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Arcam FMJ D33 DAC, need opinion

Ozi2 said:
A19 and D33 will arriwe next weekend. That would left me to chose only typical budget s/h speakers for the next few months.
I found B&W 601 S3 and W. Diamond 9.1. What do you think of these with A19?
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What is your budget for speakers?
 
Thank you. There is a store near me which sale them. Will go to listen. Found one 3020 here in the adds.
 
Ozi2 said:
Thank you. There is a store near me which sale them. Will go to listen. Found one 3020 here in the adds.
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The 3020 is a good speaker but it’s got a small main driver so only suitable to smaller rooms.
How big is the room?
The B&W you mention may have a bit of an obvious top end.
I had the 601 S2 when I started out in hifi & it was decent for a cheap monitor but the top end was obvious.
I haven’t heard the wharfdales but most modern speakers are bright & analytical.
Another interesting 2nd hand speaker are the quad 11 & 12L’s.
Castle also used to make fine musical speakers.
 
I will look for 3030 for sure. I see you perfectly understand what I am after about the sound.

Been heard B&W many times, but never in my home with my gear. I mostly liked what I heard, but only from cheaper and top models. I found anything in between just to optimistic and tiring.

I just came home from neighbour who have 601 S3. I've listened to few songs through them, but with his NAD gear. There is some potential, at least as I can find them here for around 200€. They are indeed a litte to much from above as you said. He will borrow them to me during weekend when my Arcam amp and dac would arriwe. Just to see would Arcam melt that treble down a little and see how the gear perform in general.

Next week plan is definitely to dem 3030. Some discounts on new speakers is anounced in the sme store, so great. Will keep you posted.
 
Ozi2 said:
I will look for 3030 for sure. I see you perfectly understand what I am after about the sound.

Been heard B&W many times, but never in my home with my gear. I mostly liked what I heard, but only from cheaper and top models. I found anything in between just to optimistic and tiring.

I just came home from neighbour who have 601 S3. I've listened to few songs through them, but with his NAD gear. There is some potential, at least as I can find them here for around 200€. They are indeed a litte to much from above as you said. He will borrow them to me during weekend when my Arcam amp and dac would arriwe. Just to see would Arcam melt that treble down a little and see how the gear perform in general.

Next week plan is definitely to dem 3030. Some discounts on new speakers is anounced in the sme store, so great. Will keep you posted.
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That’s good.
It will be interesting to know if you think the 3030’s are more musical or dull in comparison.
 
When I was putting a system together for my office I tried (bought/borrowed) quite a few speakers in the £200 range, a pair that really surprised me were Mission LX2, I’d more or less written newer Mission gear off but these worked really well with various amplifiers (Quad Vena and Yamaha 303D mainly). My mate brought round the Q Acoustics 3030 and Sub, they are quite deep so didn’t really fit where I needed to locate them, he’s a big fan of them so may be ideal for you.
 
Exhausted. Been at two stores and listened to 3030, some Acoustic Energy 100 or something, Wharfedale Diamond (cannot follow their numbers anymore), Dali Spektor, Dynaudio Emit 10 and PSB Alpha P5. Came home with PSB, but not new one from the store, but the one like new from the local add, LOL.

Curtis, you are right about 3030. Very civilised and easy on ear sounded speakers and they offer a lot for the price, but somehow every second track I missed some meat in the midrange which makes them thin. We listened on some cheaper and relatively expensive Marantz gear. Maybe some other amp can wake up in them what's missing, but with same electronics PSB was a little bit more engageing with a little bit fuller midrange and surprisingly clean sounded. Never heard speaker of that price to sound that clean.

AE and Warfedale pretty much dissapoint me and Emit 10 is very very fine, altough Dynaudio is not good for low level listening and too much pennies I'd say, but everything else is good, only when bass hit on just a little bit turned up volume, the speaker sound very boxy. We actually listened to two Dali's, but with both of them I cannot relax. Just think of myself when I'll be in a bad mood, that type of slightly forced sound would even more hit my nerve. For a few months I plan to upgrade speakers, but even if I would have unlimited budget at the moment, I am not sure ehat to get, so will activate myself and visit as many places in order to listen to many speakers. BTW, found there is new Spendor dealer here and I am shocked about the prices. Years ago they were pretty affordable speakers, but this numbers are now ridiculous.

I bought PSB's for 200€ which is a real bargain. Arcam D33 DAC arriwed today and A19 will be here tomorrow. Have Naca 5 which will be I belive just fine as I prefer it with many other amp than Naim. Never thought I would ever come home with any PSB model, but this is really more interesting than it's price shows.

Music again after almost ten years.:)

Will keep you posted how all sounds when amp arriwes.
 
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System is ready and music is playing through Arcam FMJ D33, Arcam A19 and PSB Alpha P5. Potential is easy to recognize, but guitars sound very, I mean very pinched and hard. Maybe will soften during time. I'll let it play.
 
This is almost the same sound as Naim CDX2/NAC202/200. Thin hard guitar strings and 5cm small abnormaly tight snare drum. Everything is super smooth, but also very hard underneath. I know that sound well. Lean, very lean. Vocals are just mouth and nothing else. Tried on aux via mobile phone and headphones. It is the amp for sure,but probably dac also as it is from same series. This is it and that would stay like that I'mafraid. There is no that fullness and body to the instruments. Yeah, picture is relatively big, but it miss so much meat through midrange. It's like someone is choking you type of sound.
 
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Ozi2 said:
This is almost the same sound as Naim CDX2/NAC202/200. Thin hard guitar strings and 5cm small abnormaly tight snare drum. Everything is super smooth, but also very hard underneath. I know that sound well. Lean, very lean. Vocals are just mouth and nothing else. Tried on aux via mobile phone and headphones. It is the amp for sure,but probably dac also as it is from same series. This is it and that would stay like that I'mafraid. There is no that fullness and body to the instruments. Yeah, picture is relatively big, but it miss so much meat through midrange. It's like someone is choking you type of sound.
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Are you sure it’s not the speakers?
They don’t measure well at all.
I wouldn’t have thought it’s the dac.
What is the source?
I think you may be better of with a valve amp.
 
Definitely sure. Tried with headphones directly into A19. There is bass, definitely, but sound is opaque, totaly uncolored, like Naim and vocals and strings are very thin. Tried with three pair of high q. headphones. Modern music sounds so so, but old rock is very plasticky and iritatingly anemic.

Tried now speakers with friends Hegel. Night and day. Midrange is much meatier, although Hegel have it's other own characteristics which I don't like. Better than Arcam at first as it have some body, but it's sound is kind of bleached, although Arcam is not that far from that. Besides of that, D33 and A19 have incredible amount of clarity. Didn't expect that clarity level for the price, but OTOH is grey and very thin as I said. Naim CDX2/202 type of sound. That's so evident.
 
Without filter is kinda raw sounded. I am using filter 1 at the moment. Find it as best balance. second filter too much robs the atmosphere.

It's the amp and then most probably the DAC. There are many good things. Just think that you need to prepare 7-8 thousands of Euros today in order to have that clarity level from Naim, but vocals and strings are so tiny which in combination with just fine bass make the sound out of balance and tricks me during listening. Surprisingly, the sound is pretty pacey, which don't reflect reviews and my ears are used to Naim for 20 years. I don't have any complaint about dynamic. Maybe dac is a prefect match for this amp, which of course is not surprising as they are from the same stable.

I could live with that, especially how much I payed, but cannot be even relatively happy, just ok.

I tried tubes, but never find amp which holds the rythm between units I can afford.
 
Ozi2 said:
Without filter is kinda raw sounded. I am using filter 1 at the moment. Find it as best balance. second filter too much robs the atmosphere.

It's the amp and then most probably the DAC. There are many good things. Just think that you need to prepare 7-8 thousands of Euros today in order to have that clarity level from Naim, but vocals and strings are so tiny which in combination with just fine bass make the sound out of balance and tricks me during listening. Surprisingly, the sound is pretty pacey, which don't reflect reviews and my ears are used to Naim for 20 years. I don't have any complaint about dynamic. Maybe dac is a prefect match for this amp, which of course is not surprising as they are from the same stable.

I could live with that, especially how much I payed, but cannot be even relatively happy, just ok.
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Like I said the A19 is quite speaker specific.
I don’t think it does bass well and although it can have some pace I find it gets confused & unfocused.
I use the pre amp only.
 
I know what you think. That unfocused sound I remember from Alpha 8 cdp, although it sounded complete and balanced. I remember you mentioned before that A19 is not a focus champ, but trust me I feel this is pretty pinpoint presentation I hear now. Don't know how and even because you are not first one who told me that about focus.

Will try maybe ridiculos thing and that would be to try Cardas Neutral Reference interconnect. It should add some density to the midrange. It saved many tricky systems.

Thanks a lot for your effort in order to help.
 
Ozi2 said:
I know what you think. That unfocused sound I remember from Alpha 8 cdp, although it sounded complete and balanced. I remember you mentioned before that A19 is not a focus champ, but trust me I feel this is pretty pinpoint presentation I hear now. Don't know how and even because you are not first one who told me that about focus.

Thanks a lot for your effort in order to help.
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It’s just a shame it didn’t all gel Ozi.
Save up and go try some quality valve amplifiers. They may well float your boat.
Best of luck.
 
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