Brian Ritchie;662970 Wrote: > After 18 years, I think it's finally time to lay my old amp to rest. > It's an Arcam Delta 290, paired with a 290P, bi-amping Mission 751 > speakers (which are of a similar age). > > When it sounds good, I still love it; unfortunately, the selector knob > is starting to go, and it's getting more and more difficult to get it > to connect properly. This is a common problem with the 290; I've had it > repaired before, but the selector unit is no longer made, and the repair > job is beyond my skills / patience. > > It's time to consider a replacement; but right now, I've no idea what. > I probably should've spent the last few months researching (and reading > hifi mags with a jaded eye). > > So I'm interested in hearing suggestions... what do you think makes a > good partner amp for a Transporter? Could I find a single-amp solution > to replace my bi-amped system? (The addition of the 290P really brought > things to life. Hmm, I haven't considered trying to find another amp > that could be matched to it; but I suspect that's unlikely. I wonder if > I could just use a new pre-amp with them both - I *think* the 290's > power stage is separable... ?) > > (I should point out that I'm in the UK, so kit that's not available > there is out of the question.) > > My main music source is the Transporter, though audio from our two PVRs > and DVD player goes through the amps too (yes, running out of inputs is > another issue!) I still have an Arcam Alpha 6 CD player, but it's > rarely used (and is itself showing its age). > > I've a vague interest in surround-sound (mainly for audiovisual stuff, > but also for ambient music); but rear speaker placement would be > awkward, and I'm not minded to change the layout of the house to suit! > I wonder if I'd be happy with one of those soundbar thingies? But > that's by-the-by: good stereo reproduction takes precedence. I wouldn't > want to spend a fortune on a surround-sound system when I could get a > system that performs better with stereo sources for considerably less. > > I hope to do some auditioning at the local Audio-T this weekend, but I > suspect their in-store stock range isn't that great. Also, when I > dropped in a few weeks ago, the guy I spoke to was very dismissive when > I mentioned that my main source is a Transporter (but they're Sonos > stockists, and might not know what they're missing :-) ). I see that at > the moment they have the Cyrus 8 XPd QX for £1350... not sure I'm > bothered about an external DAC, but that's the same price as the > DAC-less 8XP! I'll see what they say, but it's been so long that I'll > feel a bit like a lamb to the slaughter. Better not say that I want > Dobly on the gramophone input :-) > > My budget? Well, I'm not sure. Basically, whatever it takes to get > something that sounds at least as good as the 290/290P do when they're > at their best, so long as that doesn't mean more than, say, £2500. (Of > course, as soon as I write that figure, I realise that maybe I would > need new speakers to do the rest justice - except that that would eat > into the budget...) > > -- Brian
Personally I would keep both of your Arcams and use the Delta 290 just as a power amp. Get a new pre-amp, one with at least one set of balanced inputs to maximise the capabilities of the Transporter. Something like this: http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/M6-Series/M6PRE/M6PRE.asp This is a serious pre-amp that can stand a later update to both power amps and speaker. It's worth noting that when transistor amps get to ~20-25 years old they should be thoroughly serviced and probably partially rebuilt (caps and rectifiers in particular should be looked at). Alternatively junk both the Arcams (they are getting a bit long in the tooth and will need recapping at some point anyway) and get one of these instead: http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/specifications.php?PID=292&Title=Specifications Lots of power to drive the Missions properly (I would bi-wire them) and balanced input capabilities. All for £800 - you could afford a tasty speaker upgrade! :-) Alternatively, A used Classe integrated would be just within your budget... YMMV. -- Phil Leigh You want to see the signal path BEFORE it gets onto a CD/vinyl...it ain't what you'd call minimal... Touch(wired/W7)+Teddy Pardo PSU - Audiolense 3.3/2.0+INGUZ DRC - MF M1 DAC - Linn 5103 - full Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Pekin Tuner, Townsend Supertweeters,VdH Toslink,Kimber 8TC Speaker & Chord Signature Plus Interconnect cables Stax4070+SRM7/II phones Kitchen Boom, Outdoors: SB Radio, Harmony One remote for everything. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=90915
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