Denon or CA stereo amplifier?

SKD19

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I,m planning to buy a stereo amplifier for my 10x20 ft room in a budget of 50-60k. Denon and sonodyne have been the brands of my liking. But a dealer has suggested me to go for CA 640 v-2 amplifier and a pair of Wharfadle diamond 9.6 floorstanders. Kindly give me your advice. And also the right price for each of them in delhi....:o
Early solution will help me greatly
 
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I,m planning to buy a stereo amplifier for my 10x20 ft room in a budget of 50-60k. Denon and sonodyne have been the brands of my liking. But a dealer has suggested me to go for CA 640 v-2 amplifier and a pair of Wharfadle diamond 9.6 floorstanders. Kindly give me your advice. And also the right price for each of them in delhi....:o
Early solution will help me greatly

is your budget for only the amp 50-60k

or is your budget for speakers + amp - 50-60 k ?

if its the first ( 50-60k budget only for amp)then i advice you to look at more brands for amps.
YOu have a large range in that budget and im sure you can do better than the cambridge for that kind of money

sonodyne is a definite NO NO strictly in my opinion for both budgets

if your budget is 50-60 k for both amp and speakers
look at jamo floorstanders c 405 , Mordant short avant 906i and the warfedale 9.6 - for floorstanders (this will be about 30k)

Amps look at NAD 355 , marantz PM 6002 and PM 7001 , (20-30k)
Alterntively you can also look for pre owned stuff hich might be more VFM
 
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SKD19, amongst the brands you have mentioned, namely, Denon, CA and Sonodyne, CA will be the best.

But as Magma has mentioned there are also other brands such as NAD and Marantz you could look.

Why don't you do a quick audition of these maps and decide which ones you like?

Cheers
 
Venkat has hit the nail on the head.

I own equipment from most of the companies listed above. Here is how I would rate them for stereo:
  1. NAD
  2. CA
  3. Denon
  4. Sonodyne

Having said that, all the above companies produce reasonable good products for the price. So do listen to them and decide.

I would recommend that you expand your options for the speakers. Add MA, MS, EPOS, etc to your list.

Thanks,
Sharad
 
Hi,
Please look at Nad/Marantz for electronics and definately add Monitor audio and PSB as your speaker options. Can consider a denon integrated too but after u A/B it with a Nad or a marantz. Build quality of all these is good with the Marantz/denon being marginally better.
Speakers is very difficult to advise on. One must hear as many as one can.
Rgds
 
is your budget for only the amp 50-60k

or is your budget for speakers + amp - 50-60 k ?

if its the first ( 50-60k budget only for amp)then i advice you to look at more brands for amps.
YOu have a large range in that budget and im sure you can do better than the cambridge for that kind of money

sonodyne is a definite NO NO strictly in my opinion for both budgets

if your budget is 50-60 k for both amp and speakers
look at jamo floorstanders c 405 , Mordant short avant 906i and the warfedale 9.6 - for floorstanders (this will be about 30k)

Amps look at NAD 355 , marantz PM 6002 and PM 7001 , (20-30k)
Alterntively you can also look for pre owned stuff hich might be more VFM

Thanx for sparing time for my query.
Going by all the reviews I have gone through, NAD should be my obvious choice. But, being in Lucknow(U.P), service becomes a limiting factor and NAD has its dealer in Mumbai only. I would like to know why are you so against Sonodyne?
I think I should list my priorities:
(i) I don't want to compromise quality for money.
(ii) room size 11X20 feet and budget of 60K (+/- 15%) for both amp & Flstdrs.
(iii) So far, I have heard sonodyne only and it was good. But I don't want to stop looking at others because there may be better thing in store for me.
(iv)Due to limited market and repair facility for high end audio equipemnts in UP I want a system which has a proven track-record of trouble free service.
(v) CA has its dealer in my city. so how would you like my buying CA640 (v-2) for 25K?
(vi) If you approve CA 640, then with it, should I go for Wharfadle D 9.6 (38K) or its D 9.5 (30K) or Sonodyne sonus V2 (24K)?
 
is your budget for only the amp 50-60k

or is your budget for speakers + amp - 50-60 k ?

if its the first ( 50-60k budget only for amp)then i advice you to look at more brands for amps.
YOu have a large range in that budget and im sure you can do better than the cambridge for that kind of money

sonodyne is a definite NO NO strictly in my opinion for both budgets

if your budget is 50-60 k for both amp and speakers
look at jamo floorstanders c 405 , Mordant short avant 906i and the warfedale 9.6 - for floorstanders (this will be about 30k)

Amps look at NAD 355 , marantz PM 6002 and PM 7001 , (20-30k)
Alterntively you can also look for pre owned stuff hich might be more VFM

Venkat has hit the nail on the head.

I own equipment from most of the companies listed above. Here is how I would rate them for stereo:
  1. NAD
  2. CA
  3. Denon
  4. Sonodyne

Having said that, all the above companies produce reasonable good products for the price. So do listen to them and decide.

I would recommend that you expand your options for the speakers. Add MA, MS, EPOS, etc to your list.


Thanks,
Sharad

I'm avoiding NAD for its limited service network. (I'm at lucknow)
as per your choice CA is the next pick. Should I go for CA640(v-2)? My standard priorities are listed below:
(i) I don't want to compromise quality for money.
(ii) room size 11X20 feet and budget of 60K (+/- 15%) for both amp & Flstdrs.
(iii) So far, I have heard sonodyne only and it was good. But I don't want to stop looking at others because there may be better thing in store for me.
(iv)Due to limited market and repair facility for high end audio equipments in U.P, I want a system which has a proven track-record of trouble free service.
(v) CA has its dealer in my city. so how would you like my buying CA640 (v-2) for 25K?
(vi) If you approve CA 640, then with it, should I go for Wharfadle D 9.6 (38K) or its D 9.5 (30K) or Sonodyne sonus V2 (24K)?
 
Given your locality and your T&C, it seems you are down to two choices - Sonodyne and CA. Since you have already auditioned the Sonodyne, please do audition the CA also and let your ears decide which ones you like.

The Wharfedales are good speakers, but again audition them.

At the end, if you like Sonodyne, there is absolutely no harm in going for Sonodynes. The company is good, and they do make decent equipment.

For your information, I have done a quick comparison of the Sonodyne SiA 102R and the CA 640A.

http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sonodynevsca640.pdf

Cheers
 
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I,m planning to buy a stereo amplifier for my 10x20 ft room in a budget of 50-60k. Denon and sonodyne have been the brands of my liking. But a dealer has suggested me to go for CA 640 v-2 amplifier and a pair of Wharfadle diamond 9.6 floorstanders. Kindly give me your advice. And also the right price for each of them in delhi....:o
Early solution will help me greatly

Hey Buddy

When you are considering Stereo Setup, then consider CA...and 640 is a good choice..
moreover if you have some budget to spend, then give NAD/Odyssey a try to..
they are good in for Stereo...

Now, regarding the speakers, just audition a few of them like Mordaunt Short, Wharfedale and a few more..

then hear them with your shortlisted amplifier..

Make a wise decision..

Thanks

Mridul
 
Hi,

Sonodyne is the best among the Indian brands. I am using an amp from them in the dining lobby. The amp sounds good, comparable to more expensive CA amps (not NAD), but it has a slight hum when I connect the left channel speaker. I can also hear some noise in the high frequencies, if I raise the volume without playing any music. The newer models with electronic volume control loose some punch at low volumes. I have an old model with a traditional volume knob.

NAD sounds significantly better than CA and Sonodyne. It has a magical quality in its mid-range, and of course has a fuller and more powerful bass. I think it is difficult to beat a NAD at the price you pay for it. Analog audio amps do not need any service. They keep working for decades without any help. I would not think twice before getting one shipped from Mumbai.

If you are particular about having a local dealer, you could also check out the EPOS/Marantz combination. Just in case it is available at Lucknow. I just disposed all the old AVMax magazines last week (my wife got bitten by the spring cleaning bug:)), but I remember audio dealers selling many good brands in Lucknow. You would need to hunt around a bit.

I would recommend narrowing down on the speakers before closing the deal on the amplifier. If you go for a demanding floor stander, CA 640 would not be enough. You would need something like a NAD to get the best out of them.

Thanks,
Sharad
 
is your budget for only the amp 50-60k

or is your budget for speakers + amp - 50-60 k ?

if its the first ( 50-60k budget only for amp)then i advice you to look at more brands for amps.
YOu have a large range in that budget and im sure you can do better than the cambridge for that kind of money

sonodyne is a definite NO NO strictly in my opinion for both budgets

if your budget is 50-60 k for both amp and speakers
look at jamo floorstanders c 405 , Mordant short avant 906i and the warfedale 9.6 - for floorstanders (this will be about 30k)

Amps look at NAD 355 , marantz PM 6002 and PM 7001 , (20-30k)
Alterntively you can also look for pre owned stuff hich might be more VFM

CA 640 suits my budget (24K). NAD 355 is 40k so I'm planning for CA. Now advice me a good pair of FLRS for it. I,m thinking of Wharfadle 9.6 or Mordaunt short 908i. You may also suggest any other speakers than these two.
 
CA 640 suits my budget (24K). NAD 355 is 40k so I'm planning for CA. Now advice me a good pair of FLRS for it. I,m thinking of Wharfadle 9.6 or Mordaunt short 908i. You may also suggest any other speakers than these two.

other than the two floorstandersyou are considering there is JAmo C405 and C407.
i was quoted 30k for the C405 and i thought that for that value i liked it over the warfedales
i have heard the PSB alpha towers to also be very good ( i dont know the price though - im guessing about the same as the jamo)

for an amplifier budget of 25k
you can consider the NAD 325BEE
and i was quoted a marantz PM 7003 for 25k - (grey). my mouth is watering!
the marantz PM 6002 van be had with bill and warranty in that amoutn too
 
other than the two floorstandersyou are considering there is JAmo C405 and C407.
i was quoted 30k for the C405 and i thought that for that value i liked it over the warfedales
i have heard the PSB alpha towers to also be very good ( i dont know the price though - im guessing about the same as the jamo)

for an amplifier budget of 25k
you can consider the NAD 325BEE
and i was quoted a marantz PM 7003 for 25k - (grey). my mouth is watering!
the marantz PM 6002 van be had with bill and warranty in that amoutn too
Hi,
One more thing:p....
Should I buy a new audio cd player as well? At present I have a normal commercial sony dvd player. If I should, then that too should be from CA to get the best result for I am buying CA 640 ampi?? Suggest a budget cd player please. Thanks.
 
Hi,
One more thing:p....
Should I buy a new audio cd player as well? At present I have a normal commercial sony dvd player. If I should, then that too should be from CA to get the best result for I am buying CA 640 ampi?? Suggest a budget cd player please. Thanks.

members have suggested that the NAD CA combination as goes really well so you can look at NAD to for a cdp

Also if ou can afford i would advice a new CDP over a used one since i feel failure rate is higher is CDP's.
However this is only if your listening prefernces are music only.

Why dontyou bu the amp and play it with your regular dvd player for a while and judge if you nee a CDP.
 
Hi,

Sonodyne is the best among the Indian brands. I am using an amp from them in the dining lobby. The amp sounds good, comparable to more expensive CA amps (not NAD), but it has a slight hum when I connect the left channel speaker. I can also hear some noise in the high frequencies, if I raise the volume without playing any music. The newer models with electronic volume control loose some punch at low volumes. I have an old model with a traditional volume knob.

NAD sounds significantly better than CA and Sonodyne. It has a magical quality in its mid-range, and of course has a fuller and more powerful bass. I think it is difficult to beat a NAD at the price you pay for it. Analog audio amps do not need any service. They keep working for decades without any help. I would not think twice before getting one shipped from Mumbai.

If you are particular about having a local dealer, you could also check out the EPOS/Marantz combination. Just in case it is available at Lucknow. I just disposed all the old AVMax magazines last week (my wife got bitten by the spring cleaning bug:)), but I remember audio dealers selling many good brands in Lucknow. You would need to hunt around a bit.

I would recommend narrowing down on the speakers before closing the deal on the amplifier. If you go for a demanding floor stander, CA 640 would not be enough. You would need something like a NAD to get the best out of them.

Thanks,
Sharad

Can you compare NAD with ROTEL?
 
I saw a Marantz PM6002 for 12k INR in Bangkok (and a CD5001 for 10k INR).


is your budget for only the amp 50-60k

or is your budget for speakers + amp - 50-60 k ?

if its the first ( 50-60k budget only for amp)then i advice you to look at more brands for amps.
YOu have a large range in that budget and im sure you can do better than the cambridge for that kind of money

sonodyne is a definite NO NO strictly in my opinion for both budgets

if your budget is 50-60 k for both amp and speakers
look at jamo floorstanders c 405 , Mordant short avant 906i and the warfedale 9.6 - for floorstanders (this will be about 30k)

Amps look at NAD 355 , marantz PM 6002 and PM 7001 , (20-30k)
Alterntively you can also look for pre owned stuff hich might be more VFM
 
Can you compare NAD with ROTEL?

main diff being that the nad is warmer and the rotel brighter. nad is more laid back, rotel has better sound separation and tighter bass. slightly thinner as well. but rotel doesnt pair too well with all speakers - so make sure it matches with what you buy or you can have serious listening fatigue.
 
My NAD 325 isn't laid back at all. It has an in-the-face sound if you listen within 8 feet ( which I do).

Regards
 
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