I am looking to upgrade - looking for advice
So I am the guy who recently asked if a Rotel 1572 preamp would work with a Parasound A21+ amp. So I was asking because I was thinking of upgrading my current amp which is a Rotel 1552. The rest of my system is Yamaha CD player and project turntable (both approx $400 each), Bluesound Node, and B&W 705 S2 speakers. Right now I primarily stream my music through the node. So I was interested in the next step to improvement and I thought it would be what the amplifier. After reading some of the posts on my original question (would the A21 work well with my Rotel preamp I am now thinking that I need to look at both the preamp and amp. Of course that is you agree with my assessment. Here are a few of the amps I was looking at: A21, Vincent SP-332, and Bryson 3b3. The preamps that were suggested all look outstanding: Benchmark LA4, Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3 and the Audionet Pre 1 G3. It looks like with these I would need to also get a DAC, not sure about the phono stage. Any advice is appreciated. I am knee to this.
I like Bryston - currently for bass in my listening room (4BSST) and 5-channel for HT (9BSST). Bulletproof with service and warrantee to match, smooth elegant sound, not the last word in clarity, but then, not the last word in price either. Owned B off and on since 2004. Works well with bass, Magnepan, and even ESL. |
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there…. As @soix so often asks what sonically are you looking to improve ?….. IF it plays loud enough and can handle the speaker load , amp is the LAST thing i recommend….. i know… big…beefy… heavy… easy sell … IF you don’t plan on playing records beyond the currently hip fad, as @ghdprentice points out, don’t invest further. IF you do, then you need to focus on transducers - cartridges …. your table will support and reward possibly up to an Ortofon Bronze ( just an example )…. after that work on the other transducers ; speakers…. |
...and remember to channel Joni in the midst of it all.... "....We're captive on the carousel of time ...or, on the darker side of the street...from a Velvet, underground...;) "I'm feeling good, you know I'm gonna work it on out Audio is just another addiction....coffee, sugar, keyboards....*L* |
I would improve your signal sources first before changing components. The Rotel/Parasound gear is competent and capable of revealing sound quality! Look for improvements in your analog and digital gear. At the receiving end the biggest improvement is always the speakers. Maybe you are tired of the B&W 705 S2 sound? All speakers are flawed devices! If budget allows you could move up to a more expensive pair of B&W’s with fewer flaws, like the 800 series. |
