amp + speaker cable for vinyl

[admin_exported]

Good evening,

I have just recently upgraded an ancient Technics TT to a Project Debut Esprit, and i am looking for some advice on getting a good amp. with a respectable phono stage. Reviews lean me towards the Rotel RA 04 SE (although no specific info on the phono stage). Can anyone give advice on whether this is a good choice? I listen to all music from hip-hop to black/doom metal, classic rock to electronica and most things in between.

I would also appreciate some advice on speaker cables/connectors to go with my (just ordered!) Wharfedale 9.1 speakers. Looking for some under the £5 per m. mark. Also advice on Bi-wiring, yay or nay?

Any advice would be much appreciated as i am fairly new to all this wonderful technology!

 

[smuggs]

not the right answer but i find turntables that good that it takes a bad set-up, very very bad cable to ruin the sq, so i would go for some 4 or 5 star stuff and cant see there being any problems. the amp is your call just demo a few if possible if not i have not heard many say bad things about rotel -04/04se .

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Smuggs! Decided to go for a phono stage before i splash out on an amp. just yet. Thinking either the Pro-Ject phono box mark II or the Cambridge 640p. Still trying to work out what speaker cable though, Richer sounds have some various Cambridge and QED at reasonable prices, maybe go in and get advice from the guys in there.

 

[Anonymous]

It really doesnt matter what cables you use to connect things up as long as they are well shielded, and any £20 interconnect will be (such as the QED performance series). Beyond that you really, honestly wont be able to hear a difference.

Similarly with speaker cable, as long as its got a decent sized conductor, there will be no difference between them whether they are just copper or silver plated copper.

Cables have to be one of the biggest cons in hifi IMO, the second is biwiring. I have seen several tests comparing cables scientifically and none have been able to find any differences between the cables, either on the bench or an in-room frequency plot. But then if people spend £400 on an interconnect they would expect to hear a difference, and probably will.....

Stick to £20-30 for interconnects and £5-8/m for speaker cable. Spend the rest on music or upgrading your system

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers Flatmonkey.

Got myself some qed silver anniversary xt cable at good ole Richer sounds, they matched a price I'd seen on-line!

Still not sure on my amp decision yet. Seems like there a few decent ones in my budget i.e. £300. Like i say it will be mostly vinyl that i will be listening to. Any advice on that side of things would again be most appreciated, from yourself or anyone else taking the time to read this. Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I agree with your comments here flatmonkey, while I agree interconnects are a bit of a con to state that "you wont be able to hear a difference" is rubbish. What I will tell you is that they will sound different - not necessarily better or worse but different. The secret with interconnects is to find a really good hifi shop that have several in stock that can be lent to you, the same goes for speaker cables - if you can try before you buy excellent. Similarly with bi-wiring, again, properly set up bi-wired speakers compared to their single wired versions sound clearer and better defined - no question. I used to own a pair of Linn Kan I's and they weren't bi-wirable but the cables could be connected differently if I wanted longer term to upgrade to bi-wire - they sounded good but a change several years later to Kan II's with the exact same cables run bi-wired was a revelation both in treble and bass definition.

When it comes to hifi be your own judge;- listen to owners (and their systems) and take advice but ultimately allow your ears and your wallet to dictate what sort of system you run. Certainly buy the best boxes you can afford ( and in your opinion sound good) and then decide on the cabling;- think of it as a you would a car... would you run your new Jaguar fitted with remould tyres?

Revolver with A&R P77, Linn Pretek, 2 x Powerteks, Meridian 200 Transport, Meridian 203DAC, Linn Kan II's