Integrated amp for Totem Sttaff

OK, I've had an opportunity to listen to the Naim Nait 5i, Creek 5350SE and Simaudio Moon i-1 through the Totem Sttafs since my initial post in December. Although the Naim was clean and articulate, it lacked any low end extension. Bi-wiring improved the situation, but I knew the Sttaf was capable of providing better bass without tweeks. Both the Creek and Simaudio provided tight, extended bass, and you'd be hard pressed to say one was better than another in this area. Overall, the Creek is extremely neutral and easy to listen to. Mids and highs are clean, and it is laid back in it's presentation. The Sim is a bit more forward so I felt it was more dynamic and engaging. The dealer who staged the audition had never heard the Sim before and said if he could take the low end from the Creek and the highs from the Sim that would be the ideal $1500 amp. Although there were some slight differences between the two, we both felt that for the price you couldn't go wrong purchasing either unit. The Creeks warranty is 2 years, while the Sims is 10. The inside of the Sim is extremely efficient and very well laid out. You get the impression that very little could go wrong. On the other hand, the Creek is more complex and not as well laid out. The Creek supports two sets of speakers, while the Sim handles one. The Sim has a convenient MP3 jack on it's front panel, but the compressed format of MP3 didn't sound very good through this high end gear. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Simaudio Moon i-1. For my taste it just seems a bit more musical. I'll keep you posted.

I have biwired my Sttafs with Tara Labs Prime 1000, courtesy of Zieman, and mass loaded them. Paired with my new Cambridge Azur 840A V2, the sound is everything I hoped it would be.

Dmg,

I have heard good things about the 840A v2, and my earlier comments in the thread about this amp not quite being up to the level of similarly priced Naim and Sim products was based on experience with the first version. Cambridge has been incredibly aggressive recently about rethinking and improving products, and apparently they have applied that approach to the 840A.

I am Curious what power cord are you using with this amp to achieve such positive results?

I am using the power cord that the amplifier comes with. I have not yet addressed that issue and won't for a while. I am however, always open to suggestions.
By the way, I have failed to mention that I am using the Sony C555ES SACD player with the Sttaf's and Cambridge.I have had it for a while now and it still performs quite nicely. All in all, quite an enjoyable listening experience.

Dmg,

Nice player. How do SACDs sound on your system?

I have some suggestions to dabble your toes in the power cord pool without shocking your wallet. I was agonizing a bit recently over the purchase of a "budget" cord for my CD player and ended up purchasing a Shunyata Diamondback at a discounted price because it would bend around the tight places in my cabinet. I was so impressed with what that did for my CD player, I made a 12 gauge wire for my integrated amp out of parts purchased from Home Depot. Without going all mushy about it, my system really sounds a lot better after adding the two wires.

In purchasing a Power Cable for the 840A, I think you should take a few things into consideration-

1. How much space do you have at the back of your system? If your amp is more than a few inches away from the wall, then you can use a stiffer cable and not have to worry about kinking it. If your amp is fairly close to the back wall or back of the cabinet, then you will need a more flexible cord, and that will limit your options.

2. How long is the run to your AC source? If you are using the stock cable, then you are probably 6ft. or less away. If you can use a shorter cord, you can save a few bucks on each foot of wire you don't buy.

3. Shielding - for an amplifier, you don't really need a shielded cable. In fact you may not want it.

Some suggestions:

Stiff wires-
Signal Cable MagicPower, $59.00 for 3ft.
http://signalcable.com/magicpower.html

VH Audio Flavor 4 Power Cable, $169.99 for 3ft.
http://www.vhaudio.com/flavor4.html

Voodoo Audio Mojo Power Cable, $175.00 for 3ft.
http://www.thecableco.com/product.php?id=6385

Not so stiff wires-
Audio Art Power Cable, $145.00 for 3ft.
http://www.audioartcable.com/Articles.asp?ID=131

JPS Labs GPA 2 Power Cable, $199.00 for 6ft.
http://www.thecableco.com/product.php?id=1136

Kimble Kable Powerkord 10, $210.00 for 4ft.
http://www.thecableco.com/product.php?id=1633

Shunyata Research Diamondback Platinum Power Cable, $250.00 for 5ft.
http://www.thecableco.com/product.php?id=6049

Many of these cables (and many, many more) are available from one vendor, the Cable Company (http://www.thecableco.com/index.php). The nice thing about them is they allow you to borrow and try cables before you buy.

All these cables are considered budget wires - if you can call a $250.00 wire "budget". For this level of product which mostly use similar grade connectors, cable gauge, conductors and geometry, any real differences are usually in the insulating material and any cryogenic treatment. Given the general similarities, I would try the Signal Cable first to see if it does anything for you. $59.00 is a nice dinner out these days - for one.