Cambridge

[admin_exported]

OK, here we go, I've asked a few questions on here regarding a starter system with very few replies but now I'm getting rely confused.

I've got cash in hand and ready to go. Opinions please on:

Cambridge A5 with either. Q Acoustics 1030 (£130) or Q Acoustics 1050 (£200) or Mission M33i (£170),

I might push for the Azure 340.

Auditioning my prove difficult as the speakers are from Superfi, the amp from Richersounds next door (litterally), in Stockport.

The kit will be used for everything from classical to rock including DVD's.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Avoid the A5 if at all possible - I used to own one, and whilst it is a "nice" sounding amp, you will get a lot more for not a great deal more cash if you go to the 340...

As for speakers, are you dead-set on floorstanders? I would probably suggest the Wharfdale Diamond 9.1s or MS 902i's which would give you cash for stands as well. If dead-set on floorstanders, I would try to stretch to the £249 MS 914i's...

If you are next door to Richer, why not pay them a visit and try to get a listen to the 9.1's being driven by the 340...

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input, I think floor standers are the way to go cos the boss says so.

I've been playing between the two amps and just needed some opinion as to which way to go, the A5 is now off the list!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Good man! Have a listen to some of the floorstanders that Richer do - you might like the 906i's. I would avoid the Gale and TDL's though. They can sound impressive initally, but are really short on detail and you could get frustrated with them quite quickly...

 

[Anonymous]

I had wondered about Gale and TDL but quickly discounted them.... couldn't find any indepedant info on them, so they were never in the running!

 

[vinod_david]

[quote user="dickwhitt"]
Thanks for the input, I think floor standers are the way to go cos the boss says so.

I've been playing between the two amps and just needed some opinion as to which way to go, the A5 is now off the list!
[/quote]

Hi. In my search for budget amp, cd, and speakers combo, my first demo was CA 340 amp and cd player with MS 906i speakers, lovely sound from the combo, that MS 906i's are excellent with low frequency, good speakers for all kinds of music, actually if you're into low-frequency and huge bass stuff, like Massive Attack, etc., you will know what I mean when you have a demo of this combo, great budget floor standers, MS 906i goes well will CA and Marantz products. All in my opinion though, you might and might not like them. thanx.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fatboyslimfast"] I would avoid the Gale and TDL's though. They can sound impressive initally, but are really short on detail and you could get frustrated with them quite quickly...[/quote]

Very sound advice......I have some Gales.

 

[Anonymous]

hi, that is a good budget set up that vinod_david suggested. I say if you live right next door to richer sounds then you should go in there with some of the name suggested on here in mind.
They may give you a good deal on a whole package with cables, stands etc if you haggle them as I have done before.
They do both the cambridge and mordaunt shorts in there so you can test them out together too with your own tunes!

Good luck and don't let them sell you their unwanted cr*p as they tend to try it on sometimes.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe I should clarify, it's Superfi which is right nextdoor to Richersounds, I live in t'hills of Derbyshire!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Ah. Boo! Well, take a trip up there, and try a system from both... make an afternoon of it

 

[Anonymous]

Forget Azur 340, to drive a Q Acoustics 1050, you need at least 640A or better the 840A. But before you get the Q 1050, perhaps you should check out AE Neo Three, it has much better bass and imaging than the M33i and Q 1050. Anyway, they are all about the same price.

 

[gpi]

Do Superfi and Richer offer demos in a separate room? They don't at the Bham stores and I once had a brief demo of a Marantz amp by the manager who nodded his head along to the Stereophonics like Alan Partridge. The thing was the equipment was right next to the shop's front door which was wide open on a main city centre street. "Good, innit" he beamed.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

I think Superfi do, but alas Richer have now converted all their dem rooms into AV displays. Which saddens me a bit, as when I got into HiFi, you could actually book a demo of the kit you were about to buy and listen to it without as you have said the road and hubbub of a busy shop.

But they are still doing their bit to get mr.average away from awful lifestyle systems and actually hearing music, so I can't be too harsh on them!

 

[Thaiman]

Cambridge.....

Mr. E is the best expert here about Cambridge

After all he was reading English for this as a school boy!

(I don't know what that mean either....hang over big time today!)

 

[Anonymous]

See if they have any tannoy speakers... many moons ago I used to run a Cambridge audio A1 into a pair of tannoy M3's. The M3's were great floorstanders for the money and had plenty of whoomp. Sadly the A1 died it's forth death (repaired or re-fused by me 3 times after speaker shorting) but I used the tannoys for much time to come, including with my 8000A. The M3's have gone through many new generations of updates from tannoy now and I think the most comparative version would be the F3, or the F4. Checkout the F4's, the M4's had an extra bass driver and a lower cutoff so I expect the F4's are similar.

yeah Here they are, F3 doesn't exist hehe

I got a lot of Joy out of my tannoys and I haven't got rid of them yet despite now owning vastly more pricey and capable speakers, got plans for em