2. amps-preamps
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need amp recommendations for more separation of instruments

I've noticed that if I play music that only has a few instruments playing at the same time it generally sounds great, but, if it's got a lot of instruments playing different parts at the same time it all mushes together and you can't hear the individual instruments clearly. My current rig is a NAD M10 and Focal Aria 948s. At a store, I heard 948s paired with a front end costing about $100,000 and that system did not have this problem, at least it not to my ears. That tells me that with really good electronics this problem can be greatly reduced and that the problem is more with my electronics than it is with my speakers. But $100k is out of my budget. My questions are:

  1. Are there some classes or types of amplification that are notably better at getting separation between instruments in complex music?

2.  Are there some brands that are notably better at getting separation between instruments in complex music?

3.   How much would I need to spend to get something that solves this specific problem notably better than my NAD M10?

4. How much would I need to spend to get something that's a really good solution, where I probably wouldn't notice the problem unless I went out of my way to listen for it? (I know, this differs between people, but I'm still interested in your opinion).

Thanks,

ahuvia

Showing 2 responses by audphile1

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,169 posts
 

My concern is that when, say, I'm listening to a symphony and the main theme is being played by the strings, but there is a flute in the background doing something a little bit different, the flute gets lost. I can hear that it is there, but I can't hear it clearly, it gets washed out by the louder string section. 
 

placement will definitely help but may not get you 100% of the way there. You will need electronics and cables that will bring it all to that level. DAC and integrated or separates. I’d say start with the integrated or separates. I’d say you’re looking at a $5k and up worth of upgrades to get you there. Might want to look at Hegel H390 integrated amp and something like a Chord Qutest DAC. At a minimum. 

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,169 posts
 

Speaker placement and room acoustics is the first thing I would tackle. Equilateral triangle with speakers and listening position, then toe in to get the best compromise between image accuracy and soundstage width (it’s unfortunately always a compromise to some degree and requires time and effort to achieve a good balance).
 

Get some GIK or similar panels and treat the wall behind the speakers as well as first reflection points (read up on that…basically a mid point between listening position and speakers on the side walls). 

Few videos…


 

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