Digital or analog ,clueless newbie.

[theflyingwasp]

Been into home cinema for a while and I'm fairly clued up about what to buy and what not to buy ,but I am clueless when it comes to music ,at what price point does music begin to sound better than what someone like me is used to,forgetting about surround sound music 5.1 etc just your basic system wether it be separates and 2 speakers or an all in one hifi with speakers.

watching a movie on my 6 year old Samsung then watching it on my new zt60 was like night and day so what kind of money do u have to spend to be blown away when it comes to music,will someone like me be able to tell the diffrence between digital and analog ,does it sound better

 

[Gravenhurst]

Probably around 1k which would include speakers, amp and source, that should get you a nice entry level system that sounds really good. For another jump in quality after that you would probably need to triple that budget.

Digital and analogue do sound different whether you think one is better than the other is down to personnel preference.

Best thing to do is to go have a few demos and see what you like.

 

[matt49]

Been into home cinema for a while and I'm fairly clued up about what to buy and what not to buy ,but I am clueless when it comes to music ,at what price point does music begin to sound better than what someone like me is used to,forgetting about surround sound music 5.1 etc just your basic system wether it be separates and 2 speakers or an all in one hifi with speakers.

watching a movie on my 6 year old Samsung then watching it on my new zt60 was like night and day so what kind of money do u have to spend to be blown away when it comes to music,will someone like me be able to tell the diffrence between digital and analog ,does it sound better

I don’t think you can expect anyone here to tell you how much you need to spend in order to be blown away by an audio system. But there’s one easy way to find out. Call your local hi-fi store and explain your situation. Be honest about your budget. Ask them to set up a demo for you, including (to answer the second part of your question) a digital and an analogue source.

Obviously you won’t want to part with any money at this stage. And you should also be aware that you may well be able to get the same or better quality cheaper, e.g. by using your Mac as a digital source.

One further point concerning analogue. Do you already have a collection of LPs? If not, be warned that LPs are rather expensive compared to CDs.

Good luck.

Matt

 

[BigH]

Yes not easy to answer as everyone is different, much depends on what you been used to. Only way is to go and demo different systems. As for analogue I think you will need to spend more money to get a decent set than digital. You could start off by hearing a all-in-one system like the MArantz 610 and work your way up in price with separates, try something like Marantz 6004 cd, 6004 amp and Kef R100 speakers, then change the amp to say a Rega Brio R or Arcam A19 or Creek 50A or Roksan Kandy K2 then try different speakers and sources.

Whereabouts do you live?

 

[Overdose]

Given what you already have in terms of equipment, I'd recommend a good pair of active speakers.

You already have the sources, ie OPPO 103 for universal disc playback and ATV, Mac and iOS devices for a music streaming solution.

You have a large choice depending on budget, but perhaps less if you want the speakers to have a more traditional hifi look. Pro audio monitors are plentiful at most budgets.

 

[theflyingwasp]

Ignore that last post,thanks for the answers ,I've been looking at the Cyrus equipment ,I only own CDs ,would I just buy the CD player and the amp?

The whole speaker thing looks like a massive headache!

i live in the east of Scotland ,there isn't much places left to get demos.

 

[theflyingwasp]

I don't mean ignore overdoses answer I thought I had posted a 1 word post. :wall:

 

[Overdose]

Ignore that last post,thanks for the answers ,I've been looking at the Cyrus equipment ,I only own CDs ,would I just buy the CD player and the amp?

The whole speaker thing looks like a massive headache!

i live in the east of Scotland ,there isn't much places left to get demos.

With the sources you have, you could connect into an active system via a preamp or DAC/Pre combination. For CD playback, your Blu-Ray player is more than adequate for the job. For CD playback only, you could connect directly into the back of the active speakers, as they contain power amplification. Some actives also have built in preamp and DAC sections also. So, in essence, you may only need a pair of active speakers for your solution.

For demos of pro audio gear,THESE guys are in Glasgow, but I don't know how far from you they are. If you are remote, getting a demo of a good range of speakers will be difficult. I bought blind, so to speak, and am happy, but others may be more cautious.

 

[theflyingwasp]

Thanks for your help and time ,yes I've pretty much bought blind with all my products you just have the trust the reviews ,you can't go wrong if the all the reviews from different sources say the product is good ,I'm a good 80 miles from Glasgow .

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

I've been looking at the Cyrus equipment

i live in the east of Scotland ,there isn't much places left to get demos.

Be aware Cyrus kit can sound very clinical and thus give the impression of being thin on bass. A well matched set of speakers is needed, therefore, to give some "oomph" back.

If you're north of the Tay, speak to Tony at Holburn Hifi in Aberdeen. He'll set you up with a package to suit your budget. Otherwise I guess the dealers in Dundee, Edinburgh, or even Newcastle if Wee Eck hasn't sealed the border yet, will sort you out, but I've never dealt with them so, sorry, no pointers.

 

[Overdose]

Thanks for your help and time ,yes I've pretty much bought blind with all my products you just have the trust the reviews ,you can't go wrong if the all the reviews from different sources say the product is good ,I'm a good 80 miles from Glasgow .

Then without reservation, I would recommend you shortlist the AVI ADM9RSS and DM5 active speakers. The 9s are more or less a complete system less source, the 5s are smaller traditional actives and can be fed from any of your sources individually. I think the 5s will be released soon, October maybe? The website or forum might have more acurate info on that though.