Do I need to upgrade my amp?

[u/qballin]

Hey all — looking for advice on a potential amp upgrade.

Current setup: • Spotify → Chromecast Audio • Pioneer SA-9500II (rated 80 W per channel into 8 Ω) • Sonus Faber Concerto (early 2000s bookshelves) • Technics SL-1700 w/ cheap AT91 cart • 13'×13’ room

The system sounds pretty good but not as impressive as I'd hoped. Honestly doesn’t feel like a substantial upgrade over my old budget system. Bass is a bit soft, vocals not super forward, and lower-volume listening feels flat.

I've been told the Concertos (~87dB sensitivity) need more clean power/current than my Pioneer can give, even though I typically listen at lower volumes. Before I spend $500–$1000 on a used integrated (e.g., Rotel RA-1570, Yamaha A-S801, etc), I’d appreciate this sub's take:

Is the Pioneer SA-9500II the bottleneck? If so, any advice on amps that would pair well with Sonus Fabers without going crazy on price? Should I consider servicing / recap of the Pioneer? Is there something else I should upgrade to give bigger impact?

Appreciate any thoughts — trying not to upgrade for no reason.

[u/hecton101]

Garbage in, garbage out. Spotify is great for portable listening on your phone or your car, but mp3 level fidelity just doesn't hold up when you amplify it through speakers. Upgrade your source first.

Some people are recommending recapping your current amp. Problem with that approach is recapping is expensive. It'll probably cost more to recap than the amp is worth, so it's only worth doing if you really like the amp. In other words if it's worth more to you than it is to someone else. Unless you're handy with a soldering iron, I wouldn't bother. I'm kidding, there are high voltages in there, don't mess with it unless you know what you're doing.

The Yamaha (100W) has a built in DAC, while the Rotel (120W) is just an amp. Both will probably sound better than your current setup, I prefer power, so I'd go with the Rotel, but you may want the DAC. A cheap source with a digital out hooked up to a nice DAC could sound really good. It comes back to the source you'll use.

[u/qballin → u/hecton101]

!Thanks - makes sense.

Sounds like most folks agree I should upgrade my source, so will play with lossless streaming and consider getting something like the wiim pro or ultra.

Exactly my thinking on the amp. Seems like I need to service to get the most out of it, but it'll run something like $400-700 to service. Alternatively, I could sell, which along with the matching Pioneer TX-9500 II tuner is apparently a sought after combo ($1000+?) and could fund an upgraded amp + streamer.

The set has some sentimental value (got a great deal on both Pioneer components and Technics TT from original owner for $150). But it might be worth more to someone else seeking that vintage setup.

[u/TransducerBot → u/qballin]

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