Which amp and CD player for about £700?

[B6MFD]

Hi guys im looking at getting myself a new amp and cd player for xmas
i want to limit my spending to about £600 - £700.
In the past i had an old technics class A amp with some mission m33i's, i then sold them and pretty much regretted it ever since.

Last year i purchased a Denon DM38 DAB, and tried it with various speakers and ended up getting some B&W 686's they seemed to offer the best sound for me, not too bright and a good amount of bass.

i have tired the speakers with my mates technics receiver and i have to say i was shocked how much better they sounded through his system.

So iv come to the decision i want to get an amp and a cd player plus an i pod dock.

I am after something suitable for the 686's to get the most from them.

I have been reading up and seen good reviews for the Yamaha AS500 & Marantz PM6004 but have also read they can both be a bit bright?

i have found a few deals for both amps with a paired CD player (i dont like mixed brands) but wondered what people would recommend?

NAD amps of a similar price dont seem to be as well reviewed, but is that just WHF's opinion?

 

[scorpion88]

You could do worse than go for the Harman Kardon HK 980/HD 980 combo.

The Amp pumps out 80w per \channel and IMO the CDP is top quality - all for circa £500 -£600 which leaves you more than enough for a decent iPod unit.

No experience of NAD equipment.

Just a thought.

Cheers

Scorpion

 

[B6MFD]

i do like the look of those, but cant find reviews to read about them.
Are the fronts perspex?

 

[peritus]

2nd hand all the way

Amps: Arcam Alpha 10, Arcam FMJ A32, NAD C355BEE or a NAD C352 (PD VERSION)

CDP: Rega Apollo, NAD C545BEE, Arcam CD72 or 73

Having owned all the above (all are superb by the way) I'd be going for any of the amps and the Rega Apollo or NAD CDP any day of the week

I'd also say that the 686's are ok but bettered SO MUCH by the 685's or the likes of the Monitor Audio RX1's and for not a lot of £££ more either

 

[scorpion88]

All good kit and highly acclaimed in their time. But personally I would not buy 2nd Hand - No Warranty/Guarantee etc.

I agree the speakers however could be upgraded as you have a healthy budget.

However, there is no right/wrong answer re: New versus Second Hand as it can be quite subjective i.e. Risk versus Value.

In the end it is for you to decide but if you source 2nd hand gear make sure you purchase from a reputable 'seller'.

In summary, I would buy new every time.

Again, just my personal thoughts.

Cheers

Scorpion

 

[peritus]

Don't agree with the above comments at all

All the separates I've bought over the last 15-20 years have been 2nd hand bar the M/ARX2 speakers I had earlier this year and my systems below

Never had any issues whatsoever with any of it...

For me 2nd hand offers a lot more bang for your buck; more so with Hifi IMO.

I do agree however that you should buy from people with a solid feedback; just peace of mind then

 

[B6MFD]

I am slightly put off by the second hand route, i got the 686's second hand and iv had to replace one of the drivers, for the price i paid buying them, plus the driver i could just about of got them new. Im just concerned about paying xxx hundred and not having a guarantee.
I did try some 685's with the denon, but imo i found the 686's a better match, they seemed to offer more bass? Although i was told it should of been the other way due to the denon not having enough power to run the 686s efficiently.
I do fully understand where you are coming from, clearly i would be getting some really decent kit second hand and probably an average bit of kit if new.

 

[SeanT]

Secondhand all the way here.

 

[B6MFD]

the other option is, i use a technics CD player i have and buy a slightly more expensive new amp :-S and look at upgrading the cd player later...
Are the NAD C356Bee the newer version of the 355?

 

[peritus]

Yes the C356BEE is the newer edition of the C355BEE; a very good amp indeed

Yes keeping your technics CDP would be good as you could then look to add a DAC to the combo then; the likes of the MF Dac would work superbly

My initial money would be on upgrading the speakers though; you'll find, IMO, that the 686's wont sound as good when on a decent amp; the 685's or RX1's however will blow the 686's out of the water with relative ease!

 

[scorpion88]

Totally agree again with the upgrade in speakers as previously indicated.

As regards Brand New Kit versus 2nd hand is clearly your choice.

Best advice is to listen with your own ears before parting with cash which can be difficult to do with the latter.

Also at any audition take along a few Cd's with your familiarity.

Hope That Helps

Scorpion

 

[B6MFD]

i have just been to a hi fi shop and have had a quick listen to the Rotel RA05 SE with RCD06SE, and have been given a price for £780 for the pair, i have to say i really liked the combo, i compared them to the Marantz 6004 amp and CD combo and to me it was much better.
Both were tested with 686's.
I am going on sunday for a proper demo and to take a few cd's.

 

[BlueWizard]

2nd hand is a good choice for maximizing your money, but it does come with some risk, and require enough knowledge of equipment to know what you are buying.

Among other listed in New equipment, consider Yamaha AS500 amp (£250, 85w/ch) and the Yamaha CDS700 (£299) from PeterTyson.co.uk. Excellent prices on both. The CDS700 can see for as high as £450 from other sources. If you can squeeze a bit more, the Yamaha AS700 (£399, 90w/ch).

The Rotel Combo would be pretty good. The more common price would be £479 each for those components, so the dealer is offering you a very good price. The RA-05SE is not especially high powered, but it is more than enough power for most people. I used a 45w/ch amp for many years, and was very happy with it.

At least you have a few options to consider.

Steve/bluewizard

 

[peritus]

Sounds like you had a good demo

Another combo to demo would be the NAD C326BEE amp and NAD C545BEE CDP, the NAD amp with the Marantz 6004CD would be well worth listening too as well

 

[ozzzy189]

Don't agree with the above comments at all

All the separates I've bought over the last 15-20 years have been 2nd hand bar the M/ARX2 speakers I had earlier this year and my systems below

Never had any issues whatsoever with any of it...

For me 2nd hand offers a lot more bang for your buck; more so with Hifi IMO.

I do agree however that you should buy from people with a solid feedback; just peace of mind then

Same here. I bought a linn kairn pre amp for 550 six years ago, I sold it this year for 475! It was 1800 originally, i have just added a dynamiked exotik, which is basically a stereo version of the original akurate Kontrol at 3500. I paid 800.

Have you thought about a linn sneaky ds?
You can stream Internet radio stations, play your Mp3 files transferred to a nas or pc off your iPod, studio master files (up to 24 bit 192 kHz), and use your iPod to control it all. It would totally blow away a cd player in the same price bracket. It's got a built in integrated amp too, so you can just plug a pair of speakers in. They go for about 600 used and are 900 new.
Just a thought.

 

[hifip]

Can't beat a Naim Nait 5i-2

 

[B6MFD]

Thanks for all the replies guys, its much appreciated.
The combos i have requested to try are:
Yamaha AS500 + CDS700 = approx. £500
NAD C326BEE + C454BEE = approx. £530
MARANTZ PM6004 + CD6004 = approx. £620
Rotel RA05 SE + RCD06 SE = approx £780
I am going to test each with the 686's then once i have decided on the preferred system i am going to try it with a different speaker just to see how different it sounds.
i have also requested a quick listen to the Onkyo TX8050 to see how they sound (plenty of extra's built it).

 

[peritus]

Can't beat a Naim Nait 5i-2

Erm yes you can; fairly easy as well....

All down to personal tastes really but I'd never splash the cash on Naim; dont like their sound whatsoever; always found it thin and lacking

 

[peritus]

Thanks for all the replies guys, its much appreciated.
The combos i have requested to try are:
Yamaha AS500 + CDS700 = approx. £500
NAD C326BEE + C454BEE = approx. £530
MARANTZ PM6004 + CD6004 = approx. £620
Rotel RA05 SE + RCD06 SE = approx £780
I am going to test each with the 686's then once i have decided on the preferred system i am going to try it with a different speaker just to see how different it sounds.
i have also requested a quick listen to the Onkyo TX8050 to see how they sound (plenty of extra's built it).

This sounds very good but IMO DO NOT stick to one brand systems...

As I said above for me & my tastes in music the NAD C326BEE amp would be the one to go for; both the NAD C545BEE and Marantz CD6004 CDP's are the best out the above so I'd also demo both of them with the NAD amp as well.

I still stand by my comments though that have a demo of these systems with some better speakers (M/A RX1's. BX2's and B&W 685's) and you'll soon see what you're missing by using the B&W 686's

 

[B6MFD]

Its also out of my price range really

 

[B6MFD]

out of interest what are your music tastes?
One of my problems is my tastes vary quite a lot
I have major OCD when it come to having things matching unfortunately. I know it sounds stupid, but i couldnt live with different brands sat together.....yes i have issues

 

[peritus]

out of interest what are your music tastes?
One of my problems is my tastes vary quite a lot
I have major OCD when it come to having things matching unfortunately. I know it sounds stupid, but i couldnt live with different brands sat together.....yes i have issues

Fully understand that; I had all NAD or all Arcam systems for years but then CDP's like the NAD C545BEE, Rega Apollo and Cyrus 6 came along and changed things; a lot!

My musical tastes are somewhat eclectic; I listen to evey thing from Jethro Tull/Bonzo Dog/Pink Floyd to Nat King Cole/Dean Martin/various crooners to Hed Kandy/Royksopp/Mount Kimbie/Fischerspooner to Rammstein/System of a Down/Iron Maiden/Metallica etc... Just dont listen to chart/pop music or rap/RnB etc...

 

[B6MFD]

Thanks for that, a nice wide range of music then

 

[ozzzy189]

Erm yes you can; fairly easy as well....

All down to personal tastes really but I'd never splash the cash on Naim; dont like their sound whatsoever; always found it thin and lacking

I heard a favourite cd of mine on a cd5 with the the extra power supply last week. Unlistenable.
Totally and utterly horrible. Hard, bright and lot of siblance. Yuk.
Some other music was ok, but porcupine tree that sounds great on my system, had to be turned down, then off after a few minutes.

 

[scorpion88]

This sounds very good but IMO DO NOT stick to one brand systems...

Why not? See my signature with a HK/HD Combo which IMO sounds fantastic.

The OP MUST be allowed to make his own judgement surely?

Cheers

Scorpion