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Welcome from me too, Alistair, happy retirement!
Some good advice above, I am a Wharfedale lover (have a few pairs, including original "Super Diamonds" and Diamond 220's which are a superb more modern take on their tried and tested budget formula) so you won't go far wrong with that stable.
If you do go down the Rega turntable route just remember the price of vinyl can be eye watering sometimes! I stream almost exclusively these days - I have no experience, but the Wiim amps/streamers get great reviews, and are reasonably priced.
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Again, thanks for the welcome and advice, it's almost overwhelming!
Parking the nostalgia trip for a while, I've been researching a streaming set up for the past few days. With the plethora of information available, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction, opinion from experience, adverts from reviews etc.
I'd really appreciate the collective wisdom here before I start spending.
Budget: £3,000–4,000 for the full system (speakers + amp + streaming source). Happy to buy used/ex-demo if that's the smart move.
What I've looked at so far (after reading reviews and lurking here):
Streamers:
WiiM Pro Plus – seems like a no-brainer for the money, but will the DAC let me down?
Bluesound Node (N132) – pricier, but maybe better long-term support and sound quality?
Amplification (integrated, with digital in?):
Cambridge Audio CXA81 – lots of praise, but is it too forward/bright for my taste?
Audiolab 7000A – like the feature set, unsure about musicality
Rega Brio – I know it's analogue only, so I'd need an external DAC. Worth the hassle?
Second-hand Naim Nait 5si – a friend mentioned this, but I worry about maintenance
Speakers (standmount, I think?):
KEF LS50 Meta – everyone raves about them, but will they need a sub in my room?
Wharfedale Linton (with stands) – warm and engaging from what I've read, but huge
ProAc Response DT8 – stretched the budget, but I see them praised for vocals
Second-hand Spendor A4 or A7 – maybe the smarter buy?
The DAC question: If I go with the WiiM + an analogue amp, what DAC would you add? Or should I just buy an integrated amp with a good built-in DAC and simplify?
My main unknowns:
Streamer + separate DAC + analogue amp vs all-in-one integrated streaming amp – which gives better value at this budget?
Standmount vs floorstander in my 5x4m room? I worry floorstanders will boom, but standmounts might lack weight for rock.
What am I missing? Is there a classic, obvious choice I've overlooked?
I'm not in a rush. I want to buy once and buy right – something that will make me fall back in love with music for the next ten years.
Any and all advice welcome. If you'd swap something on my list, tell me why. If I'm being an idiot about something, tell me that too.
Thanks in advance.
Alistair
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I'd get a separate streamer rather than a streamer/amp. Don't put all the eggs in one basket.
The DAC in the Wiim has excellent measured performance I don't think that will let anything down but you'll get conflicting views there
Amps can't be forward/bright despite what you might read. The things that matter are - does it have enough power to reach the levels you want without clipping, can it maintain voltage into low impedance?
Sorry to get technical but this is what matters with amplifiers. All the amps you list should work fine with all the speakers you list so I'd choose one based on price, features, appearance.
Regarding the Naim amp the reason people talk about 'maintenance' and 'servicing' with regard to Naim is due to the practice followed by many Naim users of keeping the amplifiers powered up all the time. Capacitor lifetime is rated by hours of use so this will cause early failure. Just switch off when not using it and there's no issue, it will last decades - this applies to all amplifiers not just Naim.
Speakers - more than anything these can offer very different presentations so they are much more a personal choice so much harder to make specific recommendation. This is where you should probably get auditions just to give you an idea of the differences.
KEF LS50 - not a bad speaker at all, I don't think a sub with them is mandatory except for electronic music and pipe organ so if you don't listen to much of that I wouldn't worry. You could always add subwoofers at some future time anyway. They are not on the 'warm relaxed' side though.
Proac DT8 - no idea about that one.
Spendors - on the warm and relaxed side. I don't think they ever made a bad speaker.
Linton we already talked about.
Is there anything overlooked? Possibly. There's thousands of products out there, it's easy to get analysis paralysis but at some point you just have to make a decision and go for it. Nothing you've listed will give you bad sound, just don't overlook the importance of damping down your room with the furnishings or you will find that anything you get sounds bright and fatiguing.
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Can I put in another plug for the Quad Vena 2? As well as being a brilliant sounding amp with a good phono stage thrown in, it also contains a very decent DAC. Shouldn’t be too hard to find one to listen to.
I wouldn’t bother with the Vena 2 Play though. For some reason IAG have thrown their hat in with DTS, which doesn’t really seem to offer any worthwhile benefits.
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Morning all,
My system planning is progressing (thanks to the excellent advice so far), but I've hit a practical roadblock: I'm not sure where to actually buy from. I've been out of the game so long that I don't know who the trusted names are anymore.
I'm looking for recommendations on online retailers and bricks-and-mortar dealers (both in mainland UK and the Dublin area – Although I'm no Roy S, I can get across the Irish Sea occasionally!). I'm open to buying new, ex-demo, or used.
Specifically, I'd love to know:
Trusted new dealers – who offers good customer service, fair returns, and proper packaging?
Used / ex-demo specialists – any dealers with a good reputation for grading accurately and standing behind what they sell?
Online marketplaces – eBay, AVForums classifieds, etc. – any tips on spotting the good sellers?
Ones to avoid – if you've had a poor experience (with a dealer, not an individual), I'd appreciate a discreet heads-up via PM if you'd rather not name names publicly.
I'm currently considering kit from brands like Rega, ProAc, Spendor, Wharfedale, Cambridge Audio, Audiolab, Quad and possibly Naim used. So dealers who handle those would be especially relevant.
I'm based in Ireland but happy to travel for the right deal or to hear something properly.
Thanks in advance for any pointers – I'd rather learn from your experiences than make expensive mistakes.
Alistair
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If it were me I think I would be shopping at Radlett Audio. Dave the owner (Hifi Dave on this forum) could put together a great system at pretty much any budget I reckon.
Or maybe Fanthorpes over in Hull.
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+1 from me for Dave at Radlett Audio.
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I wonder what a restored pair of Quad 57s would cost these days.
https://aquadthingaudio.com/
Could give them a call.
Then just add a Quad front end.
Just a thought.
It might sound insane to recommend these old ESLs but they are bloody good when you hear a decent pair.
If you must have slam and bass extension go elsewhere. But if you just want to enjoy stuff - really good.
Edit: my brother was in an AirBnb about three weeks ago. He messaged me to say it had a Quad ESL 57 system in it. He was genuinely impressed. 9 years older than me and no stranger to hifi. He'd never heard a pair.
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Having owned (and still use) Quad 57 speakers for the last 50 years, I would endorse your recommendation. However, since they are unlike any other type of speaker (apart from other planar speakers), they need to be heard if your experience has been with cabinet enclosure speakers.
Quad 57s are not without their limitations:
They have a limited frequency response, ~ 40Hz - 15kHz.
They don't play loud: ~ 83dB/W, so a maximum of 100dB (which ought to be loud enough, unless you live in a forty acre field, or are a real headbanger).
Can only fed by an amplifier that is stable with largely capacitance loads.
They will be damaged if overdrive with more than 50W.
They also 'beam' badly in the vertical plane, and being a doublet design, are sensitive to room placement: requiring a minimum of 1m between the rear of the speaker and any parallel wall.
That said if you can accommodate these limitations you will be rewarded with a neutral, accurate sound free from colourations.
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Hi and welcome from one Ali to another. :-)
Some good advice so far. For streamers I use a Lumin D2 into a Gustard R26 DAC and have no plans to change. I had the Lumin up and running 10 minutes after unboxing it, so if ease of use is a factor it's a good one to consider.
