antoniofhowe Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I am about to have around $1800 to play with and I think it's time to upgrade my CA Azur 351A, it's the last item from my original setup, which is now: Rega RP6 w/ Ortofon 2M Black Leema Acoustics Elements Phono Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 My use of the current amp is this (in priority order): Vinyl Streaming audio through Chromecast / AppleTV TV/Movies The streaming audio and TV/Movies is done via a cheap headphone to RCA cable out of my TV into the amp... not ideal. From all the research I've done I have narrowed my selections down to this list: Cambridge Audio Azur 851A NAD 375BEE Rega Elex-R Music Fidelity M3si I am currently leaning towards the NAD 375BEE for the sole reason that I can get an addon DAC module and run a digital optical cable from my TV to the AMP. I am seriously running out of power outlet options so avoiding a standalone DAC would be preferable, however, my vinyl comes first so taking a hit on audio quality just to have the built in DAC isn't an option either. Anyways, for those that have experience with the above mentioned amps, what would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Out of those I'd either choose Musical Fidelity or Rega (based on sound alone). However at the risk of sounding like a broken record, Consider going used. I just skimmed CAM listings and my eyes got all watery. Some of my picks: Naim nait 5i - $1k http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649172466-naim-nait-5i2/ Krell KAV 400xi - $1.5k http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649169879-krell-kav-400xi/ Primare i32 - $1.7k http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649168988-primare-i32/ April Stello ai500 - $2k http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649172586-april-music-stello-ai500-integrated-amplifier/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Oh, and the Primare and April also include digital inputs, so you don't need to worry about an external dac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniofhowe Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Used makes me nervous, especially when spending this kind of cash. Maybe if I could see and hear it first it wouldn't be so bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Used makes me nervous, especially when spending this kind of cash. Maybe if I could see and hear it first it wouldn't be so bad. I've used CAM to buy an amp - granted, in the $300 range - but I found the experience to be very easy, and not so stressful. I met the guy at his house and he had the amp set up, showing me that it worked. He let me know that if I had issues, I could touch base with him about it. Haven't had any so far. My friend has told me he bought a bunch of stuff from CAM, and it seems like the majority of the people using it to sell are quite knowledgeable and easy to deal with. That being said, if you're not close enough to where some of those are being sold, and shipping is the only option, I wonder if there might be challenges with testing and making sure it works to your needs, plus Canada Post sucks at everything, so you better make sure it's shipped safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniofhowe Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Yea that Primare is really tempting, but it would have to be shipped, just as all of them would need to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Used makes me nervous, especially when spending this kind of cash. Maybe if I could see and hear it first it wouldn't be so bad. I want to see any hifi I buy for big money new or used. I might not like it how it sounds or looks, it might not be as good as the hype, it might be damaged etc etc etc. Also if you are spending cash it's a lot easier to haggle with the cash in your hand and stood in front of the seller. Don't discount used though but I would definitely want to travel for a big money item, the only way I wouldn't is if I knew exactly how it sounded up front and there was a cast iron returns guarantee if something was wrong. Out of those I'd either choose Musical Fidelity or Rega (based on sound alone). However at the risk of sounding like a broken record, Consider going used. I just skimmed CAM listings and my eyes got all watery. Some of my picks: I completely agree with Slinch though and in that order just, with MF first but that is based on personal preference. Personal preference again I wouldn't entertain Naim again unless purely for profit, every Naim product I have owned I have moved on very quickly as I just don't like the sound and when I look at them I see a lump of money I can spend on something I actually like as opposed to a piece of hifi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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