Hi there,
Apologies if this sort of thing is already being discussed somewhere. I did have a quick search and couldn't find exactly what I'll mention below.
I've been looking through the 2010 Awards issue with a view to replacing my 18+ year old separates system, which is currently a Rotel CD player, Pioneer A400 Amp with Mission Cyrus bookshelf speakers ... oh and a Pioneer DV-626D DVD player, which got added around 2000.
So I liked the look/review of the following bits of kit:
Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD
Onkyo TXSR608 AV receiver
Monitor Audio BX2 speakers
My idea is that I want a replacement for the CD and DVD players and would like it to play Blu Ray (the PS3 is doing an admirable job at the moment but is a bit noisy when warm and currently I've got no way to hook up the sound to my old faithful amp). I do want good audio handling ability hence the Cambridge Audio player appealed to me.
I'm also thinking of finally getting surround sound but will probably go slowly at first - possibly getting a front speaker, then sub-woofer and rears at some point hence going for the best buy AV Receiver over a dedicated Amp.
Finally I like the look of the Monitor Audio BX2 and figured they fit about the right price for everything else I'm thinking of.
I am reasonably flexible around the pricing but the Marantz 8004 is way, way out of budget for example []
The trouble is, I can't see a way of demoing all of this kit.
Richer Sounds have the exclusive rights on the Cambridge Audio unit, the Monitor Audio BX2's are available at Audio T but not Richer Sounds (according to their web site) and the Onkyo receiver is at both.
I'm considering just buying the items individually and hoping for the best - they must all be several generations better than my current setup, hower I previously bought my hi-fi separates after auditioning a number of units before I was happy with the selection (I remember the 1992 Marantz CD player was a little too bright for my liking at the time).
In addition to the above I've visited my local Audio T a couple of times and frankly have been left pretty cold at the reception I got, which makes me reluctant to hand over my money to a company that wasn't that friendly.
Do Richer Sounds offer demo's ?
Does the proposed setup seem like a good combination?
Would anyone have any recommendations on speaker and interconnect cables?
Can anyone think of a way to demo all the proposed units together?
- If not is there a substitute component that would allow them to be demo'd together?
Thanks in advance for any replies,
Jason
Apologies if this sort of thing is already being discussed somewhere. I did have a quick search and couldn't find exactly what I'll mention below.
I've been looking through the 2010 Awards issue with a view to replacing my 18+ year old separates system, which is currently a Rotel CD player, Pioneer A400 Amp with Mission Cyrus bookshelf speakers ... oh and a Pioneer DV-626D DVD player, which got added around 2000.
So I liked the look/review of the following bits of kit:
Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD
Onkyo TXSR608 AV receiver
Monitor Audio BX2 speakers
My idea is that I want a replacement for the CD and DVD players and would like it to play Blu Ray (the PS3 is doing an admirable job at the moment but is a bit noisy when warm and currently I've got no way to hook up the sound to my old faithful amp). I do want good audio handling ability hence the Cambridge Audio player appealed to me.
I'm also thinking of finally getting surround sound but will probably go slowly at first - possibly getting a front speaker, then sub-woofer and rears at some point hence going for the best buy AV Receiver over a dedicated Amp.
Finally I like the look of the Monitor Audio BX2 and figured they fit about the right price for everything else I'm thinking of.
I am reasonably flexible around the pricing but the Marantz 8004 is way, way out of budget for example []
The trouble is, I can't see a way of demoing all of this kit.
Richer Sounds have the exclusive rights on the Cambridge Audio unit, the Monitor Audio BX2's are available at Audio T but not Richer Sounds (according to their web site) and the Onkyo receiver is at both.
I'm considering just buying the items individually and hoping for the best - they must all be several generations better than my current setup, hower I previously bought my hi-fi separates after auditioning a number of units before I was happy with the selection (I remember the 1992 Marantz CD player was a little too bright for my liking at the time).
In addition to the above I've visited my local Audio T a couple of times and frankly have been left pretty cold at the reception I got, which makes me reluctant to hand over my money to a company that wasn't that friendly.
Do Richer Sounds offer demo's ?
Does the proposed setup seem like a good combination?
Would anyone have any recommendations on speaker and interconnect cables?
Can anyone think of a way to demo all the proposed units together?
- If not is there a substitute component that would allow them to be demo'd together?
Thanks in advance for any replies,
Jason