A stereo amp would be better as you could connect the CD player directly to that and use the fronts as pure stereo speakers. Whether you go for one with HT by-pass or the switcher route is up to you. If music is really important then the stereo amp is by far the best option because it better than a receiver even with a power amp connected.
I think that's the conclusion I came to, also a lot more affordable amp options that way.
Cheers for the help!
I use the Beresford speaker/amp switch despite having an amp with HT bypass. My Arcam introduced ground loop hiss into the chain using HT bypass, hence the need for the switch. It's not a big deal using the switch. I do occasionally forget to switch the amp from A to B, which requires me to move out of my seat, but it works well besides that.
The Arcam A32 and A38 both have HT bypass, and more power/better delivery of power then the MF. Issue here is the speakers though. You'd need to be considering an upgrade rather soon to make buying such amps worth doing.
If you don't want to upgrade, best sticking with a used PM6006 and a speaker/amp switch.
I wouldn't bother with a power amp attached to an avr for music. It's the preamp that provides the signature sound, so you'd have more power, but the sound would still be a bit 'meh'. There are exceptions to this, but these are for higher quality AVRs (Arcam and Anthem).
Thanks for the info, I think the PM6006 will be the choice, seems to be a good match for my speakers as well.
I think if I go higher up the chain amp wise, I'll be looking at speakers again like you said! Not something I can do right now.
So, after some more research and actually listening to the kit, I've ordered an amp
I really liked the look of the Audiolab 6000A as it has great reviews everywhere and also has HT Bypass, which is a huge plus!.
I managed to demo a 6000A and a PM6006 with Q3050i speakers, first thing to say is, they both sounded great! The 6000A had a bit more authority to the bass and also sounded a little better in the mids and highs, to my ears at least. The PM6006 did sound very, very good, but the 6000A was superb!
They also let me try the 6000A at home this morning, I tested it against the 3500H in stereo, direct and pure direct modes, the 3500H sounded good, but a little flat when compared to the Audiolab, the bass was instantly noticeable with the 6000A, not so much with the Denon!
I know someone suggested I upgrade the Q3050i, but they sounded beautiful with the 6000A and don't see any need to upgrade(yetdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7), but the option is there with this amp.
I also thought that by the time I factored in the price of the PM6006 & switch at around £420, I was only about £160 off the 6000A!
The amp arrived Saturday and I set it up yesterday, it's so easy to use the HT Bypass, I was expecting some messing about for some reason!
I've only played a few cd's so far, but everything is sounding great, I'm still trying out the filters, and I'll do some more listening later today.
I might connect the CDP via optical cable and see if the DAC in the Audiolab sounds any different to the DAC in the Marantz CD6004.
I've hooked up one of my XXLS400's via the high level input, I used the front one as it's the better sounding of the 2 on it's own, plus it's close to the amp for wiring!
After a bit of tweaking with the gain, it's blended in nicely with the Q3050i's, I haven't got it pounding away like I do for the HT setup, but it's filling in the lower end nicely where the Q's can't go!
Sounds about right. You want the sub to underpin, especially on music and not draw attention to itself.
Well that is amazing I just paid £150off of ebay and it has a little mark on the top, that is the average on their for them.
Its nice when you find something at a carboot or charity shop worth a ton of money. I have that happen to me.
The timing couldn't have been better, I was about to spend similar to you on one!