Which Networked Hifi setup (with no CD) for £4k?

In other news,
I had another listen to the Focal Aria 926 - definitely prefer them to the Sonus Faber Venere 2.5 - even though they too are very good. I also dislike the Naim sound, its accurate and all but didn't sound warm to me..

I'll try and set up another session with the focal's and a few power amps - Quad QSP was one idea...
 
Hello,
I'm cross posting this here from the CM10 thread - seems relevant to my system hunt... Your thoughts and advice are welcome!

Hello People,
I got to audition the B&W CM10 and the Focal Aria 936 together today and we have a clear winner...

First a disclaimer, the focal were totally new, barely had a run in the night before, hardly a good run in - where as the B&W's were properly ran-in.

I auditioned both with a Roksan Caspian integrated AMP and an Arcam IrDac with a selection of Mp3 (320kb) and FLAC files.

The focal is a very good speaker and very big - actually taller and wider than the CM10 and that's not even the biggest version of the Focal Aria (the biggest would be the 948).

I think the 936 is probably the best version, it has 4 driver's (vs 3 on the 926) and clearly more base.
However compared to the CM10 he was out classed in every aspect with every song.

Don't get me wrong - to is a very good speaker probably the best at £2.2k - and not being run -in certainly didn't help it - but the B&W is the clear winner - especially as I was offered a pair of ex demo speakers at £2.5k - I think it certainly worth the £300 difference so I'll go for it.

I might audition the aria gain in a few weeks once it was properly burned in but I'm almost certain the CM10 is in a different league.

We also tried another amp combo:

An Audiolab 8200 pre/power combo - which again was brand new form the box... It sounded a bit more musical but lacked detail (compared to the Roksan) on the lower end - this was especially noticeable with the CM10 where the rocks an managed to create a great sense of weight at the bottom end (my favourite test tracks being the Tron Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk - lots of ominous bass and orchestras + acid...)

I wondered about amp alternatives and was offered a good deal on a set of Audiolab 8200 pre am and a pair of Audiolab 8200 Monoblox (250W each) - I could then properly bi-amp the CM10 - it come to around £2300 - the Roksan is around £1,600 - not sure how much of a good deal this is or if there are better options...? Any feedback is welcome.

So there we have it,
my '£4k' system is likely to end a bit over £5k (with cables and a streamer) - but it's sound amazing - these CM10 are a real diamond...
 
The amp in my £350 system is a JBL/Urei 6230. You're highly unlikely to find it at any dealers. I'll be in London on the 29th and 30th. I'd be happy to bring my system to your dealers for a couple of hours to compare against the CM10's. My system has a reasonable chance of sounding better overall.

There's more than one way to get an amazing sound.
 
The amp in my £350 system is a JBL/Urei 6230. You're highly unlikely to find it at any dealers. I'll be in London on the 29th and 30th. I'd be happy to bring my system to your dealers for a couple of hours to compare against the CM10's. My system has a reasonable chance of sounding better overall.

There's more than one way to get an amazing sound.

Thanks,
That's very kind - I'll send you a private message.
 
Don't discount active studio monitors.

I've had various combinations over the last few years, speakers have included Ruark Talisman, Naim SBL's, Dynaudio Contour 1.1's, Shahinian Compasses & currently Shahinian Obelisks which now list at over £6k. They have been mated with good Naim pre-powers, an LP12/Aro and currently a Weiss Dac 202.

I've just bought a pair of Event Opals following many people who have recently done a switch. They are just over £2k - have a look at some of the reviews and comments on forums.

Audiolab have always made pretty uninspiring amps (ok at playing everything, inspiring at playing nothing!), they wouldn't be my choice.

My recommendation at your budget - Event Opals (or maybe Adam A7x's), a computer linked to an asynchronous dac with digitally tethered volume and with Pure Music or Amarra installed on your computer.

Also check out AVI speakers, I had ADM9.1's in my kitchen/conservatory and they were cracking plus well under your budget even with a sub. This is a review of the pair I had, they have new and higher range models now too so all you need is an Airport Express/SB/Sonos - AVI Hi-Fi Legacy - ADM9 review
 
Thanks,
That's very kind - I'll send you a private message.

Care to follow up on this thread. I know you are seriously considering the B&W CM10. But what about all the other equipment, any decisions on those?

Steve/bluewizard
 
Hello Mate,
thanks for the interest.

At the moment everything is on hold until we move to the new place - it's a bit delayed but hopefully in early May.

I found that pair of ex-demo CM10s at £2.5k which the store (the awesome Nintronics) kindly agreed to keep aside for me. This leaves the amp - I'm almost sold on the Rotel 1582 MkII Power Amp (£1,200) - but also considering the Anthem MCA 20 (£1,500) or even an ATI - I'd really need to audition the CM10s and the amp together - the Rotel is probably the most likely.

For source I'll probably go for the CA Stream Magic 6 (£700) - so with cables etc I'll probably get to £5k but I think it'll be an awesome system and I seriously can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm still open for other ideas about equipment - especially the Amp.

Thanks for all the help and advice!
 

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