New amplifier advice

[badsoden]

If I was looking to spend up to £4000 on new amplification should I be looking at spreading that across a pre/power setup or spending it all on an integrated setup? Its seem that the money would be enough to get me a very good integrated but not necessarily enough for a good re/power setup, is that right?

[DSJR]

Go and have a listen and put the MUSIC first! Forget what it bloody looks like unless that's important to you..

£4K is a heck of a lot of money to spend on a bit of stereo gear these days, so look at the prime function first and worry about the silly bits like looks and how many boxes afterwards :)

[Tim]

What have you got already Christopher - might make giving advice a little easier? Also what sort of 'sound' do you like - analogue warm and comfortable, digital clean and detailed or something else. Also what type of music do you listen to and what is your room size and do you like it loud?

There are so many variables here :scratch: but like Dave says and on this point I 100% totally agree (some won't) - put the music first ;)

[Ali Tait]

World is your oyster with that budget. Valves or SS?

[badsoden]

The £4K price isn't set just an achievable goal to get as many options as possible. Room size is difficult as I will be moving in the next 4 months but this isn't going to be a quick decision. I will be researching for a good 4 to 6 months before I make any decisions. At the moment my room is 4 by 6 meters with a listening position about halfway along but that may be bigger after the move. Music taste is difficult as well! As long as I like what I'm listening to it could be anything from acoustic guitar, rock, indie, classical, jazz, dance, electronic etc Sound wise I like the warm sound of analogue but also the clean and detailed sound of digital. My current setup is Roksan Kandy MKIII amp and CDP with KEF R700 speakers.

Forgot to add the Squeezbox Touch and Beresford DAC as the source I use most often!

[Ali Tait]

Well with that budget you are taking a huge step up, good idea to take your time IMHO.

[Macca]

The speakers are a tough load (manufacture quoted 3.2 ohm so the reality is probably lower) - obviously the Kandy can cope but worth bearing in mind when looking at new amps, some won't do as good a job no matter what they cost.

[sq225917]

Buy these, and sit on them until you move.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ayre-V-5XE-amp-K-5XEmp-pre-amp-/130903413688?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item1e7a7393b8

[Tim]

Forgot to add the Squeezbox Touch and Beresford DAC as the source I use most often!
This comment here makes me think you really do need to take your time Christopher - I was in a similar boat just over 2 years ago, with a proposed budget of 4-5 grand. I was looking for an amplifier and maybe a CDP and thought that was my answer, but I was mistaken and stubbornly soldiered on before realising I was on the wrong road. Little did I know I would totally change direction and buy an entire new system for less than the price of my last speakers, whilst totally changing my sound and also finding a sound I had been searching for for years.

I'm happier now with my sound than I have ever been and in the main that came down to my speakers, which were the last thing I thought I needed to change :doh:

Anyway, all the help and answers are here, but take your time, listen to as much gear as you possibly can before making a decision and be open to any idea, no matter what you personally might think and also be prepared to invest a bit of time getting off your butt and into the car to listen to gear that may involve a journey or two. Do all that and you may end up in musical nirvana, instead of chasing a non-existent holy grail.

Most of all though, have some fun along the way and be open to new ideas and realise you don't have to spend a fortune to get the perfect sound for your tastes.

Just my 2 cents worth and only my opinion. You are going to get so much conflicting advice it may make your head spin, as what we all like gear wise is as different as the music tastes we have ;)

(oh, one more thing . . . ignore what the Hi-Fi magazines say and trust your own ears!)

[badsoden]

Thank you for your responses I think as stated I need to take my time and listen to as many setups as I can.

[Mark Grant]

£4000 would buy a very good pair of active speakers with amplifiers built in that where chosen to work perfectly with the speakers, just to suggest something different for you to think about.

Adam http://www.adam-audio.com/

Genelec http://www.genelec.com/ or one of the many hi-fi brands, all good fun :)

An old thread : http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6856

[Thing Fish]

£4000 budget for new amps. If only...:drool:

[chelsea]

Buy a 2nd hand amp for a £1,000 and £3,000 on 2nd hand speakers.

[Yomanze]

Buy a 2nd hand amp for a £1,000 and £3,000 on 2nd hand speakers.

Yes indeed, a grand gets you a long way with an amp and much bigger gains with speakers, but I would also be looking to upgrade the DAC with £1k budget, so £2k for the speakers if I were upgrading. Having said this am using speakers that cost me £350 s/h and I would put them against anything, so research and don't assume that cost means better. :)

[Harry Hill]

Yes indeed, a grand gets you a long way with an amp and much bigger gains with speakers, but I would also be looking to upgrade the DAC with £1k budget, so £2k for the speakers if I were upgrading. Having said this am using speakers that cost me £350 s/h and I would put them against anything, so research and don't assume that cost means better. :)

I kind of agree, but I'd be tempted to listen to some 2nd hand speakers around £4K first, some true quality like Quads and Logans to hear how much better it can sound. If your not impressed by these then spend the money on an amp but I don't think this will give as much of an improvement.:cool:

[alan47]

+1 for Mark Grant's suggestions