hi fi systems at richer sounds

[admin_exported]

hi guys

they currently have a £149 system with Cambridge a1 amp, ipod dock and gale speakers

or the next one at £369 with cambridge 340a amp and cd player with ipod dock and same gale speakers

do you think there would be a noticable difference in sound between these 2 setups??

thanks

 

[lazar1980]

Hi mate, problem with richer sounds is that they dont have demo rooms and is hard to hear on the shop floor.

Dont know any of those setup-ups but if I was to buy something in that price range I would consider this:

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3856

Should be much better then systems you listed and you can hear it in superfi.

Hope that helps

Regards

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the reply.. the only problem being there isnt a superfi near me.. and richer sounds is 10 mins away. i'm just looking for a first hifi setup and want to be impressed, but cant spend a lot as its all going on the credit card! i would go for the 340 if its noticably better than the a1 but i havent a clue..

 

[Anonymous]

just checked richer sounds latest brochure and the £369 offer is still on.. but i will need a hifi rack and speaker stands.

they have a ttap aluminium stand with glass shelves for £40 and gale speakers stands for £50 am i likely to beat this price anywhere else? if i'm buying the whole lot from them (£460) can i haggle at all?

 

[lazar1980]

Well, not sure if you going to be impressed but hey good luck, tho i still think that offer in superfi is much better then both options in richer sounds.

And very important is not to forget to include decent speaker cable and interconnects

And yes you should be able to haggle them down especially if you buying whole system.

 

[mikeinbrum]

You can order online from superfi and I think providing you don't break or damage the products, if you don't like them you can get a full refund. so go for it!

 

[Anonymous]

Any hifi dealer that doesnt have a demo room should be avoided unless you know what prouduct your looking for, richer sounds are the wall-mart of hifi, take your cash put a box in your hand and thats your lot, i once asked for a demo on some hifi gear in richers and the sales guy said we only give demos on home cinema, avoid richer sounds and go with superfi, good luck.

 

[Craig M.]

not always the case, my local richer (hull) has a demo room.

 

[johnnyblue]

I've bought various bits of kit from Richer Sounds over the last 10 - 15 years and they're definitely not as good as they used to be. The choice in-store is much smaller than even a few years ago and once upon a time you could actually audition stuff. However they can be cheap, although again not so much anymore. Last year we bought a Sony 26 u3000tv from Sainsbury's for £50.00 cheaper than RS were asking. But I did buy my Cambridge Audio 640c v2 cd player from RS, because it was the best offer locally (within 20 miles) around the £300 mark. My advice would be to be patient and shop around as you might find as good a deal or better elsewhere. Also, although RS will change kit if you don't like it that's only for something of the same price or more expensive - no refunds or part refunds. And in my experience they won't haggle - ever.

 

[aliEnRIK]

I wouldnt buy the GALE SPEAKERS (In fact I wouldnt touch 'gale' anything with a bargepole)

Buy Cambridge kit but better speakers (Wharfdale say)

 

[Anonymous]

lazar1980:Hi mate, problem with richer sounds is that they dont have demo rooms

That is not true. They may be "round the back" and not advertised very much (after all they certainly don't want to give a demo to anyone who walks in seeing how busy their stores can get), but some (most? all?) stores have a demo room. Off the top of my head, and only talking about those London branches I know, Romford and Swiss Cottage both have a demo room. Just ask nicely and you might just be let through.

 

[matthewpiano]

The entry level Cambridge CD player is pretty decent for the money (see my sig!) but their cheaper amps aren't great IMO. Gale speakers are generally not very good these days either, so the system doesn't look all that great from where I'm sitting.

Do yourself a favour and order that system from Superfi. You'll get much better sound and be satisfied for longer.

 

[Alec]

As many before me have said, yes, they do. Not in all stores, but that doesnt make the satement that they do not have them any less false.

 

[mikeinbrum]

I got put off going to Richer Sounds when I nipped into their Birmingham branch one day to pick up a run of speaker wire.... they stripped the wire in front of me..... using their teeth.

I was less than impressed.

 

[chebby]

mikeinbrum:...they stripped the wire in front of me..... using their teeth.

It is all part of the Richer Sounds employee dental health plan. They all get wire strippers fitted on their first visit.

 

[ESP2009]

mikeinbrum:

I got put off going to Richer Sounds when I nipped into their Birmingham branch one day to pick up a run of speaker wire.... they stripped the wire in front of me..... using their teeth.

I was less than impressed.

Well, it sure impresses me! I wish I was that rough, tough and macho!

I've not been to the Birmingham branch in more years than I care to think about, but have to admit that if you know what you want (and haven't been cheeky enough to have a demo elsewhere before going for the cheaper RS supply), they used to be great. That said, my last hi-fi purchases were all from other suppliers who did provide proper demo services and were willing to spend time with me.

As with anything else, it's 'horses for courses'. Don't be too hard on them; I recently wandered into our local Sony Centre in the vain hope they might have the elusive DA-2400ES at a good price, only to be approached by a minion whose opening gambit was "any particular size?" I hope he was referring to the HD TVs I was walking past on my way to the anonymous and unglamorous black boxes at the rear. Didn't encourage me to hang around, particularly when I reeled off the item's details and got a blank look, followed by a careless "don't think we have them in stock, but could probably order one if you give us your details" response.

Box shifters - hah!

 

[Craig M.]

johnnyblue:I've bought various bits of kit from Richer Sounds over the last 10 - 15 years and they're definitely not as good as they used to be. The choice in-store is much smaller than even a few years ago and once upon a time you could actually audition stuff. However they can be cheap, although again not so much anymore. Last year we bought a Sony 26 u3000tv from Sainsbury's for £50.00 cheaper than RS were asking. But I did buy my Cambridge Audio 640c v2 cd player from RS, because it was the best offer locally (within 20 miles) around the £300 mark. My advice would be to be patient and shop around as you might find as good a deal or better elsewhere. Also, although RS will change kit if you don't like it that's only for something of the same price or more expensive - no refunds or part refunds. And in my experience they won't haggle - ever.

again, this could vary from store to store, they gave me a refund on a dacmagic. and when i got my first system of ca 640 cdp and amp with wharfedale 9.1, got interconnect and speaker cable thrown in.

 

[matthewpiano]

ESP2009:mikeinbrum:

I got put off going to Richer Sounds when I nipped into their Birmingham branch one day to pick up a run of speaker wire.... they stripped the wire in front of me..... using their teeth.

I was less than impressed.

Well, it sure impresses me! I wish I was that rough, tough and macho!

I've not been to the Birmingham branch in more years than I care to think about, but have to admit that if you know what you want (and haven't been cheeky enough to have a demo elsewhere before going for the cheaper RS supply), they used to be great. That said, my last hi-fi purchases were all from other suppliers who did provide proper demo services and were willing to spend time with me.

As with anything else, it's 'horses for courses'. Don't be too hard on them; I recently wandered into our local Sony Centre in the vain hope they might have the elusive DA-2400ES at a good price, only to be approached by a minion whose opening gambit was "any particular size?" I hope he was referring to the HD TVs I was walking past on my way to the anonymous and unglamorous black boxes at the rear. Didn't encourage me to hang around, particularly when I reeled off the item's details and got a blank look, followed by a careless "don't think we have them in stock, but could probably order one if you give us your details" response.

Box shifters - hah!

I'm sorry you got such careless service in a Sony Centre. Its something you shouldn't be seeing in a Sony Centre and Sony are really putting the pressure on the companies that run Sony Centres at the moment to ensure that they create the right sort of buying experience for the customer, with the expert advice and high levels of customer service that every customer has a right to expect from an associate store. Box shifting is a long way from what Sony themselves, and most of the people running and working in Sony Centres, expect and want to aim for.

 

[Anonymous]

The Middlesbrough branch has a listening room. If your anywhere near there. They are very helpful in that shop.

 

[Anonymous]

If your insisting on buying new gear and want it complete then get the Superfi deal. Its far better than the Richer Sounds set up.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't touch those cheap Cambridge Audio amps with a barge pole!

TBH for that kind of money I would be buying second hand, otherwise I do doubt that you'll be impressed, ebay is a gold mine for hi-fi

 

[lazar1980]

Ok ok my bad.

I`m taking back that they don`t have listening rooms but I thought so cause I`ve been in 4 stores that didn`t have and since there`s nothing on their website I asumed that they don`t have them.

Anyway whole point of this thread is not about RS having demo rooms or not, and that system in superfi is much better then the ones RS is offering.

Regards

 

[Anonymous]

lazar1980:
Ok ok my bad.

I`m taking back that they don`t have listening rooms but I thought so cause I`ve been in 4 stores that didn`t have and since there`s nothing on their website I asumed that they don`t have them.

Anyway whole point of this thread is not about RS having demo rooms or not, and that system in superfi is much better then the ones RS is offering.

Regards

True.

I still think that to be 'impressed' though you should consider a system more in the price range of mine. One thing I have learned is buy too cheap, and you'll end up buying twice.

 

[lazar1980]

"""One thing I have learned is buy too cheap, and you'll end up buying twice. """

Oh yeah, that is so true but I had privilige to learn it from my father so didnt make many mistakes of that kind.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm very sorry to be reading this twaddle because IMO Richer sounds is a very successful business giving excellent value for money. In particular their hi fi separates have outstanding in performance easily bettering other more expensive companies, which isn't surprising when you consider that Cambridge Audio is designed by one of the most respected names in the business, Doug Self. If any of you are interested in the technical aspects of audio engineering you'd do well to read his books on the subject, because they are definitive.

FWIW Cambridge Audio is made by companies that previously made Computers which are much more high tech, so I'd say the quality is top notch and reliability better than some Brit manufacturers.

People are very snobbish about Richer but it's a mistake because they are extremely well run and very successful. You'd also like Julian Richer if you met him.

Ash