"Bang for Buck"

...and that music is?

...pretty much a wide choice taxiboy.

most types of rock and popular music but not hip-hop, rap etc

classical but not heavy opera.

I think what I'm asking is.... having finally got a cd player with decent DAC's etc and better speakers the sound quality is way beyond my starting point.... can upgrading my amp give me a further increase in quality/enjoyment that replacing  the "noisy" bits has?

I am very happy with the sound return on £'s spent so far but not sure if an amp upgrade would help.

Thanks

Mike   

 

 

 

Hey Mike. Sounds like a good time for the amp upgrade to me. Get those sweet Wharfdales singing. Only my opinion of course but I had a Cambridge 540a for many years and loved the sound. Depending on your budget you could pick up a 640a or even 740a which has digital inputs, allowing you to use the dac for other devices. Cambridge would suit your current set up but if you fancy experimenting with another make try Nad - a slightly different sound but no less suited to the diamonds.

lordmortlock:

or even 740a which has digital inputs

Nice idea, but it's the 740C CD player which has a digital input.

Sill a worthwhile amp suggestion though...

Realised what I'd typed whilst I was upstairs. Came back down to edit it in the hope that no one would notice.

No chance.... Cheers John!

Thanks for the input guys.

I think the key question is...

Can I expect a good measure of improvement (up and over my C/A A5) if I spend an extra £200 on my amp say to C/A 640?

If you think it will give me a hike in quality , I will set about auditioning.

Thanks
Mike

Nooby:

Can I expect a good measure of improvement

One of my first posts here expressed my disappointment in the lack of improvement over the sound quality after an upgrade. I was home auditioning a 840a/c combo and had expected to be blown away. I wasn't. Lots of the more experienced members here replied and many spoke of the law of diminishing returns. I guess a starter system is 100% better than no system and you'll have to spend a lot of money to totally blow your current kit out of the water, partly because budget is so more competent these days. I'm quite sure you'll hear an improvement but until you audition you won't know whether its one worth paying for. The better Cambridge kit gave a much better example of the same sound and it was only when I really auditioned lots I worked out I was actually after a different sound - something I got with Quad.

Richer sounds would be my starting point. They tend to be pretty flexible and should let you home trial with a no questions asked return policy after a week or so if you are underwhelmed.

Good luck - let us know how you get on!

Thanks LordM. There is so much to consider when trying to put into words all the different nuances and how we perceive our music.

There are a few current posts where people are saying how well budget speakers go with more expensive kit so I will look forward to finding out if my ears can tell the difference between a £100 and £300 amp.

cheap speakers to 9.1's amazing difference....cd5 to 640 also amazing difference.....A5 to 640 we'll see.

Mike

 

If you can stretch to the 740A it is considerably better than the (still very capable) 640A.