Expert Advice needed to complete my dedicated music setup! (Urgent)

[rohitmusic]

Urgent: Advice needed to complete my music setup!

Hello Friends,
Need expert advice on completing my sterio setup.
I have the Paradigm Monitor 7 speakers. Need to complete the chain.

Total Budget: 40k Max.
Requirement:
1) Amplifier
2) Source

My options:
1) Amplifier
i) New amp
ii) Pre-owned amp
2) Source
i) I have a DVD player
ii) Had an old CDP - but its lens is bad. Seems irrepairable.
iii) laptop

What will I be hearing of this setup?
- soft, melodious music, semi classical, instrumental, sufy, ghazals, AR Rahman, soft rock(80s), fusion, pop. Family will be listening to Indian film music as well - mostly the "good" "classic"/melody numbers
- Fav artistis: Hariharan, AR Rahman, All Indian classical instumentals (percussion and string instruments). I guess that gives some idea.

I basically like to unwind and enjoy the music.

How should I manage my budget for best audio experience?

Some thoughts:
1) This is my first HIFI setup.
2) Looking for long term solution (at least couple years minimum) Want to enjoy my music at my leisure
3) If I go pre-owned way then instead of only new amp I may also fit in a DAC in same budget?
4) I have already stretched my budget and it is more than doubled now.
5) I have hears some amps and I prefer a more open/vibrant, detailed and musical sound due to music preferences above.

Would appreciate some actionable inputs. And some probable combinations for the 40k budget.
Example: Try <this amp> + <this DAC>

I have been sitting on the fence and analysing but some actionable inputs will help make my setup take its first cry! :clapping: The speakers are lying in the living room inside their box pack for over a month now and its painful (understandably) to see them not sing!

Need help urgently! If you have ANY inputs please do share them with me. They will certainly help me! So, please let the inputs/suggestions/advice flow in!

Thanks in Advance!
Rohit
*************************************
Music is full of silence and silence is full of music
*************************************

 

[aashish351]

option 1: @ashishkesarwani has a great deal on a used NAD pre-power combo for 35K. you cannot do any better than that within this budget. find out if he can send it to pune. you could also just get the power amp and get a cambridge audio DAC magic plus, it has pre-outs. you can play music from your dvdp and pc.

options 2: get a Advance Acoustic DAC-amp combo... will have to check the model number. i have read that their equipment punch above their price bracket.

 

[rohitmusic]

Regarding "NAD pre-power combo" I am not to sure about the NAD sound signature. I have heard the NAD sound signature and it is on the bassy and darker side.
For kind of music I hear I somehow prefer a more warmer and open/vibrant sound. So, honestly not sure!

 

[Kittu]

Take the nad pre and there is a rotel RBX-980 power for sale with hifipal4all(ramesh). You are all set. But the nad pre power should be a good match with paradigms. You can even try amps like creek and naim.

 

[BLASTO]

^^^ Do the above.
Paradigms are bright and should go well with NAD.

 

[rohitmusic]

P.S: I listen to lots of instrumentals (indian and western). No idea if a NAD can do justice to this. I have heard the NAD 356 BEE with my speakers. They sounded very based heavy and dark. The finer details (instrumentals, etc) were not coming out as much as I would have liked.
That is when I kind of converted to marantz sound.
I may be in an dilusion.

SOS....

 

[ruenigma]

@rohit" what was the source you were using when you listened to NAD+Paradigm combo? I guess the source may have affected your experience. Because I've heard the Paradigms with a lot of different amps and NAD>Rotel>Yamaha is what I would recommend. The marantz + Paradigm combo overall sounded a little bright and highs heavy, however it all depends on whatever pleases your ears.

 

[rohitmusic]

@rohit" what was the source you were using when you listened to NAD+Paradigm combo? I guess the source may have affected your experience. Because I've heard the Paradigms with a lot of different amps and NAD>Rotel>Yamaha is what I would recommend. The marantz + Maverick Audio Tubemagic D1 combo overall sounded a little bright and highs heavy, however it all depends on whatever pleases your ears.

Don't exactly remember the source, but heard it @ AVExcellence. It was a CDP.
Maybe since I listen to lot of instrumentals so that could be general perception. I agree that I need to give it more listening.
( P.S: I tend towards lot of semi-classical kind of music (instrumentals, ghazalas, sufy) so detailing is required for such music... )

 

[tirthankar]

Nad is warm and smooth, but during my listening I felt it was too smooth and ended up masking details. I will not recommend it for Classical. For warm+detailed, I will look at Arcam. See if you can find a demo piece of the older diva series integrateds, specifically the a85.

Marantz is detailed but I have heard from many people that it has prominent highs and may cause sibilance with bright speakers like paradigm. Have you tried out the pair?

 

[Deleted member 17547]

Rohit, If you wanna try Arcam then get your speakers at my place.. I have sold my amp so using Flash's Arcam A70 for sometime..

 

[Kittu]

Or, may be he can take you and the amp to his place.

I thought it was much easier than carrying speakers.

 

[Deleted member 17547]

Or, may be he can take you and the amp to his place.

I thought it was much easier than carrying speakers.

Yeah, that can be done too.. Infact i was about to edit the post..

We can ask ruenigma to bring his NAD amp so we can compare NAD and Arcam side by side.. or we both, rohit and me, can go to ruenigma's place..

 

[Kittu]

Mini paradigm + NAD meet. :clapping:

 

[Deleted member 17547]

Yeah, n Arcam too.. hyeah:

 

[rohitmusic]

Hmm. Sure, we can try out the arcam. Never heard it, would be interesting.

 

[Kittu]

Tagging Flash here.

 

[rohitmusic]

Nad is warm and smooth, but during my listening I felt it was too smooth and ended up masking details. I will not recommend it for Classical. For warm+detailed, I will look at Arcam. See if you can find a demo piece of the older diva series integrateds, specifically the a85.

Marantz is detailed but I have heard from many people that it has prominent highs and may cause sibilance with bright speakers like paradigm. Have you tried out the pair?

+1 for what you say about NAD. I felt same too. Details were masked.

Arcam - will try.

Marantz
+1 for detailed.
+1 for prominent highs
I have tried with PM5004 (35watts - very under powered) as that was only amp available so I know sound signature. The highs are indeed prominent. Therefore as a result I could hear more details of the string instruments and higher frequencies. But bass too was sufficient. Sound was more open and transparent. Which I found lacking in NAD.

So these are two different amps completely. One is on the darker side and one is more on the shall I say slightly brighter when paired with Paradigms.

I have tried the NAD 356BEE, fantastic bass, very punchy and adds nice weight to vocals. But it is base heavy and mid and upper frequencies get left out. Hence did not sound like a complete sound. It was more biased towards bass.

Both times I had connected my own speakers Although the speakers are yet to open up but I get the general idea of how they would sound.

 

[rohitmusic]

Tagging Flash here.

He is already tagged by default

 

[rohitmusic]

Guess NAD would not be an option for my kind of music preference. Remains Marantz. Not sure of any other amp in similar SQ.

 

[BLASTO]

Arcam + Paradigm..
Exiting times. Never heard them together..
Let me guess, lean and bass shy with projected hf..

Regd NAD.. I feel it produces no details.. BIG bass centric sound. Somehow I seem to have grown out of it without knowing.