5-6k system advice

[CynicaEye]

I’ve decided to get back into hifi after an absence of many years and have allocated 5k, (6k at a push if it warranted it) but if I can find an amazing system for less that’s fine!

I’m looking for new speakers an amp and as my source a turntable.

My listening room is quite small 4m x 3.5m I do prefer floorstanders but will consider standmounts which produce good bass

I’ve already listened to some Dynaudio X32s and PMC twenty 23s and found them both excellent however compared to the Dynaudios I found the PMCs a liitle harsh and maybe a little fatiguing for longer listening sessions whilst the Dynaudios just seemed to sound right.

I listen to all types of rock from the 60s to modern stuff

On the subject of turntables I was told it’s not worth spending more than £500. Do you get a much better sound quality from a £1000 turntable compared to a £500 one or is it more a question of esoteric designs and better build quality/looks? Same for tonearms do much more expensive ones give a far superior sound?

Thanks

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

I have not had a TT for 20 years, but I can say with a little certainty that money spent on a TT is well worthwhile.....even more so than a digital source. Back in the day it was recomended that you should spend half your budget on it, though I'm not sure I would go that far.

In order to get meaningful advice, can you describe the type of sound that you like, and be a little more specific about the music you listen to ie. What modern stuff?

Is Vinyl going to be your sole source?.

 

[lindsayt]

It all depends what turntable you get for that money. Most of the best sounding turntables ever made have been out of production for a long time. There are large, easily noticeable, fundamental differences between the best turntable / arm / cartridge / phono amp combinations and the less good ones.

 

[Al ears]

I'm with Cnoevil on this one.

If, as you suggest, the turntable is going to be the only source then it had better be a good one.

You may very well get away with a £500 one but I feel with a budget like this you would do much better by spending more.

The source is vital. Garbage in, garbage out as they say and your speakers are not going to do a whole lot if the source is substandard.

Audition whatever you can. Do you have any friends with a vinyl set-up?

If it was my money I would allocate at least a third on the TT (assuming it is the only source).

I am not sure about the best-sounding turntables being out of production though. Most that I know of are still going strong.

 

[matt49]

Just to add to the helpful responses from Cno and Alears, you could do a lot worse than finding a Rega dealer and auditioning an RP3 and RP6 against one another. That would give you a good baseline, which would help you to decide how much you want to spend on your turntable.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[tyranniux42]

I would be listening to something like the Naim ovator s400 with a nait xs with something like the rega rp6, or if you can push it a michell gyrodec ;-)

 

[ifor]

Personally I would spend around £2K of your budget on TT + phono preamp. For the TT I would look at the new offerings and upgrade packages from Inspire HiFi and I would couple the TT with a Graham Slee Reflex phono preamp.

 

[matthewpiano]

Having heard the Elicit-R again in the last few days I would not hesitate to go for:

Rega RP6

Rega Elicit-R

+ choice of speakers (I'd be wanting to audition Rega's own speakers as well as KEF R-Series and PMC Twenty Series.)

The Elicit-R is an incredible amplifier. It really controls the sound across the frequency range and creates a really well sorted soundstage with superb dynamics. If you want to audition 2 or 3 amplifiers I'd add the Arcam A-38 and Creek Destiny 2 into the equation too.

 

[plastic penguin]

If it were my money I'd start by auditioning the new Rega Elicit-R with Totem Arros. Turntable would range around Rega's own RP6 or Gyrodec.

But try and listen to as many different combos as possible.

 

[stevebrock]

If it were my money I'd start by auditioning the new Rega Elicit-R with Totem Arros. Turntable would range around Rega's own RP6 or Gyrodec.

But try and listen to as many different combos as possible.

The Elicit R & RP6 a good combo then I reckon!

Im selling my GSXR750, I should get £2k for it some guy coming tomorrow to buy it hopefuly - The Elicit R has my name on it!

 

[matthewpiano]

If it were my money I'd start by auditioning the new Rega Elicit-R with Totem Arros. Turntable would range around Rega's own RP6 or Gyrodec.

But try and listen to as many different combos as possible.

The Elicit R & RP6 a good combo then I reckon!

Im selling my GSXR750, I should get £2k for it some guy coming tomorrow to buy it hopefuly - The Elicit R has my name on it!

Well I've heard it on two seperate occasions in two different environments now Steve and I'd say the Elicit-R is one of the best all-round amplifiers I've ever heard. If you do get one I'll be very jealous!

However, I'll be quite happy if I manage to get a Brio-R at some point in the not too distant future.

 

[stevebrock]

If it were my money I'd start by auditioning the new Rega Elicit-R with Totem Arros. Turntable would range around Rega's own RP6 or Gyrodec.

But try and listen to as many different combos as possible.

The Elicit R & RP6 a good combo then I reckon!

Im selling my GSXR750, I should get £2k for it some guy coming tomorrow to buy it hopefuly - The Elicit R has my name on it!

Well I've heard it on two seperate occasions in two different environments now Steve and I'd say the Elicit-R is one of the best all-round amplifiers I've ever heard. If you do get one I'll be very jealous!

I have heard it also - its awesome - not even bothering listening to the Nait XS2 - I love the Rega sound so dont want to upset things!

Better phojo stage too! If I get lucky with my bike then possibly an Aria too!

Reckon it will sound mint with RS3 speakers

 

[plastic penguin]

If it were my money I'd start by auditioning the new Rega Elicit-R with Totem Arros. Turntable would range around Rega's own RP6 or Gyrodec.

But try and listen to as many different combos as possible.

The Elicit R & RP6 a good combo then I reckon!

Im selling my GSXR750,

Out of curiosity, what is a GSXR 750? Sounds like a motorbike.

 

[stevebrock]

yes Kawasaki GSXR750 - lovely bike - but my 8 lives have gone and i have family now!

 

[mitch65]

yes Kawasaki GSXR750 - lovely bike - but my 8 lives have gone and i have family now!

The things we do for music

 

[plastic penguin]

yes Kawasaki GSXR750 - lovely bike - but my 8 lives have gone and i have family now!

My brother has the H2 version.

 

[stevebrock]

havent even used the bike this year!

 

[plastic penguin]

havent even used the bike this year!

That's the dilemma my bro has. Had it MOT'd the other week and in past 12 months he's only clocked up 100 miles. It's just collecting dust.

 

[CynicaEye]

Wow, thanks for all the advice so far!

Lots of votes for rega so far, do you think an all rega system would be a good move?

In response 2 some other suggestions and questions, would the naim ovator s400s be a tad large for my room?

Have always loved the gyrodec so that would be near the top of my list, vinyl will be me my main sauce but I'll also use spotify 2 check out new stuff.

As for the sound I like im not sure of the technical terms but the speakers I've liked have been monitor audio and Dynaudios not as keen on PMC and Spendor.

I like most types of rock music, classic, hard, folk, prog, krautrock, shoegaze, experimental, post rock, indie, post punk,

 

[plastic penguin]

Yes, a all-Rega system works better than most. Unlike, say, Leema, they produce great amps but have read some iffy reviews on their speakers.

If you like the Rega sound I'd avoid MAs IMO, unless you like a very lively sound.

Don't rule out makes such as Roksan Caspian M2, Audio Analogue, Leema Elements, Naim XS Or Creek Destiny. All immensely capable - all very different, though. Hence why I suggested demo a few different brands and combos.

As for Spotify, I'd look at a streamer such as Linn Sneaky or one of the Naim models.

EDIT - put some flesh on the bones:

Creek or Audio Analogue would be good with Totem Arros or MAs. Naim will shine with PMC, MonoPulse 32S, Rega speakers. Roksan Caspian with MAs, PMC....

Hope that helps.

 

[davedotco]

Spotify can be streamed from an iPod/iPad via an AEX, at minimal cost, perfectly good for a secondary source.

As far as the record player is concerned, I would spend as much as possible, the Regas are decent enough but they really do not do it for me, a Clearaudio Concept mc would be a minimum standard with a Clearaudio Emotion and a decent cartridge prefered.

There are plenty of choices for amps and speakers, my personal tastes would run to Sugden and Electrocompaniet with possibly PMC or Vienna Acoustic Haydn or Bach Grand speakers, but system synergy comes into play here so you need to try out some combinations, find out which works best for you.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Well I've heard it on two seperate occasions in two different environments now Steve and I'd say the Elicit-R is one of the best all-round amplifiers I've ever heard.

Hi Matthew

As I've said before the Elicit-R has soul

Btw, good luck with the Brio-R.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi CynicaEye

In addition to X32's Monitor Audio's GX200 and if budget allows Rega's RP8/Apheta are also worth a look. Fwiw, I recently had a system which consisted of an RP8/Apheta, Aria, Elicit-R and GX200's and the sound from this system rocks :rockout:

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[MUSICRAFT]

then possibly an Aria too!

Hi stevebrock

You know you got it bad But hey the Aria is an excellent phonostage which will give better overall performance from your RP6/Exact 8)

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[plastic penguin]

If it were my money I'd start by auditioning the new Rega Elicit-R with Totem Arros. Turntable would range around Rega's own RP6 or Gyrodec.

But try and listen to as many different combos as possible.

The Elicit R & RP6 a good combo then I reckon!

Im selling my GSXR750, I should get £2k for it some guy coming tomorrow to buy it hopefuly - The Elicit R has my name on it!

However, I'll be quite happy if I manage to get a Brio-R at some point in the not too distant future.

Just a thought Matthew. If you're aiming for the Brio-R and you love the sound of the Elicit-R then Leema Pulse sounds ideal. It'll be in the same ballpark as the Elicit and you can pick'em up for not much more than a Brio-R (£500-£600). Plus the Leema is very flexible in terms of speaker makes. Look at the posters who currently own a Pulse: 2 x PMC, 2 x Spendor, one with B&W 602s, one with Dynaudio Excite X12 or X16, and some sweaty geezer with MA RS6s, although not sure who he is

Unless, of course, you've heard it and totally hate it then forget everything I've said. Otherwise well worth serious consideration. At around £500, it's a no brainer IMO.