Network receiver or Amplifier + Streaming device

Bacon?

Bacon?

Bacon?

Soldato
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Big edit, changed my initial question so ignore OP and see here Network receiver or Amplifier + Streaming device

Hey audophiles ;)

A few years ago I bit the bullet and started getting some 'proper' (to my mind and budget) speakers which I absolutely love, coming from some basic Edifier monitors that came with a built in amp. I wan't to look at improving the setup further and looking for some advice on what is best for me to touch.

So my setup:
2 x Wharfdale Diamond 9's (I love these and would like to keep them)
1 x Pioneer A-10 Amplifier
1 x Fairly basic £40 DAC I got from Richersounds
1 x Tanoy SFX Subwoofer

In terms of budget I don't have a specific one since it would depend on what and how many components and what I could sell the old ones on for. But I'm not realistically going to be able to blow £300 on any single part :p

I'm thinking of replacing the DAC and maybe the Amp? Most of my music is kept on fairly high quality MP3 files or on CD's. If I could get a unit that could play my CD's (dont have a dvd drive on the pc) and connect to my PC that would be pretty sweet.
 
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I suppose it depends what your aim is, better sound or ease of use with a mini hi-fi unit.

Whafedale's are great value speakers. I've got some 9.1's and my mum has some 9.0's. If you are looking for better sound quality, then better speakers is the way to achieve that. A better amp or DAC won't really make much difference to the sound; but some kind of unit that is a hi-fi unit and amp, rather than just an amp, does make sense from an ease of use point of view.

There are a few mini hi-fi type units to consider, which can add CD player, network and Bluetooth connection functionality. Yamaha and Denon have units for around £200 or just over. The Yamaha CRXN470D is more aimed at streaming connections and the Denon DM41 doesn't have network connection, but it does have 2x digital inputs that the Yamaha doesn't have. Both have CD player. There are some others with more functionality, but they go up to around £350-£400.
 
Marsman said:
I suppose it depends what your aim is, better sound or ease of use with a mini hi-fi unit.

Whafedale's are great value speakers. I've got some 9.1's and my mum has some 9.0's. If you are looking for better sound quality, then better speakers is the way to achieve that. A better amp or DAC won't really make much difference to the sound; but some kind of unit that is a hi-fi unit and amp, rather than just an amp, does make sense from an ease of use point of view.

There are a few mini hi-fi type units to consider, which can add CD player, network and Bluetooth connection functionality. Yamaha and Denon have units for around £200 or just over. The Yamaha CRXN470D is more aimed at streaming connections and the Denon DM41 doesn't have network connection, but it does have 2x digital inputs that the Yamaha doesn't have. Both have CD player. There are some others with more functionality, but they go up to around £350-£400.
Click to expand...

I don't think I "need" better sound, I'm really happy with the quality of the existing units but I figured using basic mp3 files and a cheap DAC would be the limiting factor not the speakers themselves?

I went into my local richer sounds this afternoon to talk to someone there about what best I could, and they recommended a £300 Yamaha unit that was a CD player with streaming functionality and add it to my existing amp rather then replace that as well since the amp would probably be better quality than that found in a mini system.
Ease of use does factor into things as currently since I run the sound via the PC from a digital output to the DAC all the pieces need to be close to the PC and it's obviousily fairly bulky. What I'd like to be able to do is have the whole system separate (either in the same room or another room) and connect it via a wired or wireless connection to my PC, I'll likely get a wireless hard drive in the future too or a NAS to run it from.

My main concern with the mini units is how do they compare quality wise to the large separate ones. Cause if I could get a great mini unit then I'd love too but I'd be worried about how powerful they are compared to a stand alone amp, especially since I can more easily upgrade the amp as a seperate piece than a mini unit.

One of the ways I see it, is it's only really worth upgrading bits like the amp and speakers if I do it properly and get something twice the price (bout 200 for each I think is what I paid initially) but I could be totally wrong here and an extra £50 - 100 could make a world of difference.
 
I think it makes sense then to get a unit that has networking and streaming capability. Certainly gives more options than the Denon DM41 for example, which only has Bluetooth for wireless connection.

Also makes sense to consider the Yamaha CD-NT670D and use your A10, but that would mean blowing £300 on one part. :p
 
Yeh I'm kinda ruling out the mini system as I don't think the amp will be better than the A10. I am debating getting a new amp and receiver unit rather than the cd one, something like the Yamaha 402D, just wondering how much of an improvement amp wise over the A10 it'll be as I can't find many reviews of it.

That way I'll spend £250 on a new amp and receiver unit to fill the streaming and networking aspect, obviously won't have a cd player but I can probarbly live without it or get a cheap unit later on. Put any more gotten from selling the old dac and amp into new speakers.

How does that sound? Or do you think if I'm going to buy a new amp I should look at spending more money to make the upgrade over the A10 worth it (bare in mind the A10 is only 30 watts per channel)
 
Can you link to the exact model of amp you have? There seems to be a few versions of the A10 and some of what I've seen claim they're 50w per channel.

That said, I think sound-wise you're going to see the biggest difference with a speaker upgrade. Since you're a fan of Wharfedale I can testify that the 11.1's are fantastic and better in pretty much every way, I used to use 9.1's myself and the difference is night and day.

Utility is definitely worth looking into if your current system isn't meeting your needs in that regard. There's some solid receivers out there that should be good solutions, although I would highly recommend checking the second hand market for them as your money will go further.
 
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Unfortunately I can't check the exact model but I'm pretty sure I bought them from Richer Sounds around the £199 mark if that helps. Also I realised now I have the Diamond 11s not the 9s :D

I also just realised with my plan to move to a streaming based service, using Bluetooth / whatever app and DLNA connecting to my PC I can just rip my CDs to the pc, with no need of a cd player (unless I'm missing something?)

So now I'm looking at at either standalone streamer (Yamaha do a £120 jobbie) or an amp / reciever. I'm happy spending towards the £350 maybe £400 on a new amp and reciever if it's worth it over the £<300 models in terms of audio quality and power to each line. Looking at the Onkyo TX 8250 if anyone has any suggestions

Or is it really not worth getting a new amp, sticking with the Pioneer A10 and getting the cheaper standalone streamer unit with nothing else attached.
 
Bacon? said:
so just realised with my plan to move to a streaming based service, using Bluetooth / whatever app and DLNA connecting to my PC I can just rip my CDs to the pc, with no need of a cd player (unless I'm missing something?)
Click to expand...

That's what I do bud, rip as FLAC to a NAS and carry on.

I would highly recommend trying to find out what version of the A10 you have though, I suspect at the price you paid it'll be 50w per channel but it's best to be sure. You have the old manual from the box, or is there any serial number on the unit you can look up maybe? It'd be a shame to change it out for something else that was fairly similar.

Good job on the 11's btw, I was scratching my head a bit on your comments about the 9's. They were solid back in the day as very budget speakers, and given the rest of your kit it didn't make much sense to me. lol
 
I'll check when I get home but I have a feeling it's the K variant. And I don't know why I kept thinking of the 9s rather than the 11s haha.

Also it might have been £120 not £200 thinking about it, unfortunately I no longer have the email or receipt for it to check the price so I was going off a very hazy memory from 4 years ago.

Might be worth (another) trip to Richer Sounds and see if I can hear the difference between a streamer on a cheaper amp and a more expensive reciever unit
 
Definitely take a look at which version of the a10 you're running.

As for Richer Sounds, I'd recommend listening but not immediately buying. I'm a fan of Richer Sounds as a company but ultimately you're going to be talking to sales people, and what you listen to might be ran through better equipment than you'll have. I'm sure you know this anyway, but it's worth noting for anyone that might come across the thread.
 
Think I could get around £60 for the amp which isn't too bad. It does lack some features like a sub out (which means I've had to kinda daisy chain my sub into it). If I can get 60 for the amp then the price difference between a new amp reciever and a dedicated streaming device isn't that far apart.

I'm wondering if it's worth getting a second pair of speakers to work alongside the Diamond 11s as while they are definitely punchy with a frequency of only 50 - 20,000hz they do sound better at the lower end of the spectrum and the highs don't feel as crisp.
 
Ok so I think I've narrowed down my options (and upped my budget haha)

Either the Yamaha RN602 to replace my A10 AMP and furfill the streaming side of things too (£330)
Get a standalone AMP like the Marantz PM6006 and a streaming device like the Yamaha WXAD-10 (£300 + 120)

This then gives me the option of later upgrading the speakers in like 1-2 years time and I'll already have a half decent AMP + Streaming combo?

What does anyone think about either option, the Marantz + Streaming device I assume will be the better quality (worth noting all the music will run from the streaming device as that'll function as the DAC too) but is it worth paying the extra £100 for it and would the DAC on a streaming device to be of equal quality to the one in the 602.

I've also gone ahead and updates the thread title to match the question better :)
 
I think you could just connect a chrome cast to your current amplifier, then buy some new speakers with the saved money? :D

I have an echo dot connected to my amp (Onkyo A9010), but my bro uses his chrome cast connected to his.
 
Given I already have pretty good speakers with the Diamond 11's and the kinda price I'd be looking to improve upon them then I'd be looking at a new amp anyways. I did consider a chrome cast but then it means buying a DAC as well and it doesnt have DLNA support either.
 
Ok so a little update originally thought had Diamond 9's, which was wrong, thought it was Diamond 11's (also wrong) turns out they're really Diamond 220's! They're great little speakers but they're not what I thought they were and since I spent £350 on a new amp (which I don't regret at all!) I'm looking for some speakers to match them.

Thinking between £200 - £300 (lower ideally but if it's worth the stretch then I'll go for it)

So far on my list:
Q Accoustics 3020L's
Wharfdale Diamond 11's (haha)
Dali Spektor 2's
Monitor Audio 2's

Any other recommendations or suggestions? I'll be looking to get them Demo'd in my local Richer Sounds store if I can
 
Blimey! Things sure have changed. From 9's to 11's to 220's!!

Surely it would have been easier to just look at the back of the speakers in the first place and see the Diamond 220 label. :p

Did you end up buying the Yamaha RN602 or something else?
 
The label is rubbed off on them unfortunately, I only noticed because the shape of the 11s didn't quite match mine haha. Stupid mistake on my part :o

I tried out the Yamaha 602 but ended up getting one of the new Cambridge Audio AXR85s
 
Ah! Well at least you can be forgiven for missing something obvious; the name on the back of the speakers. :p :)

AXR85 looks like just an amp to me. I thought you wanted something with streaming and networking capabilities?
 
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