Dear all,

Looking at starting to build my first proper separates system in the new year. Budget constrains mean I will do with out a DAB tuner for now and use my Chromecast Audio and tablet instead for radio. So the first purchases will be a amp and cd player. for the amp I have narrowed it down to:

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO
TOPAZ AM10 or MARANTZ PM5005

any suggestions?

Cambridge Audio is usually interesting because it punches above its weight in any given price bracket. However, the Marantz is heavily discounted at the moment so that levels the playing field somewhat. Either amp will be a good performer for the money. The Marant will hold its value better than the CA amp.

Unless you're buying used gear then I would strongly suggest going for a demo. If possible, try to listen with a source and speakers as close as possible to what you own. The other little trick is to balance the volume between the two amps. What that means is using a sound meter app to to get a feel for where the volume dial needs to be set on each amp so that the speakers produce the same sound level. This way you're listening to the differences in the amp designs rather than one sounding better just because it is playing louder.

Marantz - because they are part of a well known HiFi group which also owns Denon. And most HiFi stores stock Marantz.

Cambridge Audio, by comparison is only available via Richer Sounds and RS's owner is a majority shareholder in CA's parent company.

Alternatively you could look for a second hand NAD amp.

I bought the TOPAZ AM10 last year and hated it. Sold it on within 6 months and bought the below:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...yama-as501-blk

Actually this has come down in price a lot, so I could definitely recommend it.

Out of interest, what were the things you didn't like about the amp and what we're the partnering bits of gear and music sources?

For years I had a CA A1 connected to Mordaunt Short MS-902 speakers. I had a CD separate feeding into it along with the Playstation 3 and TIvo and thought it sounded great. Then the A1 gave up on me so i thought I would 'upgrade' to the AM10. However the sound was just so flat and underwhelming. With the A1 I would turn the volume dial slightly and the sound would boom out, with the AM10 it was like turning up the volume on your tv.

I've since replaced both the AM10 (with the AS501) and the speakers with a set of Mission SX1s. Still don't think it sounds as good as the A1 . . . . . .

I have decided on the YAMAHA
AS501 paired with Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s. Are these a good match, in terms of resistance etc. no danger of explosions haha!

Electrically there's no issue with those speakers and any of the amps discussed so far. Whether you will like the sound of the amp and speakers together though isn't a question anyone can answer for you based on electrical specs. You really need to go hear the amp and speakers playing together and maybe compare them to other amps or speakers in a similar price range.

Thanks for all the reply's guys. One last question, is it still ok with modern stuff to stack it without a rack? is ventilation usually still at the back?

Ventilation is usually at the back, but you're well advised to put the amp above the CD player as the amp will generate more heat that needs to dissipate.