensive at nearly a grand. It is Made in Japan which is great + to my eyes looks beautiful too. It has no DAC so the only solution is to hook up my laptop is to use analog connection and rely and DACs built in the laptop and Cowon J3 right?
-Marantz HD-AMP1 - off the hook looks to me - piece of art although again it's a bit scaled down and not full sized. Class D amp but apparently sounds amazingly good + has a lot of very good/brand internal components + very high quality DAC with USB input too. It just looks to me like really high end piece of hifi element (although I haven't seen it in the flash yet) + reviews say that the sound is of such a high quality that even audiophiles wouldn't complain and that the Class D performs so well that it sounds like AB amplification. Although it's fairly expensive at 800 pounds and look mega rich and pretty it's made in china which is a bit a of let down (especially when 7005 and 8005 are both made in japan
-Marantz PM6006 (new model, Vietnam, DAC with coax and opt no usb), PM7005 (japan, DAC with usb) and PM8005 (japan, no DAC) - they are all well priced (6006 is priced like the once 9010) and I have a thing for Marantz visually. Very pretty.
-I was also (of course) thinking of Cambridge CXA60 as it seems to be really good but it just doesn't convince me visually. Sorry, I tried
How much I want to spend? Up to a grand but if you will tell me that onkyo 9010 will give me great sound and I won't get much better sound from an amp that is 800-1000 squid (e.g. there will be a slight improvement but considering the 4-5fold price increase it will not reflect 4-5 fold improvement in sound quality) then I will be more then happy to go for the Onkyo (I am really not attached to any brand bar Technics which is out of my budget) or Marantz 6006 for example.
What also always like buying/getting is equipment that performs so well that it can compete with competition which is 2 or even 3 times its price - there are always pieces of equipment which perform so well and I hope you will help me choose them (I mean both the amp and the speakers too).
Please let me know what you think, what you advise....anything. Also say what you think about my speaker choices. Basically recommend what will suit me best.
I am sorry for writing so much (I am really excited as you can see) and if I made some stupid mistakes and wrote some heresy
many many thanks
once again: music lover and not audiophile (who, of course, also love music - you get the gist hehe).
peace in the middle east
ps. I just got to know that apparently there is a separate Onkyo a9010 dedicated only for UK market? It supposedly deletes DAC and favours spending the money on higher grade internal components but I am not sure (+ sound tuning in Britain by Brits for British listener apparently). So with the Onkyo I would have a choice of Europe version with DAC (but worse internals) or the UK version which has no DAC but better internals (so better sound?) - so I couldn't connect my laptop through anything else then analog headphone out-RCA cable in?
What does 'British sound characteristic' exactly mean? How does it compare to European tastes in music amplification? Would British style suit me considering I like warm, alive and thrilling sound with deep bass or should I lean towards European tuning (and therefore EU A9010) more?
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