main course advice

[Waaijop]

As a starting low-tech audiophile musiclover on a budget I have the RA02 for starters but the upgrade bug is itching and I want more. Visiting some shops brought me conflicting advises. A. add a power amp (rb1050 or 1070) B. swop ra02 for ra1062 C. buy a subwoofer (?!) Confusion starts...Please share some experience or a clear advice.
Other apparatus nad c541i and project rpm4 turntable, vdhul cabling, dynaudio audience 52 se

[aud19]

Well I'd say both but I guess it depends what you're craving, more power for better dynamics, less strain and clearer sound or more bass? Adding a sub will free up some power and strain from the amp/speakers so it is likely the better of the two options to start with but there's also no substitute for good power :P

Jason

[simonb68]

That's fine pair of speakers you have there and to be honest you're quite a way from doing them justice. The 52's are capable of generating some great bass but like a lot of power to control them, they're also 4 ohm and are therefore a little more demanding than other makes. Personally, at this level I wouldn't think about a sub, to integrate well into a 2 channel system, rather than an AV system, its need to be a high quality sub and they're not cheap.

You don't say if you are contemplating a move into AV or not, however that doesn't change my recommendation for a first step which is to add a good quality 2 channel power amp, I think you'll find that improves things alot. It doesn't even have to be new, I would certainly look for a well looked after used unit. That way the outlay is not too great if it doesn't work out for you - something like a Rotel RB-991 if you can find one. I added one with my Dynaudio speakers and it improved the sound considerably.

Then if you are sticking to 2 channel only, the next logical step is a separate pre-amp, of which there are a number to choose from and without a budget it's hard to recommend anything. Unfortunately Rotel don't make a dedicated pre-amp, at least not to my knowledge, but there are a number of good quality, mid-range hi-fi manufacturers to choose from. Also rather than a dedicated pre-amp you could look to get an integrated/power combination and have the added bonus of a tuner. Don't worry about the pre-amp or integrated not having a phono stage, you'll be far better off adding a dedicated phono stage.

If you give some idea of budget and what your direction is, 2-channel or AV, I'm sure others will have some good suggestions.

EDIT: just goes to show what I know, Rotel have a number of pre-amps, never really looked at that part of their product range, so one of these may be a logical partner for a Rotel power amp if you went down that route. Also just checked, the RA-02 has preouts so a power amp is an option.

Hope that helps
Simon

[Waaijop]

Main course

Thanx for the suggestions, I think Walt Disney sounds fine in stereo so I'm not into AV at all. The power amp adding route seems fine but perhaps is there anybody who can tell me, because I like it as simple as possible, if the ra 1062 will do justice (enough) to my dynaudio audience 52 se??? Which is about my budget (but you can buy a nice power amp for that money)...

Waaijop (whose dazed confusion is thankfully getting less)