Beginner Audiophile

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Im in uni at the moment and looking to get my personal hifi system going. I am looking to get a good base that i can build upon.

Currently im using a set of old 5.1 logitech speakers connected to my pc playing a selection of mp3s (192 and upwards) with the odd FLAC here and there. (Im slowly starting to rip my collections to FLAC)

In my dorm room my main media area is all in one. I have my pc and xbox 360 both hooked up to the speakers and a 22" lcd. Im trying to stop using the pc all the time. So looking to seperate my pc from my music.

Looking at spending upto £250 on an amp, speakers. Its gonna be mainly for listening to music but also casual bit of xbox gaming through it (but not important)

for time being i would just be using an ipod or laptop plugged into the amp as a music source. Then expanding to a decent cd player and/or good ipod dock with remote.

any ideas, thoughts, recommendations?

cheers

 

[professorhat]

Here's my two cents (in order of preference). Amplifiers:

1. Marantz PM4001 at £100.
2. Cambridge Audio Azur 340A SE at £180.
3. NAD C315BEE at £165.
4. Cambridge Audio Azur 340A at £150.

Speakers:

1. Tannoy Mercury F1 Custom at £90.
2. Mordaunt-Short Avant 902i at £110.
3. Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 at £100.
4. Q Acoustics 1010i at £90.

Now, I haven't actually heard each of the above with each other, so if you can, I recommend a visit to both Richer Sounds and Superfi to give them all a try out and see which combination you like the best (always a fun day out!). I would be careful buying the Mordaunt-Short Avant 902i blind - they need to be partnered carefully. If it were my money, I'd go for the Marantz PM4001 and the Tannoy Mercury F1 Custom. For the price, I think this is an awesome combination. Don't forget decent stands for the speakers as well - the above takes you to £190, leaving you £60 for the Soundstyle Z2 stands, or the Atacama Nexus Stands, both of which will see you well I think.

Lot of options I know! Hope this helps!

 

[Anonymous]

The NAD C315bee is a great little amp...it would be my choice at your budget, paired with the Tannoy Mercury F1 Customs.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="brock_boogie"]
The NAD C315bee is a great little amp...it would be my choice at your budget, paired with the Tannoy Mercury F1 Customs.
[/quote]

The nad c315 is an amazing sounding amp, but under no circumstance should it be paired with the tannoy f1's, my neighbour has this combo as a second system and its a horrible match,
bass is non existent and i mean non existent, the top and mid are ace i will admit that.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that guys.

Liking the look of the recomendations, going to head down to a local richersounds and check them out

Is the bass from the bookshelf speakers going to be good?

dont really want to splash for a sub aswell just yet,

any more opinions on the original post?

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

With £250 budget for new items you will get a decent system

With that sort of money on ebay will go alot further.

I got the system in my sig for under £200

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="marcymarc555"][quote user="brock_boogie"]

The NAD C315bee is a great little amp...it would be my choice at your budget, paired with the Tannoy Mercury F1 Customs.

[/quote] The nad c315 is an amazing sounding amp, but under no circumstance should it be paired with the tannoy f1's, my neighbour has this combo as a second system and its a horrible match, bass is non existent and i mean non existent, the top and mid are ace i will admit that.[/quote]

You think? I have the Nad 315 paired with Tannoy's and find the bass more than adequate for my needs. I usually have the bass knob turned slightly above the middle point and for the music I listen to (rock, blues) it sounds great to my ears.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="welshkid"]
Thanks for that guys.

Liking the look of the recomendations, going to head down to a local richersounds and check them out

Is the bass from the bookshelf speakers going to be good?

dont really want to splash for a sub aswell just yet,

any more opinions on the original post?

cheers

[/quote]As long as you buy some bassier bookies you're fine. Anything rated above 55Hz will probably be a big letdown if you're very bass-concerned.

 

[drummerman]

If you want to go s/h you could try one of these

http://www.denon.co.uk/site/frames_main.php?main=prod&ver=&MID=3&sub=2&action=detail&Pid=197

with a pair of MS20i's. Expect to pay about £100 - 120. Together they rock.

 

[Anonymous]

I really want to get bang for my buck by going second hand but am worried I will get something duff/not find anything

what are a few good brands/models to look for?

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="welshkid"]

Is the bass from the bookshelf speakers going to be good?

dont really want to splash for a sub aswell just yet,

[/quote]

I dont see anyone here mentioning speaker stands (unless i've overlooked someones post).

Anyhow, welskid, speaker stands will greatly improve the overall sound, everything will sound much more controlled and aired than sticking them in a corner on a shelf.

EDIT: I would certainly take into account professorhat's recommendations. I also just noticed professorhat mentioned stands. My mistake, still a lil drowsy from last night. (excuses, excuses)

 

[professorhat]

My original post had a couple of speaker stand recommendations in there. Also, if you're not sure what you're buying, is second hand a good idea? I'd advise going somewhere where you can actually hear them playing first before you buy. You could go to a dealer and look at second hand there, rather than risking buying blind on ebay...

Oh, and as a further recommendation from the above, getting fillable stands and mass loading them will help with the bass in some circumstances - both the Soundstyles and the Atacamas in my original post can be filled.

 

[Alec]

i have no idea if this is actually true, but just for the sake of caution, this - http://whathifi.com/forums/t/4150.aspx?PageIndex=2 - indicates that the Soundstyle Z2s are'nt mass loadable. Apologies if that turns out to be wrong, its jsut i remembered this thread as its one of mine.

 

[professorhat]

Interesting - I saw this and assumed from this that you could fill them...! Anyone know which is correct?! You can definitely fill the Atacama Nexus 6 stands (though it is fiddly!).