Fantasy system-building

[Scooby]

I spend a bit of time looking through EBay listings just for the sake of it. To make it a bit more fun I thought about a few "what-ifs":

What if I was just starting out or starting over and wanted the cheapest system you could get from ebay sellers (source, amp and speakers) that played good music.

What if I had no limitations of money or space and wanted an EBay system available from current listings?

What would you guys come up with in those scenarios? Im intrigued to see what you can unearth and put together.

[sumday]

Yes, oh how we love EBay.
I'm thinking a nice retro Pioneer reciever of the Huge kind...a SX1050/1250 perhaps.
If I sell the house and car I might have enough left over for cable....scalpers.

[Scooby]

Right now there aren't any stone-cold Bargains I can see, except a Sony PSX-70 on £65, but it will probably go for more even for a collection only item.

The Best Buy It Now System I could put together for cheap is an EB101 for £140, a HK650 for £109 and a pair of MA 352s for £65. Just over £300 for a decent vinyl- based setup with a big sound

[Barry]

I think we have had a thread about putting together a system for £100 by buying gear second-hand and through the classified ads and on-line sites.

A "cost no object system", is on the other hand far too open ended. Though if I had to make a list it might be:

Copies of master tapes made at 30 ips of all the titles in my music collection, played back on either a Studer C37 (with a copious supply of replacement heads and spare parts) or a Studer A80/RC machine (or maybe a Nagra T, or perhaps a Telefunken M15 machine),

A Marantz 10B tuner that was routinely maintained and aligned for FM broadcasts,

A Mark Levinson HQD system, consisting of stacked Quad 57s, a Decca ribbon tweeter, and a 24" woofer in a 24 cu ft enclosure for each channel, all powered by Levinson ML-2 pure Class A amplifiers and fed through Levinson active crossovers and preamps (maybe a pair of ML-6s).

Obviously, all this would be housed in a dedicated listening room, designed to be acoustically optimum, and in the middle of nowhere so as not to disturb the neighbours.

[Scooby]

I've just been looking at the high end stuff and a few things stand out. A Basis Debut Gold Standard for just £1999, A Sumo Gold Series Super Nine amp for £1865 and some Martin Logan Aerius for £599. I'll have a look at the £100 system thread.that will be. Some challenge, especially off EBay and will probably preclude a vinyl source, but you never know.

[Macca]

Okay I'll play.

How about this Denon PMA 560 amp from back when Denon were properly good? £130 posted. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Denon-PMA-560-2-Channels-Amplifier/182965205013?hash=item2a99937815:g:vnsAAOSw9KhaM8E s

Speakers - not so many budget bargains on there at the moment but these 3 way Technics look quite minty for under a ton https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECHNICS-SB-F860-3-WAY-SPEAKERS/162803282434?hash=item25e7d4f202:g:EG8AAOSwySlZ8eQ q


CD - This 1980s Sony will do the job, £27 delivered. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-CDP-35-CD-PLAYER/152795571715?hash=item2393536603:g:6b4AAOSwqbxaEw1 i

About £260 all in.

[hifinutt]

mmm there is a modwright dm on ebay at a slightly inflated price but as I already have one !! I will setltle for these 2 lovely arc ref 210 monoblocks

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audio-Research-Reference-210-Power-Amplifiers/292373261872?hash=item4412cdee30:g:slIAAOSwFjlZtXd 7

and these rather nice magico s3 available here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAGICO-S3-MK1-FLOORSTANDING-LOUDSPEAKERS/263392641170?hash=item3d536cc092:g:i3UAAOSwywRaNt3 E