Afternoon all

[jsj24uk]

Hi everyone.

Just thought I would pop my head in and say hello.
I'm very new to all of this and still havn't quite got a clue what I'm doing but I hope that you can all be of help from time to time.

The hi-fi bug started a few weeks ago with a win on Ebay for a Philips CD204 cd player. I always wanted one of these since I was about 8 years old. Then when one came up I pounced on it.

This is when it all started getting expensive. The following weekend I was down at an electrical shop in Hatfield where I bought an Arcam A65 Plus amp and a pair of Mission 79 Series 2 speakers. Also learnt about bi-wiring with speakers. I will stick a couple of pics up in the pics section.

Be good everyone,
Jim.

[Filterlab]

Hi Jim!

Ahhhh, a new hi-fi fan. Let me tell you now Jim, you are at the very start of a long and pleasurable road that will throw you somewhere between nirvana and bankruptcy (let's hope it's the former of course). As with a car, the tyres are as important as the engine so have a good tweak with your cables and stands.

Ask any questions at all and we'll do our best to help, keep an eye on all the sections as we're a right old generous bunch of lads (particularly Shian7) and stuff gets given away on occasion. :) That'll at the very least help to reduce the spending, either that or it'll get you thinking "Mmmm, I might just change my source, mmmm I'll change my cables now, mmmm I could do with a new amp...." etc etc.

Anyway, whatever - get stuck in and enjoy!

:)

[John]

Hi Jim
Welcome to the mad world of Hifi. Rob is correct in what he says so be careful it can become quite addictive.
Lots of people here like sharing there knowledge and advice.
Best advice I can give is research what you want well and find someone who is willing to let you hear gear in your own home and will not push products on you. Its possible to get good sound for not to much money and its possible to spend a fortune and get it wrong

[Filterlab]

Its possible to get good sound for not too much money and its possible to spend a fortune and get it wrong

That is possibly the best sentence I've ever read in regard to hi-fi. Never a truer word spoken. :)

[Steve Toy]

It is true that a modest but well-tweaked system will outperform one considerably more expensive that has just been plonked together and wired up with bell wire and freebie patches.

[Cotlake]

It is true that a modest but well-tweaked system will outperform one considerably more expensive that has just been plonked together and wired up with bell wire and freebie patches.

Well actually, bell wire and freebie patches can work better than some esoteric connections. You are not likely to find an expensive system that is hooked up with bell wire etc, are you, yet what you get (dealer recommended) may well under-perform compared with using these cheap connectors. The dealer will have done his stuff on the punter. Synergy of all components is the qualifier per se, and certainly, affordable systems set up properly can beat mega buck systems with mismatched components. Good stuff will always shine even with cheap hook up. At Owsten, much of the time the speaker cables were mains wire.

Component matching synergy should be the first consideration for every enthusiast regardless of what they can afford.

Best wishes,

Greg

[Mike]

keep an eye on all the sections as we're a right old generous bunch of lads (particularly Shian7) and stuff gets given away on occasion. :)

This is true, I'll gladly give you a resistor for only ten MILLION pounds! :mad:

On the other hand... If you need an interconnect I may well make it for you for somewhere near bugger all. Or maybe even for free. :)

Welcome to AoS!


Cheers...

[Marco]

Hi Greg,


Synergy of all components is the qualifier per se, and certainly, affordable systems set up properly can beat mega buck systems with mismatched components. Good stuff will always shine even with cheap hook up. At Owsten, much of the time the speaker cables were mains wire.

Component matching synergy should be the first consideration for every enthusiast regardless of what they can afford.


I agree, although if talking about "patch leads" I automatically think of the nasty stuff given away free with midi systems and the like, which quite frankly ruin *any* system regardless of price. Those things destroy the music signal - it's a different matter if you're talking about decent but inexpensive cables vs. the expensive 'audiophile' variety, then I feel your point is more valid; in fact both Steve and I have had this very discovery recently ;)

Solid-core mains wire works great with valve amps, which suits the gear at Owston perfectly, and less so with most commercial solid-state gear which the majority of the hi-fi buying public use, hence the need for something more 'suitable' but not necessarily expensive.

Marco.

[John]

Sometimes you can have all the exotic leads in the world have ultra expensive kit and somehow it is still not really musical
I think good sound is about so many factors This is a hobby that can drive people nuts if it goes wrong and when you get it right well its just a great inner smile while listening to your fav music