Dear all,
this is probably going to make a few of you laugh and take a few more on a trip down memory lane. Recently, I got my old hi-fi separates from 30 years ago out, played a few records and cds and thought 'actually, that doesn't sound too bad', set up in a high-ceilinged large volume room, with bay window and curtains behind, wood floors and soft furnishings.
The system consists of:
Rega Planar 3 turntable/RB100 arm/Goldring G1010 stylus
Rotel RA-820BX Amp (30W rms I think)
Rotel RA-965BX CD player
Rotel RA830-AL FM/AM tuner
JPW P1 speakers and Target Speaker stands/Turntable Stand.
I've identified a problem with the speakers, in that the foam surround on the 8" drivers is perishing, and have sourced replacements via Good Hifi in the Netherlands, although the drivers are still made and available if replacing the surround doesn't work. There is a comment on the internet that if I replaced the drivers and the capacitors in the speaker crossovers, then to get an equivalent speaker today I would need to spend £6-800. Is this really the case? If so, what are the equivalent speakers?
So, the options then. I realise there will be many different opinions here.
1. Commit the lot to ebay and start again. (Actually, I am keeping the turntable, as there's a lot of vinyl I haven't yet bought on cd/mp3 (and the stuff that is on vinyl isn't 're-mastered', but that's a separate argument)).
2. Start with an upgrade to cd player (I've been listening via a sony 5.1 dvd/cd/sacd/dts system), followed by amp and keep the speakers. Ancient wisdom 30 years ago suggested to buy the best source (ie cd player) that you could afford, followed by the best amp and then the speakers - is this still the accepted mantra or is a more equal distribution of the cash a better bet today? I would need a phono stage on the amp and CD/SACD/mp3/USB playback on the CD player. So, Marantz 6003 or Audiolab 8200 ?
3. Replace the speakers as well.
Budget for the lot would be £1000 (as long as my wife doesn't see this <g>)
I listen to a wide range of music from classical to rock, and being a bass player, I quite like to hear the bass. I'm not too keen on glassy treble, a more laid-back feel to the sound works for me.
Thanks for reading this marathon post. Thanks in advance for your help.
Ralph
this is probably going to make a few of you laugh and take a few more on a trip down memory lane. Recently, I got my old hi-fi separates from 30 years ago out, played a few records and cds and thought 'actually, that doesn't sound too bad', set up in a high-ceilinged large volume room, with bay window and curtains behind, wood floors and soft furnishings.
The system consists of:
Rega Planar 3 turntable/RB100 arm/Goldring G1010 stylus
Rotel RA-820BX Amp (30W rms I think)
Rotel RA-965BX CD player
Rotel RA830-AL FM/AM tuner
JPW P1 speakers and Target Speaker stands/Turntable Stand.
I've identified a problem with the speakers, in that the foam surround on the 8" drivers is perishing, and have sourced replacements via Good Hifi in the Netherlands, although the drivers are still made and available if replacing the surround doesn't work. There is a comment on the internet that if I replaced the drivers and the capacitors in the speaker crossovers, then to get an equivalent speaker today I would need to spend £6-800. Is this really the case? If so, what are the equivalent speakers?
So, the options then. I realise there will be many different opinions here.
1. Commit the lot to ebay and start again. (Actually, I am keeping the turntable, as there's a lot of vinyl I haven't yet bought on cd/mp3 (and the stuff that is on vinyl isn't 're-mastered', but that's a separate argument)).
2. Start with an upgrade to cd player (I've been listening via a sony 5.1 dvd/cd/sacd/dts system), followed by amp and keep the speakers. Ancient wisdom 30 years ago suggested to buy the best source (ie cd player) that you could afford, followed by the best amp and then the speakers - is this still the accepted mantra or is a more equal distribution of the cash a better bet today? I would need a phono stage on the amp and CD/SACD/mp3/USB playback on the CD player. So, Marantz 6003 or Audiolab 8200 ?
3. Replace the speakers as well.
Budget for the lot would be £1000 (as long as my wife doesn't see this <g>)
I listen to a wide range of music from classical to rock, and being a bass player, I quite like to hear the bass. I'm not too keen on glassy treble, a more laid-back feel to the sound works for me.
Thanks for reading this marathon post. Thanks in advance for your help.
Ralph