Looking to get nice amplifier and speakers for £300-400 altogether- please help!

[admin_exported]

Hello, I require some assistance in purchasing a nice amp and speaker setup. I listen to a lot of electronic dance music with heavy/pungent basslines and also a lot of rock/alternative aswell as acoustic music.

Having been using my old 5.1 system for far too long now I feel its about time to upgrade to some nice hi-fi seperates. I've been looking around various retailers, Richer Sounds etc.

For speakers, im considering the JBL ES30's, Wharfdale Diamond 10.1s or Mordaunt Short AVIANO 1 which all seem to be around £200 price mark. At the moment im favouring the mordaunt shorts....

For an amp, i've seen some really good reviews of the Nad C315BEE. What about models from Cambridge Audio? Obviosuly looking around the £200 price mark ideally

Your expertise would be most appreciated,

Regards,

Richard.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

richgill:
Hello, I require some assistance in purchasing a nice amp and speaker setup. I listen to a lot of electronic dance music with heavy/pungent basslines and also a lot of rock/alternative aswell as acoustic music.

Having been using my old 5.1 system for far too long now I feel its about time to upgrade to some nice hi-fi seperates. I've been looking around various retailers, Richer Sounds etc.

For speakers, im considering the JBL ES30's, Wharfdale Diamond 10.1s or Mordaunt Short AVIANO 1 which all seem to be around £200 price mark. At the moment im favouring the mordaunt shorts....

For an amp, i've seen some really good reviews of the Nad C315BEE. What about models from Cambridge Audio? Obviosuly looking around the £200 price mark ideally

Your expertise would be most appreciated,

Regards,

Richard.

With your budget, I'd check out the second hand market. I recently got my Dad a great little Denon amp for £80 delivered (in perfect condition) and some very nice Kef speakers for £100. The sound from them would batter the combos you are looking at at Richer Sounds.

 

[Dougal1331]

I agree. Without wishing to sound like a stuck record, I'm going to recommend (gasp!) secondhand Rotel amplifier (especially the RA971mk2, but any of the 9xx series from the 930 upwards are good amps...) and perhaps a pair of Mission 732 standmounts or 733 floorstanders. The 733s would give you the weight and kick you're after, but the 732s are incredibly punchy if you want something a bit smaller. They make very good partners with the Rotel kit- it was a 930AX & 732 setup that got me going years ago. Particularly adept with the deep electronic stuff, but very capable with more subtle material too.

Another Rotel bonus- the higher end of the range (defo the '971) have preouts, so you can add power amps later to improve power and definition still further- these are (relatively) easy to come by on fleabay.

This should all come way within your budget, leaving probably enough change for decent cables etc, or a nice sweetener for the Missus...

 

[Dougal1331]

...but bear in mind, the Mission speakers are single-wire only, so extra power amps would be of limited benefit- biamping is out... However, from experience it's unlikely you'd need to anyway, so good is the combination!

 

[Anonymous]

Thankyou for the feedback. I have seen some mission speakers and a rotel amplifier on ebay, all at quite cheap prices. I cant help but thinking that buying second hand speakers isnt a very good idea as they could have had more a battering, bit like buying a second hand hard drive...

Does anyone rate the mordaunt short aviano 1 speakers or the NAC cheaper amplifiers?

Regards

 

[Dougal1331]

I see your point on secondhand speakers. I have bought- and sold- quite a few on eBay and have had no problems- I think that the vast majority of sellers would not sell faulty goods without clearly marking them as 'spares/repair'. And many are genuine hifi enthusiasts who will have cherished their kit and are simply upgrading. If the speakers are in good cosmetic condition, then it's reasonable to assume that they have not been abused. Just be more careful with house-clearances or bankruptcy sales- although these usually state if the goods are untested/sold-as-seen.

Ask questions- seek assurance from the seller that the goods are in good condition, and check the seller's feedback. You can always open a dispute if you feel you have been misled...