CD-Amp-Speaker Combo - Suggestions needed

parthapm

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Hello,

I have shortlisted the following for a two channel setup

1) Cambridge Azur Azur 640C CD player

2) Roksan Kandy Integrated Amplifier L III

3) B&W 683 Floorstanders, bi-wired.

Questions:

a) How do you rate the system for fidelity on rock / jazz sessions

b) Between B&W 683 and Monitor Audio RS6, which one does fare better with Kandy

I need suggestion before taking the plunge.
My musical taste include, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Fairport Convension,Miles Davies, Stan Getz and Al DeMeola with some fusion (Shakti, Mahavishnu) thrown in).

Your advice please.
Thanks in advance.

Partha, Kolkata.
 
Hello,

I have heard the RS6 and the old B&W 603s3. Among the two of them I prefer the RS6.

I cannot comment on the new B&W 683 as I have not yet heard them but I would suggest you to carry the CD player and Amp (both excellent choices) to the dealers and hear both the the speakers combinations with your favourite (well recorded) CD's.

I am sure that way you will be able to make a good decision.

However I think it would be a close call between the two speakers. Also please let me know how it went for you and which speaker did you chose.
 
Share the same kind of taste in music...but if I were to recommend...try this:

1. CD player: ARCAM CD 73
2. Integrated Amplifier: ARCAM A90
3. Speakers: EPOS M22
4. Interconnects: Chord
5. Speaker Cables: Nordost

I have heard this setup in comparison to some of the others you have mentioned...and boy there was a world of difference.

A comment on the B&W speakers would be that with their present line-up they are purely basking in past glory. Across all their segments one would find other brands that perform better and cost less...unless you are a die hard B&W fan, I would suggest that you should try out a few more options as far as speakers are concerned. MA's are good, but I find them a little too bright for my taste.

The speakers that are my personal favorite most are ProAc (which I presently own) and PMC. So if you can stretch your budget a bit, try them. You wouldn't easily find speakers that can come close to those especially when it comes to Jazz and rock

Again...just a recommendation...and at the end you should trust your own ears...
 
Thanks for suggestions.

As for the recommendation from avexplorer, about pairing EPOS M22 and Diva A90, M22 provides 150W (250W max) power output. Matching it with A90 which can output 90W continuous, and I believe it can throw out all of it, don't you think M22 will be underpowered at the top end? And in case I can harness courage to buy ProAc Studio 140(THEY ARE GREAT SPEAKERS), same power deficiency problem crops up at the top end. Assuming I will need at the max 40% of power that these can spew out, this discussion may be an overkill, but please correct me technically if you think I missed out something.

Thanks and regards,

Partha.
 
Well, one thing I have learnt during my quest for that "ultimate system" is that all those arithmetic does not necessarily translate to supreme sound quality.

My ProAc Studio 140s are driven by ARCAM AVR 350, which has a meager 120 W / channel and I don't miss one bit of power honestly.

What I recommended was based on a setup I have heard at one of my colleagues place, but having said that I wasn't complaining about your choice of amp.

In fact I felt your choice of speakers weren't the most optimal and wanted you to try out the EPOS. If you like the sound of ProAc (which it appears you do), you would most certainly love the EPOS. Also, the ARCAM CD player would certainly add to that audiophile grade SQ (much more than Cambridge, although they are good as well) that you would want from your source. So selecting the player is pretty much a no brainer

Now, I haven't heard the ROKSAN with EPOS. These speakers pair happily with warm sounding electronics and nothing beats an ARCAM at that. Hence the ARCAM amp I suggested.

Now going forward you might want to freeze on the Amp (say ROKSAN if you like it) and try out on EPOS. If you like it, good, else you have RS6.

Needless to reiterate, trust your own ears. I hope you have heard them and not just going by reviews and stuff ... The reason I ask you this is I'm not sure if any of the brands you have mentioned are available in your city...
 
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Thanks for the guidance.

And yes I would definitely go for demo listens before converging on any of these. I have heard ProAC, Roksan and Arcam before, all of them imports.

Recently there is a spurt on hi-fi audio scene and Arcam and ProAc is available with new disri/dealer coming in. Roksan, I am not sure, but I am planning to import all of CD/Amps anyway, so thats least of a botheration.
Speaker I would like to buy locally.

Thanks for the help.
 
Roksan, I am not sure, but I am planning to import all of CD/Amps anyway, so thats least of a botheration. Speaker I would like to buy locally.

Just be a little careful with imports. I have burnt my fingers already doing that. My 1300 GBP player conked out within 2 weeks of purchase. I had to go back to a local distributor for the spares.

I was lucky with mine, but many a times the dealers / distributors behave funny when the purchase hasn't happened through them. I was fortunate as I could have my unit replaced from the distributor, but then most of them are not that generous, helpful and pleasant to deal with...

Also, if you are not importing from US, the UK and Europe prices tend to be almost equivalent to the local prices.

Good luck...let me know when u've zeroed in on your hi-fi gear
 
One important question, which I had in mind and never posted.

Suppose instead of a Roksan / Arcam Amp, I go for a pre amp / power amp set up. Of all the gizmos I have come across the one with credentials as well as price / performance is the preamp / power amp set from Rotel (RC-1082/ RB-1080).

I HAVE NOT AUDITIONED THEM. But somebody who have says its good.

Before I go forone I wanted an word of advice from you.

Thanks and regards.
 
Strange, another friend of mine who is also setting up his hi-fi also asked for my opinion on Rotels. Honestly I haven't heard the Stereo Pre and Power amps from them. I had however auditioned their AV receiver but didn't enjoy them quite as much. But I know of guys who have and they have prefered the ARCAMs and ROKSANs over ROTEL. Having said that I cannot guarantee that they had heard those specific models that you have mentioned, but the general opinion was ROTELs sounded a tad harsh and lacked detail...

I would stick by the ARCAM or ROKSAN over ROTEL. Then again, go ahead and hear them out and get yourself satisfied.
 
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