I'm looking at upgrading from an old mini system to a decent integrated amp. I've talked to a few retailers and done a bit of reading on the internet and am going to have a listen to a Marantz PM7001, a Rotel RA1062, and a NAD C372.
All these are within my price range so I'm planning to base my choice on the sound I like. Initially I will be running the amp through crappy speakers but will upgrade these as soon as possible.
I would love to recieve any advice/opinions on what you think would be the best choice, or If you think there is something else I should look at.
I have no experience with Marantz or Rotel gear, but I can vouch for the NAD - good, warm sound with lots of power. From what I've read, however, I think the Rotel is considered a better piece of equipment.
You won't really notice that much of a difference upgrading to new amp until you upgrade your "crappy speakers", though. So don't be disappointed when you bring you're new amp home and think you just wasted your money ;-)
Craig, I have listened to all three. All three are nice pieces. As far as build quality goes, the Rotel wins. As far as sound quality goes, I liked the NAD the best. To me, for music, the Rotel is too bright and when played at very high levels I found myself covering my ears. The Marantz has a nice midrange but lacked the "UMPH" the NAD had. The NAD is so warm with a really nice base, and with tones of head room. If it were me choosing between those three right now, I would pick the NAD C372. David has a point, I would try to upgrade your speakers at the same time.
For sure - if you really want to have your socks knocked off when you bring home your new amp, it would be worthwhile to bite the bullet and upgrade the speakers.
It will be the difference between hooking up and amp and saying "meh, it sounds a little better" or saying "Holy s**t, I'm glad I blew the budget!".
Craig, at least teat and try some speakers with the IA, you goota have a price range for them, and you will have a better idea. Add 15% for cables/interconnects, eh?
I'll have a look at getting some speakers with the amp, though it's pushing my budget to get speakers at the same time. I was hoping that I could have maybe $500US to spend on speakers in a month or so and upgrade then. On that note the Marantz and the Rotel are a little cheaper than the NAD and come with phono stages which would save a bit. Though it seems the NAD is more recommended.
Although a NAD fan and owner, I never truly rated the C372. It seems to suffer from a wooly bass and closed-in midrange. It isn't a patch on the lovely, airy C370 it replaced. Also, which speakers you will be buying greatly influences the amp you should buy. The Rotel may sound brighter but can be partnered perfectly with certain speakers, likewise the warmer NAD can be made more lively through careful partnering. So, a demonstration of either amplifier should be done through a variety of speakers you will likely purchase sometime down the road.
Cheers, I think I'll trial the amps with a fews speakers in my range, pick the amp/speaker combination I like best and buy the speakers when I get the money.