2nd Hand Hi-fi Suggestions

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I'm well and truly getting the Hi-Fi Bug, up at 4am searching.
I've decided to try to save some of my coppers for a Linn Sondek & possibly some lower end Naim kit.

In the mean time I was thinking of getting some 2nd Hand Components to play with.
(Looking at : Standmount Speakers, Turntable, CD Player, Amp.)
& some BUDGET bits to compare against : Marantz 6002 Amp & CD, Project Expession III & 2M cartridge, that can drive my AE 109's for now.

Any suggestions for decent 2nd hand kit ?

Time for the fun to begin.

Regards,

ssvirk

 

[gregory]

hello there,first off some advice on the lp12.try and buy one from a dealer who will have 1st hand knowledge of it's condition and can advise on combinations for this deck,ie power supllies,cartridge and arms.you can pick up an 80's valhalla ittok combination for around £500.00.this is about the going rate and one from a dealer will get you a set up and a new belt and at least a 3 month guarantee.i strongly advise not to have one posted so if you go the ebay route at least hear it first and pick it up.as for the naim gear it is usually well looked after as is a linn but it's easier to transport an amp than a record deck. a nait 1 or 2 is the way to go just make sure it comes with phono boards and dont forget they come with din connectors so any other kit will need adaptors.naim also recommend using their own speaker cable but chord co cable can work also.now for the other kit.record deck pioneer pl112 with an at 95e cartridge about £40.00.amp nad 3020 again about £40.00,£60.00 if it's mint and boxed,speakers heybrook hb1's or 2's.there are of course so many speakers to choose from mordaunt short,gales or jpw.amps ,rotel,marantz,pioneer.decks,sansui 222,dual 505 mk2 as this allows for a better cartridge.when you jump from your budget kit to a linn naim system the difference is astonishing.i use an lp12 with an audiolab amp and tdl rtl 2 speakers,wonderful sound but i am saving my pennies for a new valve amp.i hope this has helped,if you need any more advice just let us know.good luck,gregory.

 

[JoelSim]

If your system for now is just for a few months then deffo buy second hand and buy kit that you will get your money back. If you buy new then you will lose half the value over the next few months. The savings couls buy you a new tonearm, cartridge etc if necessary.

Personally I would stick to British kit, although having some Japanese stuff over the next few months will make your LP12 and Naim kit sing when you get it!!!

Maybe try Arcam Alpha 6 or 7, you could pick a CD and amp up for £150 or so which would sound great as a stopgap. A Pioneer PL12D deck would be good too and could be had for next to nothing. It all depends on how long you want to keep the stuff, and how long it will take you to save up. The other alternative, and going against what I've said above is to get a Pro-Ject Debut III which would cost just over £100.

 

[JoelSim]

[quote user="gregory"]hello there,first off some advice on the lp12.try and buy one from a dealer who will have 1st hand knowledge of it's condition and can advise on combinations for this deck,ie power supllies,cartridge and arms.you can pick up an 80's valhalla ittok combination for around £500.00.this is about the going rate and one from a dealer will get you a set up and a new belt and at least a 3 month guarantee.i strongly advise not to have one posted so if you go the ebay route at least hear it first and pick it up.as for the naim gear it is usually well looked after as is a linn but it's easier to transport an amp than a record deck. a nait 1 or 2 is the way to go just make sure it comes with phono boards and dont forget they come with din connectors so any other kit will need adaptors.naim also recommend using their own speaker cable but chord co cable can work also.now for the other kit.record deck pioneer pl112 with an at 95e cartridge about £40.00.amp nad 3020 again about £40.00,£60.00 if it's mint and boxed,speakers heybrook hb1's or 2's.there are of course so many speakers to choose from mordaunt short,gales or jpw.amps ,rotel,marantz,pioneer.decks,sansui 222,dual 505 mk2 as this allows for a better cartridge.when you jump from your budget kit to a linn naim system the difference is astonishing.i use an lp12 with an audiolab amp and tdl rtl 2 speakers,wonderful sound but i am saving my pennies for a new valve amp.i hope this has helped,if you need any more advice just let us know.good luck,gregory.[/quote]

An LP12 with TDL speakers?

 

[gregory]

i also have some heybrook hb2r's which are wonderful and some gale 301's which are even better but the gales need refoaming and the heybrooks are very scruffy and need attending to, just havn't got time at the moment but the tdl's are very good speakers.in the future i will get some speakers for a valve amp so the likes of revolver and triangle will play a part as will other high sensitivity speakers.

 

[drummerman]

Quality standmounts for your future system ... Ruark Sabres MkI or II, IB design, good tight bass and lovely, open and dynamic. Real craftmenship too. - Budget amp ... Marantz PM66KI or, if you want to buy new, Nad 315bee

 

[Anonymous]

Hey,

Thanks for the replies.

To give me a feel, does anybody get any idea what I should be paying for the following bits?

CYRUS ACA 7.5 PRE--ORIGINAL SILVER
B&W DM601 S2, BLACK
Rega Planet CD player
Linn Basik turntable
CYRUS CD8x
Thorens TD 2001 turntable
ARCAM CD73 CD PLAYER in Black
PROJECT DEBUT 3 TURNTABLE
Cyrus 7 stereo intergrated amplifier

Also what are your views on these bits?

Regards,

ssvirk

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="gregory"]now for the other kit.record deck pioneer pl112 with an at 95e cartridge about £40.00.amp nad 3020 again about £40.00,£60.00 if it's mint and boxed,speakers heybrook hb1's or 2's.there are of course so many speakers to choose from mordaunt short,gales or jpw.amps ,rotel,marantz,pioneer.decks,sansui 222,dual 505 mk2 as this allows for a better cartridge[/quote]

Hi Gregory,

Where can I find these bits you've mention for those kind of prices?

Regards,

ssvirk

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="ssvirk"]nad 3020 again about £40.00,£60.00 if it's mint and boxed[/quote]

... another joker

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="JoelSim"]Personally I would stick to British kit, although having some Japanese stuff over the next few months will make your LP12 and Naim kit sing when you get it!!! [/quote]

I hope this is a reasonable question to you but "Why you think Japanese Hifi are not as good as British??" Was it any particular brands that make you think that way?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Drummerman,

Just to clarify, Gregory posted the prices for the NAD 3020.
Do you do not think these are realistic?

Where can I find a good indication of what prices I should be looking to pay for 2nd Hand kit?

Any ore suggestions on decent 2nd Hand stuff at reasonable/cheap prices?

Regards,

ssvirk

 

[fatboyslimfast]

[quote user="ssvirk"]Where can I find a good indication of what prices I should be looking to pay for 2nd Hand kit?[/quote]

I would suggest one of the best ways is to use ebay's "completed items" tick box. Basically, do a search for what you want in ebay, then in the left hand selection bar, check the "completed items" box and click the search button below it. You will need to have an ebay account to do this, but it gives a good indication of how much things are going for, as it tends to list items over the last two or so weeks.

Hope this helps...

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="ssvirk"]Just to clarify, Gregory posted the prices for the NAD 3020.
Do you do not think these are realistic? [/quote]

Na, its 'realistic' alright. There's plenty of not so bright sparks that pay that for a decades old budget amplifier.

Why is a better question!

I understand funds can be tight but for perhaps 80 quid more you can buy a new amp such as Nad's own 315bee, with warranty, remote/c, better facilities and whatever you choose will sound better than a crackly, underpowered, ugly old 3020 ok. - If you're really that much strapped for cash and can't wait to what amounts to perhaps a day or two's wages look for a Marantz PM66SE, perhaps a KI or anything similar.

 

[gregory]

drummerman, i was answering the original question. 2nd hand hi-fi and yes there are plenty of better amps than a 3020 a 3130 a musical fidelity a1 a creek 4030 and so on. it's easy to suggest something new as prices are dirt cheap and the comfort of a warrenty is appealing but the 3020 was and still is a good amp in fine fettle as is a pm66se and many others. i like to delve into the past and hi-fi is a pleasant way of searching out all the things we couldn't afford all those years ago but these are only suggestions and not written in stone. we all value other peoples opinion and if in the long run it helps to make our decisions easier then surely that's a good thing.