so how did you choose your hifi kit

[admin_exported]

this come up in another thread where someone was advocating the text book approach which apparently is careful research, consideration, and audition so i thought it might be interesting to see how people actually choose their kit

myself ive usually looked at the bank balance then spun along to the closest dealers to do some listening and often what ive ended up with wasnt what id intended to buy for example i bought a cd player instead of the amp id been looking before because it sounded so good through all amp and speaker combinations

otherwise ive bought on ebay based on what ive heard before eg my speakers i happened to have heard when buying a cartridge so i put in a bid based on that

ive also bough quite randomly ie my dac and mac though i did need a computer but was bored with windows machines

usually its only after that i read the mags or the forums basically i go on listening alone with a dash of luck

 

[timwileman]

pics of amps on a dart board

stand 10ft away face away from the board

throw dart backwards over sholder, buy amp you hit

repeat for CDP and speakers....

(this is not true...)

 

[John Duncan]

Find picture of prettiest amplifier. See matching CD player at bargain price, buy that because "it's such a good deal". Say "would be shame not to get matching amplifier". Wait ages for amplifier to come up on eBay on Buy It Now. Bought It Then. Saw speakers in window of hifi shop and went "ooo shiny".

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

timwileman:pics of amps on a dart board stand 10ft away face away from the board throw dart backwards over sholder, buy amp you hit repeat for CDP and speakers.... (this is not true...)

Works for child selection too.

Congrats.(different thread but heh, this one wasn't getting any serious answers)

 

[a91gti]

I saw my speakers in a shop and thought "square drivers? Madness!", I then saw the ES tag and the price so took a gamble.
Liked the look of my amp, knew the reputation and got a good trade on my previous amp.
Saw my cdp and felt it had potential for modding as well as a look I could live with.

Not scientific in anyway but I've been playing with hifi for many years and feel I know enough to gamble occasionally. The only big mistake I've made was buying some CA gear a while ago.

 

[John Duncan]

Ravey Gravey Davy:this one wasn't getting any serious answers

Oh I can assure you that my answer was precisely how I bought my hifi...

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

JohnDuncan:Ravey Gravey Davy:this one wasn't getting any serious answers Oh I can assure you that my answer was precisely how I bought my hifi...

(Scratches chin pensively)

 

[timwileman]

cheers Ravey...

serious...

fuddled about with denon, Kef stuff for years (still got some kef speakers) then a audiolab/MF combo and then impulse purchased my CDP (roksan kandy) and amp (Arcam A70-oops on the amp but great CDP) did the speakers properly...auditioned a bunch and chose the ones i liked.

i would like to perhaps change the amp but may be on hold for a while now

 

[Anonymous]

I started out by trying to do it the text-book way: started reading magazine and online reviews, joined this forum, narrowed down my choices to a few but was severely limited by unfavourable demo conditions. I managed to do a decent demo for the Primares vs Naim. For the speakers, I got the PMCs by default. So the text-book method doesn't really work in the real world.

 

[idc]

jtein:....... So the text-book method doesn't really work in the real world.

The text-book method is the best way to get a hifi system that you are happy with. But, there are other ways to end up with a hifi system you are happy with, it is just that a bit of luck is involved.

My first hifi was bought on the back of it getting the Which? magazine award for best system. But it had major reliability problems, so it went back to be replaced with an all in one 1980s style tower hifi. It was auditioned, in as much as it was bought from some shop like Curries where I played a cassette and listened to the radio on a number of different towers before I got the one I liked. The next 'proper' hifi was bought on the back of a What Hifi awards issue and it was auditioned, but not all together. Since then I have auditioned as I can and bought stuff based on reviews.

You can be creative auditioning kit. I have been looking for closed backed headphones. Between HMV, John Lewis, the Apple Store and PC World I have listened to a number of headphones. In the end I have gone for a pair I have not heard, becuase I didnt like any of the ones I tried and the reviews are very good for the ones I have bought. But I know there is a greater risk involved.

 

[drummerman]

Every which way you can think off including reviews and recommendations. No one good way other than getting your behind to a dealer and listen to something or hear a good system at a friends or, as happens here sometimes, a forum members place. I think the only thing I bought once purely on reviews was an Audiolab 8000S. Bought from a dealer but I got carried away without really listening to it. Sold it after a few weeks.

I am aware not everyone has the funds to buy new all the time (including me), so taking pot luck and buying of ebay etc is another way but it not always works ... there are just too many variables in a complete system to hit it right without auditioning. I am lucky in as far as one of my friends runs a good hifi outlet so I normally hear the new stuff when it comes out without the usual sales pressure, be that in-shop or home but time (and money) dictates if and how often I do this.

One thing I rarely do is to think my current system is not good. Probably because whatever I use at any given time was carefully put together and I normally don't change/swap components out to often, so get used to a sound and enjoy the music rather than the gear. There was a system I used recently which I really want and will buy but it happens rarely, partly because they are either way above what I can afford or, as happened many times, I simply don't like what I hear. This in the end, is what really matters.

 

[Anonymous]

idc:
The text-book method is the best way to get a hifi system that you are happy with.

ooh thats a big statement idc

personally i prefer going along and auditioning without preconceptions especially for speakers and amps

the problem is that reviews etc are all very well but theres a swag of stuff that doesnt get reviewed and that limits your horizons a lot

got to admit ive also used the jd method

 

[JamesOK]

Another serious reply coming. There really were some hilarious replies earlier up the thread.

Having owned quite a few different setups now I can say my preferred way to research what I want is to come up with a short list based on a component or two that I think I'll like the sound of. This shortlist will be drawn up using prior knowledge of how the companies kit sounds or reviews from friends/in magazine/on this forum etc. I'll then go along to a shop (phone ahead so they know I want to audition some kit) and ask them to help me pair the kit with suitable bits I have not thought of (speakers for example).

For example - I recently binned all my previous setup (Arcam) as I was tiring of the sound and wanted something more exciting. I was aware of Naim being know for having a more exciting and less laid back sound, so decided to audition some Naim gear based on reviews/comments from people and price range. I now have a lovely Naim setup with one weak link (dont think my existing B&W speakers are up to the job). When I get the energy for a further set of auditions I'll go through the same process to find some new speakers!

 

[idc]

one off:......personally i prefer going along and auditioning without preconceptions especially for speakers and amps

the problem is that reviews etc are all very well but theres a swag of stuff that doesnt get reviewed and that limits your horizons a lot

Fair enough, I can see how auditioning without prior research would work and greatly reduce the risk of buying somethin you later regret.

But, in Glasgow with Sevenoaks, Glasgow Audio, Loud & Clear, Richer Sounds, Hifi Corner, Bang & Olufsen and Audio Merchants to name the main dealers, to be realistic you need to narrow down the field somehow. Elsewhere it is the opposite problem with maybe only one dealer. But you would still want to have a short list rather than walk in and say 'get me all of your speakers for a listen please'.

With the interweb there is bound to be a review or forum discussion somewhere for pretty much all kit.

 

[True Blue]

I did a lot a of research and plenty of questions on here.

Then I went to a local dealer and auditioned

Marantz,Naim,Nad,Rega and Cyrus to see which sound I liked.

Eventually settled on the Naim sound, so had to save a bit more, as I did a really good deal came up on a new nait xs and rega r3 which I bought. I was then going to pair with the Naim CD5i until Rega alligned their prices and the Saturn (which was far too expensive, but good) was only £3 more than the CD5i.

After that I demoed (at home) a Chord Powerchord and was so impressed ended up getting 2

So, a lot of research, a lot of discovery (into the "type" of sound I liked) and a lot of saving.

 

[Anonymous]

when builing a system from scratch, it becomes a lot harder when you budget is a lot less and you look for the used older vintage/classic separates which are rarer and are seldom sold

I made a shortlist of amps ... and searched ebay daily for one of those on the shortlist to be listed ... missed a few as they went way over budget ... then got lucky and managed to get the amp at a cheap price with a buy it now (amp had been listed approx 5 minutes before I bought it)

Once you have the 1st component, it then becomes easier to ask questions on forums as to what will work fine with that component ... but for every 5 recommendations, 2 will say that they thought it did not work well ... all items were bought 'totally blind' (i.e no auditions before I purchased) ... so luck and 'gut feel' plays a big part

am happy with what I have (for price paid), but will continue to upgrade (cdp will be my next upgrade) ... have a cdp in mind, and will save up and hope one comes up for auction within my budget (as not many are offered for sale)

I feel that if I were to better the amp and speakers, I will have to pay a lot of money ... am happy with my cables which were cheap but work well together with the rest of the components (for me)

would love to have a 'healthy' budget and be able to audition new components,so as to set up a totally new system .... but dont think that will ever happen

 

[chebby]

Home demo, shop demo, and no demo.

Also influenced by price, potential future resale values, build quality, reputation of manufacturer, quality of support, UK design & manufacture wherever possible (or at least a high content of UK manufacture).

Sound quality is quite important too

 

[nads]

First time round in the mid '80's I went and listened to lots of kit.

this time mid 00's I went and listened to lots of kit.

 

[John Duncan]

nads:
First time round in the mid '80's I went and listened to lots of kit.

this time mid 00's I went and listened to lots of kit.

Or did you just look at your name, drum fingers on chin and go 'hmm...'?

 

[Anonymous]

I chose my kit based on my sonic preference, budget, auditioning, recommendations (including internet reviews), build quality and lastly the looks (brushed silver amp and cdp looks amazing to me!). Initially I was using bright amp + bright speakers and found it only sounded good on very few recordings and it didn't have the sweetness on vocals. I managed to compare some metal tweeter vs. soft dome tweeter based speakers (b&w, MAs, focal, dynaudio, quads, wharfedale, MS mezzo, dali, jbl, kef, klipch, PSB, mission) and also heard electrostatics like magnepan and decided to get soft dome-based speaker. Lately, I added some cheap tube buffer based only from internet reviews and I found the sound became sweeter

 

[Thaiman]

You do get to know quite a bit when you have plenty of friends in hifi circle, magazines and internet reviews are also important to narrow down the short list. To get dealers to understand the sound you are after is a lot harder than you think! so if you lucky enough to have found a good - half honest hifi dealers then try to stick with them, (trust me not many of them about) because once they get to know how you like your sound, it will become a lot easier to upgrade (or downgrade).

I also do go to many hifi shows all over the place however the sound in the showrooms never gonna be 100% (or even 50%) of what the system could sound like..still I get some picture of what do they look like and how good are the importers/dealers of particular brands. The latter is very important if you are buying highend products, the last thing you want is a dodgy importers that pack up after a year or two leaving consumers with products that can't be service or repair if something gone wrong.

 

[plastic penguin]

I won't buy any hi-fi product unless I've thoroughly tested it before. I'm not a "rebel" buyer and just purchase something for the hell of it. From that point of view, I'm Mr. boring, but I've always been more than happy with everything I purchased.

 

[drummerman]

What about the mag staff/freelancers et all? All the choice in the world and I be very surprised they pay full retail? I might be wrong but they must have some good deals, with all them contacts and regular rep visits. I'm not suggesting you're in anybody's pocket by the way. Imagine it actually must be quite difficult to settle for anything with all the new products constantly appearing.

AE, Claire etc?

 

[plastic penguin]

drummerman:

What about the mag staff/freelancers et all? All the choice in the world and I be very surprised they pay full retail? I might be wrong but they must have some good deals, with all them contacts and regular rep visits. I'm not suggesting you're in anybody's pocket by the way. Imagine it actually must be quite difficult to settle for anything with all the new products constantly appearing.

AE, Claire etc?

All the gear I've had over a 30 year period (most s'been brand new) I've never payed full RRP.

 

[drummerman]

plastic penguin:drummerman:

What about the mag staff/freelancers et all? All the choice in the world and I be very surprised they pay full retail? I might be wrong but they must have some good deals, with all them contacts and regular rep visits. I'm not suggesting you're in anybody's pocket by the way. Imagine it actually must be quite difficult to settle for anything with all the new products constantly appearing.

AE, Claire etc?

All the gear I've had over a 30 year period (most s'been brand new) I've never payed full RRP.

Happy for you but I think you know what I meant.