Newly simplified setup thanks to my Wiim Ultra

[schmerg]

The Ultra replaced a Raspberry Pi running Volumio, a USB Atom DAC from JDS Labs, and a Bluetooth receiver, and, after some debate, even the Musical Fidelity Nu Vista pre-amp (slightly better phono stage but otherwise audibly very much the same).

The Volumio etc in turn replaced an older Squeeze based system, and the CD player itself went years ago.

So that just leaves the Musical Fidelity NuVista 300 power amp (notional 300W @ 8 ohm, but capable of nearly 1,200W when impedance dips to 2 ohms) driving a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 803 - that combo has stood me in good stead for 25 years and I think they're only just getting broken in now.

Wife very much likes the simpler setup, and I've hooked a Mini to the hifi in the kitchen diner so we can now have properly synchronised whole house playback for when we throw open the patio doors and have a BBQ get together.

Just thinking now about getting a Sound as a bedside speaker for the wife, if only so I can turn it off without getting out of bed when she forgets to set the sleep timer on the radio we use now, or just feeding another Mini into an old Heny Kloss Model One radio we've had for years

 

[Aquaman]

View attachment 34562

The Ultra replaced a Raspberry Pi running Volumio, a USB Atom DAC from JDS Labs, and a Bluetooth receiver, and, after some debate, even the Musical Fidelity Nu Vista pre-amp (slightly better phono stage but otherwise audibly very much the same).

The Volumio etc in turn replaced an older Squeeze based system, and the CD player itself went years ago.

So that just leaves the Musical Fidelity NuVista 300 power amp (notional 300W @ 8 ohm, but capable of nearly 1,200W when impedance dips to 2 ohms) driving a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 803 - that combo has stood me in good stead for 25 years and I think they're only just getting broken in now.

Wife very much likes the simpler setup, and I've hooked a Mini to the hifi in the kitchen diner so we can now have properly synchronised whole house playback for when we throw open the patio doors and have a BBQ get together.

Just thinking now about getting a Sound as a bedside speaker for the wife, if only so I can turn it off without getting out of bed when she forgets to set the sleep timer on the radio we use now, or just feeding another Mini into an old Heny Kloss Model One radio we've had for years

Very nice.

Now you can take the next step by replacing your monos with a sleeker one-box amp with the same power capacity.

Purifi 1ET9040BA DM Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier

The Purifi 1ET9040BA True Dual Mono Amplifier by Apollon Audio utilises the newest 1ET9040BA amplifier modules as its core. The Purifi 1ET9040BA provides abundant power and remarkable precision.

apollonaudio.com

 

[schmerg]

Very nice.

Now you can take the next step by replacing your monos with a sleeker one-box amp with the same power capacity.

Purifi 1ET9040BA DM Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier

The Purifi 1ET9040BA True Dual Mono Amplifier by Apollon Audio utilises the newest 1ET9040BA amplifier modules as its core. The Purifi 1ET9040BA provides abundant power and remarkable precision.

apollonaudio.com

Funny you should say that - I have been looking at very much that kind of option (Hypex, Purifi etc) for if the power amp does die on me, if only for fact that the MF weighs an absolute tonne and is too deep for most shelf units etc. The 803's are lovely speakers but they can be awkward to drive and the engineers I speak to had told me to beware of amps going into overload at 2ohm transients and that's why it was just the sort of amp you posted there that I was shortlisting - cheers

(The existing amp is a dual monoblock design but they're both in the upper "box".. the lower is the two massive power supplies for each of them - see https://www.stereophile.com/content/musical-fidelity-nu-vista-300-power-amplifier and https://hometheaterreview.com/musical-fidelity-nu-vista-300-preamp-reviewed/)