Novice seeking advice...

[admin_exported]

Hey, I'll put it simply, i'm looking to buy an entry level Hi-Fi. I'm not looking for anything with frills necessarily but I want to buy a decent system with a budget of roughly £500 or slightly more (excluding cables and speaker stands...) I've started looking at Amplifiers and at the moment, it's a three way tie between:

NAD C315BEE

Pioneer A-209R

Cambridge 640A

I've read very good reviews for all three, however the Pioneer is quite a bit cheaper than the other two but can't find too much about it on the internet. I'm thinking that whichever Amp I decide on I'll pair it with parntering kit e.g. NAD C315BEE with NAD C515BEE. Is this a good idea? Any opinions or comments would honestly be really welcome. I've not even got a clue when it comes to what cables I need so i'd be really grateful if someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks.

 

[Craig M.]

do you know what type of sound you are after? what sort of music do you listen to?

might help people come up with suggestions for you.

welcome to the forum

 

[True Blue]

Lots of questions coming your way.......

1. What tastes of music do you have?

2. How big is the room you are putting the HIFI in

3. Does the £500 include speakers?

4. Can you demo any of the equipment?

To try and answer some of your questions

Sometimes system synergy can be better with different makes. Sometimes the same make makes all the difference. Again you will need to demo a lot. Aesthetically matching kit will always be nicer, but thats not why you are buying it?

As for cables, initially just use whats in the box, ie power lead and rca interconnect. The only cable you will need to buy is equal lengths of speaker cable, see http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Chord-Company-Carnival-SilverScreen/ that is a great cable at the price and should suit many systems.

 

[True Blue]

Also dont discount 2nd hand items, or ex dem as a substantial saving can be made, especially on a budget

 

[Anonymous]

Wow I didn't expect so much help so quickly! Seriously thank you guys.

My music taste is quite eclectic in some senses and very narrow in others; I listen to a lot of folk/acoustic music which is very dominant in the music I like but at the same time I also like a lot of low-fi electronica music and american indie. I'm not sure if that makes any sense? I always find it hard to categorise bands I like, so here's a few names: Bon Iver, Death Cab for Cutie, Elliott Smith, Arcade Fire, Miike Snow, Electric President, Styrofoam, Bright Eyes...etc don't know if that helps?

I want to include speakers in my rough estimate but i'm not too fussed about going over-budget i'm just working with a basic figure in my head for what i've heard people spend for entry-level Hi-Fi's. I'm aware of possibly one or two Hi-Fi shops near to where I live and do plan on giving them a visit, but I know they're not too big. My roomat the moment's quite large, and i'm moving into my own apartment soon too if that also helps?

 

[True Blue]

http://whathifi.com/BestBuys/Hi-Fi-BestBuys/Budget/

This lot can be had for around £700 now, seriously good kit there. However do a bit of listening and make sure you like the Marantz sound. Then keep an eye out for ex dem bargains. Bet you will get that lot for £600 tops