Honest opinions appreciated on this proposed Hi-Fi separates system purchase!

OstrichAndCobraWine

Hi daddy999 and thank you for your reply. I see the price of the MA speakers you've suggested is quite a bit over what I'd be paying for the Focal's. Can't see myself being able to push the budget any higher (two words - "the wife"...) and the other pieces of equipment don't look as if they'll go down in price any time soon, so it could be a stretch to buy them. How do you find them with low frequencies? I could consider ditching the subwoofer and forking out the cash on just the MA's instead. However, and I'm not a bass junkie by any means, I just have the feeling after my last experience with the Linn/Martin Logan combo I was using for CD listening that no standmount will be able to do the job as well as a subwoofer for the low notes.

Ugg10

Just to add to @Paul7777x recommendation.

These are active speakers and so have the amps built into them (in this case 150w for the tweeter and 500w for the woofer in each speaker !) so even though they are twice the price of the Focals you do not need the Yamaha AS1100. The WXC50 in this case is not just a streamer by also acts as a preamp for the active/powered speakers i.e. it allows you to connect a CD,  controls volume, it also has a subwoofer outlet so integrating one of those would be easier and finally it has a good DAC and is then a pretty good wireless streamer for internet radio/Spotify (free)/tidal etc.

Hope this helps.

shug4476

In which case, I would dispense with a streamer and buy a good DAC. You can feed a CD transport into this (even a very cheap one). I feed a Chromecast Audio into my Chord 2Qute for casual listening and it is very good.

Costello

Just to throw another thought into the mix, if you went down the passive amp and speaker route....
These are all highly regarded units. Have you or will you have the chance to listen to them before purchase? The whole system has to work for you, with your music in your home. It's a big purchase so worth trying these out as much as possible.
I haven't heard the Focals but they seem to be an £800 speaker which you're partnering with a £1200 amp. If it works for you, great, but many would reverse those totals so you are spending more on the speakers which, arguably, shape the sound more than any other component, as well as your listening environment.
Could you consider the Yamaha AS801 - still plenty of power and features - which would free up more of your budget for even better speakers. Great deal here:
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amplifier                                                                                                        Yamaha A-S801                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                petertyson.co.uk                                                                               
Just another thought for you but remember only you can decide what you want and like.

OstrichAndCobraWine

@Ugg10 and @Paul7777x - both dismayed and delighted with this response. Dismayed as it shows up how little I actually know about hi-fi. But delighted as I think you've conjured up something which I think just might meet my needs with better efficiency (I'm thinking cost and space saving, particularly if the better speaker means I can do away with the need for a sub) and without compromising on performance. This is something I'll definitely be looking to audition in December when I'm back in the UK. I knew it was a good idea to come here and ask for advice before I pulled the trigger - thank you very much, again.

OstrichAndCobraWine

Hi Costello and thanks for replying. I always had a suspicion that I was perhaps a little top heavy on the amp and that I should be spending more on the speakers, and your post has perhaps confirmed that for me. The AS-801 was actually my originally planned purchase (as you say, great price, lots of features), but I think I got seduced by talk of the AS-1100's more audiophile credentials and references to it being built like a tank (the construction and reliability of my next kit is an issue I'm particularly sensitive to in light of the problems I had with the amp and sub on my last system).

I was definitely planning on trying to get to see and hear each of the items I'd suggested for purchase when I come back to UK in December. However, in view of observations like yours and those of others, I think I may need to go back to the drawing board and think again about what I'm trying to do here. A bit depressing after months of research and thinking that I'd cracked it, but I'd rather spend the time to get it right than to end up buying something which doesn't do the job for me.

On with the search......

Ugg10

On the active side of the house, you may need to search out Pro Music shops to audition as they are unlikely to be available in the usual hifi suspects (Richer, Sevenoaks, Audio T etc.).

For an active set up, building on @Paul7777x suggestions -

Assumptions - CD is the main source, Internet radio is OK, streaming from files or from services (Spotify etc.) is desirable. Like to reduced box count.

For preamp with streamer/internet radio and aux/digital inputs for CD  -
Yamaha WXC50 - don't think you can go wrong with that and would have to spend a lot more in separates to get a preamp and streamer with similar performance and functionality, note small size (210mm wide) - £250 form Richersound (and others)

For CD - Marantz 6006 is probably the class leader at the £350 mark, however you can use most CDs with a digital output into the WXC50 and so if you want to keep it neat and small then the Denon DCD50 (£299) may be worth a look, get reasonable review but you can use the digital out into the WXC50 thereby using the WCX50 dac, have a play and see if there is a difference in sound. Available from richer. The Denon is also a similar size to the WXC50 (200mm wide) and available from Richersounds (and others). Or if the width is not an issue then the Cambridge CXC CD transport may be a good place t start, again using the digital input in the WXC50 at around £299 from Richersounds.

For speakers - the Core 7 are beasts with 650w per speaker and a 7" woofer. I have 8" woofers in my Active setup (Mackie HR824) and they easily overwhelm my room (10ft x 10ft) at moderate levels and have plenty of bass when needed. But with the WXC50 and CD player they may stretch the budget a bit.

Alternatives may be -
Focal Twin 6 Be at around £2600 per pair (careful looking at active speakers as they are often price individually), probably better looking than most studio monitors and can be used upright as well as flat -

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Focal Twin 6 BE Active Monitors with Stands (Pair) at Gear4music                                                                                                        Focal Twin 6 BE Active Monitors with Stands (Pair) at Gear4music                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                www.gear4music.com                                                                               
Adam s2v - a little more utilitarian in design but the ribbon tweeter is a selling point.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adam S2V Studio Monitor at Gear4music                                                                                                        Adam S2V Studio Monitor at Gear4music                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                www.gear4music.com                                                                               
Other to read up on would be the Dynaudio BM15 and Lyd-8 (these are next down the ladder form the Core 7), Genelec 8050 8" (interesting design but well regarded).

Also, it may sound counter intuitive to match a £250 preamp with £2500 speakers, but when you break down a passive system -

£1000 integrated amp - £300 preamp section, £700 poweramp
£2000 speakers

All you are doing is extracting the preamp into its own box and then putting the power amps in the speaker boxes.

My active system runs a £20 streamer into a £70 dac into a £75 passive preamp (£165) into £1500 speakers. My previous passive system of similar new value sounded very different and to my ears the active system is better, YMMV.

Finally, I have quoted Richersounds but obviously you can look around for best deals etc..

shug4476

I would not recommend actives unless you are absolutely certain you like the sound of both the loudspeaker itself and the amp module within.

Amplifiers have their own sonic character and the effect of an active is that you have fewer levers with which to tune the sound to your preferences. You are limited to the pre-amp and source.

Paul7777x

No, I’m not suggesting your choices are fripperish (I like that word) simply that a lot of what ‘hifi’ is, most certainly contains silly claims and inflated prices.

If you do decide on a passive speaker/ amp box approach then your choices are fine indeed.

The reason you’d need the WXC-50 is because it’s is a preamp a well as a streamer/dac. You’ll need the preamp function to drive any actives you might consider.

The 6006 is the CD player weapon of choice, so I’d stick with that.

As for a sub... good actives do go very low indeed and do so with very good definition, speeds and clarity; for music, that will likely be all you require most of the time.

Adding a sub wouldn’t be a bad idea certainly, and the BK subs cannot be beaten on price/performance.


Ps, if you do go the WXC-50 way, or buy any amp or preamp with a dac inbuilt, I’d keep the Pioneer as a transport and try the more modern dacs in them.

That could save £300 to get you closer to the price of the Core 7s, say.

gibbsy

The Marantz cd6006 has been recommended by those that have replied and it is a very good player. If you are interested in a used model I have one for sale in the classifieds.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                For Sale - Marantz cd6006 (not the UK edition)                                                                                                        Purchased in July 2017 this renown and excellent CD player has been very lightly used, approx. two hours a week. In perfect condition and in it's original box with remote and manual. It is not the UK specification edition.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                www.avforums.com