Hi, I recently picked up a nice condition Arcam FMJ A19 off eBay, which I bought based on what I imagined it might sound like from the reviews I read, but (having listened to it yesterday for a few hours), my initial impressions are that I don't think it has the sound signature that I'm after. Compared to my old NAD 3155, it sounds a little too plain/neutral, to the point that I kept edging up the volume, thinking the presentation might get a little more exciting....but the signature remains the same regardless of volume....which is probably a good sign, as long as that signature is to your liking.

I absolutely do not like bright or hard sounding equipment, but do like what I guess might be described as a rich and full sound with a strong/heavy bottom end, smooth mids and clear, though definitely not shrill/piercing highs. The NAD sort of has this signature but also a coarseness (lack of resolution) that I don't like and it also sounds a bit compressed. Don't get me wrong, the A19 is clearly very good and much more refined/controlled than the NAD, but in my setup it does sound a bit 'boring' and doesn't engage me enough.

I'm wondering whether a newer/better NAD or Rega or Marantz might suit better? As regards cost, I'm looking at an upper limit of circa £700 to £800, but would prefer to buy used so I can pick up something higher level and quite recent, but at around half the new cost. Hence me picking up the A19 for £325 instead of an SA10 at £700. Speakers are Spendor S9e's and main sources are a Rega Planar 3 (90's version) and Technics SL1200 mk5 for vinyl and streaming via a RP4 for my FLAC files and for Tidal/Spotify. Thanks.