Interesting experiment !

ErwinC

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The last 25 years I have owned a lot of expensive ‘high-end’ stereo equipment till about 4 months ago I decided to see how much musical pleasure a stereo set costing less than £1000, cables not included, would provide me. The reason for this experiment is that I have noticed that the last 2-3 year very good speakers have been produced for a low price.

To give you an idea on the components I owned during the last 25 years, this is the (not complete ;) ) list:

Speakers: B&W Matrix 802 series 3, Audio Physic Virgo, Dunlavy SC-IV and Aletha, B&W Nautilus 805/804/803, ATC SCM-12, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 and Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, …

Amplifiers: Rotel RMB-1095, Spectron Musician, Lexicon MC-8, Audio Synthesis Passion, Nelson Pass Aleph 3, Chord SPM-600, Arcam FMJ P35/3, Yamaha A-S1000 and A-S2000, Vincent SV-234 and SV-236, Cyrus 8XPdqx, …

CD players: can not remember the model numbers anymore but owned the more expensive Marantz, Denon and Sony players, various DACs and anti-jitter devices, Lexicon MC-8 used as DAC, and currently the best player I owned, the Vincent CD-S6 tube cd player.

So, about 4 months ago I sold my speakers and amplifier and started my quest for a stereo setup (with standmount speakers) costing less than £1000. After reading a lot of audio magazines and testing a lot of equipment in stores and at home my setup currently exist of:

Speakers: Q Acoustics 2020i (new £250 in Belgium) and Monitor Audio BX2 (new £250)

Amplifier: Cyrus 6XP amplifier (used £350)

CD player: still my Vincent CD-S6 but looking for a used Cyrus CD-8x to replace the Vincent. Should cost about £400.

Total: about £1000 :) :) :) :) once I find a Cyrus CD-8x.

How does this setup sound? In one word: fantastic !!! This setup gives me at least as much musical pleasure as the more expensive sets I owned before. I find this new setup very musical, with good imaging, impressive timing and a lot of detail. Bass goes deep enough and is tight and detailed. The sound is also still good at low volume settings. Ok, it does not produce the lowest frequencies like my Dynaudio Contour S3.4 could, but due to room restrictions I can only use standmounts.

I hope that replacing the Vincent CD-S6 by a Cyrus CD-8x will not degrade the musical pleasure i get now. Otherwise i will need to look for another CD player costing less than £400. ;)

The only thing I still have to do is to decide between the Q Acoustics 2020i and Monitor Audio BX2. At this moment the 2020i is my clear favorite but I really like the BX2 too.
 

WishTree

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ErwinC said:
The last 25 years I have owned a lot of expensive ‘high-end’ stereo equipment till about 4 months ago I decided to see how much musical pleasure a stereo set costing less than £1000, cables not included, would provide me. The reason for this experiment is that I have noticed that the last 2-3 year very good speakers have been produced for a low price.

Hi ErwinC, It is great to know your thinking direction and I am very happy for it!

Not to too generalize, With computers - the latest is always the best and people have developed some judgement of not to spend too insane amount of money for their needs. This is also because of the tangible nature of the benefits.

The HiFi hobby is more intangible and there is a tendency to assume that the expensive is better. The review magazines do not help either. With all the grouping based on pricing, there is this urge to strech to one group above than the current budget (most likely automatically get the upgraditis bug too!).

In such times, when some one like you who had dug deeper pockets in the past, and vouches for something more budget then I guess this atleast helps some to not to yield to this urge and embrace the fruits of modern production excellence more confidently even at a budget range.

BTW, there are some people who are already level headed and never got tempted knowing exactly.

Kudos to them and Kudos to you! Keep us posted.

Yeah and me.. I think I am a lost case.. when ever I struggle a little but to downsize my equipment (price as well as box wise) I only find myself spending more :(
 
ErwinC said:
The last 25 years I have owned a lot of expensive ‘high-end’ stereo equipment till about 4 months ago I decided to see how much musical pleasure a stereo set costing less than £1000, cables not included, would provide me. The reason for this experiment is that I have noticed that the last 2-3 year very good speakers have been produced for a low price.

To give you an idea on the components I owned during the last 25 years, this is the (not complete ;) ) list:

Speakers: B&W Matrix 802 series 3, Audio Physic Virgo, Dunlavy SC-IV and Aletha, B&W Nautilus 805/804/803, ATC SCM-12, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 and Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, …

Amplifiers: Rotel RMB-1095, Spectron Musician, Lexicon MC-8, Audio Synthesis Passion, Nelson Pass Aleph 3, Chord SPM-600, Arcam FMJ P35/3, Yamaha A-S1000 and A-S2000, Vincent SV-234 and SV-236, Cyrus 8XPdqx, …

CD players: can not remember the model numbers anymore but owned the more expensive Marantz, Denon and Sony players, various DACs and anti-jitter devices, Lexicon MC-8 used as DAC, and currently the best player I owned, the Vincent CD-S6 tube cd player.

So, about 4 months ago I sold my speakers and amplifier and started my quest for a stereo setup (with standmount speakers) costing less than £1000. After reading a lot of audio magazines and testing a lot of equipment in stores and at home my setup currently exist of:

Speakers: Q Acoustics 2020i (new £250 in Belgium) and Monitor Audio BX2 (new £250)

Amplifier: Cyrus 6XP amplifier (used £350)

CD player: still my Vincent CD-S6 but looking for a used Cyrus CD-8x to replace the Vincent. Should cost about £400.

Total: about £1000 :) :) :) :) once I find a Cyrus CD-8x.

How does this setup sound? In one word: fantastic !!! This setup gives me at least as much musical pleasure as the more expensive sets I owned before. I find this new setup very musical, with good imaging, impressive timing and a lot of detail. Bass goes deep enough and is tight and detailed. The sound is also still good at low volume settings. Ok, it does not produce the lowest frequencies like my Dynaudio Contour S3.4 could, but due to room restrictions I can only use standmounts.

I hope that replacing the Vincent CD-S6 by a Cyrus CD-8x will not degrade the musical pleasure i get now. Otherwise i will need to look for another CD player costing less than £400. ;)

The only thing I still have to do is to decide between the Q Acoustics 2020i and Monitor Audio BX2. At this moment the 2020i is my clear favorite but I really like the BX2 too.

Interesting as you say, but not strictly accurate. If you're saying £1,000 set-up I was expecting something along the lines of Marantz 6004 amp and matching CDP + your speakers, and not a Cyrus 6XP which costs approx £1000 brand new and the Vincent is probably around the same figure.

I agree you don't to have to spend big to have a cracking sound, but i think the beginning of the thread is slightly misleading.
 

ErwinC

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WishTree said:
The HiFi hobby is more intangible and there is a tendency to assume that the expensive is better. The review magazines do not help either. With all the grouping based on pricing, there is this urge to strech to one group above than the current budget (most likely automatically get the upgraditis bug too!).

I totally agree. I have seen components tested and placed in the wrong quality category because the magazine had a wrong price for the equipment they tested. :rofl: In a German magazine they rated the QAcoustics 2020i a class above the KEF Q100 because they thought the price of a pair of Q100 was 250 Euro (in reality 500 Euro). The price of the 2020i in Germany is 500 Euro for the gloss black. I am sure that if they knew that the price of the Q100 is 500 Euro they would have rated it a class higher.

BTW, i have some experience with price settings of equipment by distributors and sometimes it is really ridiculous. If you look at the price of the 2020i in Germany for example. It is more than two times the price of the 2020i in the UK and about 50% more expensive than in Belgium. :rofl:
 

moon

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ErwinC said:
moon said:
Hi Erwin,

I think those Q Acoustics are fantastic.

Indeed. They are much, much better than i expected.

Erwin, I dont know what your music taste is, but try listening to some Jazz on them, something by Coltrane or Davis. I was amazed a how little cabinet resonance they produced. If ive learnt one thing about HiFi over the years, its small bookshelf speakers do it best. I cant see myself ever owning any floorstanders again.
 

ErwinC

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moon said:
Erwin, I dont know what your music taste is, but try listening to some Jazz on them, something by Coltrane or Davis. I was amazed a how little cabinet resonance they produced. If ive learnt one thing about HiFi over the years, its small bookshelf speakers do it best. I cant see myself ever owning any floorstanders again.

My music taste is Jazz. ;)
 

moon

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ErwinC said:
moon said:
Erwin, I dont know what your music taste is, but try listening to some Jazz on them, something by Coltrane or Davis. I was amazed a how little cabinet resonance they produced. If ive learnt one thing about HiFi over the years, its small bookshelf speakers do it best. I cant see myself ever owning any floorstanders again.

My music taste is Jazz. ;)

Nice 8)
 
hoopsontoast said:
Penguin, not really, He bought them used :doh: Which he clearly states :type:

Yup, I know. As I started to read the post I was intrigued (and hoping) that he would mention a budget/entry-level set-up. As I read further I became slightly disappointed to find it was a Cyrus 6, albeit entry-level, is quite a higher end midrange amp.

I have personal experience of owning budget Arcams (A65 and Alpha 7) to wonderful effect - comparable to pricier set-ups IMO - hence the downbeat post.
 

CJSF

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A very interesting view . . . on life?

I for one, cannot even consider the type of hifi audiophile kit I have owned in the past. My heydays of 70's and 80's, were an Aladdin’s cave of desire and ownership.

Two decade break and starting again last year, I had to re-educate myself, both in what hifi is now and the cost v performance. I have very little interest in home cinema . . . :? that should be; no! interest in home cinema. So, a basic best performance 2 channel hifi was all one needed.

Initially, my system cost me nothing . . . my Fathers old Rotel 820 integrated amp and a pair of PMC speakers that I had stored back in 1995, using my computer as a CD transport.

The path I followed over the past 12 months has been well documented her. I was not trying to keep to a predetermined cost, but certainly everything was entry level, ex dem or simply second hand. I now realise the foundation of my system build was the Professional Monitor Co., LB1's, a fortunate legacy from my earlier life.

I agree with a comment here about stand mount speakers 'doing the business', certainly in my small 12ftx12ft room they are perfect. There are issues of finesse and control in my book associated with the large floor standing cabinet panels etc.,??? perhaps for another thread?

One of my criteria has been to tweak the 'most out of the least', getting the 'best bang for my buck', value for money. Time and thought, and a little ducking and diving:wall: costs nothing . . . in this modern age, it seems, throwing money at a whim or problem will sort it out?

So for a modestly low figure, I have a sound that equals?? . . . ;) probably surpasses my state of the art, 1980's high end audiophile system. Listed below, it can be seen, not exactly a no expense spared music system, simply carefully matched and thought out, giving spine tingling performance in musicality, image and personal satisfaction. If the loud pedal is your thing, get the check book out?

Nifty, thrifty . . . CJSF :cheers:
 

crusaderlord

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I believe there is a sweet spot between price and performance that each of us settle for and this is different depending on our circumstances and expectations.

For me i have settled on the c£1k per item spot - my demos and previous ownerships have left me feeling that this level of kit is the performance quality i want without now doubling the price of each separate. This is pretty much where the original post aimed, i include the Cyrus in the £1k+ bracket even though it is being bought cheaper - getting it cheap is bargain hunting.

My own Arcams were both ex demo and i feel great value - i have heard some more expensive items such as Naim but it didnt seem to give me too much more involvement. However i was pleased with the jump from a £500 to £1000+ item.

It is good when you feel happy and can stop looking for another change though.
 

ErwinC

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plastic penguin said:
Yup, I know. As I started to read the post I was intrigued (and hoping) that he would mention a budget/entry-level set-up. As I read further I became slightly disappointed to find it was a Cyrus 6, albeit entry-level, is quite a higher end midrange amp.

I could also have mentioned an even cheaper alternative for the amplifier: the spectacular Trends TA-10.2 (less than £200 new) i also owned. But this amplifier is not very well known and has no remote and only 10 Watts. But for the rest this is fantastic amplifier in combination with higher sensitivity speakers.

But it was my intention to create the best possible setup for less than £1000 by using one of the best new cheap speaker models.
 

oldric_naubhoff

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ErwinC said:
Speakers: B&W Matrix 802 series 3, Audio Physic Virgo, Dunlavy SC-IV and Aletha, B&W Nautilus 805/804/803, ATC SCM-12, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 and Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, …

it's a shame though you never tried any planar speakers...
 

ErwinC

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oldric_naubhoff said:
ErwinC said:
Speakers: B&W Matrix 802 series 3, Audio Physic Virgo, Dunlavy SC-IV and Aletha, B&W Nautilus 805/804/803, ATC SCM-12, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 and Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, …

it's a shame though you never tried any planar speakers...

Too difficult to place ;)
 

moon

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ErwinC said:
oldric_naubhoff said:
ErwinC said:
Speakers: B&W Matrix 802 series 3, Audio Physic Virgo, Dunlavy SC-IV and Aletha, B&W Nautilus 805/804/803, ATC SCM-12, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 and Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, …

it's a shame though you never tried any planar speakers...

Too difficult to place ;)

yes but they do let you change outfits during the day, when you have guests.
 

oldric_naubhoff

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ErwinC said:
oldric_naubhoff said:
ErwinC said:
Speakers: B&W Matrix 802 series 3, Audio Physic Virgo, Dunlavy SC-IV and Aletha, B&W Nautilus 805/804/803, ATC SCM-12, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 and Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, …

it's a shame though you never tried any planar speakers...

Too difficult to place ;)

not as much as you think. well, I thought the same until I got a pair myself. they are immune to side wall proximity due to cancellation effect at the sides and they don't need a lot more space behind than box speakers. anyway, that's how it is in my case. MG 12 stand only a few cms deeper into the room than my previous Focus 110, and yet they get their recommended 1m clearance from the rear wall. lack of box saves you about 1 foot of clearance...
 
A

Anonymous

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Nearly all the best systems i owned have been used gear, for the money i think i have put together some great sounding hifi for under £1.000, musical fidelity xa1, x-ray and b&w cm2's for well under a grand, i bought my roksan caspian m1 for £450, i could buy a new rega brio for £500, i dont doubt the rega is a great amp, for the money i think my m1 was the better choice.
 

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