TheFlash

I switch mine on up to an hour (if I remember) before listening and switch them off afterwards.

Could you please do me the favour of using @TheFlash when you're taking the p1$$ so I don't miss it?! Seriously, I have has two feverish bursts of swapping in and out of my main systems and both were caused by, er, surprises. The first is just how good the ATC SCM40A actives are; they were meant for Kendal but I simply had to keep them here and that led to a game of swapsies including moving my ProAc D30RS on... in part exchange for Boenicke W8 which was the second surprise. I thought I knew what they sounded like from shows (I know) but thought they were pretty poor in both rooms I tried them in. That was my biggest hifi mistake ever. On top of that I do treat the second Kendal system as a bit of a sandpit, experimenting with vintage Pioneer, Rotel etc. Back to the OP @Sparkydude, when I next get to Kendal I'll be adding my Rotel pre into the bedroom system to feed the RB-991, replacing the Pioneer A300R Precision. I'll compare the sound of course but if the Rotel duo do the business then the A300R Precision will be superfluous. I'd happily lend you it for a month or more so you can see if the sound you enjoyed was down to the amp or the ProAc speakers/room, and hear how it works (or doesn't) with your Spendors. It is highly regarded but doesn't have willy-waving hifi appeal of course because it's a tweaked mid-range Jap crap amp from the mid-90s... PM me if you want to include it in your experimentation.

You're right (of course!). I have always used one of the smallest sets of caps/pads because I'm made that way. I've achieved a good seal but have never found them entirely comfortable. I've never had noise-cancelling 'phones and am as concerned as you'd expect that they will be a bit weird... I am also not exactly comfortable with bluetooth connectivity as you know, but for my two hours a day on trains it makes huge sense. I'm a little concerned about the portability of full size headphones but this pic reassures re doing everything possible to maximise portability:

PM sent

This includes the Arcam PA240 which may well be the P49 in a new dress. Your SR250 has pre-out. Take it along. Plug speakers into SR250 integrated and get used to the difference in sound of your very own amp in new setting. Switch to SR250 as pre into PA240 and the improvement should be obvious. You can go where you want from there but you owe it to yourself to hear the very best Arcam has to offer. Hope this helps.

Hey, no offence taken, just laying out all the facts.

I respectfully (always respectfully, Phil!) disagree. The A39 is basically the same spec as the OP's incumbent SR250 ie. Class G = Class A to 20w so this would be a sideways move. In the Arcam sphere, the only upwards move is an A49. No, I'm not selling mine, ever. That pogiboy price is potentially misleading. Assuming it was in excellent condition, that is the lowest price ever for an A49. Realistically, one should be budgetting £1800-2000. Check out Europe-wide sold price on hifishark. And ignore the ridiculous "HiFi Occasion" £1100 one listed in Feb which has been taken down; that site is basically scam central and full of too-good-to-be-true (because they're not) hifi bargains.

The Musical Fidelity A3CR pre/power combo will be up for sale in the new year. A Sugden IA4 is sitting here and will replace them. The MF's are excellent in so many ways but personally I find them a little bass heavy with the speakers I lean towards. I haven't landed on a price but under £1000. The Thiels may also be up for sale in the new year. I need to listen to them with the Sugden but the plan is to replace with my in-progress Posselt Albatrosses. Absolutely no idea on price but well under £1000. I posted earlier about the ProAc Studio 125's and Pioneer A300R Precision in the bedroom system for which I paid £600 and £200 respectively. My point here is not to sneak a future ad into your thread; it's to: (a) echo what others have said about buying blind being ok if you're pretty certain that you can sell on for same price if they're not keepers (b) point out that each of the two systems (amps+speakers) you liked in my Kendal pad may well have cost around the same as your current system! Food for thought?

You do, young Padawan. Hearing an A49 is an important aspect of deciding that you need to look beyond Arcam to get the sound you seek. The A49 may well not be the answer, but from where you start it is an almost obligatory listen if £1800-2000 is not out of reach.

I did clarify/qualify my suggestion... based on my actual and simultaneous ownership of the A39 (SR250 equivalent in many respects including G Class specs) and A49. I know your tongue was firmly in your cheek but my strong recommendations for the A49 are almost universally aimed at existing Arcam owners wondering where to go next. If they have been happy with the Arcam sound for years, and many have, then I urge them to hear an A49 before potentially throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Which reminds me. I think you have still yet to hear an A49! Peace and love. N

Someone may have answered this later in the thread but... this is a non-issue. You connect your sources to your pre-amp and your pre-amp to either the balanced or unbalanced inputs of your power amp. You'd only need an "input selector" on the power amp if you wanted to connect two pre-amps to the same power amp which would be, er, unusual.

Hopefully I bring great news... ProAc Studio 125. Probably 25 years old? I paid £600 to another (possibly temporary?) wammer. See https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174115104628 and https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183986053471 You heard them driven by a Pioneer Precision A300R Precision. It's the Tom Evans tuned version of the stock A300R, punches well above its budget price point and you can pick one up for £200ish. This one has gone: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293311014095 £800 for the speakers and the amp. Not bad, really.

Hello, I dug out a little more info about the Sony WH-1000XM3 and decided to grab a brand new pair at a little over £200. I'll report back. Nigel

I suspect you'd be wowed by one of the '49s if you had the opportunity to hear one. I'm not sure about the £1600-1800 mentioned above for an A49, I've only ever seen on at £1800 (or offers) and another at £2000, but they're still remarkable value at that price.