Budget speakers for a China expat

[georg]

Would the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 set of speakers play nice with an Audiolab 8000A ? Please say yes !

Being an expat in China (but NOT in Shanghai or Shenzhen) doesn't leave me many choices (e.g. for 2nd hand) and the websites/shops here are terrible or non-existent. Might have to put up with jd.com, suning, tmall, etc general/electronics online stores and only buy/overpay what's available. Having not decided how long I will stay here, I wouldn't like to bring my Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite from home (yet?) or spend/invest too much here on something I won't be able to carry back if/when I return home (e.g. Kef Q300s).

I listen to classical music but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy vocals, classic rock or pop occasionally. I have my DAC and digital music, so I will only need a pair of speakers, which I will put next my TV, distanced at 220-250cm from each other. The living room is rather large but I don't need to fill it with music. My listening position will be at the sofa, 3m away from the TV.

I would consider something like Yamaha NS-333 but would like to stay within a 200EUR-300EUR budget. Or should I overeact and buy the Dali Zensor 1s at 460EUR ? I am not familiar with any local brands at that budget; it seems that mostly cheapish hifi DIY electronics stuff, valve amps, or rather expensive hifi components make it to english news. Any suggestions about speakers that could be available or even shops are welcome. I am desperate for some good old fashioned separates sound.

 

[Al ears]

Would the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 set of speakers play nice with an Audiolab 8000A ? Please say yes !

Being an expat in China (but NOT in Shanghai or Shenzhen) doesn't leave me many choices (e.g. for 2nd hand) and the websites/shops here are terrible or non-existent. Might have to put up with jd.com, suning, tmall, etc general/electronics online stores and only buy/overpay what's available. Having not decided how long I will stay here, I wouldn't like to bring my Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite from home (yet?) or spend/invest too much here on something I won't be able to carry back if/when I return home (e.g. Kef Q300s).

I listen to classical music but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy vocals, classic rock or pop occasionally. I have my DAC and digital music, so I will only need a pair of speakers, which I will put next my TV, distanced at 220-250cm from each other. The living room is rather large but I don't need to fill it with music. My listening position will be at the sofa, 3m away from the TV.

I would consider something like Yamaha NS-333 but would like to stay within a 200EUR-300EUR budget. Or should I overeact and buy the Dali Zensor 1s at 460EUR ? I am not familiar with any local brands at that budget; it seems that mostly cheapish hifi DIY electronics stuff, valve amps, or rather expensive hifi components make it to english news. Any suggestions about speakers that could be available or even shops are welcome. I am desperate for some good old fashioned separates sound.

Yes, in my humble opinion.

 

[tomatofk]

Have you tried 2.taobao.com for local or near by cities second hand stuff?

 

[georg]

Yes, in my humble opinion.

Thanks for the answer. I don't have any experience with Wharfedales, but judging from the reviews they might be good for the money.

Have you tried 2.taobao.com for local or near by cities second hand stuff?

It's hard to trust the shops, let alone the 2nd hand market, and I have bought hundreds of used electronics stuff back in Europe. Too much information is lost or distorted in the translation, no one speaks English, and there are probably not enough native hifi users in China to find a decent deal.

 

[MajorFubar]

Sounds like more kit which may or may not satisfy your expectations is the last thing you need. Have you thought about cordless headphones instead? Something like the Sennheiser RS-180 will absolutely wipe the floor with a cheap pair of speakers that you'll either have to sell or struggle to get back here when you come home. If you can't find them locally maybe a friend in the UK could buy a pair for you and post them, though I'm not sure how the land lies in China with regards to receiving electronics posted from overseas. You'd need a mains adaptor too.

 

[georg]

@MajorFubar

I have even better headphones and a great DAC, but I do not prefer listening to music through headphones than loudspeakers. I do it when I am on the go and I have to but it doesn't feel natural, relaxing or enjoyable enough when I am at home. Floorstanders would be even nicer but I don't want to overspend right now, until I decide to stay longer than a couple of years or if I would know whether it will be possible to sell them (through taobao to other users - sadly there are not many, to colleagues - don't think they do hifi, or back to a shop if I managed to find one close to me and buy from there). I understand your point though and I agree that moving around heavy items or buying/sending things from/to abroad is not advisable anywhere.

 

[tomatofk]

Do you have friends or collegues to translate for you there? Im in shenzhen and new to hifi, recently just collected a cambridge dvd99 from a local hifi hobbiest, know him through 2.taobao.com and very nice to invite me to his home for demo.

 

[tomatofk]

Do you have friends or collegues to translate for you there? Im in shenzhen and new to hifi, recently just collected a cambridge dvd99 from a local hifi hobbiest, know him through 2.taobao.com and very nice to invite me to his home for demo.

 

[georg]

@tomatofk

Yes, I have, but sadly I am not living in a supercity, so I will have to find and trust (and be trusted from) someone who is willing to ship. Speakers are not that easy to handle anyway. And I can't find many good deals in taoabao sites for 2nd hand gear. I guess that's what happens when the middle class is underdeveloped (and too young to have been bored already with their purchases) in a country and when everything is in Chinese. I will ask around if there are any more specialised communities having web flea market web sites but I doubt it; people here do social media, not forums :-( Which is bad for my case, since it's not only hard to get a deal but it will also be difficult to sell or upgrade in the future.

Some local brands look impressive on paper and inexpensive but it's hard to trust and buy online without listening when nobody knows how these prodcuts perform and considering the philosophy here of making things look better than what they are in reality. Lately there have been real quality companies/products, which of course cost a fortune (e.g. Auralic, Aurum Cantus) but if you want to buy other well-known brands to western countries you typically have to overpay (regardless the fact that these also are manufactured here).

 

[tomatofk]

Points are well taken and understood. The people here are too busy working their lives off to have time enjoying some good music, and people who have the time and wealth to enjoy do not share much with others. But the hifi community, even relatively small, are there and around you and me. I do admit the chinese forums do not have much good info except showing off gears. But lets rest the political stuff aside and focus on reality to try solve the needs.

The nice man I bought the cambridge from was also surprised that me and my friend are interested in these stuff at our age (we are not young but he is like our parents age). He also have some nice diy speakers and local brand amps, but still told us to stay away from chinese brands unless you really know what to look for. Even though these is a markup for buying international brands, and I know the premium to pay for is not quite fair. But there are already many approved distributors here (also being next to Hongkong), so the prices are getting more transparent.

Me and my friend go to Huaqiang North regularly, both checking out vintage CDs and demo something we may never be able to afford, since its only 15mins driving from home for me. And you can find many well known and affordable brands here, as long as you are sure of what you want, the dealers will always try to give a better discount.

So if you don't mind you can PM me your weixin and I can help you with the price asking or even the sourcing part, there are many quality shipping services that ship nation wide. Or you can make a list of stuff you want on this thread and I can try my best to respond with the street pricing here if you feel more comfortable this way.

Anyways, welcome to the great wall of China~*help*

 

[georg]

@tomatofk

Thanks Tom. I don't know how to send a PM ? *unknw*

Nevertheless, I am split between spending the least I can, going for a general (but well known) brand that might be available and (relatively) cheap through the big online stores (jd, tmall, sunning), like the cheap Yamahas or Wharfedales, or spending extra and going for something better, even if that means I will have to bring the Marantz, instead of the Audiolab, from back home, in order to be worth it. I do not have lots of experience with speakers, so that's why I was asking here in the first place. I found B&W 68*s and KEF Q*00s good when I checked them a few years ago and I was also pleasantly surprised with the Dalis (Zenzors if I recall correctly) considering their lower price. I have also a great DAC so it's the speakers that I am after.

 

[Aslan]

Hi Georg

Which city do you live in?

You can consider Sonos as an alternative. I have seen a Sonos shop in Guangzhou and it looks like a product which is distributed in China.

I can't read Chinese but it looks like you can mail order one from their website in China. I guess this way there will be no import duties.

For example: http://www.sonos.com/zh-cn/shop/play5-gen1

Hope this helps

 

[georg]

Hi Aslan,

As much as I like technology and home automation, I don't think I would enjoy the Sonos. It is a solid ecosystem but the quality is not there IMHO. Sonically, I doubt they would compare well against a cheaper set of stereo speakers. No high-res streaming either and the choice of speakers is not great. I might be wrong but I've had the B&W A7, which could be considered superior, and I can't say I was thrilled with it. If I were to follow the multiroom path I would rather invest in Yamaha's MusicCast. Right now this path seems expensive to me for what it offers and I wouldn't like to sacrifice sound quality for that convenience.

 

[georg]

I have decided to bring the Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite back from home when I return to China from the winter vacations. I think I will go for the KEF Q100 or Q300s, since KEF suspiciously seems to be the only "good" general speakers brand you can find in China with ease. I hope the system will work ok (sadly, my living room is big and open) and that I will find a buyer if/once I leave this country.

 

[Aslan]

That's a heavy bit of kit to drag half way across the world.

China doesn't have a great 2nd market and you might find it difficult to sell for a good price.

If it were me I would rather bring boxes of Monster Munch and PG Tips. Especially if you are not sure how long you plan to stay in China for.

 

[georg]

@Aslan

Lol. There are surely too many things to list that an expat will miss in China. Forget the good price; if I even manage to sell the speakers at any price I will be happy.