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those underwhelming turntable and speakers?
Did you try Music Direct, Spearit Sound, Amazon (silver), and AudiogoN (demo/used) for the Music Hall A15.2?
Other options would be the Cambridge Audio, NAD, Marantz, Yamaha A-S500, and Jolida.
The Onkyo A-9050 also has a built in DAC.
I suggest the NAD C326BEE, which is $549 from Audio Advisor.
Or, if you want the same thing for $225, you could buy my C325BEE, which is pretty much identical and just like new.
the music hall amp, cause i've heard good things about it, and just wait until someone has it. if you really want something that sounds nice, i'd stay away from the NAD. its a very soft sound and there seems to be a problem with the bass (lacking). i'm personally switching out all my nad equipment with other stuff.
the music hall amp, cause i've heard good things about it, and just wait until someone has it. if you really want something that sounds nice, i'd stay away from the NAD. its a very soft sound and there seems to be a problem with the bass (lacking). i'm personally switching out all my nad equipment with other stuff.
Hey,
Thanks for the feedback. As I said before, I plan to upgrade over time, but for now I would like to get a system up and running with what I have.
I think I have narrowed down the selection to:
From my understanding, both the Cambridge and Onkyo have DAC, but the Marantz does not. The Onkyo has the highest wpc at 75 vs 45 @8ohm for the Marantz and CA. Finally, the Marantz has a phono input which I am sure is as good or better than the one integrated into my turntable while the other do not.
All signs point to the Onkyo as having the most value (75, DAC, less expensive, but I use turntable preamp), however I realize that is not how the stereo world works.
Any opinion on the three?
I would go with the Cambridge 351A, personally.
I think it is the best-sounding amplifier of that group. The Onkyo I would stay away from, as it has a slightly bright or harsh sound; not what most people would be happy with. The power differences are not significant.
As for the NAD amplifiers, I think the 325 and 326 sound good, but the $800 C356 does have problems with bass quality with some speakers for some reason; I had one and sold it; never thought it sounded as good as my 325.
The phono preamp in the turntable may need uograding, and the one in the Marantz is probably not much better.
The Cambridge 551P phono preamp can take care of that for $120 extra later if you need it.
Just to update...
I went to my local shop and demo'ed a few products.
Settled on the Rotel RA-12 for an amp and Monitor Audio RX-1s for speakers. Picked up some wires as well.
Since my wife purchased speakers already, I might wire those elsewhere since the RA-12 has A/B speakers.
But, until the RX-1s come in (didn't have the color I wanted), I've been using the speakers to get my fill.
Thinking now that I might pick up some stands. Any recommendations on brands to research would be cool. Otherwise, I've seen some Omni's and Sanus that might work well. Also, if this can be confirmed, I think Arcam is the supplier for MA stands?
I have some words for you on stands:
Massive
Metal
Rigid
fillable with metal birdshot or sand.
The good ones can cost as much as the speakers.
I actually had a metal shop make some one time; just a 3-inch diameter metal tube with square plates welded to either end. It was fairly inexpensive, and i got the exact height I wanted. I drilled some holes and added spikes to the top and bottom, and sprayed on some black paint.
Not a bad idea, going custom. There's a shop nearby that does exhausts, wheels spacers, and the sort. I'm sure they could get it done.
I have been told by a dealer that reason the Music Hall A15.2 integrated amplifier is not available in the US any more is that if it has been sold out, stock cannot be replaced as it is not in production any more. Within a couple of months its replacement, a new and improved model, the A15.3 - will become available, at the same price (US$500) as the A15.2.
Hm, I just bought one for xmas. I didnt realize they were coming out with a new model... I havent used mine yet as I am waiting for another component. How much do you guys think they've changed the model? Would it be worth it to send it back and pick up the new one?
I went to the Music Hall website and sent an email. I just got a response back from Leland Leard. He said they are hoping to have the a15.3 for sale in 2-3 months.