Hi everyone
First time poster and a complete Hi-Fi noob here; but I've been reading / browsing the site for quite some time. I want to follow the set-up here:
https://www.whathifi.com/features/the-perfect-digital-hi-fi-system-for-music-streaming-and-cds
First question: I might have missed this on the site or here in the forum but is there a step-by-step guide for newbies like me?
My other questions are:
- Can I set this up on my own or do I need a professional to help me? In other words, are these all plug & play?
- I need to invest on better speaker cables (from the amp to the speakers), right? But shuold I also get better cables to connect the CD player to the amp, or the one that comes with it good enough already?
- Other tips / advice?
Thanks!!!
Hi there 😊
Welcome to the hobby/forum 😊.
I'm certainly not an expert, and there are far more experienced members here, but I can give you few pointers.
I assume you've given consideration to the room your new gear will be homed in, and something to place your gear on.
You definitely do not need a professional to set up the gear you are considering; as long as you're able to match the "positive" and "negative" connections of the interconnects from the Node and CD players' outputs to the inputs on you amplifier, and the same for speaker cable from your amp's speaker outputs to your speakers' inputs that's as difficult as it gets connecting it all up.
For the Node, you will need a Smart device such as a smart phone or tablet to run the Bluesound app - BluOS. Very easy to set up; if using an ethernet, wired connection from your Internet router, just plug it in and you'll be connected to your homes network.
If using WiFi, you'll need to go into the BluOS app and follow the set up instructions, and enter your WiFi access password to connect.
If you have a subscription to streaming services, such as Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz for example , you can access your accounts directly from the Node's app - you just need to enter your access details and passwords for whichever streaming services you subscribe to.
As for cables, just make sure you buy speakers cables of sufficient length to run from amp to speakers (I've made the mistake if buying too short a length 😝)
As for quality cables, don't get hung up on this, it's a rabbit hole you don't want to go down, especially as you're just starting out. At this level, interconnects differences are very subtle, and I wouldn't spend a lot or wreck your head with it.
For interconnects between CD player and Node, to you amp, use what's supplied to start, to give yourself a baseline while your equipment settles, speakers go through their mechanical break in, and you become familiar with what your system is doing.
For speaker cables, again don't get hung up on this; buy something that is modestly priced but from a reputable brand, such as QED, Mogami, just to name a couple. There are so many brands producing well built speaker cables at reasonable prices, the Internet is your friend in this regard. The same for your interconnects should you wish to replace the stock cables that comes with your source components.
I won't go into speaker positioning in your room, as I'm definitely not an expert on this at all, but there many more experienced members here who can advise. This will come in to play when you actually get yiur new equipment home and start to set up in your listening space.
Hope this helps 😊 and good luck with your HiFi journey 👍