Hi All,
First post so bear with me
Background (skip to questions if you're in a rush!)
I've had a pair of Jamo Classic 8s for years now. They were my first relatively pricey audio purchase as a student. Had to replace one driver to get them working properly, but they've not had a single issue in the last 8 years. We've just moved house and finally have space to potentially allow these speakers to sound their best.
My current integrated amp is a Sony TA-FE370, which was cheap as chips, has given great service, owes me nothing, but now I feel like treating myself to something better My budget is £100-1000 and I am much more interested in absolute sound quality than too many features. I own some vinyl but dig it out barely once per year. Mostly I listen to music from an Ipod Classic or Macbook Pro via a 3.5mm aux jack. This has created a "blockage" since my Ipod is full, and I don't have space for my music collection and work files on my laptop. The end result is that I have all my music on hard drives, rarely update the Ipod, and my music discovery has slowed to a crawl. I am in the process of choosing a high quality streaming service, from Tidal/Amazon/Spotify tbc. The masterplan is for the music to be controlled from multiple phones or computers wirelessly, with easy switching between devices, and separate speaker sets in the lounge, kitchen, and workshop. I'm already discovering the opportunities and pitfalls of bluetooth. On some friends' systems, I struggle to hear a difference between APTx vs a wired connection playing FLAC/AAC. Conversely several bluetooth devices sound muffled, boxy, dynamically flat, or otherwise flawed. Another functional issue I have with bluetooth is the issue of swapping source devices, having to disconnect one before attaching another.
Questions:
1. Speaker position: Given the absence of any online manual (happy to be corrected!) for the Jamo Classic 8s, can someone suggest optimal speaker positions in the room please? Our new lounge measures 5.8m x 3.4m.
2. Replacement Amp: I want to replace my Sony TA-FE370 integrated amplifier with something better. In practical terms it needs to have inputs for: a) Either a bluetooth receiver or wireless streamer or raspberry Pi b) TV c) Phono (although current record player outputs at line level so seems to have a built-in preamp) d) at least one other aux input. It needs to provide sufficient power to make the most of the Jamo Classic 8s (4ohms, 150Wrms/200Wpeak each side) without distorting. A useable EQ would be good to reduce frequency peaks/troughs caused by the limitations of room-shape and speaker position. Separate HF and LF outputs to the speakers might be handy if that is likely to provide audio benefits for the Jamos which have HF/LF inputs that are currently bridged. I would consider an integrated amp or separates, if the whole package meets my needs. Sonically, I like to be able to pick out individual instruments, experience the maximum dynamic range from each recording, and not feel that certain frequencies are lacking or over-emphasised. My go-to test albums are Pink Floyd's Delicate Sounds of Thunder, Betty Davis' Is it Love or Desire?, Curtis Mayfield's Curtis Live, Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged, Maceo Parker' Live on Planet Groove, Fat Freddy's Drop' Blackbird, Soundgarden's Superunknown, Tool 10,000 Days. So a mix of alternative rock, funk, reggae, acoustic, with a sprinkling of jazz and strings. I've looked in to the Cambridge Audio CXA81, which would seem to have rave reviews and tick all my boxes, but maybe I could use something older/used with fewer features, that costs less, and has an overall better sound, or maybe someone on here has a recommendation from the classified section that would be a good match.
Any help and advice would be much appreciated. I'm not in a particular rush, and keen to learn a bit before making a decision.
Many thanks. Richard