stereo amp or quality preamp??

[entsurgeon]

after few years of owning denon 130 wpc avr3803, (a flagship model for its time )7.1 reciever i ve finally understood what would suit my taste and it has to be a stereo rig. the avr in pure direct mode is quite fine. and drives my kevlar cone and silk domed wharfedale 8.4s effortlessly. the source usually are vinyls on project xpressions and cassettes on nakamichi dx7.
now either i can sell the denon and get a great stereo amp... or get a preamp in the same budget and couple it to my denon. i d prefer to go for a used pre. in the latter case.
whats better?? not necessarily, but i d like to try something pure class a though my budget may not allow me wide choice.. i can defer the purchase for some time to get good bucks if some wonderful rig idea comes up though.
take of gurus???

 

[rohitt]

buying a good pre is nt a good idea acording to me. instead buy a integrated amp...........

 

[Asterix]

after few years of owning denon 130 wpc avr3803, (a flagship model for its time )7.1 reciever i ve finally understood what would suit my taste and it has to be a stereo rig. the avr in pure direct mode is quite fine. and drives my kevlar cone and silk domed wharfedale 8.4s effortlessly. the source usually are vinyls on project xpressions and cassettes on nakamichi dx7.
now either i can sell the denon and get a great stereo amp... or get a preamp in the same budget and couple it to my denon. i d prefer to go for a used pre. in the latter case.
whats better?? not necessarily, but i d like to try something pure class a though my budget may not allow me wide choice.. i can defer the purchase for some time to get good bucks if some wonderful rig idea comes up though.
take of gurus???

IMO a pre - power combination sounds better than an integrated in general...using the pre and power from the same brand also preserves the sound signature.

If u like the Denons pure direct sound signature why not use it as a pre amp...get a power amp and connect it to the pre out of the denon...

 

[moktan]

the integrated amp scores over the pre-power combo in terms of cost...also
i have read in some audiophile site that a pre + power amp combo has about 30 odd components more than an integrated amp...hence if simplicity is your mantra for great audio then perhaps the pre-power is compromised on that front too...i remember Cranky who used to be in this forum too telling me the same thing...of course you should perhaps not take my opinion very seriously since i have never heard a pre and power amp combination, except inside my integrated amp which by the way too has a pre and power housed in a single box...

 

[arj]

this is extremely subjective depending in your budget, usually Int amps are very cost effective but if you are very picky more important to get right with your speaker .

Pre power brings additional flexibility of multiple synergy options but this an additional complication of synergy and would only mean a careful selection of the IC going between them, and power cables for each of the components etc.


What is the budget you are looking at ?

 

[ajay124]

Two thumbs up for two channel!
Keep it as simple as possible.Depending on your budget,get a new/used integrated amp or a pre/power combo.
Integrated would obviously be cheaper.Get rid of the Denon avr.
For Integrated amps:
Marantz or Cambridge Audio in the budget range.
Arcam,Cyrus,Primare or Rega if you want to spend a little more.
Try to locate a lightly used Arcam A85/A90 or a Cyrus 8X.
Since these are discontinued but excellent models,I feel they are great VFM.
Roksan Kandy of Whathifi fame is another option.
Naim is too expensive and overpriced especially in India.
You could also check out the Creek Evolution 2 amp.
If you want something better:
Musical Fidelity A5,Bryston B60-R SST/B100 SST,Sim Moon i-3
For Pre/Power in a 'budget' range
Arcam,Quad,Rega
Many of these amps may not have an input option for turntables so options would get narrowed down.
Incidentally,I had rung up the Rega dealer Lifestyle Audio,Pune several months back.
A few days back I got a call from them that Rega is now available in India.
Your new amp should be able to handle a possible speaker upgrade in the future.
Best Of Luck

 

[murali_n]

Hi Entsurgeon,

Try to get a Integrated Amp with Phono input, the choice will be obviously Marantz which offers that as a standard feature. I would recommend PM 7003 / 8003 for their higher power ratings. And upgrade the Speakers to a good floorstanders like the Wharfedale 9.5 / Mission M34i which will be a good performer. For source try CD 5003/6003 and get good interconnects and speaker cables from chord or Quinex.

This way you may not get the urge to upgrade for a long time to come.

N.Murali

 

[GeorgeO]

No question, separates. I have both integrateds and separates. Bottom line, IMHO is what you pay is what you get. You pay more for separates-in general-and for good reason. I dont agree with the same brand for both, you can get very good results even with a mix. Since you havent indicated your budget, it is difficult to make any recommendations.

 

[entsurgeon]

Budget 35 k flexible for pre only to cpl wid denon. Add 25k proceed from denon sale but now I d need a power too. Or Integrated.
Buying used or from ebay are go-go too

 

[LIZARDKING]

Budget 35 k flexible for pre only to cpl wid denon. Add 25k proceed from denon sale but now I d need a power too. Or Integrated.
Buying used or from ebay are go-go too

hi i am presently using a Marantz av8003 and mm8003 and want to sell them. they have been used for less than a year and are in excellent condition with their boxes, accessories and manuals, plz let me know if interested.
Thanks!

 

[madbullram]

@Lizardking: Do not try to sell your products in regular threads. Pos them in for sale section.

 

[GeorgeO]

Sorry for the dealyed reply-I suspect that 35K is a bit on the low side for a good combo-though some savings can be had if you are willing to diy. Anilva has got very good results with the Pass F5, worth considering that as a power amp. Gainclone amps also have good r4esults and are quite economical to build. For pre, my own choice was a Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid which will probably gobble up the entire budget-it costs about $800 for an assembled unit, excluding shipping and customs.