needing advice on buying a hifi

josh05

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Feb 28, 2010
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Hey all, i am looking at buying a new system to replace my home theatre
which has an av reciever, as i listen to music a lot i want to build a
system with an integrated amp just 2 channel stereo and start looking into some higher
quality gear. I have picked out some components and cables that i have
found have good reviews and are in my price range, at the moment they
are B&W CM-7 Speakers Rotel RA1520 amp Rotel RCD1072 CD Player
Cambridge Audio TT950 Turntable and Merlin Bach Cables. Can anyone tell
me whether this would be a good combination of components for the price
which will be roughly $7000 Australian Dollars, and i have also heard
some brands go better with others etc, generally would it be a good
system or could i do better?

I am fairly new to analogue equipment and integrated amps heard a nice system recently that was old and was a bit down that i could have got somthing similar for the money i spent on av reciever sub woofer etc.
 

ID.

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If possible try to listen to everything first, both at dealerships and demoing at home if possible.

As far as value for money goes, don't rule out buying locally. As far as speakers go, I've certainly had good experiences with Krix stand-mounted speakers (don't know about floor-standers) in Australia.
 

josh05

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Thanks for the advice ID i am really new to this, unfortunately i live in a very small part of australia theres only 2 decent dealers in the state most of the others seem to be flodded with AV recievers and standard dvd players no high end gear at all and i have learnt my lesson there that integrated amps are much better for music. So i am very limited on being able to listen to systems. Will certainly have a look at Krix speakers though on the net.

Cheers
 

josh05

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the room would be a medium size around 5 metres by 10 metres, music i listen too RNB rock and pop mainly, occasionally metal.

cheers
 
T

the record spot

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One other little query, what kind of sound do you like to hear (as opposed to sounds) - do you enjoy an "in yer face" presentation - bright, clear and you can tell what's going on with each instrument, or something a little warmer, or neutral, etc, etc?
 
A

Anonymous

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josh05:

the room would be a medium size around 5 metres by 10 metres

sounds like you live in Texas ... 5m x 10m is LARGE and not medium
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you will need decent amplification and good floorstanders
 

batonwielder

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josh05:
the room would be a medium size around 5 metres by 10 metres, music i listen too RNB rock and pop mainly, occasionally metal.

cheers

That's a big room!

B&W is perfectly fine for the type of music you listen to. As for the amplifier, I would take Perreaux or Plinius over Rotel on any given day.

Hook them up with some 14 awg speaker wire with bare end, and you have one impressive sounding system.
 

josh05

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Thanks, i'm now finding out there is a lot to take in to account
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i'm thinking bright and clear i love detail but obviously not over the top, i dnt want a really cold sound so i suppose somthing in the middle would be perfect, also i was thinking if i want that warmer sound for certain music, playing it on a LP would help.
 

josh05

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Thanks batonwielder,

im defiently going to have a look at the Perreaux and Plinius amps. can you tell me what makes the Perreaux and Plinius amps better than rotel? also can you recommend a brand of speaker wire thats around middle of the range?
 

josh05

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The rotel amp is 60w at 8 ohms and i think the speakers are rated at 200w at 8 ohms and they are floor standing do you think they would be sufficient for the size of the room?

thanks
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batonwielder

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For your needs, I think the Rotel amplifier is a great match for any B&W speakers. If you listen loudly at the end of your room's 10m length more power might be necessary, but I would still stay within the Rotel brand.

I like the Perreaux and Plinius for the kind of music I listen to (classical) and the kind of speakers I have (Harbeth). It's just a difference of presentation, but worth auditioning. You might prefer them to Rotel.
 
A

Anonymous

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If you play music with lots of scale and/or sometimes play loud, I would suggest you look into a more powerful amplifier. The CM towers sound a little compressed with less powerful amps in my opinion.

I originally thought that the 740A (100wpc @ 8 ohms) can power the CM9 sufficiently, but it ended up sounding loose. I had to get a GFA-555SE (200wprc @ 8 ohms) to biamp it with to get the sound I desired.

If you can audition the speaker and amp pairing, that would be best.

I hope this helps.

Ivan

josh05:

The rotel amp is 60w at 8 ohms and i think the speakers are rated at 200w at 8 ohms and they are floor standing do you think they would be sufficient for the size of the room?

thanks
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josh05

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Thanks I cant really spend much more money but i might look in to a 100w amp. Im thinking being the CM7s not the 9s 100w should be plenty?
 
A

Anonymous

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The RA-1070 should drive the CM7 quite a bit better than the RA1520, and would aesthetically match the RCD1072.
 

josh05

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Yeah i was thinking the RA-1070 after you mentioned a bigger amp. also i was wondering what the bass sounds like through your CM-9s? my current speakers have 8" woofers and put out fairly decent bass for the price (very cheap no where near the B&W CM level) they are being amped by a old technics su-z55 integrated amp at the moment i borrowed off my father a couple days ago. i just cant help but think that the smaller size of the B&W woofers could make for not very powerfull bass however in the specs they go 3hz lower than my current speakers. The B&W's without a doubt would be heaps better speakers, ive just never had a set of speakers with woofers that small.

Thanks for your help!
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A

Anonymous

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The CM9 towers definitely don't extend as low as my Diamond 9.6 towers (which use 8 in woofers). The CM9s do have ample bass for my taste though. It's a tighter, well-placed bass with quite a bit of impact and excitement. There is some boominess at certain frequencies in the upper and midbass regions, but not enough to bother me. The 9.6 tends to have a ripe low end, and isn't even nearly comparable in terms of overall detail, imaging and presentation.

If you have doubts, listen to the speakers before buying them. It's not an inexpensive purchase, so I suggest you hear it for yourself. If possible, match it to the Rotel gear that you're planning to buy. Rotels tend to be a bit lean, so any shortage of lows from your speakers will clearly manifest itself when coupled with these.

If you want extra bass out of the CMs, check out Arcam or NAD.
 

josh05

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thanks,

Yeah i reckon i might have a look at some other amps now, i phoned the only dealer in the state and they said they cant get the ra-1070 100w integrated anymore as rotel have discontinued it The closest thing they can do in rotel is a seperate 120w power amp and stereo processor which will be another 400 dollars, im thinking the processor and power amp combination will have a more superior sound? if so will go for that i think. wouldnt mind looking in to Arcam aswell there just a bit expensive for me.
 
A

Anonymous

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The Pre/Power Amp combination could be a great match if it fits your budget. The CM speakers can be quite an unfriendly load at low frequencies. The better the amp that you use, the tighter they sound.

Arcam gear is great, though these are definitely weightier than Rotel. It could help build on the lows that you're looking for, but it can also end up as too much of a good thing. Again, go ahead and listen to them. :)

If they're available locally, also check out the Roksan Kandy K2. It's an excellent integrated for the price.
 

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