keep or ditch

[admin_exported]

was thinking of replacing my 10year old classic budget pioneer setup with the yamaha 497 series of hifi components.

the pioneer excels at detail, resolution and excitement but is lacking in absolute bass and depth.

will the yamaha be any better still retaining my precious mordaunt-shorts? need advice. HELP!

the pioneer setup - A300R amp, PD-S705 cd, CTS-550S tape deck, F-403 tuner, a sony MDS-JE510 minidisk deck, audio technica AT-PL120 dd turntable, GR-333 equaliser and the fabulous 25-i mordaunt-short speakers.

 

[drummerman]

I can't comment on the yamaha electronics but I would say keep your mordaunt shorts even if its only for a second system in the future. They are way better than anything MS produces now. I go further and say you'd have to spend quite a lot to better them even today. Dont forget there's an EPOS connection if you look at the design.

To significantly better your amplifier you really need to spend £350 upwards though even a cheap Nad will likely to improve slightly up on it. Depending on who replies you will get suggestions of Creeks Evo series, Nad, Rotel, Rega etc etc.. Glad to suggest something if you come back with a budget. Meanwhile ...

... be prepared ... here they come

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="drummerman"]
... be prepared ... here they come

[/quote]

Rega?

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="Thaiman"]Rega?[/quote]

Mark Levinson may be overkill what do you think ... ?

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="drummerman"]... be prepared ... here they come[/quote]

... or not ...

Start a new thread ... 'what cables should I use ... and would those yamahas ... '

You'll get replies for the next two weeks

 

[Andrew Everard]

As an alternative, bubu, you could consider something better than the Pioneer amp on the secondhand market. The likes of Audiolab 8000A or 8000S, a Naim Nait or Musical Fidelity X-A1, X-A2, X-A100 or similar, would do a very good job, and wouldn't cost you a lot somwhere like e-bay.

The rest of the system is pretty good - if you play a lot of LPs I'd consider ditching the turntable and buying the likes of a reasonably priced Pro-ject or a pre-loved Rega Planar 2 or 3 - and you might need a phono stage to connect it to some of the amps above.

Oh, and I'd ditch the graphic equaliser - it's doing nothing but harm.

 

[Anonymous]

Do yourself a favour mate and listen to something British. You will never look back and Japanese stuff is just getting worse because the only think they are interested in is flat tellies and DOBLEY surround. Am I right? Give me a YEAH MAN!

 

[amarocknrollstar]

Definately ditch the graphic equaliser mate. No use and no good.

I like Yamaha as an AV source but not sure about hi-fi.

I prefer to go used than new. I'd rather buy a good product for half the price of a poor new one.

And if you plan to upgrade regularly this it's more ecconomically viable.

If you love your speakers - keep em. I wouldn't swap my speakers for any other pair in the world - speakers are great because the sound grows on you and you become attatched. You can always tell when one is ill!Obviously it's all dependant on budget, but for a small price, why not consider the following which can all be found on ebay - Rotel pre and power combo (£130+) or the Cambridge 500 pre and power - (£200).

If you want to go Japanese, there's a Nakamichi 480 cassette deck with a £55 buy it now on ebay just now and a CR1E with just 4 hours left sitting at £1.20 currently.

Consider the Arcam range for your CD source. I had an Alpha 7 until I recently replaced it with the AMC CD6 and it's sublime.

A good DAC can make all the difference and a Cambridge Dacmagic can be picked up again pretty cheap (£50-70).

Not any good on turntables but the project range is worth a look.

As previously stated interconnect and speaker cables are your next port of call. Take a look at Audio Seduction's stuff.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Seduction-Studio

Good luck,

Stevie