New Speakers. Now What?

V2

 

Well my timeline was off.

 

2-3k spent on an amp I'd be fulfilling a very longtime lust for a McIntosh integrated amp. Don't sleep on the Yamaha's, the AS2100 is the one in your price range that is very well regarded. The entire AS current line of Yamahas are tremendous values. I own the A-S801 and absolutely love it. The bass is so much tighter through this amp, tight and punchy. This amp will improve the bass of your speakers, great dac as well.

 

Somehow, you got my budget all wrong. I've got maybe $800 to spend on both an amp and a CD player. Maybe $1,000 if it was something I couldn't pass up. The Yamaha looks great, but it's not for me.

The Arcam I've got now looks better all the time. The "twin torroidal" amp, one into each channel, seems like a mini-bi amp. The silence I hear when I turn it up loud is also persuasive. Plus, the GAS is receding. Maybe I'm good where I am. Thoughts?

 

I could do the Yamaha a-s301, which looks like a nice piece of equipment for the price. But will it make a difference?

 

If you're happy with what you have, then might as well save your dough.

I wouldn't let tech jargon dictate my decision. One of the most common misconceptions in audio is that toroidal transformers are inherently superior to EI types. Often times, the opposite is true.

 

Look for a Yamaha A-S501. I've compared its sibling, the A-S500, against some $2k amps and it holds its own, especially in the bass.

 

Yes I was off by a zero. lol. When i see this comment "The Yamaha looks great but it's not for me." it makes me wonder how much you actually know about their current line of amps. You seem to like your Arcam...if it ain't broke....

 

I've made a decision. Sorta. If I get new equipment, it's going to be the Yamaha 301. At 60 watts, I'll be fine. And matching 301 CD player. Will I make the move? I'd say it's about 50/50 right now. I'm moving back to NYC, so maybe there's someplace I can listen to them. (Although it's hard enough to hear speaker differences; electronics seeem impossible. You've got to be home, on the couch, with Nick Cave mourning and no distractions.)

But this money came from cashing in credit card points. It's free money. It'd be a shame to just see it eaten away by used books.

 

Did you listen to them?

 

The 801 has a DAC, but none of the others in the Yamaha line do. I confess that the last time I went audio shopping, there was no such thing as a DAC. What is it? What does it do? Is it a questionable audiophile device like fancy speaker cables? Do I need it? If I buy the 301s, can I add it on later? Who is going to win the series?

 

Yes, I have personal experience with these amps and quite a few other far more expensive models. I own the A-S500 which is the A-S501 sans the DAC feature.
As I said, it competes well with the <$2k range of amps, and walks all over some in terms of bass performance.

The A-S501 has a DAC, and I believe the 301 does as well. It simply converts the digital signals to analog so they can be amplified. This allows you to connect a stand-alone device such as a streamer or Bluetooth receiver that has digital outputs.

This is the same conversion that occurs in any CD player. Your Arcam has a built-in CD player, so doesn't have the need to advertise its DAC capability, it's implied.

 

Very interesting article:

How can 30-year-old receivers sound better than new ones?

Yamaha takes it on the head.

 

Huh. Thank you. But what if I want to hear Spotify or FLAC through the Arcam? Probably no inputs.

You know, I only hear about two DACs: Wolfson and Burr Brown. (I'm sure that both names are off.) The Arcam has a Wolfson. Both makes get great reviews. But what else is new?

 

Regarding the article mentioned above, Yamaha seems to be taking a rather minimalist approach and it is not guilty of overloading it's amp with many of the features mentioned in the article. Still…

 

DR camera has a 24 bit Wolfson DAC. Isn't that pretty close to state of the art? Still, I think the lack of connectivity is a fatal flaw.

Sorry to make so many posts. I'm going through a serious audiophile stage. Hopefully, for all involved, it will be over soon.

 

You seem happy with the sound of your current system, so save the money and enjoy what you have.

 

Yes you will find fans of vintage over current hardware. I have a complete vintage setup with a fully restored Marantz 2245 from ca. 1973. I also have a modern set up with my Yamaha, the modern system is significantly superior in sound quality. The bass pales in comparison to my new Yamaha A-s801, and I wanted to like the Marantz more going into it. The Yamaha is better in all regards except for looks, inferior phono pre-amp and headphone amp. The Marantz bests it in those characteristics. Otherwise, the Yamaha bests it easily. That article you quoted is 6 years old, prior to the current line of Yamaha integrated amps existence. It is also referring to Home theater receivers moreso than integrated two channel amps. Home theater receivers tend to be inferior than comparably priced 2 channel amps for sound quality for music.

Yamaha has made a lot of good products aimed at audiophiles in recent years. They have a disc player for $499 designed to compete with the Oppo 103 and by most accounts comes close.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd do a lot more reading before you do any purchasing. Some of your comments suggest that you haven't done a lot of research on current equipment. If your old Arcam makes you happy and was originally priced in the 2k range, replacing it for less than $800 and achieving an improvement may not be so easy.

You have already upgraded the part of your digital chain that is going to make by far the most difference in sound, the speakers.

 

If you are connecting your CD player via an optical, co-axle or HDMI cable, then you are using the DAC in your amp. If you are using RCA cables to connect them you are using the DAC in your CD player.

Wolfson are generally well regarded DAC's.

 

Somewhere in here, I noted that the new Yamahas take a pretty minimalist approach, and don't bother with all the home theater nonsense.

 

It's a matter of two channel VS multi-channel. Pioneer, Onkyo and Sony make 2 channel amps as well, but they forego tuners, hence they're no longer called receivers. Read this:
Stereo Receivers, Integrated Amplifiers and Components

 

The decision is made. Yamaha all the way. I'd like to say something noble or educated but, like so many things, it comes down to the cash. "Refurbished" for under $200 on Amazon. Same with the CD player. Who can turn that down? Plus the ToParT or whatever the **** is. I'm all about tOPArt.

 

You might try the Arcam Miniblink...I use one with my Arcam Solo in my bedroom system..can stream Spotify to the Solo from my IPhone seamlessly and without fuss.

 

You have a rock solid amp that would take 4-5 times your budget to better. You have speakers that you love, so far. IMHO, if I were you I would satisfy the GAS by taking as much budget as you can muster and throw it at the best used DAC that you can get and use your current CD player as only a transport. Buy used to almost double your purchasing power.

And if that persistent GAS cough just won’t go away, injest copious amounts of software.