Advice on replacement of old hi fi please

[rw574]

I ve got a 15 year old system consisting of B & W CDM1 speakers,Arcam Alpha 8SE CD player and Arcam Alpha 9 integrated amplifier.I did a lot of listening before I bought this system.The room is 20 square metres,carpeted,minimally furnished.Play very eclectic mix of stuff-Billie Holiday type jazz vocals,Bob Dylan,Joan Baez,Country,light classical,-nothing very heavy and loud.The Cd player is malfunctioning despite one repair,and the amp. also sometimes, so I think replacement of at least the CD player and amp. is the best option.Would it be worth replacing the speakers also,or are they still regarded as pretty good?(They sound OK to me-but I m no expert and have nt listened to more modern ones lately).I could spend about £3000-ish but I m 68 and suspect my hearing is not as acute as it was 15 years ago,and a cheaper system might be adequate now.Would you recommend I upgrade the whole system,and if so what should I be listening to?If I should keep the speakers,what CD player and amp. would be compatible?I would rather avoid Arcam as I had a lot of trouble with defective equipment needing replacement last time.

 

[matthewpiano]

Given your taste in music I would unreservedly recommend Rega for the electronics and KEF speakers if you decide to also change the speakers. My system is remarkable and natural with all sorts of music, but absolutely outstanding with acoustic folk, singer-songwriter, jazz, and classical music. It woud be worth auditioning something similar but also hearing the more expensive Elex-R amp with the Apollo-R CD player. The Q100 speakers are wonderful, but it is also worth seeing how you get on with the Q500 floorstanders and also the higher model R100 and R300 stand mounts. As a combination I don't think you can go far wrong with Rega and KEF. Hope this helps.

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi RW and welcome to the forum.

You have a nice budget and my suggestions of brands to look at are:

Source. Rega Apollo R (£548)

Amp. Sugden Mystro (£1295); Croft Integrated (£850); Rega Elicit R (£1598); Creek Evolution 100A (£1500)

Speakers. Harbeth P3ESR (£1575); Spendor Classic SP3/1R2 (£1795); Kef LS50 (£800); Sonus Faber Toy Tower (£1395)

Option 1. If you want to change the entire system:

Rega Apollo R + Croft Integrated + Harbeth P3ESR

Rega Apollo R + Rega Elicit R + Kef LS50

Option 2. I suspect your speakers are the best part of your system*, so you may want to change just Source and Amp; so something like:

Apollo R + Hegel H160 (£2350) or H80 (£1300)

If you can, try and listen to a few options so as you can place your money where it gives you the best sound per pound.

EDIT. I hadn't seen MP's post above when I wrote this, so our thinking isn't that far apart.

* Your speakers were highly regarded monitors in their day and if in good condition, should reward good amplification to a degree that may surprise you. There is a lot of sense keeping speakers that give a presentation that you are comfortable with...but make sure you demo before committing.

 

[SteveR750]

If you decide the change everything, you might also want to add PMC Twenty/21 speakers. They will be slightly different from the KEFs I suspect, and probably a similar tonal balance to your current speakers

 

[knaithrover]

Given your taste in music I would unreservedly recommend Rega for the electronics and KEF speakers if you decide to also change the speakers. My system is remarkable and natural with all sorts of music, but absolutely outstanding with acoustic folk, singer-songwriter, jazz, and classical music. It woud be worth auditioning something similar but also hearing the more expensive Elex-R amp with the Apollo-R CD player. The Q100 speakers are wonderful, but it is also worth seeing how you get on with the Q500 floorstanders and also the higher model R100 and R300 stand mounts. As a combination I don't think you can go far wrong with Rega and KEF. Hope this helps.

Hi MP...what happened to your Dynaudio/Exposure combo?

I have Q300's btw and they are wonderful speakers

 

[rw574]

Many thanks for your recommendations.I ll be going into Birmingham in the next few weeks listening to as many of them as I can .

 

[matthewpiano]

Given your taste in music I would unreservedly recommend Rega for the electronics and KEF speakers if you decide to also change the speakers. My system is remarkable and natural with all sorts of music, but absolutely outstanding with acoustic folk, singer-songwriter, jazz, and classical music. It woud be worth auditioning something similar but also hearing the more expensive Elex-R amp with the Apollo-R CD player. The Q100 speakers are wonderful, but it is also worth seeing how you get on with the Q500 floorstanders and also the higher model R100 and R300 stand mounts. As a combination I don't think you can go far wrong with Rega and KEF. Hope this helps.

Hi MP...what happened to your Dynaudio/Exposure combo?

I have Q300's btw and they are wonderful speakers

I'm running two systems and utilising both pairs of speakers and both amps. See my sig for more detail - the Dyns and KEFs have swapped systems now as well. I'm glad you are enjoying the Q300s.