decent and cheap stereo

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
co-worker looking for a decent and cheap ( the less the better) stereo.. I have my own ideas but promised him I'll ask forum

he must be able connect tv and he subscribes to apple music

any ideas gents?
 

jjbomber

Well-known member
lpv said:
co-worker looking for a decent and cheap ( the less the better) stereo.. I have my own ideas but promised him I'll ask forum

he must be able connect tv and he subscribes to apple music

any ideas gents?

https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dm40-mission-lx2.html

Richer sounds will have plenty of options.

Cancel Apple Music and get 3 months Spotify for 99p. After 3 months he can choose which is best for him.
 

insider9

Well-known member
I challenge anyone to find anything better sounding at max £50 (occasionally as low as £30) second hand :)

Add Chromecast Audio and a Marantz CD-48 plus Wharfedale 9.1 and you've got the whole system for around max £150.
 
Q

QuestForThe13thNote

Guest
I had that very Sony amp with a home cinema system insider and sold it to a colleague. I ran it with Tannoy Mercury m3’s. It used to glow blue with multichannel bar, and had a flip down front panel. Very good for multi channel processing. I remember buying it at the first richer Sounds on London Bridge and halling back over the bridge and onto tube. I think it was about £500 in 2002.

Frankly I never found it that good for 2 channel, used it with some better tannoys I bought, before swapping to a basic Cyrus amp (6 dac) with less power and it was night and day to the Sony for the better. Also with later onkyo home cinema amps I had, same story as Sony.

taught me that a decent dedicated audiophile amp performing well, even with less power, can outshine compromised av receivers with too much in the circuit, too many compromises to just do one thing well (sound quality) with no bells and whistles and blue lights etc.

id be looking at a good amp from an audiophile make if buying used, which could probably be had for similar money. An old Rega, cyrus, arcam etc. I’d be confident it would outshine this Sony av receiver.
 

insider9

Well-known member
I had two of them. It can handle a 3 ohm load without a sweat. It delivers 110Wpc into 8ohm. How many sub £50 can do that? Sound quality it sounds best via its analogue (surround sound) inputs bypassing all processing. I take it you've not tried it like this? Ive had many amps at budget end it really is great for money.

Also Cyrus you mention by second hand prices will be 3-5 times the cost depending on how much you end up paying for Sony. As I said on very tight budget for £50 it will be difficult to find a better amp. And they often go for £30-ish.

Never said that there aren't many better amps altogether but this one for what it offers is a great buy.
 

Gray

Well-known member
jjbomber said:
lpv said:
co-worker looking for a decent and cheap ( the less the better) stereo.. I have my own ideas but promised him I'll ask forum

he must be able connect tv and he subscribes to apple music

any ideas gents?

https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dm40-mission-lx2.html

I've just seen the black DM40 for £149 in Richer. Bought one for my brother (when they were £179), love it.

As an alternative to the Mission's he could add these - still only £309 all in:

https://www.whathifi.com/dali/spektor-1/review
 
Q

QuestForThe13thNote

Guest
insider9 said:
I had two of them. It can handle a 3 ohm load without a sweat. It delivers 110Wpc into 8ohm. How many sub £50 can do that? Sound quality it sounds best via its analogue (surround sound) inputs bypassing all processing. I take it you've not tried it like this? Ive had many amps at budget end it really is great for money.

Also Cyrus you mention by second hand prices will be 3-5 times the cost depending on how much you end up paying for Sony. As I said on very tight budget for £50 it will be difficult to find a better amp. And they often go for £30-ish.

Never said that there aren't many better amps altogether but this one for what it offers is a great buy.

must admit great for what they did as home cinema amps. Weighed a ton and gutsy for what they did. I liked their remotes, so it’s not that I don’t think they are good. But refinement in 2channel to a better audiophile type amp is the issue for me, as I say I don’t think it’s all out power that defines quality of amps. Some 40w amps sound better. This Sony didn’t have much in mid range, smoothness and refinement, soundstage, it was about all out volume and power. I didn’t try it connected as you say but doubt it would make a huge difference. You’ve probably got the radio, amp etc, all on the same circuit.

I don’t reckon with Cyrus. A 10 year old current serviceable model would be achievable for under £100. How about something like this. I had the arcam alpha 7 Se back in the day. I doubt this would go for more than £50 but bet it would sound better than the Sony with right speakers.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F263333635727

Id agree on chromecast audio as £30 a bargain for a cheap source, then max out on new speakers in £150-£180 bracket. Mission lx2? Cheap monitor audios or q acoustics, or Tannoy. But probably mission or Tannoy for my tastes. But monitor audio good treble with a reputationally smooth arcam could work well.

Whats the budget?
 

jjbomber

Well-known member
Gray said:
I've just seen the black DM40 for £149 in Richer. Bought one for my brother (when they were £179), love it.

As an alternative to the Mission's he could add these - still only £309 all in:

https://www.whathifi.com/dali/spektor-1/review

My brother-in-law has a DM40 too. Great for the money. As for speakers, it is very much a personal taste. I like Mission but plenty of people love the Dali range. He can't go far wrong whatever he chooses.
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
cheers all !

the budget is low, lowest you can..

I've told him in the past how great apple music is so it could be difficult to say to him now: 'no, try spotify'

I've also sold him second hand idea so richers are out ( however black friday's coming)

all he's got now is iPhone and some sennheiser earbuds...

I was thinking

1) source/ airplay

( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet®-Wireless-Receiver-wireless-streaming/dp/B00O0U37HO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511209129&sr=8-1&keywords=airplay+receiver&dpID=413azpBD1DL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc="srch" )

2) integrated.. must have remote ( NAD, Marantz, Arcam)

3) speakers ( Q Acoustics, Wharfedale, Tannoy) plus what was mentioned
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
3 x 3,5 meters ( from memory) typical living room.. haven't got much experience with q acoustics cheap or not.. what about tannoys? I wouldn't recommend kef's ( don't like them).. and wharfedales could be ok ish?
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
insider9 said:
I'd personally avoid budget end QAcoustics. If you manage to get a nice pair of Dali 104 however they do sound great. How big is his room?

these floorstanders looking good.. nothing on ebay atm
 
S

SemiChronic

Guest
But Tannoy Dc6SE standmounters should be do-able around that price.

Very nice boxes
 

insider9

Well-known member
lpv said:
insider9 said:
I'd personally avoid budget end QAcoustics. If you manage to get a nice pair of Dali 104 however they do sound great. How big is his room?

these floorstanders looking good.. nothing on ebay atm
Usually under £100 as quite an old and unknown model. Very good musical speakers that would cost way more if it was still made.
 

jimmy1

New member
Nov 5, 2013
17
0
0
Visit site
Mission LX2's can be had for less brand new, never heard them myself but the mission mx4's i have now suprised me really cos i heard they where more dance music speakers but acoustic and blues music sounds a beast through them using denon pma 720ae amp, not as bright as people say imo but i do listen to older music
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
wasn't thinking about it but he will need some stands if not floorstanders so good call with the dali's or tannoys
 

insider9

Well-known member
lpv said:
what else's is there? I mean speakers at around £200 ( s/h)
That's a decent budget for budget second hand speakers. I recently managed to get a pair of Tannoy DC6T for £150 for a mate of mine. Cabinets were not the best but speakers sounded as they should that would be difficult to do again. They usually go for more. You can find Monitor Audio RS5 regularly under £200 but they'd need a reasonable amp.
 
S

SemiChronic

Guest
Hopefully LinsayT will be along soon, i reckon hes the master of hidden second hand gems
 

lindsayt

New member
Apr 8, 2011
16
2
0
Visit site
It all depends how high the bids go. Something I can never predict. But this is the sort of stuff to look at for a £10 to £150 music system...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-MATCHING-SPENDOR-BC11A-SPEAKERS-WITH-M50-AMPLIFIERS-home-music-stereo/122818953799?hash=item1c98948247:g:TAAAAOSwoVNaEsF-

Check with seller that it just needs refoaming on the bass driver and get a refoam kit for c£20.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Of-Vintage-WHARFEDALE-LINTON-3-XP-XP2-HiFi-Stereo-Speakers/192368981766?epid=1340682382&hash=item2cca15b706:g:uSgAAOSwK~RaEXEQ

Or buy these and swap the tweeters from the above...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wharfedale-Super-Linton-Vintage-Speakers-Faulty-Tweeters/253254315270?hash=item3af7222d06:g:NPgAAOSwxeBZsDr1

I'm tempted by these myself. Easy refoam job and potentialy pretty decent speakers by any standards, regardless of budget.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Realistic-Mach-Two-Speakers-Pair-Retro/152768976262?hash=item2391bd9586:g:--sAAOSwK89ZzRx7

For amplification, take your pick:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Amplifiers-Pre-Amps/14970/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw&LH_ItemCondition=3000&_dcat=14970&rt=nc&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo&_udhi=15
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts