Advice required on new stereo. Seperates or arcam solo mini or denon m37DAB?

[admin_exported]

Hi

My 14yr old sony mini system has finally given up the ghost so need a new stereo set up. Given the last time i bought a stereo i was still in school i need some guidance on what's my best option.

Budget is £1k. Requirements are CD player, ipod connectivity and DAB/FM tuner. Also needs to meet a certain aesthetic standard as decreed by my girlfriend!

Its going to sit in the open plan dining room/kitchen. The dining room is 5m x 3m (16ft x 10ft in old money), the kitchen area is 4m x 2m (13.5ft x 7ft). So needs to pump out at a fair volume for the occasional summer party (the patio is off the dining room). But nothing too booming that everday use would upset the neighbours as its a terrace and we've stripped the room back to the original wooden floorboards.

After a scan of what hifi and a bit of internet research i'm torn between:

1. Seperates such as the marantz cd6002, pm6002, a tuner, ipod dock some £200-250ish speakers.

2. The arcam solo mini + rdock, coupled with possiblly the muso speakers or some others in the same price range.

3. The denon m37DAB + ipod dock + £200-£250ish speakers.

So my questions are:

Are the seperates with their required extra spend on interconnects, rack, lack of convience factor and aethestic downside (showed my g/f some nad seperates in a shop and was met with a flat no!), worth it for the improved hi-fi performance over the arcam?

Given lots of reviews talk about the arcam solo mini being a bedroom or kitchen system would it give me enough bang for my money given the room size? And if so am i best sticking with the tiny muso speakers or pairing it with some other bookshelfs such as the dali lektors, MA BR2s or stretchng the budget for the lovely looking B&W685s? Any reccomendations for good speakers to pair it with given my requirements?

Or finally if i opt to for the mini system option, should i just go for the cheaper denon with some better speakers and bring the whole thing in at around £500. Is the arcam system really worth £400 more than the denon?

So many variables my head is hurting!

 

[Anonymous]

The Marantz set up will give you the best sound plus best upgrade options for the future. However given you kept your last system for 14 years you dont sound like a serial upgrader so I would recommend the arcam, especially as you state aesthetics are important. It really gives the best performance of any 'micro' system I have heard.

I would not partner with arcam's own muso speakers however, you can do much better for the money. Look at one of the Monitor Audio or Epos designs.

 

[chebby]

If you get the Arcam Solo-Mini, don't stint on speakers. Just ensure they are quite 'efficient' (at least 89db).

 

[John Duncan]

Arcam Solo Mini, a generic dock like Apple's own (no way I'd pay 130 quid for the rDock), and the nicest looking speakers you can get away with - I'd be tempted to listen to the Dali Lektor 1 which, though I haven't heard them, are nigh-on edible. Alternatively (presuming small is good) are the AVI Neutron V which, whilst stretching your budget to its limit, look fabulous in piano black and are, I believe, also available in white (at least it says so on the box).

 

[John Duncan]

jrn79:(showed my g/f some nad seperates in a shop and was met with a flat no!)

Well dur

 

[Anonymous]

There are package deals on the Solo Mini at present, with Muso speakers, an rDock, and cables.

I agree with JD above that the rDock is overpriced, but that's the price one has to pay in order to get track information on screen, which aids navigation.

I certainly think the Mini is better than the M37, perhaps not in line with how much it costs, considering the deals on the M37 at the moment. For example, £199 at Richer Sounds, and some nice £299 deals with Monitor Audio speakers.

At the end of the day it's up to your ears if the extra cost is worthwhile.

 

[Audiofoolius]

If I were you I'd audition the Denon with the B&W 685 (they are not that power-hungry with a sensitivity of 88 db/w/m) and the Arcam with the MA BR2. That shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advice.

Despite having room for seperates I think i'm tipping towards going down the arcam (or possibly denon) route as it seems they're perfectly acceptable as a main system if you're happy to forgo some outright hi-fi ability for improved aesthetics and convenience (especially as we really want a tuner as part of the system). Also it removes the temptation to keep upgrading!

Can someone just lay my mind to rest the arcam (or denon) will have enough power to get a party going when required?

Also can someone explain in laymans terms what the sensitivity of the speaker is? Am i right in thinking a higher sensitivity means the speakers need less power to be driven along?? In which case does the 30w per channel denon give me a greater speaker choice than the 25w arcam?

Agree re the cost of the arcam dock, but happy to pay the premium for better integration if i buy the solo. Though will go cheaper on the ipod dock to match the denon.

Re the speaker suggestions - it seems the muso's are out. I've read some good reviews on them, but mainly as part of the 5.1 set up. What speakers did WHF pair the mini with for their review?

Re the other speaker suggestions - the dali lektors caught my eye but seems my best bet is to go listen to the mini and the denon with some of the above suggetions and then decide if i think the extra £500 or so for the mini is worth it!!

 

[Anonymous]

ps - agree showing off the nad's wasn't the smartest move! Lol.

 

[chebby]

jrn79:Can someone just lay my mind to rest the arcam (or denon) will have enough power to get a party going when required?

OK did not see that one coming.

Forget my earlier advice. Even though I own a Solo-Mini, it is a few hundred watts short of being a 'party' amp! (Not only that but it has top and side vents so booze will eventually get spilt inside.)

The Arcam (and the Denon) and most of the equipment discussed here on these forums is hi-fi and not ideally suited to heavy-duty PA tasks or the abuses of party people.

Suggest you buy the Arcam/Denon but hire appropriate equipment for a party from your local DJ equipment supplies/rentals shop. (And pack your hifi away from potential damage and/or abuse.)

 

[JoelSim]

The Arcam should be fine as long as you're not expecting headbanging levels at the other end of your garden. With good speakers it will sound sublime, and remember in everyday use most of the time you'll be listening to it at low volume anyway. Haggle at the moment and you'll get an rdock thrown inÿ

I agree with the fact that you can get better speakers than the Muso. I personally would give it a listen with Monitor Audio BR2, B&W 685, Dali Lektor 1, Epos M5i, AVI Neutron V and I would imagine that the AVI would sound the best.

Don't skimp and buy the Denon, it's all down to whether you want something to be proud of and involved with, or just ANOther stereo. In a few years' time the Denon will fetch nothing second hand, whereas the Arcam will still command a decent value.

Forget separates unless the g/f is ok with them. I am really into separates but not in the kitchen area.

ÿ

 

[chebby]

JoelSim:The Arcam should be fine as long as you're not expecting headbanging levels at the other end of your garden.

People I know who 'party' would expect to hear 'head-banging levels' at the other end of the nearest motorway exit so they can tell they are near the right place with the car window open!

 

[JoelSim]

chebby:JoelSim:The Arcam should be fine as long as you're not expecting headbanging levels at the other end of your garden.People I know who 'party' would expect to hear 'head-banging levels' at the other end of the nearest motorway exit so they can tell they are near the right place with the car window open!

I prefer being able to hear other people talk these days...at the grand old age of 38. Don't forget tho' that the better the quality, the louder it can go without becoming overly intrusive and annoying.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks again guys. Will try and get out this weekend to demo the arcam with some of the speakers suggested. Can someone just confirm I am understanding the sensitivity issue raised above correctly?

Also I didn't mean to mislead re the party thing - as my user name gives away i hit 30 this year, so the days of raves in underground carparks are behind me. Just wanted to check it would be alright for covering the din of 40 or so people at a summer bbq for instance - which it seems it would. (Although after spending a grand on new kit i imagine i'll be much more precious about it than my old sony!)

 

[Audiofoolius]

You are right about the sensitivity. You shouldn't go lower than 88 or 89db with a mini-system. That's why I think you'd better forget about the Dali Lektor 1 (84db).

 

[manicm]

chebby:JoelSim:The Arcam should be fine as long as you're not expecting headbanging levels at the other end of your garden. People I know who 'party' would expect to hear 'head-banging levels' at the other end of the nearest motorway exit so they can tell they are near the right place with the car window open!

Next time I'm in England, please tell me who they are, they sound like my kind people

 

[manicm]

Audiofoolius:You are right about the sensitivity. You shouldn't go lower than 88 or 89db with a mini-system. That's why I think you'd better forget about the Dali Lektor 1 (84db).

Low on paper, but WHF recommend them with the Mini, and another user on a forum confirmed this for his own system.

 

[Anonymous]

manicm:
Audiofoolius:You are right about the sensitivity. You shouldn't go lower than 88 or 89db with a mini-system. That's why I think you'd better forget about the Dali Lektor 1 (84db).

Low on paper, but WHF recommend them with the Mini, and another user on a forum confirmed this for his own system.

What about the Rega R3? Chebby has those and thinks they go very well with the Solo, and they're available for very silly prices now they are discontinued...

 

[Anonymous]

I went out about 8 months ago with the idea of buying a one box kit, and after comparing the Linn (old, but so am I and I still remember our Sondek days in the early 70s) and Arcam solo, and decided that that was definitely not the way to go. The mini solo did nothing to change my mind, just sounded even more limiting. Tight budget, no equipment, so I ended up with the Marantz 6002s and a pair of second hand B&W 602.3s. Just added Chord Silver Screens and Crimsons. For under £1K, the sound is fantastic. I can't beleive how musical the whole thing is. You need a bit of space for the 602.3s, as they like to be turned up, otherwise check out the 685s or something smaller (BR2s nice, but not the depth or richness of the B&Ws). Find a dealer where you can compare the arcam with these budget separates, it won't even be a close call.

 

[JoelSim]

dieppemaster:I went out about 8 months ago with the idea of buying a one box kit, and after comparing the Linn (old, but so am I and I still remember our Sondek days in the early 70s) and Arcam solo, and decided that that was definitely not the way to go. The mini solo did nothing to change my mind, just sounded even more limiting. Tight budget, no equipment, so I ended up with the Marantz 6002s and a pair of second hand B&W 602.3s. Just added Chord Silver Screens and Crimsons. For under £1K, the sound is fantastic. I can't beleive how musical the whole thing is. You need a bit of space for the 602.3s, as they like to be turned up, otherwise check out the 685s or something smaller (BR2s nice, but not the depth or richness of the B&Ws). Find a dealer where you can compare the arcam with these budget separates, it won't even be a close call.

But his missus doesn't want separates.

I personally, wouldn't dream of buying a one box system and with a grand I would be firmly looking at eBay for a pukka, but old, separates system.

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

There was this really good one box system that was going around in the late 90s - I think it was the JVC MX-J850R, but I might have got the number wrong...

 

[JoelSim]

Hughes123:There was this really good one box system that was going around in the late 90s - I think it was the JVC MX-J850R, but I might have got the number wrong...

They've rebranded and are now known as JVC123

In homageÿ

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:
Hughes123:There was this really good one box system that was going around in the late 90s - I think it was the JVC MX-J850R, but I might have got the number wrong...

They've rebranded and are now known as JVC123

In homage

"I don't bl00dy believe it!"

 

[shep1968]

New missus???

 

[Anonymous]

I've just done this except I'm a girl and am setting my own visual standards.

I compared solo mini vs denon with lots of speakers. The denon couldn't compete unless you gave it very pricey speakers.

Liked Quad 11ls best.

Then (?foolishsly) heard a Linn Classik and loved it but couldn't hear it head to head with any arcam stuff (dealer brand issues).

Then I read a lot about the Linn and felt that it probably wouldn't fulfil my iPod needs in the future (i get an iphone in 3 weeks).

Then compared solo vs solo mini. solo was better but not 400 quid better in my book.

Also got a 800 quid (on sale arcam, I think) separates set up down to listen too - just amp/CD (so no tuner) to compare yes better than solo mini but much bulkier. comparable/ slightly better than solo.

I ordered a solo mini (595) and Quad 11ls and stands yesterday. Should get them next week.

The money I've saved by not upgrading to a solo I've used to buy a set of expensive kitchen knives that I've wanted for ages.....

I'd go out and plague some dealers to play you things. The guys in the shops I went to were universally lovely.