I think I’ll stick with my current set-up as I’m not convinced my 51 year old ears would pick out the difference.

You’d be surprised.

audiolab 8000A 1989
audiolab 8000p 1990

I have the 8000a, same vintage, powering BW685s. I’ve always wondered what difference, if any, I’d notice by adding the power amp. Used 90% to play vinyl, with a bit of Spotify/radio via a chromecast.

Most of my music is through the Chromecast, it took a wee while to get it working but much tidier than cd’s , and back to Spotify . Are they the best for £10 ? Definitely much better than amazon

Had the same question so went along to Sevenoaks the other day and had a listen to PMC speakers with a variety of £600-£900 amps … yes it makes a difference 🙂

(Current home system = Nad 320 + Rega P3 , dead Nad CD player through Mission 771 bookshelfs)

I really really need a pair of PMC Twenty5.22s now 🙁

Yes, it very much can / does make a difference. However, I reckon rusty hit the nail on the head. Ultimately most of the hifi manufacturers are supposed to be creating kit that reproduces the original sound as closely as possible. However, everyone has their own preferences on the colouring (or otherwise) of reproduced sound. For CDs it will be very much down to the quality and capability of the DAC and how the manufacturer has integrated it into their equipment. You then have the whole joy of pairing systems – generally amps and speakers. If you have a speaker manufacturer that has a naturally brighter sound and you couple that with an amp that tends towards the bright you will have at best a fairly bright or harsh sounding system, at worst something that is almost unlistenable to. I have also found that price doesn’t necessarily mean good or that you will like it. Fro example, I am generally pretty non plussed with Naim. Yet others will wax lyrical about them. On the other hand, I absolutely loved the Audiolab 6000 ensemble with relatively modest Wharfedale speakers – sounded gorgeous. And for not a vast amount of momey. As did the Quad Vena. The only real way of knowing is going out to listen to stuff and let your ears decide if it sounds good or not.

I keep wanting to upgrade my amp but it’s still going (Rotel RA935 – probably over 30 years old now) and a similar vintage CD player (Pioneer PDS 904). Inherited a friends old Cyrus system for a while a few years ago and that sounded a noticeable step up on my system, but it took up to much space for SWMBO and so I traded it. Got me some B&W CM6S2 speakers in their place. Wasn’t historically a big fan of B&W but these sounded lovely and were better than anything else I tried there. My recent short list for new amps includes the Audiolab 6000, Quad Vena and Cyrus One. Have been recommended to take a listen to the Musical Fidelity M2 and M3 and given how popular they are I should also check out the Marantz amps. I will then probably spend the next 3 years going round the same loop and never actually buying one! 🙂

I’m running a gorgeous Yamaha CA-810 amp and Sony 337ESD. I do cheat a little though as I run the Sony through a Naim ND5 XS2 although it sounds mighty fine on its own.

The Yammie is particularly nice though. Very natural sound, 3 turntable inputs, useful Vu meters and a very well implemented loudness adjustment. Looks the part too.

I also have a Sugden A21 – 23 watts of pure class A loveliness but going to sell that and keep the Yammie.

bob_summers

I got the 8000P off ebay three years ago. It had been in storage for over 20 yrs and was in great condition. the 8000A I got from ebay 6 years ago after my Cyrus One died. The 8000A is less forward and aggressive compared to the Cyrus but has a better sound stage I find. Adding the 8000P brought some more grip and weight to the sound – a bit closer to the Mission. I think it also opens the airiness out further.
The combo is very flexible in terms of the speaker output combinations which is interesting to experiment with. I have mine kinda bi-wired and bi-amped. The HF on the Tannoys run off the 8000A Direct speaker line, the pre-amp out on the 8000A connects to the 8000P which runs the LF on the Tannoys. I have the 8000A Switched speaker line connected to the Sub.

Meridian 207 CD player/transport into Quad 306 stereo power amp into Linn Kan speakers. I’ve tried a number of combinations over the years, and to my ears this is by far the best.

Don’t have a CD player currently, although plan to get one again since my 2000 cds are worthless and I might as well bring them out again. System is in storage until I move, only have a Naim Qb left in the flat 🙁 New house will definitely have multiple systems in though, got a few retro speakers in the loft waiting to be paired up 🙂 🙂 🙂

Everyone is different, my main criteria when listening is can I connect emotionally. Music for me often frames experiences, so it’s a trigger to memories of people and places. Fundamentally, if I’m not blubbing, laughing or lost in nostalgia, the system isn’t doing it for me…

Forgot to mention my Leak 2001 Transcriptor turntable and the fabulous LNB Para Lab 20 speakers. Paid £70 for the speakers and they sound as good as anything I’ve heard the right side of £1-1500.

The turntable is very rare and has a novel suspension system seemingly modelled on breast implants. 3 sacks of silicone fluid and boy do it work in totally isolating the platter.

Another Linn Classik/Rega Planar 3 here, with Linn Kans.

Spend your money on better speakers first, then a good amp, then the source. OP amp output stages have been transparent for decades making the differences in CD players massively overstated by reviews.

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable
Sony “Super Legato Linear” TA-FE230 amp
Marantz CD-50 CD player with sticky drawer
Pioneer CT-445 cassette deck
Project Phone Box V for turntable preamp and ripping LPs and cassettes to laptop
Airport Express – Cheap and effective streaming solution for Airplay 2 from phone and iPad.
Very Old Wharfedale Diamond IVs

I keep looking at other new stuff (Marantz streamers particularly) but this all just works really.

I rip vinyl and bootleg live cassettes using VinylStudio on MacBook.

I think I’ll stick with my current set-up as I’m not convinced my 51 year old ears would pick out the difference.

Don’t assume anything! Years ago I struggled to convince a non-musical mate of mine that a ‘basic’ separates CD setup would be more enjoyable than a typical stack from Sony, Sharp or whoever. Eventually got him to the local dealer and he was shocked at the differences between similarly priced amp and speaker models with his favourite Smiths CD (not known for its sound quality) used as demo material.

I’m still running a Marantz CD bought s/h from the same shop nearly 20 years ago, Rotel tuner (ditto), Rega Planar 2 with Linn K9 cartridge through a Morgan Audio integrated amp and JC1 bookshelf speakers, designed and built by hifi guru John Chapman, who lived just up the road from me at the time. These 3 items are all at least 30 years old. It’s not especially strong in the bass but is a sweet sounding setup to my fairly demanding ears.

Now my kids are older I’m hoping to retrieve the spiked speaker stands from the loft and set it up properly again (but no spikes used in the speakers, blu-tak does that job just as well).

Stick your cd discs in the freezer, I’ve never tried it but in the ’90s someone suggested it. Might be better getting the ears syringed as we get older , remember hearing Bowie drag on a fag and the creaky chair at the start of Bewlay Brothers

I have a general question;

Assuming you’re using digital connections, why would the CD player/source make a blind bit of difference. The “work” will be going on in the DAC of the amp would it not?

ditched CD a few years ago but until i did i was running a meridian 200 series.

switched to an arcam irDAC and FLAC files now, but the business end is still an Audiolab 8000C/P pre-power combo driving a set of Linn Ninkas

i used to have an 8000A a few years back – ran that with older Linn Index 2’s I briefly ran the Index 2’s with the C/P combo and it wasnt really necessary for those. I’m not sure the A would be able to drive the ninkas properly though, they need plenty of juice

1986 NAD 3130 amp and 1986 Dual 505-2 turntable – bought in my first couple of months working. My NAD c521i packed up last year and I replaced it with a Marantz 6006 UK Edition cd player, which is fantastic. I got the NAD s/h to replace a Mission PDM cd player from about 1987 which looked the dog’s but didn’t actually sound that great but the NAD was also basic. Still got the Mission in the loft along with a nice Kenwood cassette player. System plays through B&W 601s which I bought off here to replace the original 110s when the tweeters packed up.

Assuming you’re using digital connections, why would the CD player/source make a blind bit of difference. The “work” will be going on in the DAC of the amp would it not?

Not if it hasn’t got one. My Cyrus One hasn’t. The quality of sound from your CD player in those days depended on the DAC

As an aside, for those interested in vintage / otherwise good value hifi have a look at the Audioshite Facebook group. Top group of people very much in the mould of STW and you’ll get plenty of good ideas on what’s shit (awful) and what’s proper shite (good).

Plenty of buying and goes on too and plenty of folk who know of the more obscure stuff.

Must be said the older stuff can sound very good. Wouldn’t part with the amp for any money and you’d have to make a serious offer for the CD player.

If you ever see a pair of the LNB ParaLab 20’s in good nick just buy them. Interesting design philosophy, hugely detailed and they can drop the bass too.

That amp is dial-tastic, Danny.

I’ve had a 8000A, and a 8000C+8000P combo in the past. Well made but a cold sound to me, IMO. Although the 8000P has some grunt.

I’m on a Sonneteer Byron CD and a Densen Beat pre/power, with Dynaudio 52s and a REL Strata3. One day in the future, when the kids give me some peace, if my faculties are still in tact, I may get chance to listen to it.

I worked in a hifi shop for a time, in another life, and this was the best I could put together at the time. Lovely clean sound.

[stock photos]

I may be after a power amp only to use streaming with existing speakers (Ruarks).

What’s good/retro for £200 or less?

@reggiegasket – it is indeed and they all are properly implemented. One of the dials is even to select the loading for MM cartridges on Phono 1 or to select Phono’s 2 or 3 (3 being a really good MC stage. So good I sold my Rega Aria).

Superb amp which I paid £250 for but are rapidly going north in price. I know of people running them as Pre-Amps only feeding £10k power amps it’s that capable :).

8000P on ebay for £265?

or Musical Fidelity P140 for £250? I had one of them too. Warm sounding and warm to the touch too…

In the living room I have an Arcam A85 amp with DV88 on disc spinning duties. Driving some monitor audio bronze speakers which are a bit newer.

Don’t listen to CDs that much any more, mostly Spotify and streaming via the smart TV plugged into the amp.

Up in the loft is my original hi-fi. Marantz cd63 se cd player, aura 80 amp and Musical Technology Kestrel Speakers.

Another Arcam amp here, an Alpha3 with AIWA XC700 CD player and some German KH502 floorstanders in the living room. Upstairs is a Yamaha Natural Sound amp, with a remote which actually spins the volume dial when you adjust it, with a Sony DVD playing CDs nicely enough through Acoustic Energy AE100 speakers.

I’ve just inherited my dad’s Denon M39DAB cd/dab/amp box and am on the lookout for some small bookshelf speakers to go with it. I may rig a bluetooth receiver to the aux too, any suggestions as to best bang per buck/convenience?

Cheers Reggie, not a fan of Audiolab after my 8000A, somewhere in between that and the Mf (A-class sound?).

DNM, Crimson was my sound when I thought I knew what I was talking about.