Suggested Hi-Fi system for a near-midlife crisis!

[megatombomb]

Wowsers i have just found a pair of Monitor Audio GX300 in Ebony for £2200 truly a fab looking speaker if maybe not what i'm looking for sonically although there is a dealer 8 miles from me where i hope to try some anyway.

Even more insane a pair of exdemo MA PL300 beasts for £3500 (rrp £6000!). Probably wont suit my 6x6 metre room and weirdly the reviews ive read of it suggests triode valve amps are essential to avoid brightness with such a speaker.

Sure would look impressive though and i drool at the prospect of 25hz played without subwoofer!

 

[megatombomb]

Wowsers i have just found a pair of Monitor Audio GX300 in Ebony for £2200 truly a fab looking speaker if maybe not what i'm looking for sonically although there is a dealer 8 miles from me where i hope to try some anyway.

Even more insane a pair of exdemo MA PL300 beasts for £3500 (rrp £6000!). Probably wont suit my 6x6 metre room and weirdly the reviews ive read of it suggests triode valve amps are essential to avoid brightness with such a speaker.

Sure would look impressive though and i drool at the prospect of 25hz played without subwoofer!

 

[megatombomb]

Ahaaa, now contemplating this http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Icon-Audio-Stereo-300B-MkII-Valve-Amplifier/product_1405 feeding the Monitor Audio PL300's to get the smooth detailed warm bassy sound i desire!

Or am i barking up the wrong tree!?

So much choice within my budget the market is flooded with amps and speakers with a price of upto £3.5k each there is just too much choice!

 

[megatombomb]

And this one too http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Unison-Research-S6-Valve-Amplifier/product_3839.

Looks sooo good i could

 

[CnoEvil]

Ahaaa, now contemplating this http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Icon-Audio-Stereo-300B-MkII-Valve-Amplifier/product_1405 feeding the Monitor Audio PL300's to get the smooth detailed warm bassy sound i desire!

Or am i barking up the wrong tree!?

So much choice within my budget the market is flooded with amps and speakers with a price of upto £3.5k each there is just too much choice!

It is very hard to advise someone else.......though FWIW. I love that choice of amp, but find the MA not to my taste, but you might love it.

Throughout this thread there have been a lot of good brands mentioned, so it's time to stop pondering and start listening.

My choice of speakers would include Harbeth, Spendor, Kef R Series, Sonus Faber, PMC and Proac. If you are looking for a very clean, detailed sounding speaker, Focal are worth a look.

My choice of amps would include Sugden, Electro, Icon Audio, Unison Research, Musical Fidelity and Pathos.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

You forgot Magnepan and Martin Logan, which are arguably better than all of those mentioned. Except the more conventional Neat Elite, that is.

 

[CnoEvil]

You forgot Magnepan and Martin Logan, which are arguably better than all of those mentioned. Except the more conventional Neat Elite, that is.

No argument here.....it's just I've never heard either of them, so it makes it more difficult to advise.

 

[megatombomb]

Yes to CNO i seem to have given myself alot of listening to do.

Adding an ex-demo pair of PMC OB1i's - based on reviews and they come in at £3.5k - to the ridiculously big shortlist.

Ruled out the PL300 already due to their tonal balance and my small to medium room which may get smaller if i downsize to a new home!

 

[staggerlee]

naim, naim, naim.

Go for Naim. Black boxes, you can upgrade for ever, tweak the system. buy power supplies. Annoy people on their forum. Perfect solution to mid life crisis.

 

[staggerlee]

naim, naim, naim.

Go for Naim. Black boxes, you can upgrade for ever, tweak the system. buy power supplies. Annoy people on their forum. Perfect solution to mid life crisis.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Naim=Neat.

So my dealer mate says.

 

[atticus]

naim, naim, naim.

Go for Naim. Black boxes, you can upgrade for ever, tweak the system. buy power supplies. Annoy people on their forum. Perfect solution to mid life crisis.

Superb!

 

[staggerlee]

You only have to say that the Naim streamers are over priced, or that their speakers are rubbish and they begin to froth at the mouth and accuse you of trolling And this is from a naim fan

 

[MiesDavis]

I use the Yamaha A-S2000 and a CD-S1000 with my ATC SCM40's and I really like the combination. I've been using this setup for two years and have no desire to upgrade at all. The great thing about the ATC's is their accuracy so if you are looking for bass, it will depend on the material you use. I have some discs that are almost too much low frequency and many others that seem just right. A great feature of the A-S2000 is that you can use the tone controls to add more bass or treble. I usually listen for accuracy across the spectrum but sometimes, when I'm just listening casually, I adjust the bass or treble and the Yamaha can still deliver with very little distortion. The A-S2000 delivers great current-for-dollar as the amps I tested that bettered it were invariably two to three times more expensive for moderate improvements. Also, I tried a few amps and to be honest, the SCM40's can work and deliver great results with a range of amplification. I considered Cambridge too but there are just too many 4 and 5 year old amps available for parts and repair--at least in the US. The Yamaha is built to last decades. You're welcome to listen to my system if you're ever in Detroit.

 

[megatombomb]

Hey guys just to let you all know i think ive come to the conclusion on the CD player which ive decided will be a Electrocompaniet EMC 1up. Looking forward to getting it. Still cant decide on amp but have gone back to thinking the Electro ECI Mk2 would be a good match along with speakers of decent transparancy. Still a burning desire to go for class A or Valve amp tbh though but speaker choice would seem to become much tougher when the output of the ECI is high in terms of power and current.

Another amp contender has become available though....

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Pathos-Inpol-2-Integrated-Amplifier/product_2657

At price of £7.5k this would normally be WAY outside my £3.5k budget however i have sourced a mint second hand one for £2.7k!

It is literally impossible to try this amp with speakers before buying and i can find barely any info about it but the basics, does anyone have any info or pointers. I must say i am sorely tempted by it but it represents a serious second hand gamble. I am waiting on more info from the seller of course.

Again it looks like it'll need sensitive speakers. I have kinda fallen for the MA PL300's but i think the looks have sold them, am going to try and hear a pair as soon as poss. Hopefully within a few days but i fear although the transparancy of these speakers would allow aforementioned amp and CDP to shine they would not work at volume being 4ohm speakers with big drivers? Perhaps i need a better understanding of how low powered valve/class A can make such speakers work?

 

[Macspur]

Hey guys just to let you all know i think ive come to the conclusion on the CD player which ive decided will be a Electrocompaniet EMC 1up. Looking forward to getting it. Still cant decide on amp but have gone back to thinking the Electro ECI Mk2 would be a good match along with speakers of decent transparancy. Still a burning desire to go for class A or Valve amp tbh though but speaker choice would seem to become much tougher when the output of the ECI is high in terms of power and current.

Another amp contender has become available though....

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Pathos-Inpol-2-Integrated-Amplifier/product_2657

At price of £7.5k this would normally be WAY outside my £3.5k budget however i have sourced a mint second hand one for £2.7k!

It is literally impossible to try this amp with speakers before buying and i can find barely any info about it but the basics, does anyone have any info or pointers. I must say i am sorely tempted by it but it represents a serious second hand gamble. I am waiting on more info from the seller of course.

Again it looks like it'll need sensitive speakers. I have kinda fallen for the MA PL300's but i think the looks have sold them, am going to try and hear a pair as soon as poss. Hopefully within a few days but i fear although the transparancy of these speakers would allow aforementioned amp and CDP to shine they would not work at volume being 4ohm speakers with big drivers? Perhaps i need a better understanding of how low powered valve/class A can make such speakers work?

Hi,

Was wondering how you were getting on.

Excellent choice of CDP... you will not regret it!

Never heard the Pathos, but it certainly does have a very good reputation and at that price you won't go far wrong. I think there is a forum member who used to own one, who's name escapes me and the only reason they gave it up was it's power consumption, plus the heat it gave off.

Not a fan personally of MA speakers, but have never heard the model you mention, so unfair to judge.

Mac

 

[CnoEvil]

Again, I can't fault your choice of amps.....maybe also the Sugden IA-4 should be there as well.

Like Mac, I'm not a fan of MA but that shouldn't put you off trying them. If you are looking for a "clean" sound, my choice would of course be Kef Reference.

The person on here who owned the Inpol 2 was Wishtree, who loved it, but in the end, it didn't quite fit into his lifestyle and might have been a touch warm with his Proacs......but he would be better confirming all this himself, as my memory could be playing tricks.

Solid State Class A amps usually have masses of current, and their power often doubles as the impedance of the speaker halves, which makes them sound much more powerful than they look on paper.

FWIW. My heart would be with the Pathos......but again, this should not be your deciding factor.

 

[Electro]

Hey guys just to let you all know i think ive come to the conclusion on the CD player which ive decided will be a Electrocompaniet EMC 1up. Looking forward to getting it. Still cant decide on amp but have gone back to thinking the Electro ECI Mk2 would be a good match along with speakers of decent transparancy. Still a burning desire to go for class A or Valve amp tbh though but speaker choice would seem to become much tougher when the output of the ECI is high in terms of power and current.

Another amp contender has become available though....

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Pathos-Inpol-2-Integrated-Amplifier/product_2657

At price of £7.5k this would normally be WAY outside my £3.5k budget however i have sourced a mint second hand one for £2.7k!

It is literally impossible to try this amp with speakers before buying and i can find barely any info about it but the basics, does anyone have any info or pointers. I must say i am sorely tempted by it but it represents a serious second hand gamble. I am waiting on more info from the seller of course.

Again it looks like it'll need sensitive speakers. I have kinda fallen for the MA PL300's but i think the looks have sold them, am going to try and hear a pair as soon as poss. Hopefully within a few days but i fear although the transparancy of these speakers would allow aforementioned amp and CDP to shine they would not work at volume being 4ohm speakers with big drivers? Perhaps i need a better understanding of how low powered valve/class A can make such speakers work?

Excellent choice !

The Electrocompaniet EMC1up is a bit special isn't it

The EC1 5 MK2 integrated amp will easily drive any speaker you care to connect to it and large 4 ohm speakers will pose no problem whatsoever in fact they thrive on this sort of load , the ECI 5 is stable into loads down to 0.5 of an ohm as are all Electrocompaniet amplifiers.

Obviously I am a little biased but I think Electrocompaniet amplifiers have the best of all worlds using clever and unusual design .

They have the best points of pure class A such as wonderful transparency and sound staging due to the elimination of crossover distortion and TIM and DIM distortion combined the control and current delivery end efficiency of a high bias class AB amplifier .

I chose my Electro pre- power amps in preference and with direct comparison at home to a pure class A Sugden Masterclass pre- power combo at twice the price .

The Sugden and Electrocompaniet amps sound quite similar at low to medium levels or if the music is simple and easy but when the volume is increased or if the the music becomes complex or dynamic Electrocompaniet amps remain completely in control and the sound is simply huge preserving all the dynamics and sense of scale in the same way live music sounds , unfortunately the Sugdens were not able to do this ( IMO and intending no offence to any Sugden owners ) hence my choice .

Of course you might want something different but please give an Electrocompaniet amp a try along with the others I have a feeling you will like it

 

[megatombomb]

Bloody 'ell ive found a Pathos Logos for £1.8k seems good value!

Also a second hand pair of these eccentric british chaps for £5k....

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/Tannoy-Prestige-Kensington-SE-Speakers-Pair/product_1884

Very sensitive speaker would prob work well with the Inpol 2.

 

[megatombomb]

I have missed out on the Pathos Inpol 2 btw it is sold

Can anyone who owns a Electro EMC1up comment on how it works with hybrid SACD's. I read a comment somewhere from an owner that said it didnt work with his Bob Dylan sony hybrid sacds and i have quite a few of these which i would want to play of course!

Just wondered what happens with these discs when trying to playback?

 

[Electro]

I have missed out on the Pathos Inpol 2 btw it is sold

Can anyone who owns a Electro EMC1up comment on how it works with hybrid SACD's. I read a comment somewhere from an owner that said it didnt work with his Bob Dylan sony hybrid sacds and i have quite a few of these which i would want to play of course!

Just wondered what happens with these discs when trying to playback?

I have never had a problem playing any hybrid SACD's , in fact playing the Cd layers on my EMC1up sounds far better than the SACD layer played on my NAD M55 universal player , or at least it did because the NAD M55 is broken again |( .

The NAD has spent more time broken than working though !

 

[Macspur]

The EMC1UP has no problem playing SACD's they sound exceptional.

Sorry you missed out on the Pathos, just wasn't meant to be... there's a Sugden Masterclass on sale here http://www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/moreinfo.php?prod_title=sugden_i-a4_masterclass&p=integrated_amplifier&prod_id=9450&offset=0

Mac

 

[megatombomb]

The EMC1UP has no problem playing SACD's they sound exceptional.

Sorry you missed out on the Pathos, just wasn't meant to be... there's a Sugden Masterclass on sale here http://www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/moreinfo.php?prod_title=sugden_i-a4_masterclass&p=integrated_amplifier&prod_id=9450&offset=0

Mac

Thanks Macspur for the heads up is a nice find and the price is awfully tempting if i had 2k i would buy it just to say i had a proper Class A amp! I have no doubt i'd like the sound of this amp but i just cant imagine how it will manage with a demanding speaker like the MA PL300 or even a PMC ob1i which i can see myself ending up with. I have ruled out the Harbeths for the moment i think they would not be quite exciting enough in their sound although they remind me a bit of the old mans wharfedales ie big old school looking standmounts on big old stands!

Am going to demo a MF M6i amp with Marantz SA11s2 SACD player with some MA GX200 speakers just to see what it sounds like over next few days hopefully just to get an idea of a type of sound.

 

[megatombomb]

The EMC1UP has no problem playing SACD's they sound exceptional.

Sorry you missed out on the Pathos, just wasn't meant to be... there's a Sugden Masterclass on sale here http://www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/moreinfo.php?prod_title=sugden_i-a4_masterclass&p=integrated_amplifier&prod_id=9450&offset=0

Mac

Thanks Macspur for the heads up is a nice find and the price is awfully tempting if i had 2k i would buy it just to say i had a proper Class A amp! I have no doubt i'd like the sound of this amp but i just cant imagine how it will manage with a demanding speaker like the MA PL300 or even a PMC ob1i which i can see myself ending up with. I have ruled out the Harbeths for the moment i think they would not be quite exciting enough in their sound although they remind me a bit of the old mans wharfedales ie big old school looking standmounts on big old stands!

Am going to demo a MF M6i amp with Marantz SA11s2 SACD player with some MA GX200 speakers just to see what it sounds like over next few days hopefully just to get an idea of a type of sound.

 

[megatombomb]

So i have spent some time in a demo room today! But sadly not with any of the main contenders for my proposed mid life crisis system. However as well as building a proper system for life i do also want to extract more sound from my little Marantz MCR603 so stop reading if your not interested in the following comments on wallet friendly non serious hifi components which dont relate to the original topic but stay with me if youre bored enough and it may help you to understand my preferences for my main system! So anyway i am currently running the Marantz 603 with MA Bx2's which arent doing the business on the bass which is very boomy and boxy sounding instead of smooth and rich although i am running them flush to sidewalls and 5 inches from rear so they havent much room to play in. The what hifi review said positioning wasnt an issue with these speakers but i speak from extensive experience that that statement is utter bollocks.

I have played the BX in the middle of my 6x6m room on the carpet on the floor and layed down in front of them they actually sound really quite good for £250! But i cant be lying down on my worn out 30 year old back all the time and tripping over my speakers so i spent a bit of time listening to the following at the dealer and put them all in a similar position to how my BX2s are set up in my home which was essential to get an idea of their tonal balance under such circumstances. They are listed in order of how i played them....

1st up MA Silver RX2 - First off the Bass from the 8inch woofer is fantastic much deeper than the 6.5 on the BX2 and the highs are better sounding slightly brighter but more natural which is more important.

2nd up Kef R100 - Again astonished how such a small speaker (considerably smaller than BX2 let alone the comparatively massive RX2) can produce almost the same bass extension as the Rx2. Tonally it sounded almost the same as the MA not over bright at all. I did notice abit of bass bloom but less than my BX2 but not as smooth as the RX2's. The biggest negative of these was It actually made me think the Marantz unit is actually much better than what you would expect of a £350 all in one system and spending more on speakers is not a diminishing return.

3rd and finally KEF LS50, a speaker so highly regarded and talked about i could resist hearing them and seeing what the big deal was about. Certainly it had the most detail and again bright tonally but seemingly not fatiguing. Its certainly created a very 3d soundstage compared to the others which i liked and hearing individual notes was easiest too. One problem though, lack of bass extension and a deal breaker for me! In every respect but for bass i thought this was the best speaker. Just to be sure it wasnt the marantz driving them we attached them to a Roksan K2 kandy amp which offers alot more power and current the the M603 and although the sound was better still the bass was reticent

I guess i cant fully understand the fuss with the LS50 really? I would much rather listen to speakers that do Bass, Mid and Treble all good than one which does Mid and Treble excellently but is Bass shy!?

If nothing else this test served to confirm to me that i am looking for my main system to give me great quality bass with depth and speed that covers as much of the lower frequency range as possible, hence the proposition of MA PL300, Kef R900, Harbeth HL5, Tannoy Kensington SE. I do wonder if i'm asking too much of my main proposed system and budget to give me a golden CD sound close to good vinyl analogue sound! At the same time i value modern things like pace, rhythm, timing, high detail levels etc but not at the expense of warmth, ease of listening and musicality.

Oh and Btw i am probably going to get a pair of RX2s after the demo i was blown away by the full range of their sound which even has more bass impact than the RX6's i own and considering how cheap you can get these now compared to the Kefs its a no brainer. So at least ive made one decision at last!

Thanks again for reading and to the guys for saying about the Electro EMC1up reading SACD discs ok this put my mind at ease.