Putting together a good cheap system

[Made in 1968]

Im one of these that have been doing Hi-Fi for donkies years, When i had loads of money in my younger days i went thru Equipment like changing socks. I no long do this because i find the hobby a utter bore these days & of the many modern offerings ive been well disappointed beyond belief.

So then spending money on an hobby i feel i no longer have any interest in other using it as a tool aint gonna happen. For awhile now i have been trying to put a good sounding system together out of 2nd Hand equipment that sounds good to my ears. These days i have a very short Concentration Threshold hence i just listen to the music & not the stereo [Like normal human beings are suppose to do] The stereo has to be aesthetically acceptable in a modern minimalist living room hence has to fall inline with that [No old looking Vintage]

Believe me i totally recommend this, Hi-Fi is a mugs game imho.. but not worth the back fire from the mugs themselves.

Up to yet:

Source: PC Based FLAC [Already bought this years ago but never used the PC much £0 just the price of a new SSD installed.
Amplifier: ARCAM 'Alpha Mk.II' £49
Loudspeakers: KEF 'Cantor II' £35

I was thinking about another turntable to match but i cant say i really liked many decks & besides i do not really have any interest in Vinyl anymore plus people always take the piss with prices like Vinyl is some kind of Elitist thing :lol: Besides they take too much room up.

Small footprint stereo just put on the sideboard use & forget is where im at..The PC does not need to be anywhere near the Amplifier. I did consider the matching CDP, but CDP are short term cos they are unreliable long term & i certainly do not want that or having to get involved in this boring hobby a few years down the line plus the fact im bone idle & don't want to be handling CDs. where as PCs are a part of everyone's lives, The world is geared up to a PC

[Alex_UK]

I understand where you're coming from Andre. I don't even have a system in the living room anymore - a pair of Roth active Bluetooth speakers either side of the TV - unobtrusive, and connected to the TV any app I use on there comes through the speakers - Samsung TV has Spotify and Tidal apps, and Plex for connecting to my music server. Quality is perfectly fine for most listening. Dining room system similar - pair of Wharfedale 220's either side of the TV, PC source only into Beresford Caiman and Rega Brio-R, all tucked away in the sideboard with the Xbox One and sounds bloomin' great! I am going to have a vinyl/CD system upstairs, but more to play what I already have and the kids are intrigued with these strange big black and small silver discs! :lol:

[AJSki2fly]

Im one of these that have been doing Hi-Fi for donkies years, When i had loads of money in my younger days i went thru Equipment like changing socks. I no long do this because i find the hobby a utter bore these days & of the many modern offerings ive been well disappointed beyond belief.

.............

Small footprint stereo just put on the sideboard use & forget is where im at..The PC does not need to be anywhere near the Amplifier. I did consider the matching CDP, but CDP are short term cos they are unreliable long term & i certainly do not want that or having to get involved in this boring hobby a few years down the line plus the fact im bone idle & don't want to be handling CDs. where as PCs are a part of everyone's lives, The world is geared up to a PC

So how do you connect the PC to the amp, or is it on a long wire so you can move it about the house.:D

[Made in 1968]

Hi-Fi as we used to know it has died its death me thinks, just die hard hanger onners keep it going. Too much cheap stuff that gives the everydayl person all they want. You only have to look at posters around forums, majority stream music.

We had a comment on here just this week saying he was giving Vinyl a rest for a bit. ;)

[Macca]

Im one of these that have been doing Hi-Fi for donkies years, When i had loads of money in my younger days i went thru Equipment like changing socks. I no long do this because i find the hobby a utter bore these days & of the many modern offerings ive been well disappointed beyond belief.


That's the opposite of me, had no money in my younger days so was stuck with Jap bin end from Richers or Hyper-Fi and whatever came up in the local paper classifieds or in the junk shops.

Only in past ten years have I been able to buy kit that I marvelled at in my youth. Some has been disappointing, some hasn't, but almost everything has eventually died on me.

I see enjoying music and trying different kit as only tangentially related pursuits. It's great when you put together a combination that really does it and there's no doubt that I do enjoy the music more through something like that but really as long as it isn't harsh or hard sounding I'm happy to listen to it and as you say that's a lot of cheap modern kit now. Just a shame that build quality and reliability from the 'big names' aint what they used to be.

[AJSki2fly]

Hi-Fi as we used to know it has died its death me thinks, just die hard hanger onners keep it going. Too much cheap stuff that gives the everydayl person all they want. You only have to look at posters around forums, majority stream music.

We had a comment on here just this week saying he was giving Vinyl a rest for a bit. ;)

Well if Hi-Fi was dead, then there would be no hi-fi shops or manufacturers, or hi-fi magazines, but there still is. I would agree that there is a lot of lower end stuff around, but unfortunately it tends to give poor resolution IMO, but then the majority tend to be happy to put up with it. To be honest I think this probably has always been the case, if you look back in history, say to the late 60's and onwards, most people listened to records on a cheap record player or possibly a music centre, then we had cassette players which were not that great quickly followed by Walkmans.

In the 80's came CDs, and most people if they had an interest in music purchase some sort of stack system with a CD player, I am not talking the £500+ gear more the cheap £200-300 stuff.

Then came the MP3 players and pure digital files players, which more or less followed the same pattern just a different format, and now it is just further extended with wifi/bluetooth and streaming from the net. You can do this with cheap gear e.g. an Amazon Echo for £79, or with some more sophisticated kit.

So all of through this there has been and still the Hi-Fi separates which generally purport to offer better sound quality and reliability, whether true or not. In my view HiFi enthusiasts have always been in a minority, those that get into HiFi are generally limited by budget and to an extend what they are prepared to spend to get a sound they like. The majority however will just listen to what is easily and cheaply available and so it will remain.

[CageyH]

For someone who is bored with the hobby, you post quite often on the forums. ;)
A new SSD is likely to be about £100 if you get a reasonable one. As for amps and speakers, whatever floats your boat.
I don’t have a system in my lounge. If I want music, I put my Bose Sound-dock in the room, and stream from my phone or tablet. As I own all of these already, this has cost me £0 and gives an acceptable sound.

[southall-1998_mk2]

I've stopped chasing after expensive gear ages ago.

Nowadays, I use entry level amps/speakers etc that sounds good enough to my ears. The most important thing, is to be happy, screw what the haters say!!

But as always, trust your ears!

S.

[Made in 1968]

So how do you connect the PC to the amp, or is it on a long wire so you can move it about the house.:D

On a HRT streamer. The Streamer is near the Amp, The USB is the longer lead.

[Made in 1968]

For someone who is bored with the hobby, you post quite often on the forums. ;)
A new SSD is likely to be about £100 if you get a reasonable one. As for amps and speakers, whatever floats your boat.
I don’t have a system in my lounge. If I want music, I put my Bose Sound-dock in the room, and stream from my phone or tablet. As I own all of these already, this has cost me £0 and gives an acceptable sound.

My Samsung EVO 500GB SSD was in the sale at £25. No way on earth would i pay the £75 asking now.

[Made in 1968]

I've stopped chasing after expensive gear ages ago.

Nowadays, I use entry level amps/speakers etc that sounds good enough to my ears. The most important thing, is to be happy, screw what the haters say!!

But as always, trust your ears!

S.

Here Here Shane, Most enthusiast are up their own arses looking down on cheap gear, They can feed you as much Bull shite as they want to justify themselves.

[Pigmy Pony]

Im one of these that have been doing Hi-Fi for donkies years, When i had loads of money in my younger days i went thru Equipment like changing socks. I no long do this because i find the hobby a utter bore these days & of the many modern offerings ive been well disappointed beyond belief.

So then spending money on an hobby i feel i no longer have any interest in other using it as a tool aint gonna happen. For awhile now i have been trying to put a good sounding system together out of 2nd Hand equipment that sounds good to my ears. These days i have a very short Concentration Threshold hence i just listen to the music & not the stereo [Like normal human beings are suppose to do] The stereo has to be aesthetically acceptable in a modern minimalist living room hence has to fall inline with that [No old looking Vintage]

Believe me i totally recommend this, Hi-Fi is a mugs game imho.. but not worth the back fire from the mugs themselves.

Up to yet:

Source: PC Based FLAC [Already bought this years ago but never used the PC much £0 just the price of a new SSD installed.
Amplifier: ARCAM 'Alpha Mk.II' £49
Loudspeakers: KEF 'Cantor II' £35

I was thinking about another turntable to match but i cant say i really liked many decks & besides i do not really have any interest in Vinyl anymore plus people always take the piss with prices like Vinyl is some kind of Elitist thing :lol: Besides they take too much room up.

Small footprint stereo just put on the sideboard use & forget is where im at..The PC does not need to be anywhere near the Amplifier. I did consider the matching CDP, but CDP are short term cos they are unreliable long term & i certainly do not want that or having to get involved in this boring hobby a few years down the line plus the fact im bone idle & don't want to be handling CDs. where as PCs are a part of everyone's lives, The world is geared up to a PC

Sounds like you could do with a new hobby, like gardening or cat grooming. If you went down the garden route (path?) there are no end of activities to keep you occupied. I imagine gnome-painting would be very therapeutic. And if you feel the need to let off some steam you can always join one of the gardening forums and get stuck into the whole Flymo vs Qualcast furore.

Could still end up costly though. Cat-grooming on the other hand could be done quite cheaply, just a brush, and a bottle of TCP for the scratches. It could even be a bit of an earner, just a card in the newsagent's window :)

I'm happy just where I am, and will continue to enjoy records and CDs as long as my legs are able to get my lazy arse off the sofa. And I couldn't care less if this is a 'niche' interest, in fact I prefer it that way :)

[Made in 1968]

I could go train spotting but there is no trains left..

btw: Hi-Fi is not my Hobby i cant stand the farce, I listen to music, you know what you actually buy a stereo for!

[mr sneff]

btw: Hi-Fi is not my Hobby i cant stand the farce, I listen to music, you know what you actually buy a stereo for!
Yet you've rejoined a Hi-Fi forum and have posted (to date) 1349 times since January 2020 :lol:

[Pigmy Pony]

I could go train spotting but there is no trains left..

btw: Hi-Fi is not my Hobby i cant stand the farce, I listen to music, you know what you actually buy a stereo for!

It's not the reason I bought a stereo, I bought it so I can just look at it when there's nothing on the telly. I don't even switch it on any more, not since my smart meter told me I'm wasting my money.

[Made in 1968]

Yet you've rejoined a Hi-Fi forum and have posted (to date) 1349 times since January 2020 :lol:

Typical Repetitive Reply

[Made in 1968]

It's not the reason I bought a stereo, I bought it so I can just look at it when there's nothing on the telly. I don't even switch it on any more, not since my smart meter told me I'm wasting my money.

Dont worry thats what Hi-Fi enthusiast do innit? :D

[Stryder5]

Yet you've rejoined a Hi-Fi forum and have posted (to date) 1349 times since January 2020 :lol:

I just use my ignore option on certain people who joined in Jan 2020 and post very frequently so I don’t read the drivel.

Gary

[Made in 1968]

I just use my ignore option on certain people who joined in Jan 2020 and post very frequently so I don’t read the drivel.

Gary

Yeh your Dross posts aint much different are they?

btw: I joined in 2008 to be accurate

[Pigmy Pony]

I just use my ignore option on certain people who joined in Jan 2020 and post very frequently so I don’t read the drivel.

Gary

How on earth did this post get through to me? Only kidding buddy, I wouldn't do that! :) I welcome all posts, some actually make me feel better about my own mental state

[Pigmy Pony]

Andre, if you come onto a hifi forum and tell everyone that you hate hifi because it's shite, responses are inevitable. What you doing Saturday? Me, I'm going to the Everton match to sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' :)

[Made in 1968]

Well when people come trashing my Post what do you all expect. I gave my reasons why im doing what i am doing & its as simple as that. I lost faith in Hi-Fi years ago. People seem to think my many reasons why are bollox, my reasons are valid & true to experience & lots of wasted money.

Ironic really that in 1983 my first proper amp was a A&R Cambridge 'A60' yet my last amp in 2020 is an ARCAM 'Alpha' Should have just stuck with the company in the first place.

[Pigmy Pony]

Well when people come trashing my Post what do you all expect. I gave my reasons why im doing what i am doing & its as simple as that. I lost faith in Hi-Fi years ago. People seem to think my many reasons why are bollox, my reasons are valid & true to experience & lots of wasted money.

Ironic really that in 1983 my first proper amp was a A&R Cambridge 'A60' yet my last amp in 2020 is an ARCAM 'Alpha' Should have just stuck with the company in the first place.

I don't think your reasons are bollox at all, it's the way about 99% of the population thinks. Probably. But posting about it on here just seems a bit weird :scratch:

Regarding your A&R Cambridge to Arcam journey: Returning to what you used to enjoy makes good sense to me :) I bet there a lot of people who inadvertently find themselves 'upgrading' in a downhill direction, losing a shitload of money in the process :doh: Happened to me once or twice, but I'm gonna continue until I'm skint or dead, whichever comes first.

[Roy S]

A great little component I'd recommend would be the Cambridge 'One' - DAC / Tuner / CD player / Amp. I paid around £160 for a B grade stock item. I use it in the bedroom system into Q Acoustic Concept 20s.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49589135881_baae74b51a_k.jpg

[Pigmy Pony]

A great little component I'd recommend would be the Cambridge 'One' - DAC / Tuner / CD player / Amp. I paid around £160 for a B grade stock item. I use it in the bedroom system into Q Acoustic Concept 20s.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49589135881_baae74b51a_k.jpg

I do think those Concept 20s look smart. Do they sound as good as they look? Maybe it's time to upgrade to the 40s, and sell the 20s on here ;)

[Made in 1968]

I like those Q Acoustics as well a lot for a small outlay, Look great too.. shame other companies can't do the same.

[Roy S]

I do think those Concept 20s look smart. Do they sound as good as they look? Maybe it's time to upgrade to the 40s, and sell the 20s on here ;)

I've not long got them Steve but they're certainly more than adequate in this set up.

[Made in 1968]

Bought one of these for the TV but not got around to it yet. Got it for a song. Not sure its gonna be for me as the TV is suppose to sit on it but the small legs on our TV are at each end..

https://i.imgur.com/03vuj42.jpg

[Roy S]

Could you put the telly on the wall?

[Made in 1968]

Took it off the wall when i re did this place, Rather have it off tbh. Ill think er summert.. Bought it totally on a review after seeing it very cheap.

[Roy S]

Telly downstairs sits on a Yamaha receiver feeding JBL Control Ones

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49589720762_b224837076_c.jpg

[Made in 1968]

Your da man

[Made in 1968]

See what kinda legs

https://i.imgur.com/g99i6ke.jpg

[loheswaran]

how about a Sony PS1 CD player

[Made in 1968]

I Dont want a CD player :D got a few i cant be bothered with

[Roy S]

See what kinda legs



Could you extend the legs somehow so the soundbar would fit underneath?

[Made in 1968]

Na The 'Q2' is about 4" Tall, no height adjustment on those Legs. Ill have a think about it..

[Pigmy Pony]

See what kinda legs

https://i.imgur.com/g99i6ke.jpg

"Oh you poor Brachiosaurus! What happened to your tail?"

"I'm ignoring you because you look like a politician, and I don't talk to politicians."

[Alex_UK]

Na The 'Q2' is about 4" Tall, no height adjustment on those Legs. Ill have a think about it..

I think I have the same telly in dining room - wonder if you could get a couple of lengths of black plastic pipe about 3” long and then 3” longer bolts to makes some spacers? Might make the proportions look odd, but not so much with the sound bar in situ?

[Made in 1968]

Its a Samsung 4K QLED forget what model it is.. Great picture just that you can never portray how good with a phone picture cos they make em look shit for some reason.

[Jac Hawk]

I'm surprised no one has said get some sonos speakers, they don't sound too bad. Like others have said Q acoustics make some tidy kit too, actually made by the same firm that owns QED cables based in Wigan of all places.