Hi guys, I would like your opinions as to wether it makes sense to use a great integrated (Simaudio i7, many think it is the best out there) amp and not have a CD player that is not in the same league, eg Cambridge Azur 840c. What is more important - the quality of the DAC in the CD player or the parts that make up a great amp - would I be peeing in the wind to use a great amp and a good but not great CD player?
Should be the subject of a new thread - "Should I blow a lot of money on hookers now, or should I get the system first?"
good luck getting that one past the moderators! Using the words "blow" and "hookers" a thread title would definitely get some attention. Perhaps you could compile a list of hookers with killer high-end systems at their place of business...but I think that list would be a short one.
Very interesting to hear your responses so far guys - thankyou. To Bob Reynolds . yes, simply because of price, though apparently it is a very good player though it is the only one I have had so can't really compare.
To Jax 2 - agree with you but I can't get the best NOW, I blew all my money on hookers. Should be the subject of a new thread - "Should I blow a lot of money on hookers now, or should I get the system first?" Damn, i'm never going to be able to afford that cheap amp.
I am not familiar with these components, but I believe that all components in the system should match. I already went thru this when I tried to pair great preamp Cary SLP-05 with OPPO as a source (even highly modified), and the result - all the time instead of music I heard limitation of my source. BTW, the source is not just a DAC, transport is very important part. Again, my experience - I added MSB DAC hoping it solve the problem - nop, it just does not work that way. Now I got Esoteric and enjoy the music. Bottom line - if components do not match, high level parts just emphasize limitations of low level components. Good luck.
I have to go with the Amp here.My feeling is that the disparity between so so amps & good amps is much greater than that between so so sources & good sources.A really good amp will allow everything the source is capable of to shine through were as the so so amp will NOT let the benifits of a great source come through.The HIGHLY respected speaker designer Bill Dundleston(I hope thats right)of Legacy Speakers once stated in an interview that the importance of the individual components in a music reproduction system was:Recordings-Speakers-Amplification-Source-Cables.I agree completely.
1A Speakers 1b PreAmp 1c Amp = Primary sound Characteristic of your system.
2a Primary Source (Digital or Analog)
3 Spk Cables, IC's Power Cord. (Address weakneses above if any)
4a Power Dist 4b Power Cond if needed, some set ups sound great w/out.
5 Room Acoustics and treatments
6 Sit back and Enjoy the fruits of your labour. Tweak as necessary but enjoy the process and let things settle in a good while after any major upgrade. Your ears will need to reaclimate to the changes,... some take a bit of time to bear fruit. Best to you!
would I be peeing in the wind to use a great amp and a good but not great CD player?
Can you hold it for a bit longer until we get to a rest stop?
I'm in the source camp, and we have a little song we like to sing around the campfire and you're lucky you can't hear me sing it. Garbage in = garbage out. I don't want a great amp to amplify all the nuance and detail of a crappy source. Newbee, however, does, as usual, make a good point: digital front-ends and formats come and go like movie sequels. Amps and speakers stand the test of time like Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood. Then again, who knows how long you're going to live - why not get the best right now dammit!? That, or hang on to what you have and put your money into hookers, booze, vending machine prophelactics and cheap hotel rooms.
I remember running an entry-level AMC transport and DAC with my new Audio Space tube integrated and Triangle Titus ES monitors. It was just because I upgraded in that order--amp, speakers then source. I had thought the system was OK until I got the new downstream gear, but after that awww... I pretty much stopped listening, even for lullabies. The source turned out to be just too limited once I could hear it properly.
Listen to your present source with the amp you plan to buy, then try the other way round (new DAC and current amp). See which setup you think you'll be able to live with most easily while you save for the second piece.
I think you are right to try to make the choice, BTW, instead of spreading the money over two pieces of gear. It makes sense to upgrade big, not often.
Sink your real money in the components which have the greatest prospect for longevity. Speakers and amp (integrated) if carefully chosen will last a long time. Sources seem to change more often as do formats and good ones are fairly easy to find and can be fairly inexpensive. Over the long haul, if you are careful in the amp/speaker selection, you can continue to improve your overall system by increasing the quality of your sources. That is what I would do anyway.
I would rather have a great amp. You can get such good sound out of the lesser expensive DACs than you can out of a less expensive amp. Personally that is what I think after having experimented both ways. Ideally you would have good stuff for both, but it seems like now you can get super sounding digital for less money than super sounding amplification. Others might disagree, but that is what I've found having gone both ways. I could no matter what I tried get my bedroom system to sound great until I ponied up for a top notch integrated. I don't think either you have to spend big bucks on either to get fantastic sound. Ultimately I think pairing the right amp to the right speakers is the most critical decision one can make in a system.
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