Amp upgrade recommendations

[john11]

Hi Thanks for reading I’ve read a ton of amp reviews on this site which brings me to my current problem. I've been using a LG CJ45 amp, sounds okay for the £260 I paid, but now I am trying to move onto a more hifi setup. So I upgraded the stock LG speakers with a pair of focal chorus, I picked them up used for £100 which gave a big improvement in sound quality.
Also upgraded the rca interconnect cables to Linn black, and the speaker cables to van den hul.
I’m wondering if the LG CJ45 amp itself may be worth upgrading.
Is it a decent amp, do you have any thoughts, have you heard or read anything about it ?
Or do you think the amp is okay and not worth bothering with upgrading. I have a budget of £300, would be prepared to buy used

 

[voodooless]

Also upgraded the rca interconnect cables to Linn black, and the speaker cables to van den hul.

Too bad you didn’t come here earlier. These things are a total waste of money.

As for amps: basically anything that fits within your budget will probably be fine. Probably even your current amp may be fine although I would not trust the specs very much.

Yamaha may have some nice amps within your budget.

Maybe start with the features you need? What sources do you have/need? If your TV is your primary source, a second hand AVR could also be a nice option.

 

[SonicSleuth]

If I were you I'd consider buying two Fosi Audio ZA3's to run in mono mode. Bargain power and great sound, under budget. Attractive too, imo.

I run a Wiim Pro (Via optical 24-96khz) into an Oppo BPD-105 bluray player with a nice DAC that handles my digital inputs (TV via optical), this feeds the power amp.

I'm sure as others chime in there will be many suggestions, just know that no system is perfect, perfection does not exist, speakers and room will have biggest effect on sound quality (as you've already discovered with your new speakers).

 

[Overseas]

Focals are nice, speakers make the sound, more than amps.

Amps are simpler issues, already solved. Why not try the new Wiim Amp, with streamer and PEQ.

 

[SonicSleuth]

The new Wiim amp is an excellent all in one suggestion, as @Overseas mentioned it provides a steamer, a quality dac and PEQ to adjust sound to your room (super important), nice solid build quality too.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

The new Wiim amp is an excellent all in one suggestion, as @Overseas mentioned it provides a steamer, a quality dac and PEQ to adjust sound to your room (super important), nice solid build quality too.

View attachment 337885

There exists no measurements of this yet, right?

 

[SonicSleuth]

There exists no measurements of this yet, right?

hi Holdt, not here yet no but there are some here, it's not 'stellar' but it's a complete package for £299.

THD: 95.8 dB
THD+N: 89.3 dB
SNR: 90.4 dB

 

[Deleted member 48726]

hi Holdt, not here yet no but there are some here, it's not 'stellar' but it's a complete package for £299.

THD: 95.8 dB
THD+N: 89.3 dB
SNR: 90.4 dB

Okay. That's completely transparent. No need for better numbers than that. -Right, a great package indeed! What's its competition? -Yamaha R-Nxxx?

 

[john11]

How do you think it may compare against the topping PA5 II which i can get for £250. Also a few used hypex amps have turned up on ebay based on the nc122mp module. Both of these amps have a decent reputation and are within budget, i've never actually heard them so can only speculate

 

[Overseas]

Be advised that usually they are power amps, no preamp, no volume control. Also, no PEQ, no streaming.

 

[voodooless]

The new Wiim amp is an excellent all in one suggestion, as @Overseas mentioned it provides a steamer, a quality dac and PEQ to adjust sound to your room (super important), nice solid build quality too.

View attachment 337885

This is most definitely one of the most interesting options if your source is a TV. It will bypass the crappy TV analog outputs via (HDMI ARC), has EQ options and sub-output.

 

[john11]

The wiim amp has an eq, I've tried the eq in a few different window media players and the eq gives a compressed kind of sound, the sound is not so lively or punchy. Is this a problem with all eq's, or are there different kinds of eq's

 

[Chrispy]

Yes, there are different types of eq. A parametric eq is generally better than a simple graphic eq. The WiiM amp has a four band parametric eq it seems...

 

[john11]

Thanks! You think i may not get that compressed boring sound that the eq within windows based media players give. The sound seems to lose all its snap and verve when eq'd

Do you know if there is a reason why the windows media players are compressing the sound, what is wrong with their eq, why is parametric different, or does parametric have failings of its own

 

[Chrispy]

Thanks! You think i may not get that compressed boring sound that the eq within windows based media players give. The sound seems to lose all its snap and verve when eq'd

Do you know if there is a reason why the windows media players are compressing the sound, what is wrong with their eq, why is parametric different, or does parametric have failings of its own

No problem, that WiiM amp looks very nice. Am tempted but don't have any need I'm not that familiar with windows based media players particularly, which ones? Some do complain about windows affecting audio playback but that's not how I play audio back particularly. How did you adjust eq, solely by ear? Smiley face on a graphic eq isn't a good route....

 

[john11]

If I were you I'd consider buying two Fosi Audio ZA3's to run in mono mode. Bargain power and great sound, under budget. Attractive too, imo.

View attachment 337877

I run a Wiim Pro (Via optical 24-96khz) into an Oppo BPD-105 bluray player with a nice DAC that handles my digital inputs (TV via optical), this feeds the power amp.

I'm sure as others chime in there will be many suggestions, just know that no system is perfect, perfection does not exist, speakers and room will have biggest effect on sound quality (as you've already discovered with your new speakers).

Are there any measurements yet for this amp, looks good, or any comparisons i've heard the aiyima A07 would the fosi compare to the aiyima ?

How does this amp work, is it two tpa3255 chips, one for each channel

 

[Galliardist]

I think I'd replace that LG on looks alone! Any of the recommended items in the thread should be good enough, but go through the reviews here for something recommended, as well.

 

[Barry_Sound]

Also upgraded the rca interconnect cables to Linn black, and the speaker cables to van den hul.

I see no problem in buying quality cables, these will last a lifetime anyway.

 

[voodooless]

I see no problem in buying quality cables, these will last a lifetime anyway.

So will the cheap ones… there were already cables there that were perfectly fine. Any “upgrade”’is just money out of pocket that could have been spent on an amp.

 

[Barry_Sound]

So will the cheap ones… there were already cables there that were perfectly fine. Any “upgrade”’is just money out of pocket that could have been spent on an amp.

True for anything. Eat less, spend more on an amp. Dont buy furniture, sit on the floor, spent more on an amp. Up to you.