upgrade front or back?
System comprises Arcam cd 72(not text), Arcam Alpha 9/9p amps bi amping into 10 year old Ruark Icon speakers.
To upgrade i could either spend around £400 on new speakers(i.e monitor audio rs1 or rs5,kef iq5 or B+W 685)
or sell the cd 72 and buy a Rega Apollo cd player.
but which option would give the best overall improvement?
I second Andrew, if you feeling like buy another product I would buy another cd player for something a bit more exciting. or save up a bit more to get a worthwhile upgrade.
System comprises Arcam cd 72(not text), Arcam Alpha 9/9p amps bi amping into 10 year old Ruark Icon speakers.
To upgrade i could either spend around £400 on new speakers(i.e monitor audio rs1 or rs5,kef iq5 or B+W 685)
or sell the cd 72 and buy a Rega Apollo cd player.
but which option would give the best overall improvement?
Personally, if it were me, id upgrade to the Apollo CD player and the 685's. I've got the same amp set-up and the 685's sound fantastic with the Arcams and the Apollo, i listened to at the weekend thru the Arcam A90 and P90 and it sounded brill again thru 685s.
Could be worth looking out for an Arcam CD92 CD player.
thanks for your replies folks
the system does sound good(especially since i started bi amping in august) hence my original dilemma
but i have always hankered after a nice looking pair of floorstanders. The Icons are still an attractive speaker but they have picked up their fair share of nicks and dings over the years (why is it when something gets knocked off the mantelpiece,it always lands on my speakers?) so i might transfer them upstairs ,look out for a NAD receiver on ebay , and then have i'll have something to listen to when the lounge is a no go area in the evening (i.e corrie, E enders,corrie again,casualty etc etc)
Cables at the mo are QED Qunex 2 betwixt cd and alpha 9 and similarly priced Ixos between the 9 and the 9P.Maybe an upgrade here might reap rewards? Speaker cable is QED Qudos.
If i were to save up for something more rewarding as far as the electronics are concerned, what would you suggest, both new and used?
Dan,what cables you using on your amps?
QED 2 interconnects and QED Silver Anniversary bi-wire.
Check out something from Sugden or Copland secondhand
I personally would purchase a source form the above manufacturers.
Your speakers are still great.
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You know what? I don't think either change will bring a huge change. The Ruarks remain excellent speakers, and I'd only switch CD players after a long hard listen, to make sure I was convinced i was getting worthwhile improvements.
Consulting Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision/whathifi.com Audio Editor, Gramophone