DAC and AMP to use with a Cocktail Audio X10

[ADY]

Hi,
i would like some system advice please.

i have purchased a Cocktail Audio X10 CD player with hard drive and would like to improve the sound quality by adding a DAC and seperate AMP.

i only really want to spend £500-600 max on both.

i am using Tannoy mercury floor standers and will be keeping these.

i was thinking of a Beresford DAC perhaps but know little about Digital converters ?

any help would be welcome.

thanks,

ADY

[pjdowns]

If you can find one for the right price an Audiolab 8000a is a great amp, still hold their value well and can be had for £150-200 max. Look for a 1992 onwards and you'll get an excellent amp :)

Reference the DAC, I would certainly buy yourself a Beresford. I have a Caiman and it is such an excellent piece of kit which I believe has been bettered somewhat by the Bushmaster and now Bushmaster II DAC's.

Hope this helps

Paul.

[ADY]

Paul thanks for your advice :)

[pjdowns]

Paul thanks for your advice :)

You're welcome Ady.

If you're looking for a warmer sounding amp then I would highly recommend an Exposure X which you can get for a reasonable price on Fleabay... it is effectively the baby brother of my amps which are truly excellent :)... but saying that I am somewhat biased ;)

[pjdowns]

Ady,

If you get this anything near to the price they have it on you'd get yourself a bargain and a damn good amp to boot :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Exposure-X-10-Integrated-Amplifier-/271287023732?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item3f29f77874

Paul.

[ADY]

yeah i saw that Paul its collection only i used to have an Exposure super 8 many years ago :) But couldnt handle my old isobraiks :( i.e blew up !!!

[Freeman]

Hi,
i would like some system advice please.

i have purchased a Cocktail Audio X10 CD player with hard drive and would like to improve the sound quality by adding a DAC and seperate AMP.

i only really want to spend £500-600 max on both.

i am using Tannoy mercury floor standers and will be keeping these.

i was thinking of a Beresford DAC perhaps but know little about Digital converters ?

any help would be welcome.

thanks,

ADY

Take a look at the Bantam Gold http://www.templeaudio.net/bantamgold.html it's well received on this forum. I use one with a Sonos connect and am considering the BM MKII as my next upgrade :)

[ADY]

thank you Mark that sounds ideal, How loud does it go ? as its only 25w. looks a good tie up with a TC-7533 BM
Both nice and small too :)

[Freeman]

thank you Mark that sounds ideal, How loud does it go ? as its only 25w. looks a good tie up with a TC-7533 BM
Both nice and small too :)

Hi Ady, actually the Bantam Gold is only 15W using the standard psu at 12V, using a regulated psu at 15v takes it up to 25W. Temple Audio says that 15V does not give higher volumes and need only be used to drive speakers with low sensitivity. The amp does however come with two gain settings, I am using the lower setting with my Sonos and can get fairly anti social volumes, the higher setting is +18db. There are many threads here that discuss the benefits of better psu's and using higher voltages. My upgrade path would be the BM MK2, then a regulated psu.

[ADY]

thanks again i better get the moths out of my wallet then :)