New DAC for Arcam 7SE

Hi, this may not be related to your question. You may discern an appreciable difference with the V-DAC or you may not. I have owned the Arcam Alpha 8 CD player which should have quite a similar sound to the 7SE. It's a good player at its price point. I feel that you will gain a more significant sound improvement with an amp upgrade. As good as the Alpha 10 integrated can get(this was my first audiophile amp), I find it something like a cold fish ie. little flat sounding across the music spectrum. If more macro-dynamics, transient attack and better layering and separation in music are required, I suspect a better amp would give you more than the CDP. Food for thought. Cheers.

I am not familiar with Castle hence not too sure which amp will match the speakers well. However, a few integrateds that are worth considering include the YBA Integre DT, Plinius 9200, Krell KAV-400XI/S300i and Musical Fidelity A308. Even the cheaper Rega Mira3 will be more involving compared to the Alpha 10. Musicality and refinement will most likely be attained with all the amps mentioned above with the Krell having a slight edge over the rest in the bass department. However most bookshelves can't do deep bass so there is a limit as to how low the speakers can go even with an amp that is able to provide good solid bass.

John_z has given more than two cents. Great advice.

To add to the above, all options will yield a sonic improvement and it is just a matter of choosing one that is in line with your priorities in getting the most substantial sonic improvement at a reasonable budget. Of course you can consider all suggestions by John_z if you have the budget as the degree of sonic differences will knock you over if done all at one go.

I have not tried option 2 when I had the Alpha 10 so can't comment on that. Nevertheless, I would still consider an alternative amp being familiar with the house sound of the Arcam from the Alpha period. The newer Arcams may have improved over the years having a different sonic character. However, if you like the current Alpha 10's sonics then it would make sense to stick with it and consider another power amp. Before that it would be wise to check the specifications of the speakers whether they are really power-hungry or not. Otherwise you can skip option two and concentrate on the source and subwoofer(if low bass is of much importance to you).

Have fun.