Best low budget Hifi setup? I need advice.

[admin_exported]

This will be my first true hifi system and I would appreciate any advice I can get.

So far I've narrowed my search down to the following:

Speakers: B&W 685 or Monitor Audio Bronze BX2

Amp: Rotel RA-04 SE, NAD 325 C BEE, or Yamaha A-S500

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what would give me the best sound?

Thanks for your help.

Tim

 

[smuggs]

the rotel comes with no remote so that is something to think about.

this is imo but the b&w 685's sounded far better with better amps closing in on 1k i find they need alot of class to control. the 2 times i have heard them with silmiar priced kit they have sounded a touch boomy and lacking control. but they might just need the right room and set up. i have not really heard the bx2's but the older bronze range were far basser than you would think, plus i think they lack a smooth midrange. try and listen to pair on a least 2 of them amps. good luck what ever you pick they are all quailty bits of kit just getting the sound your after.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice. Do you know anything about the amps is there one that is superior to the other? Is there a big difference in the sound I'll get out of them in regards to clarity, accuracy, warmth or brightness.

Thanks again

 

[Inter_Voice]

I am now using MA RX1 and they are driven by NAD C355BEE. I found they are a perfect match.

Just bear in mind the bass produced by RX1 (due to rear ports) and avoid putting the speakers too near the corners of your room. You can get the best results from these speakers if you put bass traps and acoustic tiles or diffusers at the corners and walls which I have done. RX1 produced very clear sound from high to low frequencies. Of course don't forget to use good interconnects and speaker cables and a good CD player will make a lot of difference as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Any recommendations as far speaker cable and interconnects? I'll only need 2 meter lengths of speaker cable. I'll be using different media to play my music. CD, iPod, and I want to use my PC as a music server. I'll also need to purchase some stands for the speakers but I don't want to break the bank on them, what should I look for?

 

[Anonymous]

You could add a DAC, between PC and amp, on your shopping list.

 

[Cpt.Issues]

Robbylion:You could add a DAC, between PC and amp, on your shopping list.

I've just finished my low-budget hifi setup using the PC as a source.

I highly recommend using an external DAC / preamp between the pc and amp, I found the sound quality to be vastly improved by adding one of these! It also helped me get much more from my headphones untill I had the rest of the components.

Including all necessary interconnects, TOSLINK cable etc and 8m of QED bi-wire cable I spent approx £650:

Beresford Caiman DAC
Roksan Kandy MKIII amp
B&W 602 S3 speakers w/Atakama stands

(Originally I forgot to factor in stands and didn't grasp how much the cables would actually add up to)

Apart from the DAC, stands and some of the cables its all second-hand off ebay but collected in person. Unfortunately I seem to have caught the bug and have already added a DAB receiver and subwoofer to that..