Starting from Scratch...apart from Castle Speakers

[shabby64]

You could always start from zero

An example within your budget;

http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-3614-moni...kers-pair.aspx (£225)

http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-2669-mara...amplifier.aspx (£200)

http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-3212-mara...cd-player.aspx (£180)

http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-9562-atac...ands-pair.aspx (£70)

£675 delivered in total - EVERYTHING brand new with 2-5 years warranty plus amp & CDP work with the same remote when linked.

You could also sell the Rotel & Castles to fund better speaker cables & interconnect (if needed).

Don't get lost in too much "research";you'll go mad & end up either buying nothing or going way over budget!

[DSJR]

I can confidently recommend the suggested Rega Planet CD players of old because, 1, I sold them new and know how involving they can sound and 2, because Rega can still service them should it be necessary. use with the Klotz based "Couple" if possible (or make your own). The "Clamshell" Mira and Luna amps were goodies too for the reasons given above.

You may be surprised how much better the Rotel amp can sound, you never know, but I must admit the 971 bigger one was rather better still..

[Audioman]

Claire. Just read through all this thread and frankly I am not surprised you are confused. Buying second hand is a minefield and can involve unseen repair costs. With a limited budget steer away from valves. Good valves amps are reasonably expensive especially if you don't want a mushy sound. I think if you are keeping the Castles solid state is a better match.

You expressed a liking for Rega so I am going to suggest stretching to a c£1000 budget and go for a Rega Brio R and the new Apollo R CD player. I think the sound would suite your criteria and you are getting top value for money with warranty and no hidden extra costs. I haven't heard these myself but judging from others enthusiasm for the Brio and the sound of previous Rega equipment I would recommend you audition these at your local dealer. (Cymbiosis in Leicester).

[Alex_UK]

You expressed a liking for Rega so I am going to suggest stretching to a c£1000 budget and go for a Rega Brio R and the new Apollo R CD player.

I was going to suggest this yesterday, but it is quite a stretch on the budget. At the very least, a Brio R (£480) which would then leave £220 for a second-hand CD player - maybe the last Apollo if you're lucky, or save a little for the new version.

The Brio R is IMO simply stunning value (I put my money where my mouth is!) and I've yet to read or hear a bad word about it - it's getting a bit boring me keep recommending it, but that's just because it is so good at any price, let alone the give away price it is. Yet to try the new Apollo, but the "word on the street" is that it is very good too, so I'd sell some family silver and go with the aesthetically matching combo, get full warranty and dealer back up, and of course buy British, too!

[JJack]

Here's how great a deal you could get on used gear (if you lived in the States, sorry): I'm selling my Arcam 10 integrated and 7SE player for about 380 pounds FOR BOTH.

Given that this kit was made in the UK, I'm sure you could find a similar deal if you hunted around a bit. The Arcams have been bulletproof and they sound wonderful at both low and high volume. I'm thinking they have to be available all over the place in the UK.

If you could find a deal like I'm selling, you could also get a new pair of Wharfedale 10.1 or something else terrific like that, and still be under your budget. Speakers have made great strides recently.

Used is easy if you stick with the big names (Arcam, Cambridge, etc) that have stood the recent test of time.

I also haven't made the jump to computer audio, it seems there are too many variables for me to understand right now; I'm hoping it gets sorted in the next couple years and then I'll jump in.

[hoopsontoast]

To add another idea into the mix, dont discount big'ol Jap battleship amps.
I have a Sony TA-F670ES which I picked up for under £150, and previously have a TA-F770ES for around £300. Both stonking amps.
Full of features and inputs, enough power for anyone but crucially, they just make music.
I had a T-Amp for a good while, and I would recommend one, even just for backup but with reasonably easy to drive speakers (Impedance rather than sensitivity unless you play loud) you might just be surprised.
FWIW, I preferred the TA2020 T-Amp over the Bantam Gold.
Regarding the CDP, Rega Planet (Mk1 and 2000) both are great, the Mk1 tends to go for £150ish and the 2000 for £200ish. I have had great success with a Philips CD-850, and there are plenty of these older Legacy CDP's around for dirt cheap, I picked up mine for £50, bargain! As a cheap transport as well gives you a budget for a modern DAC if you want to try any.

[RichB]

Some great advice from shabby there.... no reason why such a system couldnt give you years of enjoyment and i reckons this combo would sound like lots of fun without compromising on quality. I'm assuming of course its a nice system rather than a hi-fi hobby you're after!

Second the idea of selling the castle's and putting the funds towards a nice budget USB DAC, i use the Beresford TC-7502 (unmodified as yet) which, when connected to a PC or laptop, will open up the world of net radio, spotify and downloads. That way you never run out of something to listen to!

[The Grand Wazoo]

What's wrong with Castle Kendals?
Everyone seems to want Claire to get rid of them, when she's stated in her original post that she wants to buy an amp & CD player to match the speakers she owns (& presumably likes), and that money is tight.

[wee tee cee]

Dell lap top/gatorized caiman or usb dac/t amp- mini t/original bantum belkin interconnects and speaker cable.
You could start out with the basis for an excellent computer based system all new and within your budget.
Loads of scope to upgrade things as the money becomes availble.
Loads of guys willing to help with the computer side of things.
The t amps will give you a nice valve like presentation.
Tony.

[littlest hobo]

What's wrong with Castle Kendals?
Everyone seems to want Claire to get rid of them, when she's stated in her original post that she wants to buy an amp & CD player to match the speakers she owns (& presumably likes), and that money is tight.

Thanks for the observation. We've just moved house (hence money is V tight), I bought the Castles in the midst of the move - changing them again so soon after would not be well received, ditto buying another computer. I'm enjoying the Castle's for now and they're step up from my Arcam Duo's.

Have been looking at all my options (solid state/valve, integrated and pre/power) there is so much choice. I've been looking at the Bantum's and I'm particularly taken with the monoblocs. There's a lot of opportunities to experiment over the next couple of years, just working out my starting point.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed and opened my eyes to the world of hifi

P.S. I'm a Mac girl