group test of Stereo amp

spirovious

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Yesterday I cld visit Allince4 & The shop in Andheri ,took audition of some stereo setups.To be honest,my AWC is poor.(audio to words converter)
Still I will try to help the forum members in my way.

Setup included CA(340,540 CDp & amps), Marantz (7001,4001amp), Nad(325 CDp,amp), Denon (80w amp), spk(Tany F4,MS906,mezo BS)
CD Marathi(man udan varyache),Hindi(Masum),English Demo(shopkeepers)

Opt1= CA 340amp + CA 340CDp + F4

Pros:sounded fantastic,Vocals with warmth,one can feel the sound,purely musical,perfect tone,good Bass
cons:Trebles can be little sharp(not Harsh)
Point:8/10

Opt2= Nad 325 amp & CDp + F4

Pros:Clear sound,clear vocals,good instumentals,little brighter than CA.
cons:male vocal sounded little thinner
Point:8/10

Opt3= Mar7001 amp + Nad 325cdp + F4
Pros:Sounded better & cleaner than NAD,Treble was perfect,sounds from santur was spot on,vocals perfect,Bass OK(less than CA),purely musical
Cons:cldnt find
Point:9/10

Opt4= CA340amp + NAd325 CDp + F4
Pros:as above(opt1) I expected some thing different,but not more than improoved clearity.
Cons:less than opt1
Point:8.5/10

Opt5= CA540 + CDp 340 + MS (906 & mezo BS both)
Pros:very clean sound,better soundstage than opt1,treble little clear than opt1,good depth,musical,better Bass
Cons:Nothing
Point:9/10

Opt6= Mar4001amp + CA540CDp + MS(mezo)
Pros:though clear,but not as musical as 7001,treble was stuggling a bit,less Bass than 7001,Vocals OK
Cons:Not so enjoyable
Point:7/10 (its award winner of whthf)

Opt7= denon 80w amp + CA 540 + MS(mezo)
Pros:Treble was very enjoyable,sparkling,instruments were good(santur)Bass OK
Cons:vocals struggled
Point:7.5/10

Now coming to Norge1000 + Philips CDp + F1, sad to say it is far behind than above amps in terms of perfection.I can give not more than 7/10.
May be Norge outlet has no dedicated room for audition.

Looking at group test I can say CA540 amp & Mar 7001 are winner with different forms,one is warmer & other is much cleaner.Changing CDp didnt help much.

Advice: Select amp 1st for upgradation(after you own spk),CDp can adjust with amp.If you miss your liking,no opt but to change system again.
If you upgrade both ,no prob.Like me who go step by step,amp 1st.

Prices- gone high

CA540 amp =21700
CA340 amp =19600
CA340 CDp =17500
Mar7001 =27000 aprox
Nad 325amp=28000 ap

Cheers...
 
Great review. . . To the point. .
did you try ms with nad? And in comparison never thought nad pricing was this bad.
 
Great review. . . To the point. .
did you try ms with nad? And in comparison never thought nad pricing was this bad.

I just wanted to feel the difference,I own F1 & so I listened on F4 is 1st shop.
I auditioned MS in next shop.
 
Wow. This is good. Sorry, my AWC is really really bad.

I feel the Opt 1 - Opt1= CA 340amp + CA 340CDp + F4 is the best (8 points) as the next best option is probably about Rs 8000.00 more. This is my opinion. I could be wrong :)
 
....
Now coming to Norge1000 + Philips CDp + F1, sad to say it is far behind than above amps in terms of perfection.I can give not more than 7/10.
May be Norge outlet has no dedicated room for audition.
....
QUOTE]

Hi Spirovious,
Your quote says that you auditioned Norge-1000 with F1 (was that Tannoy F1?). If yes, is your judgment based on Norge output on Tannoy F1 Bookshelves versus "other amps" on Tannoy F4 Floorstanders?

Request your clarification.

(I believed Norge is little behind the other MNC entry level amps... but not far behind... if Norge is being judged based on its output on a Bookshelf, then its true potential won't be seen)

Regards,
 
pricing of NAD is incorrect or Allance is out to fleece everyone

the 326 cossts 28k not the 325
i was at lakozy with dinyaar on tuesday. we got it from the horses mouth
we even heard some speakers with the 326

the finish has improved , at last NAD is feeling the finish heat from denon and marantz.
the Blue led lights also look cool
 
....
Now coming to Norge1000 + Philips CDp + F1, sad to say it is far behind than above amps in terms of perfection.I can give not more than 7/10.
May be Norge outlet has no dedicated room for audition.
....
QUOTE]

Hi Spirovious,
Your quote says that you auditioned Norge-1000 with F1 (was that Tannoy F1?). If yes, is your judgment based on Norge output on Tannoy F1 Bookshelves versus "other amps" on Tannoy F4 Floorstanders?

Request your clarification.

(I believed Norge is little behind the other MNC entry level amps... but not far behind... if Norge is being judged based on its output on a Bookshelf, then its true potential won't be seen)

Regards,

I compared with Tany F1,I already posted that it goes better with Norge spk which are 4ohm.-
http://www.hifivision.com/what-shou...v2-norge-concerto-gold-1000-amplifiers-4.html

As F1 was not available ,I took audition with F4.

I have read article in avMax where they did experiment with F1,MS reference series,Jamo.They played Orchestra in studio,recorded on good device,played on all above spk & found that F4 were close to live performance(sound reproduction)

In short F4 can be taken as reference spk to compare amps.
Norge shld make amps compatible to major spks models.
 
pricing of NAD is incorrect or Allance is out to fleece everyone

the 326 cossts 28k not the 325
i was at lakozy with dinyaar on tuesday. we got it from the horses mouth
we even heard some speakers with the 326

the finish has improved , at last NAD is feeling the finish heat from denon and marantz.
the Blue led lights also look cool

Can you add detailed review?Prices given to me are rough & must be lower than coated.

http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/assets/documents/WhatHi-FiNov07340ASElicensed.pdf
Specifications / Azur 550A amplifier / 550 stereo / Products / Cambridge Audio
 
Recently I heard few amps-

1.Nad 326bee with PSB BS & Nad CDp=

Sound was sweat, clean & balanced.
Soundstage medium,not very wide.Bass was good & deep.

2.Arcam A18 with moon CDp, MA BR2 =

Sound was not as good as Nad.I felt it was struggling a bit.Bass was soft.
Soundstage was wide,good seperation.Overall not the wat I expected.

3.Denon 501 with moon CDp + BR2 =

A good ,fuller sound.Bass/Treble balanced.Sweat & punchy sound.
Sounstage wider than 2 above.No stuggling at all.

4.Bryston pre+power with moon CDp & Towers=

A detailed sound with wide soundstage.Clearity was there,still I felt there was not that improvement over Denon,Nad than we can expect from very Highend system.

This is my opinion & experts can have different ways to judge sound.
 
spiro you were at Priyeshs'
which PSBs did you hear?

did you get to hear the T45's

Bala was asking me about them'
i forgot to inform him that they cud probabl be had in 40-45k

you should have heard the MOnitor Audios with a NAD amp and NAD cdp for best results
 
the 326 cossts 28k not the 325
i was at lakozy with dinyaar on tuesday. we got it from the horses mouth
we even heard some speakers with the 326

Did you notice any improvement in sound quality in NAD 326 when comapared to NAD 325?

By the way, NAD 326 is quoted at 27,000/- (all inclusive) in AVxellence Pune.

REQUEST TO MAGMA: SINCE YOU ARE IN MUMBAI, CAN YOU AUDITION A NAD WITH LITHOS NOA1 SPEAKERS IN BANDRA? YOUR PREVIOUS POSTS HAVE BEEN VERY INFORMATIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE. HENCE THE REQUEST. I THINK THE WHOLE FORUM WILL BENEFIT. I AM HEARING TOO GOOD COMMENTS FROM ACTUAL OWNERS OF NOA1. KINDLY ACCEPT THE REQUEST.
 
I heard Nad with Synchrony BS.Sorry,I didnt ask price as I was keen on Nad.

@sups- Improvement is difficult to tell as I heard 325 with Tannoy F4 & 326 with PSB.
F4 are neutral & clean on mids.326 is slighty more dynamic & clean.
Price as MRP- 28k & after discount it was around 24k(even can go little less)

Are you coming for Demo in Mumbai?
Nova is on my next audition list.
 
I heard Nad with Synchrony BS.Sorry,I didnt ask price as I was keen on Nad.

@sups- Improvement is difficult to tell as I heard 325 with Tannoy F4 & 326 with PSB.
F4 are neutral & clean on mids.326 is slighty more dynamic & clean.
Price as MRP- 28k & after discount it was around 24k(even can go little less)

Are you coming for Demo in Mumbai?
Nova is on my next audition list.

Thats good to know that the dealer is ready to come down to 24K for NAD326. I can negotiate with my Pune dealer since he has quoted me 27K.

Unfortunately, I do not have so much space available right now to keep the book shelves about 1.5ft from the wall. Hence I was looking at Lithos. Lets see when I can come to down to Mumbai for demo. In the mean time if you or magma can audition these speakers then that will be great. I have spoken to a few lithos owners in mumbai and they are all very satisfied with it.

By the way, best speaker I have heard so far with NAD 326 is Monitor audio Silver RS1, but that very expensive at about 36K.
 
sups

the nad 325 and 326 sound the same
i think i posted some time ago that the 326 changes are only cosmetic

you are correct about your esperience with MA BR2 and the RSI with NAD
both these speakers go very well with that amp

will try and demo the Lithos at Rajiv's provided hes got the NAD's
will let you know about the results

Are you gonna purchase the sub or not?
 
sups

the nad 325 and 326 sound the same
i think i posted some time ago that the 326 changes are only cosmetic

you are correct about your esperience with MA BR2 and the RSI with NAD
both these speakers go very well with that amp

will try and demo the Lithos at Rajiv's provided hes got the NAD's
will let you know about the results

Are you gonna purchase the sub or not?

Thanks magma. Yes, Rajib has a NAD in his demo place, I confirmed it. But better call him again before going.

If I go for noa1, definitely its going to be with a sub and the total set costs about 18-20K. So, the price brings it in the league of PSB Image 15, Tanny etc. All I wanted to know magma is how noa1 fares with a NAD compared to those bookshelve speakers which you have listened to a lot.

Will wait for your review.
 
(if Norge is being judged based on its output on a Bookshelf, then its true potential won't be seen)
Well said. I want share my views on this. If group test is done for stereo amps, then the source and speakers should be the same for all amps when comparing the performance. So the Norge amp. would have been tested with the same CDP and speakers to arrive the sound quality.
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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