[BarrryBarrry]

Hi, I would love some advice. Should I buy an Arcam SA30 or upgrade my current setup.

Current setup:
Nuprime dac-9
Douk Audio t8 pro 8band eq (occasionally)
Nuprime AMG STA
Bowers & Wilkens 683 S2
Old Rel quake sub
RU Connected cables
Acoustic panels

I'm happy with the sound although some songs can be a bit harsh. My speakers will stay because they blend perfect in my room.
My cabinet is small that's why I went for the compact Nuprime.

Why Arcam SA30?
They fit (depth) exactly in my furniture, powerful enough for my speakers, energy efficient, doesn't get too hot, build in streamer, Direc live.

Option 2 is to upgrade my current setup with a streamer, Dirac live and in the future get an extra AMG STA to use them as mono blocks.

Your advice and tips will be very welcom!

Barry

[AllanS]

Hi Barry.  Welcome aboard!

I’m afraid you’ve asked a simple question that is difficult to answer.  You offer two very different visions of your system.  So my first question is what is what are you trying to accomplish?  Do you have a goal or goals in mind?

I don’t know what the Arcam house sound is.  The AMG STA is advertised as a warm amp, which it is in my experience. 

  My understanding of Bowers and Wilkins and my limited experience is they are not warm.  Others more knowledgeable may jump in with different experience or knowledge, but the harshness you perceive with your current system may have a lot to do with the speakers.  If so you need to be very careful about equipment choices that will accentuate that tonal characteristic.

The best way to know is to demo the S30 to see if it fits your needs and tastes.  Are you able to do this?

[mresseguie]

Barry,

First off allow me to state that I'm a bit of a Nuprime cheerleader, so take my thoughts with this knowledge. I would not expect the Arcam amp to be better sounding than your AMG STA - quite the opposite. The AMG STA should be a much better amp than what is inside the Arcam. The DAC-9 is what I think of as an entry level DAC. It's not bad sounding, but there are other Nuprime DACs that run circles around the DAC-9 in my opinion. I had the DAC-8 and the DAC-10 in my system several years ago, but I sold them as I upgraded the rest of my system. I have a DAC-9x in a second system, and I think it's great for the money. It sounds really nice driving my EVO STA amplifier, and it sounds nearly as nice driving my tube amps. I think it pairs better with the Nuprime amp - perhaps there's some synergy there?


While I have not heard your speakers, I'm inclined to agree with what AllanS said. Upgrading your speakers could well make a big improvement in your system. Secondly, adding a second AMG STA and/or upgrading to a better Nuprime DAC afterward would yield benefits.

Now I'll ask the questions I should have begun my reply with:

What size is your room?
Where are your speakers in this room?
Have you used any sound treatments on the walls?
Is your floor carpeted, bare wood, other?
What kind of music do you prefer?

Michael

[rustydoglim]

I agree with AllanS.  I had B&W Nautilus (I remember it was 804) long time ago and the high freq is overwhelming. If you can't change the speaker, I think changing the DAC-9 would be the next best option (certainly not the amp. If you over compensate with a very warmth amp, you could ended up with a diminished high.  I think the best bet is to go with a better DAC-9X, so that the mid and bass can balance the extended high.