Help! Time for a half decent Hi-fi

[admin_exported]

Hi. I need some advice as to how I could best spend around £2000 on an amp, CD, speakers and turntable plus an equipment rack and cabling. I am additionally considering a Dacmagic and offboard USB Hard Drive for which I can free up a few hundred quid extra so that the total spend may rise to £2500.

I live in a 100 year old Victorian terraced house with a wooden floor (under which is 3 feet gap) and the ceilings are 9 feet high. Both of these factors make for a challenging acoustic environment. My musical tastes vary, covering most genres, but my record, CD and MiniDisc collection consists of mainly "hit" music as a result of many years of DJ ing.

I have been very taken with the Roksan Kandy K2 and the Naim 5i (although both need an offboard Phono stage I think) but I worry that these "over cook" my budget a bit. More realistically I should probably spend £500 each on the amp, speakers, CD and turntable to create an even match, but I don't know of anything at this price level. The Marantz 6003 amp is awarded best amp up to £500 so this may fit the bill along with the partnering CD player. Indeed I have seen this combo together with the acclaimed Wharfedale Diamonds for £600 all in. This is a veritable bargain which is almost to good to miss, except that I would worry that I am now considering spending to small an amount and could do better if I was to use up my budget with better kit.

I have a musical ear and like a detailed uncoloured sound with a sweet treble and tight but extended bass response. My current kit only consists of 10 year old Sony separates (amp, twin CD recorder, MiniDisc & RDS Tuner) plus an original Project Debut all playing through Mission 70i's on Atacama stands. This provides an acceptably "budget" quality sound but is far from great. I intend to re-use the Atacama's and the Sony MiniDisc & RDS Tuner for the foreseeable, replacing - as I've said - the turntable, amp, CD & speakers and adding a DACMagic and rack/cabling etc.

Any suggestions please?

 

[matthewpiano]

Some suggestions for you to try:

Turntable: Rega Planar P3-24 OR Technics SL1210Mk2

CD Player : Rega Apollo or NAD C545BEE

Amplifier : NAD C355BEE or C326BEE (see which you prefer)

Speakers: B&W 685, or Q Acoustics 1050i (or 1030i)

For cables look at Chord Company and Merlin. If you like the 685s budget for Partington Dreadnought stands to support them.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm... interesting, thanks. I admit to not having seriously considered NAD before although I've now read about how appreciated they are on these forums.

I assume you've suggested the Technics because of my background, yes? My worry here is that the sound quality may be compromised slightly due to the decks priority for club environments rather than home Hi-fi, or is this unjustified?

Thanks for your thoughts matthewpiano.

 

[matthewpiano]

The Technics is superbly engineered and incredibly steady and accurate. Mine has never been used for anything other than as a hi-fi source and I love it, although it deserves a better cartridge than the Goldring Elan I've currently got.

Its worth having a search around the internet for all the info on modifying the Technics as well. There are some very serious power supply and arm upgrades being done out there.

 

[the record spot]

Re: the Technics - get the basic one, new or used, then when funds allow, if not before, upgrade the arm by having a better one fitted professionally. Upgrade the platter mat (Funk Firm's Achromat is a good one I think) and change the cartridge. That's three of many - this is a good turntable, but if you can find it in you to slog out a few upgrades, you can, by all accounts, own a stunning deck.

 

[JoelSim]

the record spot:Re: the Technics - get the basic one, new or used, then when funds allow, if not before, upgrade the arm by having a better one fitted professionally. Upgrade the platter mat (Funk Firm's Achromat is a good one I think) and change the cartridge. That's three of many - this is a good turntable, but if you can find it in you to slog out a few upgrades, you can, by all accounts, own a stunning deck.

Given that it can withstand 2,000 clubbers going mental, it's a good starting point for any turntable.

 

[idc]

DecadentDj:

....I have a musical ear and like a detailed uncoloured sound with a sweet treble and tight but extended bass response.....

I would second the suggestion to have a listen to Rega and check out Musical Fidelity kit if you are willing to go second hand. What you have described above is the house sound of MF kit and my headphone amps are exactly that.

 

[chebby]

I am going to recommend the all Rega system reviewed in the current issue of WHF (5 stars for the whole system) with the addition of the Rega P2 turntable.....

Rega Brio 3 amplifier (has phono input built in) £322

Rega Apollo CD player £475

Rega RS3 floor standing speakers £684

Rega P2 + Rega Bias cartridge (factory fitted) £294

Rega turntable wall support £68

Rega Couple RCA interconnect £80

Total £1923

All prices from Rega's Sept 2009 pricelist (small pdf file) and inclusive of VAT.

I am recommending the wall support because of your 'suspended' floors.

I am positive that any Rega dealer selling a £1923 system will give you some decent terminated speaker cable.

You should get 3 year warranty cover from a Rega dealer. (You do from Audio-T).

Remember that VAT goes back up in January so that total will go up about £40.

I think you will struggle to get a more cohesive system for under £2k

 

[idc]

All-be-it I am referring to the original Brio and Mira amps, but I found the extra oomph of the Mira helped to add an extra dynamic and layer of life to the music.

 

[chebby]

idc:All-be-it I am referring to the original Brio and Mira amps, but I found the extra oomph of the Mira helped to add an extra dynamic and layer of life to the music.

Of course. But...

(a) The RS3's are rated at 89db sensitivity so the 50Watt per channel Brio 3 will be fine.

(b) The Mira 3 costs £264 more, pushing the OP's budget over. (Although it has a remote

)

The Saturn is better than the Apollo, the P3 and P5 are better than a P2, the RS5's are probably better than the RS3's. Every component in my suggested system can be bettered by spending a lot more money. I was trying to get a system that will sound great together into the £2K budget.

 

[Anonymous]

idc, as always, your response is intriguing. Following this supertest I asked on this forum what substituting the Mira fro the Brio would do to the Rega system, but, unfortunately, I haven't got a reply. Haver you heard both? If so, what's your opinion? I would prefer a remot controlled amp, but remember darkly that some forum members thought that these two were, in fact quite different.

Hedgehog

 

[chebby]

Hedgehog:
idc, as always, your response is intriguing. Following this supertest I asked on this forum what substituting the Mira fro the Brio would do to the Rega system, but, unfortunately, I haven't got a reply. Haver you heard both? If so, what's your opinion? I would prefer a remot controlled amp, but remember darkly that some forum members thought that these two were, in fact quite different.

Hedgehog

The Mira 3 is a touch more refined and more powerful. Yes I have heard both - in all Rega systems. (With the Apollo and the old Rega R3's) However I would still have bought the Brio 3 for it's 'bounce' and pace.

I also had the old version of the amp for 11 years from 1996 - 2007 (with Rega Planar 3 and Goldring 1042 powering KEF Q35.2 speakers)

 

[Anonymous]

id suggest totem arro speakers at £1175 to go with some of the gear mentioned here as they match your requirements well and have a good sweet treble

 

[idc]

I had a lengthy audition with Brio, Mira, Roksan Kandy and NAD something. First to go was the NAD due to a veiled sound that lacked dynamics compared to the others. Next was the Brio (which I am sure then had 30 watts) for the same reason as the NAD, but less so. The Roksan and Mira were a toss up between them, but the Mira won out as I felt that it was slightly less coloured. In otherwords, it worked throughout the whole of the bass, midrange and treble. It was more realistic with my tester tracks, particularly The Fun Lovin' Criminals.

A while later I was back at the same dealer for a customer demo night and I really liked the all Rega setup, with the floorstanding speakers. Considering it was way less than the Krell, Moon, Primare setups they had, the Rega performed very well in deed. It was playing Bjork's Debute album at the time and her 'breathy' vocals shone out along with both bass and treble. So, again I would say it was a realistic sound, which is what I undersand the OP is after from my first quote.

 

[Anonymous]

funny isnt it ive always been a big fan of the rega cd players and turntable but have always thought their amps veered towards the light for me and the speakers were ok without grabbing me though i havent heard the new series

thats why i mentioned the arros or the £500 dreamcatchers as an alternative as their good enough to complement a wide range of amps and may be closer to the sweetness the op mentions in the treble

 

[Anonymous]

I enjoy buying good used items ... and just browsing ebay on the buy it nows, here are a few considerations that I would look at closely if I had your budget and listening room

amp: used Krell Kav 300i for £850 .... can be found here

speakers: IMF TLS80 for £725 ... used to own a pair of these and they are brilliant ... can be found here ... they normally sell for approx £600-£700

cdp ... new Rega Apolo for £450

brings the total so far to £2025, so not sure if it's over budget if you consider the deck etc, but am sure that there are some used bargains on ebay or elsewhere

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, chebby, idc and one off, that's very helpful though, of course, I'll have to listen myself as everyone has a different opinion...

Hedgehog

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks all for helping.

Now to the dilemma, buy new separates or go with the idea of second-hand kit. I am intrigued enough to keep am eye on ebay for a while and see if these items become available within travelling distance from me. I will insist on inspection and a demo of course. The advantage of going down this route is that I could end up with substantially better kit for the money. The disadvantage is that I'll have no dealer back up and that I'll have to use my intuition to determine if the equipment has been cared for correctly.

Thanks once again.

 

[batonwielder]

I would suggest that you save a bundle and go with the Marantz/Wharfedale deal. You can always do better, but a real enjoyment can be had with budget components in perfect synergy. You will hear it when that happens and will not want to part with that equipment.

You need to listen to as much equipment as possible before making a purchase, and ebay is not the best way to do so. Use the dealership and be sure of their policies. Getting the deserved services will be just as important as finding a system you love.

The Marantz/Wharfedale system, with decent cabling, careful setup, and good dealer support, will save you precious time and money while bringing you years of enjoyment.