Wanted/advice on speakers etc

[allya]

Hi folks, just wanted to know what speakers/ amp/ CD player is around or what's on offer.
Haven't bought these for a while now so haven't a clue really. Got 400/500 to spend on each.
I know these will have to be 2nd hand so any help would be great

Thanks Alan

[Effem]

Simple enough question but by heck you will get a complicated answer :eyebrows:

Do the easy bit first. What kind of music do you prefer listening to, what kind of sound (sound - mellow? quick? sharp/bright, etc.,?) and what kind of room will it all live in?

[struth]

Frank will see you right:)

[take5]

Alan, in many ways it is impossible to answer, given the information provided.

We all have different needs and expectations.

Can you provide more info?

what Hi Fi kit do you have at the moment? have you heard some other kit. why do you want to change? what about your present kit dont you like/feel needs improving. what would you expect from new kit.

how big is your room. Do you want floorstanding speakers, or smaller ones on stands. Can the speakers come away from the walls or corners, or need to be pushed back against walls/into corners.

Do you have a turntable already?

£1200/1500 is a very nice budget, and should get a very nice sounding 2nd hand system.

As a generalisation, I wouldnt split the budget evenly. I would spend a little less on a CD player and a little more on speakers.

Are you the kind of person who having bought something, will be content for years ahead. Or are you like me and many others on here, in that you will change kit regularly.
Nothing wrong with that, but if you are in the swapping category, you need to be very aware of the going rate for any kit that you buy. Research using Ebay completed prices to give you an idea. If/when the time comes to change kit, if you have bought wisely, you wont lose too much if anything.

Sometimes individual bits of kit get good reviews etc, but they end up not being at their best with another piece of kit that you have. Sometimes trial and error is needed.
Hopefully some folks here may not just suggest individual components, but a complete, compatible system.

good luck

[Macca]

In the absence of further information I can only say what I would do with £1500 to spend.

Amps - a passive pre and an updated QUAD 303 power amp (or similar, something that will work well with the passive).

Speakers - as big as possible and of high sensitivity. JBLs or similar concept.

CD player - so much choice second hand! As above I'd not allocate third of the budget. For me I'd look at Sony or Technics for rock/pop, if you don't like it too full-on, Pioneer or Yamaha; if you like classical music and a warmer, more sumptuous sound, Marantz. Horrific generalisation I know but gives an idea, I hope.

[MikeMusic]

For CD player the Pioneer PD-S703 and it similar stable mates with stable platter are very good.
Easily under £100 and you may have room for a Caiman or BM DAC to take it even higher

I'm half Yorkshire so I'm 'careful with money'
:)

[hifi_dave]

I've just listed a pair of Icon Audio MFV 3 Super in gloss black on E-Bay. Super efficient tower speakers, usually selling at £1699 but your's (or anyone else's) for £250. Must be collected as I have no packing.

[allya]

Ahhhh cheers guys for all your replays

The music I listen to varies from indie to classical and from rock n roll to dance and electronics, I'd say more rock and roll tho.
I'd say I want more of a sharp sound

I don't have anything at the moment, just returned from a few years if travelling so I'm starting fresh and I've all these CDs without any good kit to listen to them on

My front room is of average size, not to big but at the same time not overly small

Regarding speakers I just want a nice crisp sound.

Cheers hi fi Dave, sounds great just Exeter is a bit far away from yorkshire

Hope this helps and thanks struth, macca and mike music, I'll have a gander at them

[wee tee cee]

Alan,
You could build a new system within your budget with some lateral thinking. Speakers wise have a look at electricbeach frugel3.....Steve Jay builds them to your taste-bang for buck and quality of finish and more importantly sonically, they are hard to beat.
Amp wise Temple audio mono blocks either with they're pre amp or a passive pre like the Tisbury audio that you can configure to your spec.
CD player.....or how about a cheap lap top with a DAC like the Beresford Bushmaster or Caiman2. The latter you can utilise as a preamp with the added bonus of a usb connection.
You can wire it up with help from forum members who offer great vfm cables.

Should be doable within you budget-if your music is on CDs the lap top places your collection at your finger tips with the addition of spotify and internet radio.

Just a thought.....

[Effem]

Ahhhh cheers guys for all your replays

The music I listen to varies from indie to classical and from rock n roll to dance and electronics, I'd say more rock and roll tho.
I'd say I want more of a sharp sound

I don't have anything at the moment, just returned from a few years if travelling so I'm starting fresh and I've all these CDs without any good kit to listen to them on

My front room is of average size, not to big but at the same time not overly small

Regarding speakers I just want a nice crisp sound.

Cheers hi fi Dave, sounds great just Exeter is a bit far away from yorkshire

Hope this helps and thanks struth, macca and mike music, I'll have a gander at them


That gives a clearer picture :)

My first suggestion is to buy a CD player that isn't an old one. There are some truly superb players on the secondhand market, but they are reaching the age where the laser units are getting a tad fragile, or at least starting to get finnicky. With the headlong rush towards computer based audio, not many new CD players are appearing on the market unless you want to pay silly money or want to put up with inferior sound from a budget player, like Cambridge Audio. In this role I would suggest a Pioneer PD-10K which is a stonking good player and as a bonus plays SACDs too. Available as ex-dem on ebay for under £150 I see.

Speakers are a pain in the rump because they can be very personal to the listener. Buying secondhand to save a couple of quid is great when you can find that elusive bargain locally, as whenever I spot a belter it's far too many miles away to contemplate, plus of course a seller's description of "mint" is not always the same as the rest of us perceive. I had a quick scan on ebay and found this pair which I wouldn't mind having myself

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audio-vector-mi3-super-speakers-any-questions-tel-07792851289-/221610447089?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item33990310f1

They give a fast lithe sound that should meet your rock/pop needs and not too shabby for the classical either. Located in West Yorkshire so closer to you than me for collection too :eyebrows:

These are a good all-rounder, not fussy about placement, not power hungry either http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-NS-200-Main-Stereo-Speakers-home-cinema-what-hi-fi-5-/221596955005?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item339835317dhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-NS-200-Main-Stereo-Speakers-home-cinema-what-hi-fi-5-/221596955005?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item339835317d shame these are so far away - as usual.

Finally, a nice pair of speakers in the same county as you. Yes. Rega R5's are smaller and less obtrusive, a good all round little speaker
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rega-R5-Maple-Floorstanding-Speakers-Awesome-sounding-speakers-/181588327778?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item2a4781fd62

Amplifiers. I will go against popular opinion and not make speaker choice a top priority. I have heard mediocre speakers being bullied into making sweet noises by a powerful refined amplifier, than the opposite situation whereby top flight speakers are being murdered by an inadequate amplifier. My opinion of course.

Any one of the above speaker being fed by this beast should sound very sweet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Restek-Challenger-Integrated-Amplifier-/231398275159?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item35e0697857http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Restek-Challenger-Integrated-Amplifier-/231398275159?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item35e0697857 and will keep up with a good number of speaker upgrades too I might add.

Fab-u-lous Luxman amp http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUXMAN-L-230-STEREO-AMPLIFIER-/111523807853?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item19f756426d

One of my favourite amps, the Marantz PM7200. Sweet as a nut, great for all genres of music, Class A option and a remote control for lard arses like me
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marantz-PM7200-Phono-Integrated-Amplifier-WITH-ACCESSORIES-/291293474800?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item43d271aff0 £250 should get you one in near mint condition in the original box for shipping and avoid the ones without remote control. If they looked after the remote then they should have looked after the amp as well.

There you are, some food for thought ;)

[Reffc]

Welcome Alan

I'm going to completely buck the trend here and advise against buying (very) old gear that may need attention. For your budget you can build a cracking system. If you want an up front sound that does rock well but other genres too, I'd advise on a new CDP and maybe even speakers which can be had discounted at some outlets (otherwise buy more recent speakers say under 15 years old), and the system I'd build would keep it nice and simple:

Amp: Stick to an integrated. Mixed bag pre-power combos are fraught with pitfalls and ultimately are more expensive. There's nothing to be gained by using the fashion (?) for a passive pre with an old power amp. One of the best integrated amoplifiers on a budget which will compete with even a decent mid range amp today is the Denon PMA355UK. This offers 50wpc into an 8 Ohm load, uses very high quality components, has a really decently designed circuit a really decent power supply and even comes with remote control for ultimate convenience. It sounds great too and won loads of awards shortly after its release some years back. As a bonus, it also has a half reasonable phono stage and a headphones socket. It's a cracking amp and highly unlikely due to the quality and rating of components used, to need much, if any attention if you buy a minter on Ebay. Cost is around £100 used...utter bargain;

CD. No contest. Avoid the upgrade and kit swapping and go straight for a new Rega Appollo R. Does it all very well indeed and has a very analogue presentation. Cost £550 to £600.

That leaves £800 for speakers and cables.

For the speakers, again, avoid older boxes that will likely need crossover refurbs (electrolytic capacitors in many over 15 years old wil be shot). Newer ones used which would suit your tastes and should work well in an average room would include the Proac Studio 140 (sells well used too), the Q Acoustics 2050i are a reasonably well designed set which will boogie on a budget really well as will the Dali Icon 5 (used), KEF Q500. Any of these would meet your needs. If you aim at used, £400 to £600 will buy one of these.

That leaves enough for speaker cable (just buy some 1.5mm diameter OFC multistrand terminated with Z plugs to begin with or Van Damme tour cable, or the inexpensive Black Rhodium twist (I put my hands in the air and say that I sell this but that's not why I'm recommending it!) and buy some screened interconnects. Look for reasonable quality plugs (avoid cheap and nasty ones as if there has to be a signal connection, it matters to make it a good one).

You'll then have a system which rocks for the budget, will give you the detail you're after (without making your ears bleed) and each of the components will be dead easy to move on second hand if and when you decide to upgrade.

[allya]

Thank you very much for your replay frank, much appreciated, I'm having a look at those you mentioned on eBay. Your a big help :)
I will also have a look at what you mentioned tony

[walpurgis]

A simple question with so many possible answers.

Frank and Paul have both given good advice. A Denon amplifier is always a good start, PMA-250SE, PMA-255, PME-350SE or PMA-355. They each offer a good starting point, sound decent and are reliable.

CD player? Buy new! A good make though.

Speakers? Keep it simple. A good two way compact standmounting type will give you all you need. (I'm picking up a pair of Usher S520 speakers myself shorty, as a back up to my system. A pair of those would suit you fine and work well with a Denon amp)

Cables? Something reputable. Second hand is usually good if you want to save money. (avoid QED Silver Anniversary speaker cable)

[hifi_dave]

OK, it's what I sell but I sell only what I like and what I believe in so - Rega Apollo-r with Rega Brio-r.

I don't know of anything better at anywhere near the price. The basis of a great system which will give you music for many years.

[MikeMusic]

Cheers hi fi Dave, sounds great just Exeter is a bit far away from yorkshire


Essex much closer to Yorkshire, although hardly next door
For that crazy price I'd think about the journey, perhaps a visit to Dave might sort you out with everything.
Minimum is lots of info and food for thought
edit
and if it's Rega Dave has it in stock !
:)

[Macca]

For that crazy price I'd think about the journey, perhaps a visit to Dave might sort you out with everything.
:)

Agree worth considering if you have transport.

[icehockeyboy]

I would also steer clear of old CD players, especially the Pioneer stable platter ones.

I've tried to buy 2 in the past, and both failed!

Lots of good advice written here already, so just choose which suggestion floats your boat, but if you do want to play CD's, some time ago it was the thing to buy a cheap DVD player, and hook it up to a DAC, a Bereford for example, the results saw off a number of higher priced stand alone CDP's.

[twotone]

I've been down the 'old Jap seventies amp and tuner' road, not worth the bother IMO.

I've just picked up a Denon PMA-720AE integrated amp with a phono stage and a headphone amp for £115 posted from one of the forums or you can buy them on e-bay with 12 months warranty for £149 plus £10 postage (I think) sold as 'manfacturer refurbished'.

I hooked my Firebottle phono amp up to my son's old ancient Sony integrated amp last week, his TT is a cheap Stanton DD DJ deck with a DJ cart and his speakers are Focal floorstanders, and it sounded fantastic.

The Sony cost me £30 plus postage from a member on here last year.

Tony