+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 41

Thread: Putting together a good cheap system

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jan 2020

    Location: South Yorkshire

    Posts: 2,683
    I'm Andre.

    Default Putting together a good cheap system

    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 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
    Last edited by Made in 1968; 26-02-2020 at 12:28.

  2. #2
    Alex_UK's Avatar
    Alex_UK is offline Spotify + Facebook Moderator / Chilled-Out Wino and only here for the shilling
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Sunny Suffolk, UK

    Posts: 15,952
    I'm WrappingALilacCurtainAroundMyBobby.

    Default

    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!
    Alex

    Main System: Digital: HP Laptop/M2Tech Hiface/Logitech Media Server/FLAC; Marantz SA7001 KI Signature SACD Player and other digital stuff into Gatorised Beresford Caiman DAC Vinyl: Garrard 401/SME 3009 SII Improved/Sumiko HS/Nagaoka MP-30
    Amplifier: Rega Brio R. Speakers: Spendor SP1. Cables: Various, mainly Mark Grant.
    Please see "about me" for the rest of my cr@p! Gallery


    A.o.S. on Facebook - A.o.S. on Spotify - A.o.S. on Twitter

    There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing Aristotle

  3. #3
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,240
    I'm Adrian.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Made in 1968 View Post
    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.
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jan 2020

    Location: South Yorkshire

    Posts: 2,683
    I'm Andre.

    Default

    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.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,778
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Made in 1968 View Post
    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.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,240
    I'm Adrian.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Made in 1968 View Post
    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.
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

    Default

    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.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  8. #8
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: Neath, Wales

    Posts: 1,515
    I'm Shane.

    Default

    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.
    Shane Lonergan.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2020

    Location: South Yorkshire

    Posts: 2,683
    I'm Andre.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AJSki2fly View Post
    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.
    On a HRT streamer. The Streamer is near the Amp, The USB is the longer lead.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jan 2020

    Location: South Yorkshire

    Posts: 2,683
    I'm Andre.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by CageyH View Post
    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.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •