Help needed for setting a stereo system (music only)

Hi,

I'm new to the hi-fi world and planning to set a hi-fi stereo system (music only). I listen almost all types of music like soft pop, blues, country, Carnatic, Ghazals etc. After doing my own research I found that Cambridge Audio Azur 740C would be the CDP I have to choose. I have not auditioned this one but 640A v2 together with 740A. I didn't like much of the attributes of the 740A and planning to audition other amps like NAD C352, Rotel RA-1062, RA-1072 etc.
Could you please advice ,me which amp will be a macth for CA 740C (other than 740A) and matching floor standers?
My budget would be like as below:
CDP - 45000
integrated Amp - 40000
FS Speakers - 70000

Thanks
Sethukumar

Sethu,

For your genre of music, you need a warm sounding setup. Not a bad choice of CD player, but if you can push it, consider Marantz SA7001 KI Signature.

For Amp, you can check out-
a) Marantz PM7001 KI Signature
b) Rokshan Kandy L.III
c) Cyrus 8 vs2

For floor standers, do check out-
a) Dali Ikon 6
b) Monitor Audio RS6
c) B&W CM7

Best Regards.

Hi ,
I dont have much experience with the cdp u mention but the Rotel RA 1062 is a great amp and so is the RA 1070. I would rate them much higher than the Nad c 352.(Have owned all the three). If u go with rotel amps then the rotel RCD 1072 is a good cdp. It obviously matches in every way. The speakers that match the above set up would be the B&W Cm 7 or even the newly launched 683 if u must have floor standers.
Having said that i personally feel all the above products are way overpriced but i guess that holds true for most electronics here in india. Also i totally back unleash' s suggestion of a Marantz sa 7001 or 7001KI as the cdp. The grey market price of both these is a steal. The matching marantz amp is pretty revealing too. U should hear all the above products as all have a distinct sonic signature. It all boils down to the sound u really are after. One small advice is to not blindly just buy a floorstander but consider the stand mount option unless u have a huge room to house the set up in.
Regards.

Thanks to unleash_me and dinyaar for their prompt reply. The reason for choosing CA 740C as the preferred CDP is that it got very good reviews. Separate Wolfson audio DACs for each channel and 24bit/384Hz oversampling etc make it a good CDP. I'm not sure whether Burr Brown DAC or Wolfson DAC produce better sound though.
I have already auditioned Marantz 7001 and 6001 already(I guess the numbers are correct!)but I didn't like the stereo imaging they produced. The speaker used was MS 906i and 908i.
Could you peole able to tell me where I can find Roksan Kandy stuff in Bangalore please? It has won numerous rewards as best integrated recently.

Thanks
Sethukumar

Ah...I believe the otherwise extreamely capable amp is let down by the speaker counterparts.

Kandy is a really good amp but it tends to sound brighter. If that doesn't matter to you, then its a really good buy.

Hi,
For Roksan products contact Mr Marbin Colah on 91 9819257839. He is the distributor of the brand and will happily ship anywhere in india. Dont think he has a dealer in bangalore. Having said that i have heard the kandy amp(earlier model not the current upgrade) with various speakers and i wonder what all the fuss is about. But thats my opinion. Am sure u can do better with 65/70 K than the Roksan.
Regards

Hi All,

Cost of stuff in India is almost always at an unbelieable 100% premium (apprx) - I waited for almost 6 months of research and finally picked up the below system from Singapore....

CDP: Marantz CD 6002
AMP: Marantz PM 7001 KI
SPK: MA BR5 (I got these from Chennai)

Just hooked the above last Sunday - too early to comment as the above requires a burn in of atleast 50-70 hours - however the difference in sound - tight base - clarity is defintely there....

Let me know incase anyone needs further details.

Cheers

Hi spycatcher,

If you don't mind my asking you I would only like to know if you faced any hassles with customs and airport officials here in India (assuming you have brought them back to India). What was the experience of bringing the equipment into the country like?

Thanks for sharing.

Hi Particleman,

Well, honestly Customs was the biggest issue on my mind. These guys have got very strict now. I was flagged down too however, I kind of got out of it by just talking to them and getting away without paying anything... I guess I was just plain lucky.
Luckily I had a colleague with me who was carrying the CDP in a big cheap looking bag and he breezed past the green channel ! I guess its a matter of chance and luck

Hi,
Guys i agree its a matter of luck. Mis declaration or non declaration is a jailable offence. U are anyway allowed a certain amount of goods sans duty so if u have just a CDP its anyway ok. If travelling with a companion or as a family u can get some more too. ]
I have brought down over the years amps, cdp s and a tuner just last year and i would carry it boxed rather than in a hand bag etc. Each time i have been asked of the content and the value but have never been charged. A friend of mine got a lovely high end stereo set up from dubai and greased the officials 8K and got all the components through. So i guess its not that bad. I think they are ok with it if they feel its for personal use.
Regards.

** Am referring to the bombay customs. Have no knowledge of other indian cities.