Which has a greater effect on music,int.amp or CD?


Excluding speakers and IC's, which does for pairing purposes? For example, if I like warmer sound but with detail (like some rock), do I go with a warm, musical cd player or integrated? Both be too warm? I have been thinking about the following possible combos, any experience or thoughts:

Arcam Diva A75 Int. OR
Audio Refinement Complete Int.

with

Arcam CD72T CD OR
Audio Refinement Complete CD OR
Ah! Tjoeb 4000 CD

I have heard the Arcam's together, too dynamic for me. Will be hearing the ARC's this weekend in NY.

I was thinking the Arcam int. with the ARC CD or Ah!, OR
the ARC int. with the Arcam CD.

Speakers to follow. (PS, right now for speakers I have Sound Dynamics RTS-3's and Paradigm 5SEMK3 floors.)

Thnx.
mattybumpkin

Showing 3 responses by ohlala

Get the CDP that has the tone you want, and then the amplification that doesn't ruin its strengths. This has advantages, especially upgrading advantages, over getting an amp that replaces the sound of the CDP with its own, although this may work. EX. I have a new friend that replaced her Arcam 72 with a $3k Ayre CDP and was astonished by the difference being passed through an $1100 LFD Mistral integreated. And I too have witnessed this, coincidentally enough with another Mistral.

**Please describe your listening experience with the Arcams, including more detail about being too 'dynamic', and the speakers and other gear you may have listened to that was not 'dynamic'.
HD- the 'truth' of the recording can turn in to lies by the time the speakers get a hold of the signal. Ever play the game, telephone? It is more complicated than this (as in this thread), but good components lie less than bad ones. Good components play telephone better.

It may have been a bad idea to post this. I am not debating.
Thanks for answering, Matty. I was just checking to see if there were any confounds to your previous statement.

Joel - IME, warmth and detail are not opposites, they can coexist. When under a certain budget though, they are often opponents.