HIFI upgrade suggestions

[WCZ]

atm my current setup is:

Linn Sneaky DS
Linn Majik 109 bookshelf speakers

I am thinking of moving away from a Linn streaming device as the interface has been annoying me recently and it'd be expensive to go where I'd like to with them (the wireless setup is £7k)

my thoughts were getting a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 + an amp (it only has a pre-amp built in apparently), I am not sure what amp to get though as the ones I've been looking at are used Linn ones which are £1k

does anyone have suggestions for around £500 or less for an amp?

or will the whole setup just sound worse and I should go another route?

[conkerman]

Bluesound node nano/Wiim ultra as a streamer

[RustyMX5]

Maybe a little over the £500 budget but when my father's Linn LK1 / Majik combo blew up I got him an Arcam which sounded much better. I've had a couple of Arcam units in the past and they've always done a decent job.

If you've got the money then maybe a Naim Uniti / Uniti star might be worth looking at.

[WCZ]

conkerman said:

Bluesound node nano/Wiim ultra as a streamer

what would you suggest as the amp? (the linn majik 109's are bookshelf speakers so presumably don't need a ton of power?)

[Tony1963]

WCZ said:

what would you suggest as the amp? (the linn majik 109's are bookshelf speakers so presumably don't need a ton of power?)

They’re 4 ohm speakers and not particularly sensitive, so as is usual with bookshelf speakers, they’ll perform well with a lot of oomph being fed to them.
I’d be thinking very hard about the choice of amp, as they deserve the best you can find.

[WCZ]

Tony1963 said:

They’re 4 ohm speakers and not particularly sensitive, so as is usual with bookshelf speakers, they’ll perform well with a lot of oomph being fed to them.
I’d be thinking very hard about the choice of amp, as they deserve the best you can find.

fair, just no idea what to get I guess!

[Tony1963]

I’d say this:

You like the speakers, so keep them. They’re the main factor in how your system sounds, in conjunction with the room dimensions/materials/positioning.

Amp… I’d be scanning the local used market, and trying anything that grabs your interest. Always keep in mind the amp needs to be able to cope with the demands of these speakers. Many Japanese amps won’t do this.
£500 buys a lot of used amp! Enjoy the buying and trying out, sell on if it doesn’t float your boat.

If you only want a power amp, and fancy something that can last a lifetime, maybe keep an eye out for a good Naim NAP180. Easily had for under £500, and you might get one that’s been recently serviced for that.

[theboss]

If you like the way the Linn sounds and just struggle with the control interface, give Roon a try. I use it to control my Linn streamers and its miles better than the native controls, and has a lot of value in its own right (IMO).

[outnumbered]

Wiim Pro or Ultra streamer/preamp/DAC, into a Hypex-based Class D power amp, e.g. from Nord Acoustics at £300-500 depending on whether you want 125 or 500 watts. That will give you a pretty much state of the art technical solution, with the ability to do DSP room correction if you pick the Ultra.