Fed up? Sell everything and start from scratch with ten grand!

[walpurgis]

So, you keep fretting over your current system. It's nice, but somehow you get that niggly feeling things could be so much better. If you flogged it all off and gave yourself a ten grand budget, what would you buy? Would it be new or second hand?


My choices?

I'd be buying largely used I think and concentrating on CD source, so perhaps a Mark Levinson No.37 transport. As for a DAC, I'd stick to what I already have, Monarchy Audio M22C. Pre-amp might be a used Music First Audio Baby in front of a new Radford Revival STA25 power amp driving a mint pair of Tannoy Berkeley Mk.II's. I make that about £9000. Bung in some decent cables and that's the ten grand spent! Should sound rather nice.

[The Black Adder]

I could do that. Not sure what I'd get though.

It certainly goes through my mind sometimes though.

[mikeyb]

I've done it numerous times too, last time was just the other week just before I swapped a speaker cable over from + to - and realised I was out of phase lol.

I had to do it the way I have done first, as without buying it bit by bit I would never have allowed myself to spend the money I have spent in one go.

[Macca]

I'd go for a fully active system, 6 channels of amplification, DSP crossovers, giant DIY 3 way speakers. Source would just be a CD player as usual.

Could get the amps for a grand, speaker build about 3 grand, DSP units are a few hundred quid. Would struggle to spend the £10K tbh unless I went for something really flash for the front end or had everything gold plated (which I might )

[walpurgis]

Would struggle to spend the £10K tbh unless I went for something really flash for the front end or had everything gold plated (which I might )

Three Krell power amps?

[Sherwood]

Starting from scratch I wouldn't be looking at vinyl. Even though I still have over 1000 albums and recognise the superiority of analogue over digital, it is a time limited format (notwithstanding the current resurgence in popularity). In fact, I would probably also bypass CD altogether and go for a top notch disk-based streaming solution.

I would try and be a bit more eco friendly in my selection of amplifiers. As much as I love my Art Audio Quintet power amp, I always feel a little guilty about the inefficiency of valve amps and their resemblance to space heaters! If there was a breakthrough in fission technology I might consider a Radford Revival jobbie or something from Acoustic Research. However, I believe that digital amplifier design has reached a threshold that makes it a contender for my new system. I would probably go for a really meaty digital power amp. I would drive the power amp directly from the streamer so no need for a pre-amp.

I currently have a pair of Magneplanars (the 1.7 model) and would be tempted by one of their larger models. However, it would be a close call between another ribbon or electrostatic design and a good single driver conventional design. If my listening room was on the small side I would go for an Omega Alnico design, possibly their SAM model.

I would spend modestly on cabling, but would be willing to spend some of my budget getting room acoustics right. Oh, and a nice E-Z-Boy recliner to complete the setup.

It would be very easy to spend 10k but in truth I think I would probably spend less than that (maybe 5k to 6k) and use the balance on going to live gigs and buying more recorded music.

Geoff

[jusbe]

Starting from scratch I wouldn't be looking at vinyl. Even though I still have over 1000 albums and recognise the superiority of analogue over digital, it is a time limited format (notwithstanding the current resurgence in popularity). In fact, I would probably also bypass CD altogether and go for a top notch disk-based streaming solution.

I'd be surprised if vinyl didn't outlast whatever digital format you might currently try and for the foreseeable future. It's lasted this far, hasn't it? Most of us can't even access floppy discs from the 80s and 90s. How long before present digital formats/codecs become obsolete? Records from the middle of last century or earlier? No problem.

People will be dropping styli onto vinyl for some time to come, I'm fairly sure.

[Sherwood]

I'd be surprised if vinyl didn't outlast whatever digital format you might currently try and for the foreseeable future. It's lasted this far, hasn't it? Most of us can't even access floppy discs from the 80s and 90s. How long before present digital formats/codecs become obsolete? Records from the middle of last century or earlier? No problem.

People will be dropping styli onto vinyl for some time to come, I'm fairly sure.

Yes, but if you are starting out from scratch without a sizeable vinyl collection would you really choose to invest in analogue. Whilst I recognise that vinyl sounds better, it takes precision engineering to get the "music" off the disc. I recently had my 30 year old Linn LP12 services and upgraded with a 3rd party sub-chassis and armboard and it sounds great though I am acutely aware that I would have to spend big bucks today to get the same quality. That it without taking into account the costs of a good preamp and cartridge (I think my AT Moving Coil and EAR 834P would cost the best part of £1500 today). What really tips the scale is the limited amount of new music issued on vinyl and its premium price over digital. I have come to this conclusion reluctantly and only recently. For the first two decades I could barely listen to cd's. However, digital is getting better (note the recent demise of the dreaded MP3 format) and it is possible to buy a digital streamer today for very little that can outperform hugely expensive flagship cd players of recent vintage.

Clearly this forum comprises a biased sample of music listeners. When I went to Uni back in the late 70's it was the ambition of many young people to get their first "proper" hifi and to invest heavily in vinyl. That is no longer the case. It still surprises me when I come across a "youf" who has never heard an album played (start to finish) on a proper hifi let alone bought a complete album, but I would suggest that is the norm. The resurgence of "vinyl" seems to me to be as much a fashion statement as an interest in quality and tied in to the "hipster" movement. Yes, vinyl will survive but it will remain a niche product for enthusiasts, much like valve amps are today.

Anyway, I was expressing my own preferences. I would expect a 10k system to be my last investment in hifi so would be looking for something to see me through for the next 20 years or so. I daresay there will still be devices around then that are compatible with FLAC or WAV format!

Geoff

[struth]

Yes, but if you are starting out from scratch without a sizeable vinyl collection would you really choose to invest in analogue. Whilst I recognise that vinyl sounds better, it takes precision engineering to get the "music" off the disc. I recently had my 30 year old Linn LP12 services and upgraded with a 3rd party sub-chassis and armboard and it sounds great though I am acutely aware that I would have to spend big bucks today to get the same quality. That it without taking into account the costs of a good preamp and cartridge (I think my AT Moving Coil and EAR 834P would cost the best part of £1500 today). What really tips the scale is the limited amount of new music issued on vinyl and its premium price over digital. I have come to this conclusion reluctantly and only recently. For the first two decades I could barely listen to cd's. However, digital is getting better (note the recent demise of the dreaded MP3 format) and it is possible to buy a digital streamer today for very little that can outperform hugely expensive flagship cd players of recent vintage.

Clearly this forum comprises a biased sample of music listeners. When I went to Uni back in the late 70's it was the ambition of many young people to get their first "proper" hifi and to invest heavily in vinyl. That is no longer the case. It still surprises me when I come across a "youf" who has never heard an album played (start to finish) on a proper hifi let alone bought a complete album, but I would suggest that is the norm. The resurgence of "vinyl" seems to me to be as much a fashion statement as an interest in quality and tied in to the "hipster" movement. Yes, vinyl will survive but it will remain a niche product for enthusiasts, much like valve amps are today.

Anyway, I was expressing my own preferences. I would expect a 10k system to be my last investment in hifi so would be looking for something to see me through for the next 20 years or so. I daresay there will still be devices around then that are compatible with FLAC or WAV format!

Geoff

I cant instill any interest in my kids to even consider keeping mine. Apethy of the younger generation eh

[paulf-2007]

Yes, but if you are starting out from scratch without a sizeable vinyl collection would you really choose to invest in analogue. Whilst I recognise that vinyl sounds better, it takes precision engineering to get the "music" off the disc. I recently had my 30 year old Linn LP12 services and upgraded with a 3rd party sub-chassis and armboard and it sounds great though I am acutely aware that I would have to spend big bucks today to get the same quality. That it without taking into account the costs of a good preamp and cartridge (I think my AT Moving Coil and EAR 834P would cost the best part of £1500 today). What really tips the scale is the limited amount of new music issued on vinyl and its premium price over digital. I have come to this conclusion reluctantly and only recently. For the first two decades I could barely listen to cd's. However, digital is getting better (note the recent demise of the dreaded MP3 format) and it is possible to buy a digital streamer today for very little that can outperform hugely expensive flagship cd players of recent vintage.

Clearly this forum comprises a biased sample of music listeners. When I went to Uni back in the late 70's it was the ambition of many young people to get their first "proper" hifi and to invest heavily in vinyl. That is no longer the case. It still surprises me when I come across a "youf" who has never heard an album played (start to finish) on a proper hifi let alone bought a complete album, but I would suggest that is the norm. The resurgence of "vinyl" seems to me to be as much a fashion statement as an interest in quality and tied in to the "hipster" movement. Yes, vinyl will survive but it will remain a niche product for enthusiasts, much like valve amps are today.

Anyway, I was expressing my own preferences. I would expect a 10k system to be my last investment in hifi so would be looking for something to see me through for the next 20 years or so. I daresay there will still be devices around then that are compatible with FLAC or WAV format!

Geoff

i don't have a sizeable vinyl collection but don't see that as a disadvantage, I know many have thousands of albums but I guess will never listen to them all more than once or twice. I like to have my all time favs on vinyl where possible and those get played regularly. The rest of the time is Spotify and rarely cd, I must have more cd's than records.