Starting again after 20 years

6and8

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Jan 20, 2014
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I've just moved home. Having unpacked my system, along with my several hundred vinyl albums and a couple of thousand CDs, I'm wondering whether to set it up or if it's time to start again with a 'new' system. I bought my current set-up secondhand (apart from the turntable which I bought new) 20 years ago and am now totally out of touch with what's good these days. So I'd be interested to hear suggestions on what to keep (if anything) and what to ditch. It comprises: Pink Triangle LPT with RB 3oo and Stanton cartridge (needs a service and a drive belt), Pioneer A400 amp, Musical Fidelity MC-2 speakers with Van del Hul Clearwater cables, my Marantz CD60 has died but I still have the Cambridge Dacmagic 1 I used it with. The system was mounted on a good quality rack, the name of which eludes me for the moment, metal, triangular tubing with glass shelves, I filled the matching speaker stands with iron filings. It's a bit of a mish-mash, I know, and was put together on a budget. I can afford to spend a bit more now, but have no idea where to start. Is any of it worth keeping and adding to or would it be better to start again and invest in a totally new system?
 

Big Chris

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Well it sounds like you're gonna need a new CDP at the very least. How much were you looking to spend if you did go ahead and splashed out on new stuff?

Are there any aspects of the sound which you were unhappy with when it was set up in your old place?
 

a91gti

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I would suggest you get set up and spend a while listening before doing anything other than get a working source. Your existing kit is very good still after all.
 

Vladimir

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IMO you should begin your upgrade with the speakers.
wink.gif


First of all buy a can of nongreasing contact cleaner for electronics (like Deoxit), open the A400, (everything unplugged!) spray the volume pots, switches on the board and the small quiscental current trimmers (make sure to have those back in original position after you work them a bit with a philips screwdriver).

Spray, work the pots, switches, trimmers left and right, spray, fiddle, spray, fiddle etc. at least 5 times. Also use the spray to clean speaker terminals, RCA plug, everything that is a contact.

Finally leave it with the lid off for 2-3 hours to dry off. Unplugged!

If you haven't done this you will be amazed at the improvement from a simple cleaning.

Cheers

Vlad
 

njb311

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Jan 23, 2014
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Hi 6and8 I'm in the same siutation and one that is probably fairly common.

I have a fairly modest system but which was good for the time it was bought (through the 1990s) and one which I still like the sound of - Arcam alpha 6plus amp, KEF Coda 8 speakers on Atacama stands, Marantz CD63SE Mk ii CD player.

I've never been much of one for television but do love films so have recently bought a TV and Blu-ray player, so now have a great screen to look at. But the sound is mediocre, as it is for most flat screen TVs. Ok, put it through the hifi, that's an improvement for sure though the TV/Bluray is doing the audio decoding. OK, got an old DAC Magic II from eBay to take the sound via Toslink and was quite pleased with that.

Then I started wondering about using the Bluray as a CD transport, and then it got me wondering what of my older kit I wanted to keep and whether, like you, I should update? A cinema amp seemed to be the next step, with a couple of surround speakers to add to the Codas. The Yamaha RX-V675 currently has my attention. It has Airplay so I can as a convenience access via my iPad some of the 1000+ CDs that I have ripped.

So, the Marantz CD63 and Arcam amp may be redundant, and if they are then the DAC Magic will probably go back on eBay too depending how the AV amp goes. Maybe even replace the Codas with a dedicated 5.1 surround package? I'm not one for upgrading just for the sake of it, especially as all my kit is in pristine condition. And from what I've read I'll lose plain stereo music fidelity if I go with an AV amp, but I'm not sure how much, and particularly how much compared to an "old" system...

Decisions, decisions... and not sure I'm helping 6and8 but definitely interested in what people have to say.
 

a91gti

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Well as a starting point I'm going to ditch the Kef coda in favour of a speaker package to compliment that av amp you have in mind.

Maybe the av forum is more suitable?

And then I shall leave the thread as more than two channels is too many for me :)
 

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