Looking to upgrade my setup.

Upgrade big time.Dude.

Perhaps try an NAD cd player instead of Arcam. They look great next to a NAD amp, and the sound is excellent.

Love the NAD integrated's. Good choice.

Which Dynaudio monitors ?
Enjoy your new purchase!

Thanks a bunch for the input. I took a trip down to the local high end stereo store. I pretty much fell in love with a pair of Dynaudio monitors. I also grabbed a used NAD integrated amp. They had a really warm sound that I needed in a rather large living room with hardwood floors. I'm also going to pick up an Arcam cd player as soon as I can scrounge up some more cash. My next project is upgrading my bedroom surround sound system. I currently have a Chiro c800 preamp that I'm looking to pair with a 5 channel amp. Any suggestions? Thanks

If set up properly, the M&K should never drown out the speakers. Are you running the speaker cables through the sub or just an RCA jack? Make sure that the sub isn't set higher than 80hz. Do you have the volume set too high?

Finally, where is the sub placed? If it's too boomy, try moving it into the room a little more. It should never be in a corner or in a cabinet.

Solve this problem before you add a new amp to the issue.

Getting a Peachtree iDecco is not a bad place to start. It has a nice DAC, headphone amp, preamp, iPod dock, and a decent 30W stereo power amp in one cabinet. It doesn't have a ton of power, but makes a great starting point. Get that and speakers first, then upgrade the power amp and just use the iDecco as a preamp/DAC. Then when you upgrade your Preamp, it's still a nice DAC and headphone amp. I use one of these as an all-in-one bedroom system - it's great. They're only $800 right now; I'd say that's a good buy even if you only end up using it as a DAC.

Scour here and eBay for a used Adcom GFA-5500 or 5802 for a really solid power amp that will drive just about anything. Aim for ~400 for the 5500 and double that for the 5802.

I'd look for a Conrad Johnson PV-5 to use as a preamp if you decide to avoid the Peachtree for some reason. Jump on one if you can find it for about $700. Seriously.

What's your current source, and what were you thinking for a budget?

I like NAD integrated amps for budget systems. There are plenty of used units to choose from. As for speakers, if you keep your sub, I suggest staying with bookshelves because they are more fexible. Look at NHT (super zeros) or Usher's. They seem to match well with subs. Also, dont forget to use good cables and speaker wire, which can help tame bright highs. Also, check the input level of your sub-you might be able to turn it down to prevent booming and obscuring the mids. If you are still suffering from bright highs, perhaps you should look into getting a turntable because budget cd players have a reputation for being bright. Cheers.

Hello Rolsson - A budget will be helpful, and also details about your room, music preferences, how loud you listen, etc. Are there limits as to the size of the speakers, placement?
You might start by looking through member's systems to get ideas.