New hifi advice for a newbie please

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Firstly, apologies if something similar to this has been asked before but i've had a bit of a trawl of the forums and not quite found what I'm looking for. Also, apologies if this is all a bit basic or not quite in the right forum but I'm a bit of a newbie at the whole music-tech & kit-partnering thing.

I bought my first hifi seperates about 10 yrs ago and always intended to upgrade gradually but never quite got round to it. I currently have a basic setup of Cambridge Audio A5, Eltax Monitors, Denon TU1800DAB and a pretty pants Philips twin CD recorder/player combo.

I recently heard a mate's Arcam Solo Mini and have had itchy feet ever since to buy something that sounds similarly warm and rich compared to my rather "flat, boneless and clinical system.

I'm seriously thinking of ditching my CDs and housing my collection on either a NAS + squeezebox (or similar) combo or a large ipod classic at 320kbs.

I'm thinking of two options and need a bit of advice:

1 Go with an arcam solo mini and use with an ipod or squeezebox.

2 Or buy an amp and speakers plus squeezebox/nas combo or ipod classic and continue to use my denon DAB which I'm more than happy with (unlike the rest of my kit).

If I went with option 2 rather than 1, are there amp/speaker combos that are better suited than others for digital music?

Would a DAC be reccomended if I'm intending to use sources at 320kbs rather than lossless?

Would a similarly priced seperates combo sound considerably better than the much-lauded arcam?

Is the seperates idea stupid and I'll regret packing up all my CDs in boxes?

My budget for above is £1000 - preferably new rather than second-hand - all-in +/- 10%

I'd say my room is about 25ft by 18 and I'd sit about 16 ft away from the speakers which have to be fairly close to the wall.

I listen to indie/90s/rock, a fair bit of orchestral and choral, a bit of folk but no heavy metal or dance.

Which type of setup makes most sense (1 or 2) and, if 2, which bits of kit?

Any advice/comments gratefully appreciated ;o)

Thanks for listening,

Eileen

 

[Anonymous]

have a close look at the AVI 9.1 active speakers ....

 

[Anonymous]

Avi's are extremely good for the money, and you should be ablt to get a deal on the older version.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks dimspan and potboyslim, definitely worth further investigation but I'm having problems tracking down Edinburgh stockists online for an audtion. I may hold out for WHFSV's review of the 9.1s.

Also, while trying to track down the avi's, I came across the Pioneer PDX-Z9 selling for £699 at the home cinema centre in Edinburgh. I quite like the idea of this but am a bit concerned about WHFSV's review of it as a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type thing. Does anyone own one of these/have expererience of it and how do you find it? What speakers have you partnered it with?

Thanks in advance and thanks again to potboyslim and dimspan

 

[The_Lhc]

Just one comment, if you're going to go for a NAS there's no reason to limit yourself to 320kbps, go lossless.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, thanks lhc, seriously considering this which is another reason why I like idea number 2 better as I think - correct me if I'm wrong - the arcam solo mini won't accept flac or apple lossless files.

Also, I like the expandability/flexibility idea of 2 better but could do with a bit of help in the kit-partnering department. Any advice welcome

Cheers, Eileen

 

[jimdonnelly]

humblecrow76:
Thanks dimspan and potboyslim, definitely worth further investigation but I'm having problems tracking down Edinburgh stockists online for an audtion. I may hold out for WHFSV's review of the 9.1s.

Also, while trying to track down the avi's, I came across the Pioneer PDX-Z9 selling for £699 at the home cinema centre in Edinburgh. I quite like the idea of this but am a bit concerned about WHFSV's review of it as a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type thing. Does anyone own one of these/have expererience of it and how do you find it? What speakers have you partnered it with?

Thanks in advance and thanks again to potboyslim and dimspan

Please don't put too much emphasis on the reviews of any magazine. They are the opinions of experts,granted, but their ears are different from yours. Some people swear by their 3 star products while others could care much for a 5 star product.

Trust your ears and demo/listen to as many products as possible.

Good luck

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jim,

I guess I'm just looking for a bit of advice as to where to start my auditioning search. There are so many budget amp/speaker combos out there that its a bit bewildering for the likes of me and, tbh, I'm a bit worried about wandering into a showroom without a clue what I'm talking about.

Not being an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination and being totally green around the ears (or whatever the phrase is), the whole idea of demonstration rooms is a little disconcerting. A) I'm worried that I'll sound completely stupid and B) I'm worried that I'll feel pressure to actually buy something there and then even if the salesman isn't at all pushy. I keep telling myself that showroom salespeople are there to help ToneDeafTony just as much as AudiophileAdam but still feel a little nervous at the prospect.

Are there amp/speakere combos (at the sub£800 mark) out there that are known for sounding better for my kind of tastes (orchestral/choral/indie/rock/folk with preferably a bit of warmth and mellowness without losing detail) so that I'd know where to start looking or rather listening?

And are there any that are better suited than others to the squeezebox-style streaming route?

Cheers,

Eileen

 

[jimdonnelly]

Eileen

In terms of amps you should consider Marantz (6003), NAD and Rotel. All have very well respected amps for £300 ish. Many consider that you would need to spend significantly more to better the performance of these. Both the Marantz and the NAD should suit your tatse but you really should listen to the Rotel (04/05) if you can.

The Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s should be listened to as should the Dali Lektor 2.

I agree that there is a huge choice, but any dealer worth their salt would not pressure you. If you feel pressured at all then just walk away.

Check out HiFi Corner in Edinburgh or Falkirk. If you feel like a trip to Glasgow let me know and I will tell you where to go. Phone the store first and explain what you are after. If you don't like what you are hearing from the salesperson then take it no further. They should be able to set up a session for you with no pressure.

Hopefully you will love what you hear at the session and walk away with a nice new system, or at least an idea of what you do and don't like.

I am not an expert but hopefully others will offer their opinion.

All the best.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for this advice and encouragement Jim. The marantz and Nad have been at the top of my audition list along with the Cambridge Audio 640/50 (?) but somehow the rotels had escaped my radar.

Getting quite excited now at the prospects of a new system, all I need to do now is get over my newbie nerves and enter a hifi shop or two for some auditioning and hopefully a brilliant new system.

 

[jimdonnelly]

Good luck. Keep us updated on how you get on.