Hi Mick ,

I would start with the speakers , the MA R652,s although good are the weakest link and  better speakers would bring about the most cost effective improvement .

My recommendation for speakers would be a second hand pair of PMC FB1 or FB1+ floor standing speakers they are quite efficient at 90 db and would work very well with the low output class A power of the A1.

You should be able to pick up a pair of FB1,s for £400 - £600 and FB1+ for £600 - £900 , the only major difference between the two is the original has a metal dome tweeter and the + model has a fabric dome , either will be a massive step up in sound quality .

The MF A1 is a lovely little amp and if you have a good one ( build quality was an issue ) it would  be hard to significantly improve upon with a £1000 pound valve amp .

The Marantz is a good Cd player and again you would have to spend a lot more to get a better performance .

The Van den Hul interconnects if they are one of the non metallic conductor variety should be discarded and replaced with a good quality inexpensive copper interconnect from somewhere like Maplins or similar IMO, but try one for yourself and see if like me you think it is an improvement . 

Here is some info on the  PMC FB1 speakers  , just click on the link 

               http://www.pmc-speakers.com/product.php?mode=view&pid=30

And a review  

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue25/pmc_fb1.htm

Hope this helps let me know what you think , Electro.

Hi Mick ,

I can't say I have had very much experience of the Zingali ,s except at HiFi shows , but to sum up on my limited experience I would say they have the typical wonderful Italian styling but the reproduction is far from  neutral which makes them a " Marmite " speaker , you will love them or hate them .

With valves they sound warm smooth and detailed but can be let down by the less than perfect bass delivery that can sound slow and lacking detail, it sort of lags behind the music but it depends what type of music you listen too , they do not do loud or heavy  types of music IMO.

Lovely lookers with a distinctive design and sound definitely worth a listen but I would wait for a pair of PMC 's if it was me , but I am seriously biased towards PMC as you may have noticed  they just do everything very very well regardless of the type of music that is thrown at them .

Electro .

Hi Mick,

For £100 you must give them a try they seem like a bargain to me !

I like dynaudio speakers they are usually very good value for money , they will probably be a bit of a challenge for your A1 to drive but give them a go you just can't loose .

Good listening Electro.

Hi Mick,

If you are still in the market for a pair of PMC FB1 speakers there are a couple of pairs for sale now , click on the links below .

 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PMC-FB1-Floorstanding-Speakers-Oak-/160572083762?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item2562d78e32

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PMC-FB1-Floorstanding-Speakers-Cherry-/390304493912?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item5adff5f158

How did you get on with the Dynaudio,s ?

All the best Electro.

Hi

Yes I too have seen these on ebay - they seem to hold their price well, so will keep an eye on they.

 I only got the Dynaudio's last night and I had a little play, the bass has improved but may be a little boomy - so I'll have a play with positioning see if that helps.  The detail is good too so will have a good play with them tomorrow when the wife's at work.

Again thanks for all your help and advice its been very useful Thanks